Uncover the treasures of the hillside medieval gem of Mystras, the Byzantine Empire’s cultural capital for nearly a millennium, with an expert archaeologist-guide.
Savor the recipes and the flavors of ancient Byzantine cuisine during a special dinner.
Walk through the maze of alleyways in the medieval castle town of Monemvasia, a crossroads of civilizations with Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, and Ottoman influences.
Cruise around the monolithic Rock of Monemvasia.
Join a taverna owner on a shrimp-harvesting excursion, then join him for a cooking lesson and prepare garidopetoules—a savory shrimp pancake.
Themes
Cultural, Cycling & Biking, Nature & Wildlife, Sailing, Photography
What travelers are saying
"This trip is unbelievably fantastic. Two of the best rides of my life, were on this tour. The guides were very good and this was just the start, when we met them, at the hotel in Cortina. Cortina was the site of the 1956 Olympics, and is a small pretty village. Nothing was open the two nights we were there, so probably bad timing. Hotel was a typical ski village hotel, good Italian/German food, and very comfortable. Second day of biking was up an old railroad spur that is now a ski trail about 15-20 K up to a mountain pass called Cimabanche Pass, which is beautiful. We rode up in a snow storm, then rain, then finally clear skies. This was the number two best ride of my life. Starting out from the hotel in Cortina, up the old spur, through single track bike trails, past babbling brooks, up to this fabulous mountain pass. This is now where the fun starts. Mostly downhill on paved roads very little traffic, at good speeds, through the most spectacular valleys you would ever see on a bike ride. Breathtaking. It had to end back at the hotel for a big dinner. The best ride of my life was the last biking day out of Merano. We were bused up 1500 K, about 85-90 miles to Lake Resia, high up in the Dolomites, then rode around the lake, down, back to Merano. High mountain peaks, many valleys,small towns, many grape growing farms, scenery, the best, and cool brisk weather. This was truly a great bike tour, one I will never forget. The trip is rated easy, but maybe easy/moderate is closer. The Hotel in Merano is excellent, middle of old town, modern, has a thermal bath, rooms were very good.
The town of Merano is a must see if in the area, small, beneath the high mountains of the Dolomites, good restaurants, lots of tourists."
