Date of trip: November 16-27, 2024
Over the years, I’ve refined my recommendations from all my Greece trips and with the help of Lefterry Bellos at the Cultural Crusades Tour Company, created the ultimate off-the-beaten-path itinerary for my mom and her friend to experience the real Greece.
I highly recommend you contact Lefterry for all your Greece Travel needs. I had an itinerary in mind and contacted dozens of travel agencies who would not do the trip. But I found Lefterry through a personal recommendation and he not only helped me rearrange the itinerary more realistically, but he MADE the trip. He is funny, knowledgeable, personable and talented. And truly, my mom couldn’t have done this without him. I’ve linked his website and socials.
https://www.instagram.com/lefterry_bellos?igsh=MjBtZnJpNTNsdHg4
https://www.facebook.com/share/19M8WvFZAj/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Here is an overview of the itinerary. They went off season in November (just as I had always done). I wanted them to experience my favorite parts of mainland Greece to include the Peloponnese Peninsula, Zagori Villages and Meteora. Then they even found more off the beaten path hidden gems.
Days 1 and 2: Athens
Day 3: Nafplio
Day 4: Monemvasia
Day 5: Kardamyli
Day 6: Olympia
Day 7: Delphi
Day 8: Meteora
Day 9: Drive up to Zagori Villages then stay in Ioannina
Day 10:Athens in preparation for International Flight
Day 1: Hotel night in Athens
They arrived at 10am leaving the entire day to explore Athens. Lefterry picked them up from the airport and took them to their Athens Hotel, Adrian Hotel
See my separate blog on my trips to Athens because I highly recommend Hotel Andronis but they were booked for these dates.
I recommended they wander the Plaka District, go to the Acropolis and Acropolis Museum today. And to make sure they caught sunset from Filopappou Hill.
Day 2: Hotel night in Athens at Adrian Hotel
Today they did an Athens Tour with Terry and visited all his favorites around the city. They thoroughly enjoyed this and even if you aren’t booking a full tour, they both highly recommend at least an Athens Tour with Cultural Crusades.
Day 3: Hotel in Nafplion
They left Athens in the morning to drive to Nafplio (1 hour and 46 minutes). On the way they stopped at Corinth, Mycenae, and Epitharous.
Once in Nafplio, they wandered the squares and climbed Fortress of Palamidi for 360 views of the city and sea. They also explored the sea walk around the port.
Their hotel for the evening was Gambello Luxury Rooms which I had loved on my prior trip and we all would recommend.
Day 4: Hotel in Monemvasia
They left Nafplio in the morning to start on the 2 hour and 55 minute drive to Monemvasia. They stopped at Mystra and Sparta on the way.
They stayed inside the old castle walls on the “island” at Moni Emvasis Luxury Suites. You can see my Peloponnese blog post for where I stayed but their hotel was much more luxurious.
They spent the day scrambling along the sea and climbing the top of the island for amazing views.
Day 5: Hotel in Kardamyli
They woke up and enjoyed a lovely sunrise and breakfast.
Then drove through Mani Peninsula stopping at some of the sites including Gytheo on the way to Kardamyli (2 hours and 29 minutes from Monemvasia to Kardamyli).
I had stopped in Kardamyli just for lunch on the way to Kalamata and found it to be such a darling town so I wanted them to experience it more.
They stayed at the adorable Kalamitsi Hotel
Day 6: Hotel in Olympia
This was a busy driving day (drive time 5 hours (Kardamyli-Ancient Messene- Methoni-Pylos- Olympia).
First stop was Ancient Messene which was very impressive. Unlike myself, they also went inside the museum rather than just wander the grounds.
Then to the Venetian Methoni Castle
Then to Pylos
And finally to Olympia
Their hotel in Olympia was Leonidaion Guesthouse
Day 7: Hotel in Delphi
They visited the Olympia sites and museums
Then drove the 3 hours and 32 minutes across the bridge to into Delphi for the evening
Their hotel in Delphi was the V Hotel Delphi
which had great morning views for sunrise.
Day 8: Hotel in Meteora
They visited the sites in Delphi and enjoyed sunrise from their balcony
Then drove to Meteora (drive time 2 hours 40 minutes)
Then toured a few monasteries, bought great souvenirs and even some cheese!
And enjoyed sunset at “sunset rock”
They stayed in Hotel Meteoritis and I booked them the suite with a panoramic view of Meteora.
https://www.meteoritis.com/rooms/deluxe-junior-family-suite-with-garden-and-meteora-view/
I had stayed both of my trips in Hotel Meteora which was not available but if you’ll check out my Meteora post, you can see more details.
Day 9: Hotel in Ioannina
This was a very busy driving day. Driving from Meteora to Vikos gorge, with a stop at the Kokkorou stone bridge and Vradeto steps on the way, then to Papingo Rock Pools.
This is exactly what to type into Google Maps and the drive times:
🔹“ kokkorou ancient stone bridge” which is (2 hours and 14 min from Meteora)
🔹then “Vradeto steps,” 13 minutes from stone bridge
🔹then “Oxya viewpoint,” 42 minutes from the steps. Viewpoint for Vikos Gorge is Oxya Viewpoint 18 min walk to the viewpoint
🔹then “Papingo Rock” pools 1 hour 3 minutes from the oxya viewpoint
🔹Then drive to hotel in Ioannina was 1 hour 21 minutes from rock pools
(Total drive time Meteora-Stone bridge, vradeto steps, oxya viewpoint at Vikos gorge, papingo pools then to the hotel in Ioannina is 5 hours 15 min)
Lefterry added so many cool stops to the plan above (because he’s a Greek travel expert)
🔹Metsovo – amazing wine tour
🔹Kipoi for lunch
🔹Bridge of Plakidas
They stayed the night at It’s Kale Boutique Hotel in the city center.
Day 10: Hotel in Athens
They spent the morning and afternoon exploring the area around Ioannina
Then drove the 4 hours 42 minutes from Ioannina to Sofitel Airport Hotel
I had them stay in the Sofitel since their flight was at 6am. They were able to walk to the airport without arranging a transfer service (although Lefterry would have been happy to take them even at 3am)
https://sofitel.accor.com/en/hotels/3167.html
To close:
My mom and friend only just yesterday returned from Greece which was a dream destination for my mom ever since she was a child. This journey exceeded all expectations and left them both completely enchanted. Despite being seasoned travelers with a wealth of experiences, they agreed that this was their favorite adventure yet.
Their trip was truly one of a kind, thanks to Cultural Crusades, whose thoughtful planning allowed them to dive deep into Greece’s rich history and culture. Traveling during the off-season added an extra layer of magic. They explored iconic sites without the usual crowds, lingered in quiet coastal villages, and savored intimate moments that made the trip feel deeply personal.
For my mom, this wasn’t just a vacation—it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. And for both of them, it was a trip they’ll treasure forever.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you need help planning your off-season trip to Greece. And make sure you check out all my blogs on Greece!
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