Argo Saronic Self-Guided

The Argo Saronic region lies in the southeastern “finger” of the Peloponnese Peninsula.  On this tour you encounter islands, World Heritage antiquities, healthy Mediterranean food and overnight at a Nemean winery.  You immerse yourself in slow-moving Greece where most of the route is on back roads with negligible traffic. 

Your favorite mainland town will be Napflio, modern Greece’s first capital, with elegant neo-Classical Venetian homes and towering 17th century fortresses.   From Nafplio, the legendary sites of Ancient Mycenae and Epidavros Theatre are only about an hour bike ride away

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TOUR MAP

Start/End Points
Tour starts Day 1, 10:00 am in Athens near the Acropolis to fit and test the bikes. You take an early afternoon boat to Spetses where the bikes arrive later that day. Tour ends in Nemea, south of Corinth from where you are transferred to Athens or Athens Airport.

Itinerary

Day 1: Spetses
Spetses is a small, classy island with beautiful mansions built by 19th century shipping magnates and wealthy merchants. The island has only one town which is car free. Children ride bicycles and honeymooners take horse drawn carriages along its romantic harbor.

Day 2: Spetses
Spetses is so small you can circumnavigate it by bike in a couple of hours. At a half-way point stop to swim at an appealing beach which has the added attraction of an underwater sea cave easily accessible from the water or by steps into an opening on land. If figs are in season, it is a divine pleasure to eat them right off the trees.

Day 3: Poros
Hop a water taxi to the Peloponnese mainland, bikes and all, then cycle along the coast pausing for a Greek coffee in the pleasant town of Ermioni. The route ends with a ten minute ferry which puts you back on another island, Poros, whose harbor town is surrounded by olive trees, lemon trees and pine trees. The highest point on Poros (for ambitious bikers) is up to the Temple of Poseidon.

Day 4: Epidavros
The best leg of today’s route is a stretch of road that looks down on the sea and has no towns or villages until arrival to coastal Epidavros town. The waters near your family run hotel are pure and clean and inviting for swimming. In the evening a half hour walk along the bay takes you into Epidavros town where everyone dines outside along the sea front.

Day 5: Nafplio
A roughly one hour climb brings you to Ancient Epidavros, the 3rd century BC outdoor theatre seating 15,000 spectators with impeccable acoustics. Stand at the stage, whisper, and those high in the last row will hear you! Elegant Nafplio, the first capital of Greece, will woo you with its neo-Classical mansions, artistic shops and wholesome charm.

Day 6: Nafplio
After one hour’s cycling amongst quiet orange groves you arrive at ancient Mycenae where the ruler who launched the Trojan War, King Agamemnon, is buried in a beehive tomb that never fails to startle visitors with its architecture of precision. On your return to Nafplio don’t fail to climb the 999 steps to the Palamidi, the formidable Venetian fortress.

Day 7: Nemea
Your bike ride ends at a winery where you experience the rhythms of vineyard life and taste the famous Peloponnese wines. Nearby for ambitious cyclists is Ancient Corinth and a short, steep ascent to the imposing Akrokorinthos Fortress, offering stupendous panoramic views of the surrounding gulfs.

Day 8: Departure

Mileage
Total Miles 146 miles 212 km. Average Daily 24 miles, 35 km

Day 1   testing bikes around Acropolis

Day 2  15.5 miles, 25 km, slight hills, hug coastline, highest ascent 328 feet

Day 3 37 miles, 60 km, 4 hours hug the coast, mostly flat, 1 tough climb of 820 feet

Day 4 24 miles, 39 km hug the coast, 3 hours starts flat but has 2 big climbs, highest 738 feet

Day 5 27 miles, 43 km about 8 miles to Ancient Epidavros climbing to 1150 feet, then mostly downhill to Nafplio

Day 6 25 miles, 40 km, primarily flat with two ascents at the end of about 400 feet

Day 7 18 miles, 30 km easy, fairly flat route, negligible climbs