Highlights
Delphi, the mythical oracle of ancient Greece and UNESCO World Heritage site, is set amidst a formidable mountain landscape, where old rural traditions and forgotten crafts are still alive! Avoid the touristic cliches, explore past splendors, discover present-day wonders and experience local life like few travelers do.
- Visit Delphi, center of the ancient world, in a full-day tour departing from Athens
- Explore Delphi's unique landmarks: the Temple of Apollo, the Athenian Treasury, the Tholos, the Theater, and more.
- Admire masterpieces of classical Greece in the Delphi museum, including the world-famous statue of the Charioteer of Delphi
- Discover one of the most interesting villages of Greece, rarely visited by tourists.
- Tour eerie tanneries from another era and visit one of the last tanners at work!
- Meet the locals, who let you into their daily life to share their very own version of Greece with you
- Enjoy a traditional Greek lunch, cooked by mountain village women, under the shade of hundred-years old trees.
Description
The ancient past meets the present in this all-day exploration of the site of Delphi, with its unique temples and monuments, the world of traditional crafts and the unexplored villages in the surrounding area.
The oracle of Delphi is located in a setting of outstanding natural beauty on the lower slopes of Mount Parnassos; before entering the archaeological site and admire its wonders, you’ll have a chance to find out much more about the mountain and what life is like here today.
To accomplish that, you will visit an old town neighborhood, largely abandoned today, which used to be the leather tanner’s district. Here, in a space that’s strongly evocative of the past, you’ll witness firsthand what a tanner’s working life was like a century ago (and still is today!) and listen to the tanners' stories –father and son– to understand what life is like today in this part of Greece.
If you are lucky, you’ll also get to visit the last bell-maker in Greece. In his small workshop, he’ll show you the art of bell making, creating the bells that the local villagers use for their livestock. As his work schedule is irregular, his workshop isn't open to visitors at all times.
After that, it’s time for lunch, all in the form of local delicacies from the region, which you’ll enjoy sitting in the town square, under a large plane tree –you’ll taste local cheeses and the famous Amfissa olives before tucking into a traditional regional specialty as a main course that the women of the village have prepared for you.
When lunch is finished it’s back to Delphi, the ancient oracle of the Gods. This is the best time to visit the site, when the tourist hordes have departed and let you admire in peace the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, the reconstructed Athenian Treasury and the Theater. You’ll want to take your time, not only because the site is built into the side of a mountain, but also because there’s just so much to see here, and the setting itself is magical; a place of great spiritual power hugging the side of a towering mountain, and below it, a sea of olive groves as far as the eye can see, all the way to the Corinthian Gulf in the distance. No wonder that even the most powerful rulers and noblemen of antiquity were awed by the splendor and revered the sacred site of Delphi and its earthly connection to the divine.
When you’ve seen all there is to see outside, it’s time for the Delphi museum, a short walk downhill from the site. Here, be sure to see the bronze Charioteer of Delphi (it’s said his profile is completely different, depending on which side of his face you choose to look at), the haunting Sphinx of Naxos and what might be the very first ever recorded notation of a musical melody, contained in an ancient inscription from the walls of the original Athenian Treasury.
Now, it’s time to head back to Athens, taking back memories of the mountain, the town and the incomparable ancient Delphi.
Itinerary
- Transfer by private a/c vehicle from Athens to Delphi
- Guided walk in an abandoned village in Amfissa
- Visit to a traditional tannery
- Visit of a traditional bell maker (depending on the day and the group)
- Lunch
- Guided tour at the archaeological site and museum of Delphi
- Transfer by private a/c vehicle from Delphi to Athens
What's Included
- Professional English speaking tour leader
- Licensed English speaking Guide (Delphi)
- Guided tour of Delphi site & Delphi Museum
- Lunch
- Visit to an old traditional village in Amfissa
- Visit to local tannery
- Snack and water
- Private transfer by a/c vehicle
- Hotel pick up & drop off (for private tours only)
- Petrol, tolls and taxes
Not included
- Drinks
Additional Information
Not accessible friendly. Good to have: Water, comfortable shoes, hat.
These may be times of uncertainty, but nothing keeps true travelers at heart from the pleasure of exploring ? From our side we have taken great care so that your experience is as pleasurable as safe: • Premium small-sized groups up to 8 people for our join-in tours* • Enhanced social distancing with the use of wireless audio guide kits (mandatory for all our guests) • Skip-the-line ticket service for all guests – No queuing for ticket purchases • Outdoor tours for the majority of our experiences • Mandatory mask use by all our guides • Antiseptic gel/wipes available throughout the tour • Individualized tastings for our food tours (no food sharing) • National Health Organization standards implementation on all tours using vehicles • Signed declaration by all tour participants that they are in good health prior to tour start • Flexible cancellation policy, no rescheduling fees • Continuous monitoring of all COVID-19 health & safety recommendations from the WHO and the Greek National Health Organization and implementation of best-practices accordingly. *up to 10 for our Mythology tour
About the provider
Alternative Athens
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