Skip to content
The Acropolis of Athens with the Parthenon and the Erechtheion in golden evening light, seen from Filopappou Hill

Sample journey · 8–10 days

An oracle, monasteries in the air and an ancient stadium

Athens, Delphi, Meteora, Thermopylae, Nafpaktos & Olympia

Photo: Constantinos Kollias / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

This journey is a loop of mainland Greece by car, linking places whose names many people have known since childhood. It begins in Athens at the Acropolis and climbs to Delphi, where the ancient Greeks consulted the oracle, then on to the plain of Thessaly and Meteora, where monks settled on sheer pillars of rock six hundred years ago. Heading back south come Thermopylae, where Leonidas's Spartans held back the Persians in 480 BC, the Venetian harbour of Nafpaktos and, to finish, Olympia, where children can rarely resist running on the track of the ancient stadium.

Unlike the Peloponnese journey, with its coasts and fortresses, this route focuses on the great ancient sanctuaries, and suits families and first-time visitors to Greece. Most drives take two to three and a half hours, most stops have two nights, and the archaeological sites are visited with a guide who tells stories rather than dates. The stays are simple and comfortable: family-run hotels looking out over a valley or the rocks.

The route

The journey

  1. Athens
  2. Delphi
  3. Meteora & Kalambaka
  4. Thermopylae
  5. Nafpaktos
  6. Olympia
  7. Athens
  1. The Porch of the Caryatids on the Erechtheion, on the Acropolis, in warm sunlight

    01Days 1–3 · Athens

    The Acropolis first

    Two nights in Athens, near Plaka, so everything is within walking distance. The Acropolis is on the morning of day two, as the gates open, while the stones are still cool and the queues short: the Propylaea, the Parthenon and the Erechtheion with its caryatids, and a guide to explain why Athena won her contest with Poseidon for the city. In the afternoon, the Acropolis Museum, where glass floors reveal an excavated ancient neighbourhood and, on the top floor, the Parthenon friezes are arranged as they once ran around the temple. In the evening, the lanes of Plaka and Anafiotika and dinner facing the floodlit hill. With time to spare, the Ancient Agora and its well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus often appeal to children even more than the Acropolis itself.

  2. The sun rising over the mountains and the ruins of the theatre at Delphi

    02Days 3–5 · Delphi

    The navel of the world beneath Parnassus

    About two and a half hours west, past the plains of Boeotia and mountain Arachova, to Delphi. Two nights in the small town above a valley of olive trees running down to the Gulf of Corinth. The ancient Greeks believed this was the centre of the world, and Apollo's priestess, the Pythia, answered the questions of kings and ordinary people alike. The Sacred Way climbs past the treasuries to the Temple of Apollo, the theatre and, highest of all, the stadium of the Pythian Games. Below, near the Castalian Spring, stands the round tholos of the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, loveliest early in the morning. In the museum, the bronze Charioteer, one of the best-preserved statues of antiquity. On the second afternoon, the monastery of Hosios Loukas and its Byzantine mosaics.

  3. A monastery on top of a sheer rock at Meteora, near Kalambaka

    03Days 5–7 · Meteora

    Monasteries on pillars of stone

    The longest day of the journey: about three and a half hours north through the mountains and across the plain of Thessaly to Kalambaka. Two nights beneath the rocks of Meteora: huge grey pillars of sandstone and conglomerate rise straight above the town, crowned by monasteries that were once reached only by rope ladders or a net hauled up by winch. Six are active today, reached by steps. In the morning, two or three monasteries with their frescoes and old kitchens; in the afternoon, a path among the rocks or the village of Kastraki; and at sunset, the viewpoints where the pillars turn orange. The monasteries are living communities, so we keep to their dress code and their quiet.

  4. Stone harbour walls and boats in the harbour of Nafpaktos

    04Days 7–8 · Thermopylae & Nafpaktos

    The pass and the Venetian harbour

    On the way back south, after about two and a half hours, comes Thermopylae. The sea has retreated several kilometres, so the narrow pass where Leonidas, his Spartans and their allies held the Persian army for days in 480 BC is now a broad plain, and a guide helps you picture how it looked. Beside the statue of Leonidas rises Kolonos Hill, scene of the last stand, and a nearby centre tells the story in images that children enjoy. Another two and a half hours through the hills, and one night in Nafpaktos, a small town on the Gulf of Corinth. Its harbour is ringed by Venetian walls with a castle above, and the waterfront recalls that the Battle of Lepanto was fought nearby in 1571, where a young Cervantes was wounded.

  5. A lone ancient column against a cloudy sky at Olympia

    05Days 8–10 · Olympia

    Where the Games began

    Across the Rio–Antirrio bridge, one of the world's longest cable-stayed bridges, and about two hours south-west to Olympia. Two nights among the hills and the pines of the Alfeios valley. The sanctuary of Zeus once held one of the Seven Wonders of the World, his gold and ivory statue; today you see the huge column drums of his temple, the Temple of Hera, where the Olympic flame is still lit, and the workshop of Phidias. Through a stone archway you step into the stadium: the same track the ancient athletes ran, and most children stage races of their own. In the museum, the Hermes attributed to Praxiteles and the temple's pediments. On the last day, about three and a half to four hours to Athens airport, or an extra night by the sea.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The Acropolis at opening time

    The Parthenon and the caryatids while it's still cool, then the Acropolis Museum and its friezes after lunch.

  2. 02

    The sanctuary of Delphi

    The Sacred Way up to the Temple of Apollo and the stadium, the tholos in early light and the bronze Charioteer.

  3. 03

    Sunset at Meteora

    Monasteries on pillars of rock, and the evening when the stone turns orange.

  4. 04

    The stadium at Olympia

    The walk through the stone archway and a short race where the ancient athletes ran.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With younger children

    Thermopylae can be skipped with a direct drive from Meteora to Nafpaktos, and a beach day added near Olympia. Visits shorter, with a guide who talks to children.

  • At a slower pace

    Over ten to twelve days, a third night in Athens and an extra night in Arachova, or by the sea in Galaxidi between Delphi and Nafpaktos.

  • With the Peloponnese

    From Olympia you could continue to Nafplio, Mycenae and Epidaurus, turning the journey into a two-week loop of ancient Greece.

  • In spring or autumn

    April, May, September and October are the most pleasant months to walk the sites, and school holidays or long weekends in these months suit the journey well.

Practical considerations

  • The best time is spring and autumn (roughly April to early June and September–October). In July and August midday is often very hot and the sites have little shade, so we visit early in the morning.
  • Opening hours at archaeological sites differ between summer and winter, some close on public holidays, and during heatwaves hours are sometimes shortened. We check everything before you travel.
  • Each Meteora monastery has its own closing day. Visitors cover their shoulders; women wear a skirt below the knee (often lent at the entrance) and men long trousers.
  • The journey is planned as a self-drive, but it can also be travelled with a driver-guide; roads are good, and winding in the mountains.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

Keep exploring

Destinations

Ways to travel

Related articles

More journey inspiration

Plan your journey

Shape a journey like this

Would you like to show your children the Greece they've read about? Tell us who's travelling and at what pace, and we'll shape the route together.

Shape a journey like this

This journey becomes the starting point of your enquiry — you can change or remove it.

All journey inspiration