Meet your private driver/guide for your 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. departure.
In a short trip of no more than 2 1/2 hours, we shall reach our destination in this “real Greece” experience.
Starting from Athens, we drive towards the Corinth canal and make a quick 10 min (optional) stop to see the Corinth canal. If we start from Nafplio town we drive directly towards the mountains without the Corinth canal stop.
We head towards Tripoli town (mountainous central city of the Peloponnese) and start our village exploration of mount Mainalo in the region of Arcadia. Not for nothing is the name Arcadia used as a shorthand for bucolic beauty.
The main destinations are the awesome villages of Dimitsana & Stemnitsa and also a couple of cliff-hanging monasteries.
- Dimitsana is one of the most attractive villages in the mountainous Arcadia region. It is set on a double hump overlooking the Lousios river. In this beautiful stone-built village, there are six beautiful churches since the Frankish and Norman rule. Just two km south of Dimitsana we shall be visiting the Open Air Water-Power Museum containing a reconstructed watermill, tannery, and gunpowder mill showing how the basic pre-industrial techniques used water as the main energy source for the production of various products. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and a few Greek national holidays, so please inquire in advance.
- Stemnitsa village has a medieval feeling with the stone-made houses, cobble-stoned alleys in an amphitheatrical structure. The amazing Prodromou & Emyalon monasteries will be visited and of course Lousios river, the gorge, and the remaining ancient Gortys. All monasteries are in the beautiful gorge of the Lousios river and one of them requires an easy 15-minute hike. There will also be short walks through the narrow stone-built roads of both villages.
- The gorge and river of Lousios are the most important and beautiful natural monuments of Peloponnese, ideal for hiking, rafting, and kayaking while a drive around will reveal amazing landscapes.
- In the surroundings of Dimitsana and Stemnitsa villages, the important sights include the Emyalon & St John Prodromou Monastery, both located inside the Lousios gorge and river. At the spectacular landscape of Lousios Canyon, 3 km away from Dimitsana village we meet the Monastery Emyalon. It was built on a perpendicular cliff among cypresses probably on the ruins of another earlier building from the Byzantine period.
- One of the more impressive attractions of this area is the monastery of St John Prodromos built along the side of Lousios Gorge. You can’t see the monastery from its parking area at the top of the gorge and a sign sends you on to a cobbled path that leads down the side of the gorge. Just when you think it can’t possibly be here because there’s nothing but a steep-sided ravine and trees, you look up, and there it is, above you, a long mass of buildings clinging like limpets to the rock face, with some tiny, box-like structures with wooden buttresses underneath.
Somewhere in between these sites, you will enjoy a typical Greek lunch in a place to be arranged by your leader. For those seeking to discover real Greece, these villages are must-visits any time of the year.
At the end of the day, we return to your accommodation or the cruise ship in Athens or Nafplio. [© Eudaimonia Private Tours Athens Greece]
☼ Private tour for 1-8 related people.
☼ Hotel pickup and drop-off.
☼ Private local driver with very good knowledge of the sites to be visited.
☼ Brand new (2018-22) non-smoking vehicle & non-smoking driver.
☼ The dress code of the driver depends on the season of the year, always informal but at the same time professional.
☼ Each adult traveler is allowed a maximum of one carry-on bag.
☼ Authentic Greek lunch & drinks with dessert.
☼ In-car information booklet & bottled water.
☼ Flexible itinerary.
☼ Free online consultation for all aspects of your planning and staying in Greece from the first moment you book the trip or any other day or multi-day trips of Eudaimonia.
☼ Optional: Vegetarian lunch can be arranged in most cases. Please let us know in advance.
☼ Pickup and drop-off in areas outside of Athens or Nafplio (subject to a possible additional cost).
☼ Entrance fees to the Open Air Water-Power Museum (€3,00).
☼ Excess luggage is not allowed.
☼ Touristy souvenir/shopping stops unless requested by yourselves
☼ Gratuities (optional).
The pricing shown for this tour is €580, which is the total for 2 (two) people and includes the sites mentioned in the itinerary plus lunch and drinks.
Discounted pricing: We have alternative ways of payment (family rates, solo travelers, small booking payments, pay on the day of the tour, etc). Please, contact us to get the best rate depending on your payment method, number of people, and ages.
PS. Payments made by PayPal are subject to an additional cost of 5%-6% (the approximate fee that PayPal charges on all transactions), and prices by Amex are subject to an additional 2.80%-3%, which the client must pay to Eudaimonia on the day of the booked tour. There is no extra charge if you pay by any other credit card.
[© Eudaimonia Private Tours Athens Greece]
On the way back to the main motorway we travel a different path out of the mountain range to enjoy the pine forest, time, and weather permitting.
Departure from the Athens area or Nafplio town. Your hotel, cruise ship (Piraeus or Nafplio port), or a pre-arranged meeting point very close to these locations. For other starting locations please contact us.
Corinth Canal (Optional but free)
You can consider the following 2-day / 1-night tour as an alternative to the day tour:
╰┈➤ 2-Day Tour to Ancient Olympia, the Arcadia Cliff-Hanging Monasteries & the Mountain Villages from Athens [Ancient Olympia, Arcadia mountain villages, Cliff-hanging Monasteries]
This will include the Arcadia Cliff-Hanging Monasteries & the Mountain Villages but it will be your stepping stone to the famous Ancient Olympia which is consider some distance as a day tour on its own.
╰┈➤ The ultimate way to explore the Mythical Peloponnese is to take the five-day 5-Day Peloponnese-Corinth, Mycenae, Nafplio, Epidavros, Monemvasia, Mani, Sparta, Mystras, Olympia, Arcadia tour
Please contact us if you need more details.
☼ All our tours include lunch and drinks and all multiday tours include quality accommodation. Professional guide, dinner (on multiday tours), and tickets to the sites are not included. You can read more about why we have these inclusions and exclusions.
☼ Children must be accompanied by an adult.
☼ Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not suitable for people with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
☼ We are flexible and the duration of the tour is flexible, so there is no rushing during the tour except when there are specific restrictions (like not to miss the closing time of the sites during off-season).
☼ If canceled due to bad weather or any other extreme situation, you will be given the option of an alternative date or a full refund.
‘Eudaimonia’ is the trading name of Eudaimonia Private Tours of Greece, a tour provider officially registered under the Greek National Tourism Organization with business license number: 1245E70000044101. The ‘client’ or ‘customer’ is the person or persons who have made a confirmed booking with Eudaimonia.
CANCELLATION POLICY FOR TOURS, TRANSFERS AND SERVICES
(a) Cancellation Policy for day tours, half-day tours, and transfers:
☼ Cancellations made greater than 60 days before the scheduled tour date will be fully refunded minus service fees as mentioned below.
☼ Cancellations made between 60 to 30 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 75% of the agreed total tour fee minus service fees.
☼ Cancellations made between 30 to 7 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 50% of the agreed total tour fee minus service fees.
☼ Cancellations made 7 days or less before the scheduled tour date will incur a 100% charge.
EXPENSES: Additionally to the above but only after the 60-day full refund period, all of Eudaimonia’s expenses agreed upon through the email exchange of communication concerning or are part of the day or half-day tours or transfers, such as site tickets, train/boat tickets, or any other bookings for the client (wine tasting, restaurants, etc) will be deducted from the amount to be refunded. This will be an amount of approximately 15%-20% of the total tour cost.
SERVICE FEE: Finally, a service fee of 9% (of the total amount agreed) will also be deducted from any refundable amount including the 60-day full refund case. This corresponds to the time spent on the client’s booking.
(b) Cancellation Policy for multi-day tours (at least one night stay/overnight or more):
☼ Cancellations made greater than 90 days before the scheduled tour date will be fully refunded minus expenses and services fees as mentioned below.
☼ Cancellations made between 90 to 60 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 75% of the agreed total tour fee minus expenses and services fees.
☼ Cancellations made between 60 to 30 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 50% of the agreed total tour fee minus expenses and services fees.
☼ Cancellations made 30 days before the scheduled tour date will incur a 100% charge.
EXPENSES: Additionally to the above, but only after the 90-day full refund period, all of Eudaimonia’s expenses agreed upon through the email exchange of communication concerning or are part of any multiday tour, such as site tickets, train/boat tickets, hotels booked for the client, or any other bookings (wine tasting, restaurants, etc), will be deducted from any amount to be refunded. This will be an amount of approximately 25%-30% of the total tour cost.
SERVICE FEE: Finally, a service fee of 18% of the total amount agreed will also be deducted from any refundable amount including the 90-day full refund case. This corresponds to the time spent on the client’s booking.
(c) Special client-specific arrangements/agreements & cancellation policy:
There may be client-specific payments & bookings (full or partial) agreed upon through e-mail communication mentioned -for example- as “non-refundable” or different from the main cancellation policy “refund dates”. Then, these client-specific agreements will precede any other interpretations made from this main cancellation policy. Therefore, it is the specific written (email) agreement between each client and Eudaimonia that can only precede this main cancellation policy -if it is different- and determines the cancellation policy for each client.
(d) Other issues:
Eudaimonia reserves the right to make subtle changes to tour itineraries. Eudaimonia reserves the right to substitute vehicles and/or drivers should they arise. Eudaimonia reserves the right to change or cancel your booking without any penalties beyond offering a full refund. Should change and/or cancellation prove necessary we will give you -if possible- reasonable notice & where available, offer you a comparable alternative. If an alternative is not available or acceptable you will be entitled to a full refund.
Eudaimonia encourages all clients to communicate as early as possible concerning cancellation issues which could allow the agency to offer a better refund – partial or full- to a client despite the standard cancellation policy described in this document. This is a decision not to be discussed with or disputed by the client and will be made entirely by Eudaimonia to better serve the client if it is possible.
Eudaimonia itineraries are flexible, and if possible, the requirements of clients will be facilitated. Eudaimonia reserves the right to vary, modify, or cancel any itinerary, either partly or wholly. Itineraries published are sample itineraries only and may be amended without notice. Eudaimonia also reserves the right to use alternative vehicles to those advertised.
Eudaimonia is not responsible for the costs of any other travel arrangements affected due to our cancellations or rescheduling of any tour departure.
Bookings can only be used by the client/s to whom the booking was initially arranged; no other person can use the booking in any circumstances.
The client will be asked to produce a valid photo and/or passport number identification.
(e) Force Majeure
It is only at Eudaimonia’s discretion to refund fully, partly, or not at all if a customer cancels under certain conditions including even “Force Majeure”. Eudaimonia strongly recommends that the client purchase travel insurance.
The Client agrees to all the above when booking any of Eudaimonia’s tours and services.
