Corinth Canal, Diakofto, Odontotos Train Kalavryta Gorge, Cave of Lakes, Dimitsana
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Corinth Canal
Start your tour with a morning pick up from your residence and set off towards the Peloponnese peninsula. Driving for about an hour we reach our first stop at Corinth Canal, an awe-inspiring engineering miracle, six and a half km long, separating the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea.
Duration: 15 minutes
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About an hour later we reach Diakofto, a pretty seaside village where we will get aboard the popular “Odontotos” small train, a gauge rack railway. Odontotos runs through the gorge of Vouraikos and the village of Zachlorou. The train covers the 22 kilometre trip in about an hour, with a short stop at Grand Caves (Mega Spilaion Monastery) and ends up in Kalavryta where your driver will be waiting for you.
Tickets: 9.50 euro per person.
Duration: 1.5 hours
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Kalavryta
Kalavryta is famous for its striking natural beauty, its abundance in waters, its ski resort (second biggest in Greece) and its historical importance for Greeks.
On 13th December 1943, the German 117th Jäger Division executed nearly all-male population and resulted in the total destruction of Kalavryta. There is a Memorial dedicated and a Holocaust Museum in Kalavryta which we can visit if you wish (Entrance Ticket: 3 euro pp).
Duration: 60 minutes
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Kastria Cave of the Lakes
Leaving Kalavryta, our next stop is the Cave of the Lakes, with its mysterious galleries and multicolour chambers, the imposing stalactite and stalagmite formations.
What makes this cave quite unique is that has the three different levels with lakes on every level, 13 in total.
Ticket 9 euro per person.
After this impressive natural formation, we head towards Dimitsana, the last stop for your first day.
Dimitsana's beautiful mountain scenery, stone houses, and its history as the heart of the Greek independence movement in the early 1800s make it a fascinating place to explore. It is a very popular winter resort with excellent local cuisine.
You will rest for the night at 4-star traditional mansions or Boutique hotels such as "En Dimitsani" Hotel.
Duration: 45 minutes
Open-Air Museum, Vytina, Kapsia Caves, Nemea Temple, Nemea Winery
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Offshore Hydropower Museum
After your breakfast, you will visit the Open-Air Water Power Museum in Dimitsana.
The Open-Air Museum's theme is focused on the importance of hydraulic power in traditional societies. You will visit the watermills, the gunpowder mill and the workshop's buildings.
Ticket 4 euro per person
Duration: 30 minutes
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Vytina
Our next stop is close by Vytina stunning village, the “Jewel of Menalon Mount”.
You will stroll Vytina's lively square with the stone church of Agios Trifonas, built in 1846. On the square, there are small, traditional cafes offering Greek coffee and delicious local sweets.
Duration: 60 minutes
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Kapsia Cave
Next, your driver will take you to the Stalactites of Kapsia Cave. This amazing Cave is a complex system of swallow-holes on the lush Mantineia mountain range. Multicoloured stalagmites and stalactites compose a unique and impressive canvas that is reflected on the surface of the small ponds inside the cave.
Ticket 6 euro per person
Duration: 45 minutes
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Ancient Nemea
Leaving Capsia Caves behind us we then reach the Nemea archaeological site and museum. The site comprises of the Sanctuary of Zeus developed at the beginning of the 6th century BC, with the institution of the Panhellenic Nemean Games.
Another significant site is the Stadium, built at the end of the 4th century B.C. in which Panhellenic games were held every two years in honour of Opheltes.
The Archaeological Museum of Nemea exhibits findings from the Zeus’ sanctuary as well as from various archaeological sites in the Nemea region, which span from the Early Neolithic to the Byzantine times.
Ticket 6 euro per person
Duration: 60 minutes
