The battle that has changed the world!
Highlights of Thermopylae tour
• Thermopylae’s Battlefield
• The monument of king Leonidas and the 300 Spartans
• The monument of the 700 Thespians
• The Kolonos hill
- Travelers can customize the tour within the itinerary!
Inclusions & Exclusions
✔ Private vehicle
✔ Transportation by air-conditioned vehicle appropriate for the size of your group
✔ A professional English speaking tour driver
✔ Hotel pickup and drop-off in Athens
✖ Entrance fees to the archaeological sites and museum
✖ Gratuities
✖ Food and drinks
✖ English-speaking licensed tour guide (We can arrange for a tour guide for you with an extra cost)
Pickup Locations
1. Hotel Albion
2. Zenith Hotel
3. Athens City Plaza
4. Athens Odeon Hotel
5. Wyndham Athens Residence
6. Crystal City Hotel
7. Apollo Hotel
8. Titania Hotel
9. Hotel Minoa
10. The Editor Athens Hotel
11. Iniohos Hotel
12. Arion Athens Hotel
13. Anixis
14. Noma Hotel
15. Athens Tiare Hotel
16. Novotel Athenes
17. Hotel Tier Collection
18. Hotel Christiana
19. Bob W. Eolou Athens
20. Hotel Solomou Athens
Additional Info: Departure Point : HOTEL MEETING INSTRUCTIONS: We will meet you at the main entrance of your hotel. Please inform the porter that you are expecting your tour driver to call for you. If you are staying in a small hotel, please inform the receptionist instead.
CRUISE PORT MEETING INSTRUCTIONS: Please disembark and walk outside the terminal exit door, where our driver/guide will be waiting for you holding a sign with your name on it.
Return point: Return at the same spot
Itinerary
1
Attica
You will be traveling through Attica, a journey” in 6,000- year history, the land that gave birth to ideas and arts, has created and shaped what we call today the western civilization. Today, a visit to Attica offers visitors a unique experience. A “journey” in its 6,000-year history, including the chance to see renowned monuments and masterpieces of the art of antiquity and the Middle Ages, and the architectural heritage of the 19th and 20th centuries. Here lies Athens, the capital of Greece, the busiest city of the country with the most prominent archaeological site and symbol of the country, the world-famous sacred rock of the Acropolis.
Attica is home to some of the world’s most important and fascinating museums and archaeological sites, testimony to its long and prominent role in world history. Festivals featuring ancient Greek drama, as well as performances, sports, or culinary events are organized throughout the year, spellbinding the audience. Then travel towards Peloponnese!
2
The very heart of Greece. Central Greece, known as Roumeli, is part of the Greek mainland that has been inhabited since antiquity. There are forested mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, rich fauna and flora, and remarkable archaeological sites. Visit the archaeological site of Delphi and the Oracle of Apollo, picturesque seaside towns of Galaxidi and Itea, as well as beautiful Nafpaktos of great historical importance. The lagoon of Messolonghi, the largest Greek wetland, is a natural paradise that includes islets, dunes, forested banks, and a rich flora and fauna that provide salt and fish to the locals. But the most precious gift of nature here is bottarga (Greek avgotaracho), one of the few seafood products with a PDO award, a delicacy coming from the eggs of the female grey mullet. Do you seek the kind of thrill that will pump up your adrenalin? Karpenisi is the ideal destination as there is a multitude...
Duration: 2.5 hours
3
Thermopylae
Thermopylae is a place in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulfur springs. In Greek mythology, the Hot Gates is one of the entrances to Hades.
4
Leonidas Monument
Why did the battle of Thermopylae become one of the most world-famous battles? Thermopylae battle is a perfect example of selflessness, sacrifice, and obedience to the laws of the country. The resistance in the passage is a result of hard military training, better gear, and strategic use of the land in order to multiply the defense abilities.
Where is the Thermopylae Memorial? The passage of Thermopylae (that literally means "Hot Gates") doesn't exist anymore since the mud deposition made by the Spercheios river moved the beach and the sea a few kilometers away.
Duration: 40 minutes
5
Battlefield of Thermopylae
The Persian Army led my Xerxis to reach the passageways of Thermopylae. The Greeks have chosen this strategic spot to face the Persian attack. Xerxis has commanded Leonides, the leader of the Greek Army to surrender his armory but he replied 'Come and Get them. For two days, the Greeks fought heroically. On the third day, Efialtes betrays the Greeks, showing the Persians the passageway so as to get to the backside of the Greeks. So, the Persian Army surrounds the Greeks. Leonides remains at the site of the battle along with 300 Spartans, 700 Thespieis, and 400 Thivaious, loyal to his homeland's laws. He falls dead from Persian arrows. On Kolonos hill there is a memorial statue of King Leonidas and his soldiers with an inscription saying:"Ὦ ξεῖν’, ἀγγέλλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὅτι τῇδε κείμεθα, τοῖς κείνων ῥήμασι πειθόμενοι", which means: "Stranger, tell Spartans that we lay here, staying faithful to Sparta’s laws."
Duration: 20 minutes
6
Off to the side of the larger statue of Leonidas at Thermopylae, there is a monument to the 700 Thespians who died alongside the Spartans.Unveiled in 1997, it depicts Eros, the oldest of the gods. The Romans knew him as Cupid. The Thespians held Eros above all other gods, likely because he had no parents. Nearly 600 years after the battle, the Greek geographer Pausanias (c. 175 AD) described how the Thespians worshiped Eros first above all other gods and they still had images of him throughout the city (9.27.1-4).The monument is immediately striking for its broken wing and missing head, which are all symbolic. A nearby stone slab explains the missing head represents the anonymous sacrifice of the Thespians, the chest is bravery, the open wing is the spirit of freedom, and the broken wing is voluntary sacrifice.
Duration: 30 minutes
7
Kainotomiko Kentro Istorikis Enimerosis Thermopylon
The Thermopylae Historical Information Centre of the Municipality of Lamia is located in Thermopylae near the Monument of Leonidas. It was inaugurated in 2010 as part of the celebrations "Thermopylae 2010 ".
Guests have the opportunity to learn about the historical events through navigation on digital 'tables' and by watching a three-dimensional video concerning the battle of Thermopylae. After the three-minute introductory film in the first room, you will enter the room of interactive applications, where eight digital tables will provide you with the historical background of the battle. Then, there is the Virtual Reality room, where you can put on a pair of 3D glasses and watch the digital movie concerning the military equipment of the Greeks and the Persians.
The tour ends with a trip through time: With a Virtual Reality application, you will be “transported” to the battlefield and actively participate in the preparation of the soldiers before the battle.
Duration: 30 minutes
8
Kamena Vourla
Kamena Vourla is a town and a municipality in Phthiotis, Greece.The famous springs became important around 1926 when the chemist Michail Pertesis discovered the exceptionally high radon concentration in the water, which was thought of as a great value for people's health. Nearly ten years later (1930s), the first hotels started to develop. After World War II, Kamena Vourla was transformed into a tourist attraction.Eight km away on the road heading uphill features the monastery known as Iera Moni Metamorfoseos tou Sotiros which was built in around the 11th century. Nearby the city a historic tomb is situated, a monument to the Battle of Thermopylae with a seal of Leonidas, King of Sparta, located not far from the mountain village Karya.
Here you will have the chance to taste the local cuisine (optional)
Duration: 60 minutes
9
Attica
After your visit to Kamena Vourla, we'll take the way back to Athens using the same way. End of our service.
Duration: 2.5 hours
Additional info
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Dress code is formal
• Athens International Airport transfers can be arranged on request at an extra cost!
• Important note: - A professional English speaking tour driver will be with you and with good knowledge in history and culture of Greece, to guide you till you enter archaeological sites and museums according to the program. Tour drivers are not licensed to companion you inside the archaeological sites and museums. If you'd like to have one, we can arrange it for you with an additional cost. Licensed by the state tour guides are freelance and it is subject of availability on bookings day!
