The great odyssey

Arrival at the international airport. Transfer to your hotel.

Transfer to the motorcycle garage. You leave Athens for the Gulf of Corinth.

The route alternates between mountainside and seaside roads,

Stop at the Byzantine monastery of Osios Loukas, listed as a World Heritage Site for its 10th-century frescoes and mosaics.

🔎 Osios Loukas Byzantine Monastery

You're back on the road, heading for Arachova, a delightful village at the gateway to the Parnassus massif.

Another stop at Delphi to visit the sanctuary of Apollo, the most important in ancient Greece, and its dedicated museum.

🔎 Panhellenic sanctuary of Delphi

Check-in and overnight at your hotel

Mountain stage to Karpenisi, on a route winding through the mountains and around some of Europe's largest reservoirs.

The Gulf of Corinth can be seen in the distance before disappearing behind the peaks.

The roads here are a little like the Grand Alps in France, but you're on your own.

Arrive and check into your hotel, set in an enchanting setting.

A new mountain stage takes you through sumptuous landscapes and around some of Europe's largest reservoirs.

You drive along winding roads at the foot of the Agrafa massif.

Arrive in Kalambaka late afternoon and check into hotel at foot of Meteora.

You leave the hotel on the panoramic road, offering magnificent views of these astonishing perched monasteries.

🔎 Monastery of Meteora

Be sure to visit one or two of the most emblematic.

The route continues due west towards the Tsoumerka massif, along an impressive road lined with ancient Orthodox buildings such as the Assumption Monastery, the Monastery of the Virgin and Child and the Church of the Holy Cross.

Arrive in Pramanta and check into your hotel, at the foot of the spectacular Strongoula peak.

The day begins like yesterday, with a pass road through the heart of a huge national park, before descending to the charming town of Metsovo, at the gateway to the Zagorias.

Located in Epirus, close to Albania, the Zagorias are part of the immense Pindus range, where nature is grandiose. From the Vikos Gorge, the deepest in the world after the Grand Canyon, to the peaks of the Astraka Mountains, you'll be riding "beyond the mountains".

🔎 Les Zagoria

Considered the largest on Earth after the Grand Canyon in the USA, the Vikos Gorge is sure to leave you in awe.

🔎 Vikos Gorge

After several stops to enjoy exceptional views of the gorge, the route heads towards the Ionian Sea.

The road skirts the waves to Parga, an ancient fishing village surrounded by lush cliffs plunging into an emerald sea.

At sunset, the sun's rays light up the little port and its shimmering houses with their warm, colorful paintings.

Arrive at your hotel for a first stopover by the sea.

You take the road towards Naupacte, an old Venetian port that defended access to the Gulf of Corinth against the Ottoman fleet.

Today's itinerary is set on the shores of the Ionian Sea. The road winds along jagged coastlines plunging into the blue waves. It's a magical sight, inviting you to enjoy the view as much as the road.

Dinner and overnight in Naupacte's old town.

You cross the Gulf of Corinth on the Rion - Antirion bridge, the third largest cable-stayed bridge in the world.

You arrive in the Peloponnese via the Chelmos - Vouraikos national park, where the waters of the Styx flow, one of the 5 infernal rivers of ancient Greece.

In the afternoon, you continue on to Olympia. For those who wish, visit the site and museum at sunset.

🔎 Olympia archaeological site

The route crosses the Arcadian mountains towards the mysterious UNESCO-listed temple of Apollo-Epicure at Bassae.

🔎 Temple of Apollo - Epicurus

The route continues towards the west coast, to the famous Voidokilia beach. This is the site of the naval battle of Navarin.

Along the way, you'll come across the magnificent remains of the ancient city of Messène, only recently rediscovered after centuries of oblivion.

Arrival at Pylos in Laconia. Check-in at your hotel.

Today's route takes us around the Messinian peninsula, the first of the three peaks of the Peloponnese, with a stop to admire the impressive Venetian fortress of Methoni.

After avoiding the town of Kalamata, famous for its olives but of little interest, you continue south towards the Magne peninsula, the most bewildering of the three.

Here, isolation and geography have accentuated the characteristics of insularity.

Arrival at Areopoli, today's stopover.

Continue south to Cape Tainaro, at the southern tip of the Magne (and the European continent).

You continue your tour of the peninsula on the Gulf of Laconia side.

Approaching Mystras, the route returns to the Byzantine register.

Nestling on the slopes of the Taygetos massif, the ancient capital of Morea reveals its impressive remains.

This morning, visit the ancient city founded by the Franks in the 13th century, then conquered by the Byzantines and Turks.

🔎 Medieval site of Mystras

You then drive towards the Laconia peninsula through impressive olive groves and fruit plantations.

You arrive in Monemvasia in the late afternoon.

Before you leave, take a stroll around the small fortified town, a real gem in the morning light. Sea bathing at the foot of the ramparts is available in season.

🔎 City of Monemvasia

your itinerary resumes towards the Parnonas massif. Lunch in a charming mountain village or by the sea, depending on the circumstances. The route then follows a magnificent coastal road along the Argolic Gulf to Nafplio.

🔎 Nafplio

Before leaving Nafplio, make a detour to admire the view of the Argolic Gulf from the fortress of Palamede.

Then on to Mycenae, a pre-Hellenic Bronze Age city with magnificently preserved Cyclopean fortifications.

🔎 City of Mycenae

Then on to Epidaurus, to admire the world's best-preserved ancient amphitheatre.

🔎 Sanctuary of Asclepias at Epidaurus

Then you'll head up along the Saronic Gulf to the Isthmus of Corinth.

After a stop to admire the Corinth Canal, you return to Athens via the expressway.

In the evening, dinner at the foot of the Acropolis.

🔎 Acropolis of Athens

Free day in Athens if you have chosen this option, otherwise return flight.

We recommend visiting the Acropolis and Parthenon Museum, the Museum of Greek Antiquities or the Byzantine Museum.

Athens Acropolis

Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Check-out and transfer to the airport for your return flight.