Enjoy a picturesque journey along the Saronic coast road from Athens, with views towards the islands of Salamina and Aegina. Travel over the mighty Corinth Canal onto the Peloponnese, which technically became an island after the construction of the canal. Before this waterway was constructed ships had to take a long, and often hazardous, trip around Greek waters. The idea of linking these two gulfs was first conceived in the 6th century B.C. but it wasn't until many centuries later that this vision became a reality and the Corinth Canal was finally opened after Greece's independence in the late 19th century.
Continue to Mycenae, Agamemnon's legendary palace. Heinrich Schliemann, the German archaeologist, believed that there was a factual basis to the Iliad & the Odyssey - Homer had written of a 'city rich in gold'. Schliemann successfully located Mycenae and began excavations - what he unearthed there in 1874 vindicated his theory. You'll visit the Lion's Gate, Cyclopean Walls & the Royal Tombs. Lunch will be taken here.
Nafplion is a delightful town - it is the former capital of Greece and has an air of faded grandeur. Its location is dramatic, between the sea and underneath the impressive Palamidi Fortress. You have ample time to explore the town at leisure- if you are feeling energetic you might like to walk up the numerous (around 900!) stone steps to the Palamidi Fortress for far-reaching views across the Gulf of Argolis.
Overnight in Nafplion.
