Greece · TRAIN EXPERIENCES
The good train experiences sell out weeks ahead and the best go first. Below: the 7 to hold early, what each includes and where they differ.
Ride a mini-train through Chersonissos with multilingual audio commentary and Greek music. Choose the 100-minute city route or a half-day outing to Avdou, Gonies, and Potamies, with raki and local sweets included on the village option.
“Waste of money. No guarantee you can get on the trains and is purely a tour of hotel stops”
Travel privately from Athens or Nafplio to Corinth, Kalavrita, the Cave of Lakes, and the Odontotos Rack Railway. Your English-speaking guide-driver, possibly Theo or Nikos, handles the road and lunch, while you choose added stops such as Acrocorinth, a Nemea winery, or Mega Spilaio Monastery.
“Nikos was awesome! Down to earth and very knowledgeable about all areas that we toured. We spent the majority of the day on the tour and he was an excellent host. -Mike F.”
Travel from Athens by train to explore Dion, Platamonas Castle, and the lower slopes of Mount Olympus. Guide Damian or Chryssa leads a small-group day with an easy-to-moderate walk to Enipeas Waterfall, local food, and free time in Litochoro. Expect a very long day.
“Damian is a phenomenal guide. It’s very clear he cares about his work and is very glad to share the information he has with everyone. We learned so much and he was amazing to answer every question we had. The short hike to the bath of Zeus was amazing, and there’s an awesome surprise there for you!”
Spend two days traveling from Athens to Meteora by train, with an overnight stay in Kalambaka, sunset views, visits to all six monasteries, hermit caves, and a Byzantine church. Guides such as Panos, Chris, Tony, and Antonias lead the small-group tours, with a midday monastery or hiking option on day two.
“We have Not enough Words to describe how perfect the experience was, the transportation, the hotel, the experience in general and most of all our guide Panagiotis (Panos) was awesome. He was kind and was able to explain everything in detail, he took amazing pictures of me and my husband and over-all made the experience magical. We would totally recomend and re-take the tour.”
Travel from Athens to Kalambaka by train, then tour Meteora in a private, air-conditioned minibus with an English or Spanish-speaking local leader. See all six monasteries, enter three, stop in Kastraki, and return by evening train. Guides such as Christos add local detail and keep the tight schedule moving.
“Christos was an excellent tour guide, very knowledgeable of the monasteries and the surrounding area. In our 4 hour window we were able to visit 3 of the 6 monasteries, more than enough, the rest we were satisfied with just seeing from viewpoints which Christos knew the best places for optimal viewing. Be prepared for the number of steps to visit, our first had 300 each way, 2nd had 200 each way, and last had 165 each way. The other most popular one closed on Mondays would have had significantly more. We were exhausted after the steps and the heat of the day, reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Perhaps Sept would…”
Take the morning train from Thessaloniki beneath Mount Olympus to Kalambaka, then join a small-group minibus tour led by an English-speaking guide such as Dinos or Chris. Visit three Meteora monasteries, see all six, enjoy photo stops, and return by train the same evening.
“Great logistics, time management and facilities. Our guide Dinos was most accommodative, attentive and knowledgeable.”
Travel from Athens to Meteora with a Spanish-speaking guide such as Nick, then tour all six monasteries by air-conditioned minivan. You visit three interiors, stop for views and coffee, and return to Athens the same night. Train service is currently replaced by a bus.
“El tour nos gustó mucho porque los paisajes y la historia de los monasterios son muy interesantes. Nick, nuestro guía en español fue muy profesional. Nuestro grupo fue pequeño.”
Everything on the site, sorted by the kind of day it is.
