Starting from Athens we will be travelling through Sterea Ellada till we reach Delphi. The Region of Central Greece till we reach Delphi. The Region of Central Greece colloquially known as Ρούμελη (Roúmeli)) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. The region occupies the eastern half of the traditional region of Central Greece, including the island of Euboea. To the south it borders the regions of Attica and the Peloponnese, to the west the region of West Greece and to the north the regions of Thessaly and Epirus. Its capital city is Lamia. It is divided geographically into the East and West, with the natural border between them the southern part of the Pindos mountain range. We will pass by Theves, Livadia, and Arachova. Arrive at Delphi and visit the archaeological site!

It happened on April 25, 1944. The partisans of ELAS (Greek People's Liberation Army), the largest Resistance organization in Greece, had managed to capture 17 German officers on this very road that connects Livadia with the village of Distomo, the site of one of the most heinous Nazi crimes in the country, which was to take place a month and a half later. The ELAS men wrote a letter to the German headquarters in Livadia demanding the release of 32 Greek prisoners. The Nazi response turned to bite them back: within a few hours, the Nazis transported 136 Greek prisoners (the vast majority of them were at the age of their 20s) to Karakolithos and executed them on the spot. This monument was erected for the remembrance of the unjustly executed Greek patriots of that day, in the area of Karakolithos (Black Stone, in Greek). In the monument’s lower section, the metal bodies of the male figures, pierced by bullets, symbolize the foundation on which the Greek Resistance stepped and grew.

Visit the Navel of the Earth! At the foot of Mount Parnassos, lies the Pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Delphi, the most famous oracle of ancient Greece. Delphi was regarded as the centre of the world. According to mythology, it is here that the two eagles sent out by Zeus from the ends of the universe to find the navel of the world met. The sanctuary was for many centuries the cultural and religious center and symbol of unity for the Hellenic world. The history of Delphi begins in prehistory. In the beginning, the site was sacred to Mother Earth and was guarded by the terrible serpent Python, killed by Apollo. Apollo's sanctuary was built here by Cretans who arrived at Kirrha, the port of Delphi, accompanied by the god in the form of a dolphin. This myth survived in plays presented during the various Delphic festivals, such as the Septerion, the Delphinia, the Theophania, and of course, the famous Pythia, which celebrated the death of Python and comprised musical and athletic competitions.

The temple of Apollo, the most important building in the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, dominates the temenos from its central position. This is where the statues and other offerings to the god were kept, and where the cult rituals, including that of divination, took place. Also, here was the chresmographeion, or archive, destroyed in 373 BC, which contained the lists of victors of the Pythian games. According to the legend, the first temple of Apollo at Delphi was made of laurel branches, the second of beeswax and feathers, and a third of bronze, while the fourth was built by the legendary architects Trofonios and Agamedes aided by Apollo himself. This was probably the stone temple destroyed by fire in 548 BC. Its replacement, built with contributions by both Greeks and non-Greeks, was completed around 510 BC by the Alkmaeonid family of Athens. This was a Doric peristyle temple, with six columns at the end and fifteen at the sides.

The Archaeological Museum of Delphi, one of the most important in Greece, exhibits the history of the Delphic sanctuary, the site of the most famous ancient Greek oracle. Its rich collections are comprised primarily of architectural sculptures, statues and minor objects donated to the sanctuary. These reflect its religious, political and artistic activities from its early years in the eighth century BC to its decline in Late Antiquity. The museum is housed in a two-story building with a total surface area of 2270 square meters, with fourteen exhibition rooms, 558 square meters of storerooms and conservation laboratories for pottery, metal objects and mosaics. A new lobby, cafeteria and gift shop were created during the museum's latest refurbishment.

After your visit at the archalogical site of Delphi,we will drive to the modern village of Delphi. Optional here you can taste the local cusine in a restaurant with breathtaken views of Itea and Ionian Sea surrounded by a great olive grove. At a stone’s throw from the archaeological site, you can visit present-day Delphi town, lying at the foot of Mt. Parnassus, near Arachova town. Choose the area for your winter holidays as it is close to Parnassus ski centre, or visit it any other time of the year and explore the beauty of nature and the nearby beaches. It’s situated at a conveniently short distance from the mountain, the woods, the archaeological sites that are famous the world over, and some beautiful beaches.

The tholos of the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, clearly visible from above, is perhaps the most characteristic monument at Delphi and the most important building of this small sanctuary. Located between the later temple of Athena and the Treasury of Massalia, this circular building of unknown purpose is a masterpiece of Classical architecture. It is thought to have been connected with chthonic cults, although Pausanians, who saw its ruins in the second century AD, do not refer to it as a temple. According to Vitruvius, this impressive building was raised in 380 BC on plans by the architect Theodoros of Phocea or Phocis, who even wrote a book about the way it was built. The tholos is a synthesis of most styles of Classical architecture. It rests on a three-stepped podium and the twenty Doric columns of the outer peristyle supported a Doric frieze of triglyphs and metopes with relief decoration. Inside the cella were ten engaged Corinthian columns

After the your visit at the archaeological site of Delphi, we'll take the way back to Athens using the same way. End of our service.