Live like a local in Greece's idyllic Argolic Gulf with this 5-day itinerary. You'll explore Athens for a few days, including a unique guided tour of some of the city's most important ancient sites before you head to seaside Nafplio, home to winding streets and a historic water fortress. Explore this beautiful area of mainland Greece, then get hands-on in an olive grove before you head home.

Highlights

  • Learn the mythology behind the Acropolis and Athens' top ancient sites with a local guide
  • Take a guided stroll through quaint, sleepy Nafplio
  • Experience life in an olive orchard and picnic under the trees

Brief Itinerary

Day Highlights Overnight
Day 1 Arrive in Athens Athens
Day 2 Acropolis and Ancient Greek Mythology & Museum Tours Athens
Day 3 Athens to Nafplio and Walking Tour Nafplio
Day 4 Olive Experience Nafplio
Day 5 Nafplio to Athens and Depart  

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Athens

Monastiraki Square and the Acropolis
Monastiraki Square and the Acropolis

Welcome to Greece! You'll begin your trip in Athens, home to both the iconic Acropolis and so much more. The mythology of this spectacular city precedes it, with towering temples to Classical deities and the ruins of ancient marketplaces rubbing shoulders with lively nightlife, crowded flea markets, and contemporary cuisine. Make the most of your time in the city at some of these spots:

  • Check out the views of the can't-miss Parthenon. (Pro tip: The Parthenon is the temple, the Acropolis is the hill.) This temple to Athena has enchanted visitors since its construction was completed in 438 BC. It's probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of ancient Greece and is visible from many of the city's high points.
  • Stop at the sprawling National Museum for a crash course in ancient iconography. Be sure to seek out the room housing the Antikythera mechanism, essentially an ancient astronomical computer.
  • Visit a smaller archaeological site at the Tower of the Winds, then stroll down neighboring pedestrian Aiolou Street to stop at shops and cafes. 
  • Find your perfect souvenir or sun hat in the busy stalls of the Monastiraki flea market. 

Spend your evening exploring the up-and-coming Pangrati neighborhood or amid the nightlife and mezze of the Psyrri district.

Day 2: Acropolis and Ancient Greek Mythology & Museum Tours

Ancient columns
Ancient columns

Experience the ancient stories surrounding you with today's guided mythology tour. You'll meet your guide and storyteller at the Temple of Olympian Zeus, then head to landmarks around the city including the Acropolis, ancient cemetery at Kerameikos, and the Agora. The myths that founded the city and are featured in its retellings for generations will accompany as you go, with stories of Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Dionysus, and more. Hear both the stories themselves and the historic facts behind them, adding resonance to the archaeological ruins you will visit during this four-hour tour.

Stick with the supervised experience with another guided tour at the Acropolis Museum in the afternoon. Named one of the ten best museums in the world by National Geographic, this modern museum houses a multitude of artifacts removed from the hill of the Acropolis for safekeeping to provide insight into ancient religious practices and daily life. Linger for lunch in the museum's cafe, with views of the artifacts' former hilltop home.

As night falls, you may be able visit the Athens Observatory to learn about the constellations overhead and take a look through the telescope. Its hours vary seasonally and by day of the week.

Plan your trip to Greece
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.

Day 3: Athens to Nafplio and Walking Tour

At the base of the castle
At the base of the castle

This morning, you'll wrap up your stay in Athens with breakfast before you head to Nafplio, one of the prettiest seaport towns in the Peloponnese peninsula. Once believed to have been founded by the son of Poseidon, the town was the first capital of the new Greek state after the war of independence in the 1800s.

Wear good walking shoes for today's adventure. You'll start with a stroll through the old town, where you'll pass statues honoring significant figures from Nafplio's history alongside Ottoman fountains, and Venetian architecture along its winding streets topped off by the Bourtzi Castle in the middle of the harbor. Accessible only by boat, the castle was built in the 1470s to defend the city, and it still keeps watch at the entrance to Nafplio Bay.  Then, warm up your leg muscles with a climb up 1,000 steps to see the view from the Palamidi Castle.

You'll meet your guide in the afternoon at the harbor lighthouse to hike underneath the castle's towers. The scenic trek will take you along the Arvanitia path along Acronafplia, which lives up to its translation of "the edge of Nafplio." Go all the way to Karathona beach as you learn about the history of the city and its invasions. Then, continue to the foothills surrounding the castle, with views of the Artemision mountain as your reward for all that walking.

Day 4: Olive Experience

A favorite in all seasons
A favorite in all seasons

Greece has been enjoying the benefits of olive oil for centuries, and now you can take part in this culinary tradition. You'll begin after breakfast with a drive out to a rural village roughly 5 miles (8 km) outside of Nafplio. Visit the local owners to see how the olive oil-making process works and learn about its steps, as well as meet some of the farm's other inhabitants with a sheep-milking session. 

Next, visit the groves themselves, enjoying a picnic experience underneath the shade of the trees and lunch in a family taverna. If you arrive in the harvest season, your experience will even include picking olives in the orchard alongside the workers. 

Head back to town in the late afternoon, where you'll have a new appreciation for your dinner's ingredients. Top it off by buying a bottle of wine in a local shop to take home. You're in one of the most notable wine areas of Greece, after all. Look for an Agiortiko or another native grape varietal.

Day 5: Nafplio to Athens and Depart

Get in one more good look
Get in one more good look

Time to say goodbye to Greece! You'll be transferred back to Athens International Airport after breakfast.

Map

Map of Athens and Nafplio - 5 Days
Map of Athens and Nafplio - 5 Days