Self-Launched Highlights of Ancient Greece

Fly into Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos). Take the X95 express bus (€6, ~1hr) or Metro Line 3 (€10, ~40 min) into the city centre. Check into your hostel or budget hotel near the Acropolis or Monastiraki. Spend the evening wandering the Plaka neighbourhood — the atmospheric old town below the Acropolis — and dive into a taverna for souvlaki, tzatziki and a cold Mythos beer. A great introduction to Athenian street life.

🚌Metro Line 3 from airport to Monastiraki: ~£7. Or X95 bus: ~£5.

🛏Athens Backpackers / Hotel Attalos / Tempi Hotel (or similar budget hotel near Monastiraki, ~£25–40/night)

• →Arrive at Athens International Airport — take Metro Line 3 or X95 bus to city centre (~£6–9)
• →Check in to accommodation near Monastiraki or Plaka
• →Evening stroll through Plaka neighbourhood
• →Dinner at a local taverna — try souvlaki, moussaka and local wine (~£10–15)

Start early to beat the crowds at the Acropolis — it opens at 8am and gets very busy by mid-morning. Book your combined ticket online in advance (€30, covers the Acropolis and several other ancient sites). Explore the Parthenon, Erechtheion, and sweeping city views from the hill. Afterwards, head to the world-class Acropolis Museum (€10) just below — it houses the original Parthenon friezes and tells the full story of the site. In the afternoon, explore the Plaka and Monastiraki flea market, or climb Lycabettus Hill for panoramic city views. Self-guided walking tours are free via the Rick Steves app or GetYourGuide audio guides (~£5).

🚌Walking day — all main sites are within 15 minutes on foot.

🛏Athens Backpackers / Hotel Attalos / Tempi Hotel (or similar, ~£25–40/night)

• →Visit the Acropolis — book timed entry tickets online in advance (€30 combined ticket, ~£26)
• →Explore the Acropolis Museum (included in combined ticket or €10 separately, ~£9)
• →Stroll through Plaka and Monastiraki flea market — free
• →Optional: climb Lycabettus Hill for panoramic views — free
• →Self-guided audio tour via Rick Steves app or GetYourGuide (~£5)

Take an early KTEL bus from Athens's Kifissos bus terminal to Corinth (€8, ~1.5hr). Visit the archaeological site of Ancient Corinth — entrance €8 — one of antiquity's great trading cities, with its imposing Temple of Apollo and sprawling Roman forum. Walk to the Corinth Canal viewpoint for a dramatic photo stop. From Corinth, take a local bus or taxi (~€15) to the ancient citadel of Mycenae (entrance €12), legendary kingdom of Agamemnon and the Bronze Age's most powerful palace complex. Don't miss the Lion Gate and the Treasury of Atreus (a beehive tomb). Finish with a KTEL bus to Nafplio (~45 min, €3), a charming Venetian-era harbour town. Check in and explore the pretty pedestrian streets.

🚌KTEL buses throughout the day — buy tickets at the station or on board. Total transport ~£23.

🛏Hotel Byron Nafplio / Pension Marianna / Hotel Epidavros (or similar budget option, ~£30–45/night)

• →KTEL bus: Athens Kifissos terminal to Corinth (~£7, ~1.5hr)
• →Visit Ancient Corinth archaeological site (€8, ~£7)
• →Walk to Corinth Canal viewpoint — free
• →Bus or taxi to Mycenae (~£13)
• →Visit Mycenae archaeological site including Lion Gate & Treasury of Atreus (€12, ~£10)
• →KTEL bus Mycenae/Corinth to Nafplio (~£3, ~45 min)
• →Evening walk in Nafplio's Venetian old town — free

Explore two extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage Sites today. Start with Ancient Tiryns, just 10 minutes by local bus (€2) or taxi from Nafplio — its Cyclopean walls are among the most impressive Mycenaean remains in Greece (entrance €6). Then take a bus or shared taxi to Ancient Epidaurus (~45 min, €5), home to the remarkably well-preserved 4th-century BCE theatre — famous for its extraordinary acoustics. Test them out by standing in the centre and whispering. The sanctuary of Asclepius is also fascinating. Return to Nafplio for the evening — take a sunset stroll up to the Acronafplia castle for free views over the gulf.

🚌Local buses and taxis within the Nafplio area. Total transport ~£10.

🛏Hotel Byron Nafplio / Pension Marianna / Hotel Epidavros (or similar, ~£30–45/night)

• →Local bus or taxi to Ancient Tiryns (€2 bus, ~£2)
• →Visit Ancient Tiryns (€6, ~£5)
• →Bus or taxi to Ancient Epidaurus (€5, ~£4)
• →Visit Ancient Epidaurus theatre and Sanctuary of Asclepius (€12, ~£10)
• →Return bus to Nafplio (€5, ~£4)
• →Sunset walk up to Acronafplia castle — free
• →Dinner in Nafplio old town (~£12–16)

Rise early to climb the 999 steps (or take a taxi up) to the Venetian Fortress of Palamidi for sweeping views over Nafplio and the Argolic Gulf (entrance €8). After breakfast, check out and take a KTEL bus towards Sparta (~2.5hr, ~€15), then a local taxi or bus the final 5km to the Byzantine ghost town of Mystras (entrance €12). The UNESCO-listed hillside settlement is a remarkable maze of frescoed Byzantine churches, palaces and monasteries dating from the 12th–15th centuries. Allow 2–3 hours to explore. Stay nearby in a guesthouse in the modern village of Mystras or the nearby town of Sparta.

🚌KTEL bus Nafplio–Sparta + local taxi to Mystras. Total transport ~£18.

🛏Mystras Inn / Byzantion Hotel Mystras / guesthouse in Mystras village (or similar, ~£25–40/night)

• →Morning visit to Palamidi Fortress — walk up or take taxi (entrance €8, ~£7)
• →KTEL bus: Nafplio to Sparta (~£13, ~2.5hr)
• →Taxi from Sparta to Mystras (~£5, 5km)
• →Explore Byzantine Mystras UNESCO site including churches, palaces and frescoes (€12, ~£10)
• →Check in to guesthouse near Mystras village

Take a morning bus or taxi towards Kalamata, then onwards to Ancient Messene (~1.5–2hr, ~€15 total). This is one of Greece's most underrated and best-preserved archaeological sites — a vast ancient city set in a lush valley below Mount Ithomi, with a remarkable theatre, gymnasium, stadium, and Asclepeion. Allow 2–3 hours to explore properly (entrance €12). Continue by bus or taxi to the seaside town of Pylos (~1hr, €10) on the beautiful Navarino Bay. Check into your hotel and visit the Castle of Pylos (Niokastro), which houses an interesting museum of underwater antiquities. Walk the harbour front for sunset and enjoy fresh seafood at a waterfront restaurant.

🚌Bus and taxi combinations through Messinia region. Total transport ~£22.

🛏Hotel Karalis Beach / Philip Hotel Pylos (or similar budget option near the harbour, ~£30–45/night)

• →Bus/taxi from Mystras area towards Messene via Kalamata (~£13)
• →Visit Ancient Messene — theatre, stadium, gymnasium, Asclepeion (€12, ~£10)
• →Bus or taxi from Messene to Pylos (~£9, ~1hr)
• →Visit Castle of Pylos (Niokastro) and underwater antiquities museum (€4, ~£3)
• →Sunset walk along Pylos harbour — free
• →Dinner: fresh seafood at waterfront taverna (~£12–18)

Start with a morning taxi or local bus north from Pylos to the Mycenaean Palace of Nestor (~17km, €10). This remarkably well-preserved Bronze Age palace, described in Homer's Odyssey, gives a real sense of Mycenaean domestic life — complete with decorated floors and a reconstructed royal bath. Then head to Ancient Olympia (~2hr by bus, €8) — the spiritual home of the Olympic Games. The archaeological site (€12) includes the Sanctuary of Zeus, the original Olympic stadium (walk through the athletes' tunnel!), the Temple of Hera, and the incredible Museum of Olympia (included), which houses the original Hermes of Praxiteles. Book accommodation in Olympia village for the night.

🚌Local buses and taxi to Palace of Nestor, then KTEL to Olympia. Total transport ~£16.

🛏Pelops Guesthouse / Hotel Ilis / Pension Poseidon Olympia (or similar, ~£25–40/night)

• →Taxi or bus: Pylos to Palace of Nestor (~£9, ~17km)
• →Visit Mycenaean Palace of Nestor (€6, ~£5)
• →Bus: Pylos/Nestor area to Olympia (~£7, ~2hr)
• →Visit Ancient Olympia archaeological site and Museum (€12, ~£10)
• →Walk through the original Olympic stadium tunnel — included
• →Dinner in Olympia village (~£10–15)

Today involves a longer journey by bus from Olympia to Delphi (~4–4.5hr with a change at Patras or Rio, total ~€25–30). This is a scenic route crossing back from the Peloponnese to mainland Greece — look out for the spectacular cable-stayed Rio–Antirrio Bridge spanning the Gulf of Corinth. Arrive in Delphi by mid-afternoon and check into your guesthouse. Then explore the awe-inspiring archaeological site on foot (entrance €12): the Sacred Way leading up to the Temple of Apollo, the Treasury of the Athenians, the ancient theatre with views down the valley, and the stadium higher up. The Delphi Archaeological Museum (included) houses the famous Bronze Charioteer. Have dinner in the village overlooking the olive-covered valley.

🚌KTEL buses Olympia–Patras–Itea–Delphi. Change required at Patras or Rio. Total transport ~£24.

🛏Hotel Acropole Delphi / Sibylla Hotel / Guesthouse To Patriko (or similar, ~£25–40/night)

• →KTEL buses: Olympia to Delphi via Patras/Rio (~£22–26, ~4–4.5hr total)
• →View the Rio–Antirrio Bridge en route — free
• →Check in to guesthouse in Delphi village
• →Visit Delphi archaeological site: Temple of Apollo, Treasury of the Athenians, ancient theatre (€12, ~£10)
• →Delphi Archaeological Museum — included in site ticket
• →Dinner in Delphi village with valley views (~£12–16)

After a relaxed morning breakfast, check out and take a short bus or taxi to the mountain village of Arachova on the slopes of Mount Parnassos (~10 min, €5) — a beautiful stone village known for its colourful woven goods, local cheeses, and atmospheric cafés. Pick up souvenirs and enjoy a coffee before heading to Athens by KTEL bus (~2.5hr, €15). From Athens, take a local bus or taxi to Cape Sounio (~1.5hr, €6 by KTEL bus from Pedion Areos) to visit the spectacular 5th-century BCE Temple of Poseidon perched on the clifftop above the Aegean Sea (entrance €10). Enjoy lunch here with sweeping sea views. Afterwards, take the bus back towards Athens and on to the airport (allow ~2hr). Trip ends at Athens International Airport.

🚌KTEL Delphi–Athens + KTEL Athens–Cape Sounio + bus/taxi to airport. Total transport ~£27.

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Morning stroll and coffee in Arachova village (~£5–8)
• →KTEL bus: Delphi to Athens (~£13, ~2.5hr)
• →KTEL bus: Athens (Pedion Areos) to Cape Sounio (~£6, ~1.5hr)
• →Visit Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio (€10, ~£9)
• →Lunch at Cape Sounio with Aegean Sea views (~£12–15)
• →Bus/taxi to Athens International Airport (~£8–15)