Northern Greece Minivan Road trip

Welcome to the co-capital of Greece. Our representative will greet you at the airport for your transfer at your hotel in Thessaloniki. Overnight.

Explore the history of Thessaloniki with style on this H/D tour. Meet at your hotel our professional guide to begin the sightseeing tour of Thessaloniki. You will have the opportunity to see the White Tower, the main landmark of the city, the Helexpo fairgrounds, the university campus, the Galerius Arch, the Rotunda monument, the Citadel and the City Walls, from where you will have a marvelous view of Thessaloniki! During your tour, there will be a short stop at Aghios Demetrius Byzantine church and its crypt, and you will also have the opportunity to visit the Archaeological Museum. Back to your hotel. Overnight

After breakfast, we board the minibus and depart for the artificial lake of Kerkini, a protected area of Natura 2000. After an hour’s drive (approximately 100 km), we will reach the lake. Local guides will guide us with wooden boats in the lake, and we will observe groups of migratory and non-migratory birds that visit or stay permanently in the lake. The Golden Pelican and the Pygmy cormorant that live there are unique bird species in the world. Lunch in a local restaurant with cooked buffalo, lake fish and other unique flavors of the area. In the afternoon, we will visit the area of Paiko (an hour’s drive (approximately 100 km) driving through forests, water streams, and vineyards, among other amazing Macedonian landscapes. We will ascend, passing through the amphitheatric Griva to meet the picturesque Kastaneri village amid a dense forest of chestnut trees and the Megala Livadia village at an altitude of 1200 m.At the end of the day, a wonderfully refreshing bath awaits us in the outdoor thermal baths of Pozar!! (85 km from Livadia, 1 ½ driving). Dinner and overnight in traditional accommodation

After our breakfast, we may swim in the thermal baths, and then, we will depart for the city of Kastoria (125 km from Pozar, about 2 hours drive). We will have a coffee break in the traditional Nymfaio village, and then we will arrive in the city of Kastoria. There, we will visit the monastery of Mavriotissa (or the archeological site of the prehistoric village in Dispilio) and the cave of Drakos. Lunch in a tavern by the lake. In the afternoon, we will depart for the Nestorio village, where we will visit the waterfalls of St. Anna and the abandoned monastery of Taxiarches. Then, we will head to some of the Mount Grammos villages (Kotili, Chrissi) and to Konitsa town. We will need from Kastoria to travel 110km and 2 hours drive to Konitsa. After a 2 ½ hours drive (approximately 110 km) from Kastoria, we will arrive in Konitsa town, and we will visit the famous single-arched stone bridge of the Aoos river. Dinner and overnight in Konitsa

After breakfast, we will head to the single arched stone bridge of Konitsa to start the Via Ferrata activity. We will get the necessary equipment, and then we will follow the path that leads us to Via Ferrata (controlled climbing route with individual equipment, fixed ropes, and steps). This circular route leads us back to the stone bridge of Konitsa. Duration of activity: 4 hours. After the activity, we will depart to Aristi village (20 km, 30 minutes’ drive), located in the Zagori area. After a 15 minutes’ drive, we will arrive at Vikos village, where we will admire the stunning Vikos gorge. The gorge is listed in the Guinness Book as the deepest gorge in the world in proportion to its height, width, and length. Lunch in a tavern in the square of the Aristi village. After lunch, we will stop at the Dilofo village (28 km, 35 minutes’ drive from the Vikos village), a traditional stone-built village with nice cobbled streets and local masonry. We will leave the car outside the village, and we will hike in the village, exploring its hidden attractions. The next traditional village we will visit is the Kipi village (7 km, 10-minute’ drive from the Dilofo village). Heading to the Kipi village, we will visit the popular stone bridges of Kokoris and Kalogerikos. After the “photo safari”, we will head to Metsovo village. During the 2 hours’ drive (approximately 82 km), we will stop at the small natural lake of water lilies, and we will admire the artificial mountain lake of Aoos springs – the highest artificial lake in Greece (at an altitude of 1360 m). We will arrive in the picturesque village and we will have dinner in the village square.

After breakfast, we will follow the road that will lead us to the artificial lake of Aoos springs. We will get the necessary canoe-kayak equipment so that to explore a part of the lake. We will paddle for about two hours in the waters of the lake, exploring coves, the green pine-covered coastline, the island, and we will return to the starting point. End of the activity. Then, we will stop at the Kranea village (a 40 minutes’ drive, 40 km from Aoos lake) in the amazing mountain Chalet of Pindos Resort for our lunch and coffee. In the kitchen of the Chalet, the hotel staff will show us how to prepare a traditional Vlach vegetable pie!! In the afternoon, we will depart for Meteora. After an hour drive (approximately 52 km), we will arrive in Meteora. We will hike, starting from the square of the Kastraki village, between the Meteora rocks, heading to the Monastery of MegaloMeteoro that we will visit. The uphill hike will last about an hour. We will board the minibus, and we will admire the sunset from a distinct viewpoint. Meteora rocks will be in the background. Dinner at a tavern “Plakias” in the village of Kastraki, and overnight .

After breakfast, we will depart by our minibus for the village of Litochoro, located at the foothills of Mount Olympus, mountain of the gods, according to ancient Greek mythology. We will travel for 2 hours (approximately 150 km). We will hike in a short path from Prionia to the monastery of St. Dionysios, and we will return from the same route. The hike will be along the stream of Enipeas, and we will cool off in the water. The total duration of the hike is about 2 hours. Lunch in a restaurant in the village of Litochoro. In the afternoon, we will follow the highway to Thessaloniki. We will arrive in Thessaloniki (approximately 100 km), where we can walk on the new promenade or on the commercial street of the city. Overnight at your hotel in Thessaloniki.

After breakfast you’ll enjoy some free time for shopping. According to your departure flight, transfer to the airport.