The season for this holiday is:
01 April 2025 - 21 June 2025
01 September 2025 - 31 October 2025
12 nights: 01 April 2025 - 21 June 2025 & 01 September 2025 - 31 October 2025
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
| Starting | Price | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr - 9 Jun 2025 | £1650 | £485 |
| 1 - 30 Sep 2025 | £1710 | £485 |
| 1 - 19 Oct 2025 | £1610 | £485 |
| 3rd & 4th person discount | -£150 | |
| Single traveller supplement | £160 |
Includes accommodation, meals, travel between hotels and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus a detailed information pack, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.
Included travel: 12 days’ category B car hire (e.g. VW Polo or similar with manual transmission)
Driving times if flying to Athens: to Mystras: 3h; from Nafplion to airport: 2h
If you choose to fly via Kalamata, we recommend starting in Olympia and ending in Kardamili
Driving times if flying to Kalamata: to Olympia: 1h30; from Kardamili to airport: 1h
Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.
Room upgrades (£ per person per night)
| Mazarakis, Pikoulianika | ||
|---|---|---|
| Deluxe suite: 01 Apr - 21 Jun 2025 | £23 | |
| Deluxe suite: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 | £23 | |
| Superior suite: 01 Apr - 21 Jun 2025 | £32 | |
| Superior suite: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 | £32 |
| Hotel Bastione Malvasia, Monemvasia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Superior with balcony & sea view: 01 Apr - 21 Jun 2025 | £11 | |
| Superior with balcony & sea view: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 | £11 |
| Notos Hotel, Kardamili | ||
|---|---|---|
| Apartment with balcony: 01 Apr - 21 Jun 2025 | £25 | |
| Apartment with balcony: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 | £25 |
Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room
Prices include an extra day's car hire| Mazarakis, Pikoulianika (B&B) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr - 21 Jun 2025 | £89 | £160 |
| 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 | £89 | £160 |
| Hotel Bastione Malvasia, Monemvasia (B&B) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr - 21 Jun 2025 | £92 | £140 |
| 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 | £92 | £140 |
| Notos Hotel, Kardamili (B&B) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr - 21 Jun 2025 | £89 | £135 |
| 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 | £89 | £135 |
| Hotel Marianna, Nafplion (B&B) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr - 21 Jun 2025 | £89 | £110 |
| 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 | £89 | £110 |
Travelling from the UK
If you are flying from outside Europe, we recommend flying via Athens. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Birmingham - Athens | jet2 |
| Birmingham - Athens (via Paris CDG) | Air France |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Bristol - Athens | Aegean Airlines, easyJet |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh - Athens | Aegean Airlines, easyJet |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Leeds Bradford - Athens (via Amsterdam Schiphol) | KLM |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Gatwick - Athens | Aegean Airlines, easyJet, Wizz Air |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Heathrow - Athens | Aegean Airlines, British Airways |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Luton - Athens | Ryanair, Wizz Air |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Stansted - Athens | jet2, Ryanair |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Manchester - Athens | Aegean Airlines, easyJet, jet2 |
| Manchester - Athens (via Brussels) | Aegean Airlines |
If you are flying from outside Europe, we recommend flying via Athens. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.
This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.
If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?
We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >
This combined holiday (oft cancelled during Covid) gave us a real opportunity, our first, to experience Greece. Inntravel obligingly accommodated our requests to drop a night at Kardimili so we could book our own overnight at Ancient Corinth (highly recommended) on the return journey. We also had an extra night at Athens and dropped Serifos from the itinerary altogether. The Tour took us through varied landscapes on roads which were in far better condition than in the UK. Garages are frequent (no self-service, English spoken) and we encountered no parking charges, although there are tolls on motorways (pay with notes as well as coins and cards). The driving instructions were exemplary and we never got lost, despite some very minor roads. We did find the first drive from the airport to Mystras rather tiring and would suggest considering an overnight stop if you land any later than 13.00. We couldn’t really describe this as a ‘slow’ holiday - far too much to see and do. The memories will stay with us for a long time. Lots of wild flowers everywhere, and an abundance of enchanting corners in town and country. An excellent range of archaeological sites, and very quiet (apart from the Acropolis in Athens); most are so extensive that the odd tour group is easy to avoid. We recommend taking a download of the Rough Guide or similar; Olympia had already run out of guides in English in April! Tiryns has no information boards and without a guide is something of an enigma. The various archaeological museums are all worth a visit and the quality and variety of finds is absolutely mind-boggling! Generally excellent accommodation (wonderful views from the room at Mystras, Vardia at Kardamili, Amfitriti at Napflio and Petali Village at Apollonia; great breakfasts at several, including both Mystras and Olympia where there is an emphasis on using local produce - The Europa even keeps its own bees!). We felt the breakfast at Napflio was rather average and the room was small with little storage but the welcome was warm and the location wonderful. We had a mixture of meals out, and fending for ourselves from local shops and bakeries. Greek portions are large, even the starters. We eventually settled on four items between the two of us from the Appetiser section of the menu, which with bread was a generous meal. Our favourite restaurants were “Greek Stories” Makrygianni 19-21, Athens (near Acropolis Museum), “Tselementos” and “Drakakis” in Apollonia on Sifnos, and Kanoni in Monemvasia. We coincided with Greek Orthodox Easter which added a different dimension. The clashing bells across Napflio on Good Friday, joining in the Good Friday procession and the lighting of candles as midnight came on Holy Saturday was something we were so glad we experienced. Hotel Vardia at Kardamili was also beautifully decorated as were many shop windows. However, check for reduced opening hours.
With regard to the Cyclades holiday, we really enjoyed Athens which was probably a bit quieter than usual following the Easter weekend. With the extra day we were able to fit in the National Garden and Filopappou Hill for wonderful views across the city. We also visited the National Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum using the fast, clean and cheap metro system which we would wholeheartedly recommend. Don’t let your first experience of it from the airport (special fares and crowds with luggage!) put you off. We do have some reservations. The ferries formed a significant extra cost, and choosing to take the boat (much cheaper) instead of the hydrofoil wasn’t an option for us, as the timings weren’t appropriate. The ferries are also much like planes in that you are expected to remain in your seat except when at the bar or toilets; we’d pictured strolling on deck and looking at the views. Buses don’t really become frequent until the second half of May, and the availability of taxis is limited by the arrival of ferries, when taxis are needed at the ports. We felt Inntravel should have given more guidance on this. (We are mystified as to why they don’t offer Hotel Petali Village on Sifnos on their website when it is in their information pack which is sent out prior to departure. We only found out about it from a review, switched at very short notice and are so glad we did as all the walks begin from Apollonia.) If you are able to work around these issues, May is an excellent time to enjoy the flowers and the blossoming trees before the landscape dries out. It was never too hot and very quiet everywhere; the only disadvantage being that some of the cafes and restaurants were still closed. The walk to Sarakiniko on Milos didn’t work well as the route details are outdated, but the circular walk to Plaka with its many points of interest is not to be missed. The little museum in Holy Trinity church at Adamas on Milos is fascinating, and the custodian very willing to answer any questions, no matter how basic, about the art and also the Greek Orthodox faith.
Lastly, a mention must be made about the friendliness and helpfulness of the Greek people, at our accommodation and more widely in cafes, shops and museums. They accommodated our needs and requests with politeness and good humour, and are one of their country’s great assets.
A really well organised self-guided tour. Excellent standard of hotels or pensions. Great clear routes circling around the Peloponnese with detailed walks to Byzantine fortresses and churches, visits to many ancient Greek sites like Messini, Olympia and Epidavros or even older Mycenae. Some stays with glorious sea views and harbour restaurants. We like and trust Inntravel.
I thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Athens and the Pelopponese. I recommend visiting the Archaeological Museum in Athens as there are many artefacts from the sites in the Pelopponese, for example the golden masks and jewellery from Mycenae and it provides a great overview before you embark on the journey. The hotels were all lovely and in great locations with good views. We walked a lot! In Mystra we walked down through the site and were not really looking forward to the walk back up the hill as it was very hot, but found a taxi at the cafe on the road below the main entrance. The site itself was fascinating. As described in the notes, the hotel in Kardamyli is about 2km from the town but it is an easy walk to the beach and along by the sea into town. It is a bit steep walking back up the hill but we preferred to walk over driving. Lela's restaurant was well worth a visit: highly recommend. The scenery is stunning in the area. Unfortunately there was persistent torrential rain the day we travelled from Monemvasia to Kardamyli so the drive into the deep Mani was not enjoyable and we could not get out to walk. We also had thunderstorms while in Kardamyli but fortunately these were late afternoon/early evening after we had got back from exploring and before we went out for dinner so we sat on our verandah with an aperitif and watched the storms! I would recommend going prepared for rain end of Sept/beginning Oct but in general the weather was perfect for both sightseeing and the beach. On the way from Kardamyli to Olimpia we decided to visit the Bay of Navarino and Nestor's Palace instead of Ancient Messina. Both were beautiful. It is worth reading up on the history of the naval battles at Navarino between Athens and Sparta and during the battle for Greek independence if you visit the bay. Nestor's Palace is a very small site but well worth a visit in my opinion: very evocative of Homer's description, and peaceful. In Olimpia we ate in the hotel both nights as we couldn't face the steep walk back up from town and the food was really good. The Archimedes museum was worth a visit: the young lady was extremely informative in explaining how things worked. In Nafplio I would say the walk up to the Palamidi castle IS worth the climb, but if you don't want to walk then do visit the castle by car as it is a fabulous site with tremendous views. I would recommend going for lunch in Palia Epidaurus (the port) after visiting Epidaurus. It's a lovely spot with a choice of restaurants.
This combined holiday (oft cancelled during Covid) gave us a real opportunity, our first, to experience Greece. Inntravel obligingly accommodated our requests to drop a night at Kardimili so we could book our own overnight at Ancient Corinth (highly recommended) on the return journey. We also had an extra night at Athens and dropped Serifos from the itinerary altogether. The Tour took us through varied landscapes on roads which were in far better condition than in the UK. Garages are frequent (no self-service, English spoken) and we encountered no parking charges, although there are tolls on motorways (pay with notes as well as coins and cards). The driving instructions were exemplary and we never got lost, despite some very minor roads. We did find the first drive from the airport to Mystras rather tiring and would suggest considering an overnight stop if you land any later than 13.00. We couldn’t really describe this as a ‘slow’ holiday - far too much to see and do. The memories will stay with us for a long time. Lots of wild flowers everywhere, and an abundance of enchanting corners in town and country. An excellent range of archaeological sites, and very quiet (apart from the Acropolis in Athens); most are so extensive that the odd tour group is easy to avoid. We recommend taking a download of the Rough Guide or similar; Olympia had already run out of guides in English in April! Tiryns has no information boards and without a guide is something of an enigma. The various archaeological museums are all worth a visit and the quality and variety of finds is absolutely mind-boggling! Generally excellent accommodation (wonderful views from the room at Mystras, Vardia at Kardamili, Amfitriti at Napflio and Petali Village at Apollonia; great breakfasts at several, including both Mystras and Olympia where there is an emphasis on using local produce - The Europa even keeps its own bees!). We felt the breakfast at Napflio was rather average and the room was small with little storage but the welcome was warm and the location wonderful. We had a mixture of meals out, and fending for ourselves from local shops and bakeries. Greek portions are large, even the starters. We eventually settled on four items between the two of us from the Appetiser section of the menu, which with bread was a generous meal. Our favourite restaurants were “Greek Stories” Makrygianni 19-21, Athens (near Acropolis Museum), “Tselementos” and “Drakakis” in Apollonia on Sifnos, and Kanoni in Monemvasia. We coincided with Greek Orthodox Easter which added a different dimension. The clashing bells across Napflio on Good Friday, joining in the Good Friday procession and the lighting of candles as midnight came on Holy Saturday was something we were so glad we experienced. Hotel Vardia at Kardamili was also beautifully decorated as were many shop windows. However, check for reduced opening hours.
With regard to the Cyclades holiday, we really enjoyed Athens which was probably a bit quieter than usual following the Easter weekend. With the extra day we were able to fit in the National Garden and Filopappou Hill for wonderful views across the city. We also visited the National Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum using the fast, clean and cheap metro system which we would wholeheartedly recommend. Don’t let your first experience of it from the airport (special fares and crowds with luggage!) put you off. We do have some reservations. The ferries formed a significant extra cost, and choosing to take the boat (much cheaper) instead of the hydrofoil wasn’t an option for us, as the timings weren’t appropriate. The ferries are also much like planes in that you are expected to remain in your seat except when at the bar or toilets; we’d pictured strolling on deck and looking at the views. Buses don’t really become frequent until the second half of May, and the availability of taxis is limited by the arrival of ferries, when taxis are needed at the ports. We felt Inntravel should have given more guidance on this. (We are mystified as to why they don’t offer Hotel Petali Village on Sifnos on their website when it is in their information pack which is sent out prior to departure. We only found out about it from a review, switched at very short notice and are so glad we did as all the walks begin from Apollonia.) If you are able to work around these issues, May is an excellent time to enjoy the flowers and the blossoming trees before the landscape dries out. It was never too hot and very quiet everywhere; the only disadvantage being that some of the cafes and restaurants were still closed. The walk to Sarakiniko on Milos didn’t work well as the route details are outdated, but the circular walk to Plaka with its many points of interest is not to be missed. The little museum in Holy Trinity church at Adamas on Milos is fascinating, and the custodian very willing to answer any questions, no matter how basic, about the art and also the Greek Orthodox faith.
Lastly, a mention must be made about the friendliness and helpfulness of the Greek people, at our accommodation and more widely in cafes, shops and museums. They accommodated our needs and requests with politeness and good humour, and are one of their country’s great assets.
A really well organised self-guided tour. Excellent standard of hotels or pensions. Great clear routes circling around the Peloponnese with detailed walks to Byzantine fortresses and churches, visits to many ancient Greek sites like Messini, Olympia and Epidavros or even older Mycenae. Some stays with glorious sea views and harbour restaurants. We like and trust Inntravel.
I thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Athens and the Pelopponese. I recommend visiting the Archaeological Museum in Athens as there are many artefacts from the sites in the Pelopponese, for example the golden masks and jewellery from Mycenae and it provides a great overview before you embark on the journey. The hotels were all lovely and in great locations with good views. We walked a lot! In Mystra we walked down through the site and were not really looking forward to the walk back up the hill as it was very hot, but found a taxi at the cafe on the road below the main entrance. The site itself was fascinating. As described in the notes, the hotel in Kardamyli is about 2km from the town but it is an easy walk to the beach and along by the sea into town. It is a bit steep walking back up the hill but we preferred to walk over driving. Lela's restaurant was well worth a visit: highly recommend. The scenery is stunning in the area. Unfortunately there was persistent torrential rain the day we travelled from Monemvasia to Kardamyli so the drive into the deep Mani was not enjoyable and we could not get out to walk. We also had thunderstorms while in Kardamyli but fortunately these were late afternoon/early evening after we had got back from exploring and before we went out for dinner so we sat on our verandah with an aperitif and watched the storms! I would recommend going prepared for rain end of Sept/beginning Oct but in general the weather was perfect for both sightseeing and the beach. On the way from Kardamyli to Olimpia we decided to visit the Bay of Navarino and Nestor's Palace instead of Ancient Messina. Both were beautiful. It is worth reading up on the history of the naval battles at Navarino between Athens and Sparta and during the battle for Greek independence if you visit the bay. Nestor's Palace is a very small site but well worth a visit in my opinion: very evocative of Homer's description, and peaceful. In Olimpia we ate in the hotel both nights as we couldn't face the steep walk back up from town and the food was really good. The Archimedes museum was worth a visit: the young lady was extremely informative in explaining how things worked. In Nafplio I would say the walk up to the Palamidi castle IS worth the climb, but if you don't want to walk then do visit the castle by car as it is a fabulous site with tremendous views. I would recommend going for lunch in Palia Epidaurus (the port) after visiting Epidaurus. It's a lovely spot with a choice of restaurants.
We would highly recommend taking the route through Geraki when moving on to Monemvassia. We visited the site and castle at Geraki and we were given personal guidance around the site (and it was free!!). We would also recommend a trip from Kalamata into the mountains back towards Sparta. The scenery was spectacular and a diversion from that route up to Nedousa was even more worthwhile. Our favourite 'site' was Epidaurus, a truly amazing experience to be followed by a trip to the coast at Port Epidaurus for lunch by the sea.
This was our first tour in mainland Greece - and what a tour! Visiting all these spectacular sights, Epidavros, Olympia, Mycenea etcetera, was a wonderful and unforgettable experience.
Choice of places to stay was quite good and so was the accommodation provided. Driving between locations we chose not to take the highway but drove through the countryside which gave a better view and feeling for the landscape, habitation and the Greek people.
Previously we have gone on a few walking tours with Inntravel so this was a new type of a trip. It was quite a fantastic tour that we can highly recommend.
We did this holiday in the first half of May and the flowers were spectacular and the sites were not at all crowded. Olympia exceeded our expectations with flowers, birds singing, wonderful trees and all the interesting ruins. It had a timelessness to it. All the sites are interesting and with good English descriptions. Be prepared for lots of steps. Most of Greece (ancient and modern) is built on the side of cliffs! As a PS: we had a night in the Holiday Inn (own arrangment) near the airport before starting out and were glad we did. We would have been exhausted on arrival otherwise. It's not cheap but has the huge advantage of an all day restaurant serving familiar food which is what is needed after a long journey. It's also dead easy to find from the airport. We booked the car for an extra 24 hours but you could take a taxi to/from the airport.
We have enjoyed our self-drive tours with Inntravel in the past. Although we enjoyed this trip in the Peloponnese, it was hard work overcoming the many errors and inaccuracies in the arrangements made by Inntravel. Be prepared to have to correct these yourself as you go along.
Our first Inntravel journey (after many walking holidays). Good choice of hotels, as ever. We especially enjoyed the Mazarakis Guesthouse, which had a great breakfast (in a basket), and had food and wine available in the evenings served by knowledgeable staff. We had a platter of local cold cuts and cheeses and a bottle of local wine for our supper looking out over the valley with a log fire to keep the chill away.
At Bastione Malvasia, we walked up the steps to the old town. A relatively easy climb and well worth the effort. We enjoyed meals at To Kanoni and Voltes (the latter only open in the evening). On our way out, we paid E5 for a porter with a trolley to carry our bags out of the old town, and save the case wheels from further punishment.
For the Diros Caves, it is worth booking ahead if you want to go on the boat trip section. However, if the boats are all booked it is still worth paying a cheaper price to just do the last, walking section.
We had two great meals by the beach at Elies Taverna in Kardamili and had free use of their sun loungers on one of the days we were there. Take beach shoes for the pebbles. Note that the hotel will provide beach towels if requested.
We also enjoyed our evening meals at the Europa Hotel where all of the staff were very friendly.
More food in Nafplion. We liked ice creams at Antica Gelateria di Roma and good meals at Kastro-Karima (just down from the hotel) and Vassillis. We had a great and reasonably priced harbour-side fish lunch at the Poseidon in Palaia Epidavros after the theatre trip. In Nafplion itself, the views from the Palamidi Fortress are outstanding. Note that the Bourtzi Fortess is still closed, but we enjoyed the short boat trip around it.
Thanks again to everyone at Inntravel for another wonderful holiday!
This holiday was planned originally for September 2020 deferred first until September 2021 and then again until September 2022 due to Covid-19.
This was our first "Journey" with Inntravel. The arrangements and travel pack were both spot-on. We had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday and visited some quite remarkable archaeological sites, not least Messini and Nemea. We were two of only a handful of visitors at Nemea.
The mountain scenery of the Pelopennese is spectacular and the major roads from point to point are of good quality and easy to use.
All in all, an excellent, long-awaited travel experience. Thank you.
We thoroughly enjoyed our tour in Greece with interesting and always beautifully set accommodation. The freedom of Inntravel holidays is a big attraction for us and always will be. Our only gripe is that we had to go back and forth from Athens airport to get our car and this cut into our time in Athens.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our discovery holiday by car Grand Tour of the Peloponnese with our Athens City add-on
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