Delphi and Hosios Loukas Monastery Self Guided Tour from Athens with Lunch

Athens, Greece

Join this self-guided private tour for up to 3 people, and experience authentic Greece with a full day trip to Delphi with your private driver. Explore the Delphi area (two sites and the museum) with your party, including the Temple of Apollo and the villages of Delphi and Arachova village.
The monastery of Osios Loukas is an important part of this private tour and, just like Delphi, is also a UNESCO world heritage site.
Let your driver/guide provide all the special extras that will make this trip a special experience: special locations on the same route of the trip, lunch with the locals, drinks, coffee, and homemade dessert.
This tour is customizable for your party.

Begin the drive towards the northwest area of Athens, where you will arrive at the archaeological site of Delphi in just 2 hours without any unnecessary stops that many scheduled tours make. Explore the classic treasures, theater, and the ancient ruins taking photos along the way. Take a moment to appreciate the Temple of Apollo, originally built in 7 B.C. and reconstructed on 2 additional occasions.

After observing this very historic archeological site and museum of Delphi, head to the scenic Arachova village, a small mountain town rich in culture.
Then, the Osios Loukas monastery will be visited, with your driver arranging for coffee and homemade dessert to be ready for you after exploring the site. This beautiful location offers excellent views and peaceful surroundings.
This authentic Greek experience will include:

• local snacks (lunch) & drinks in a typical non touristy village
• coffee plus homemade dessert at the beautiful courtyard of Osios Loukas monastery
• mixing with the locals wherever possible so that you get a real feeling of the country

If you like to explore and see more, let your driver know in advance, because the area has a lot to offer and there are additional sites and coastline areas to visit.

At the end of your day, you will return to your accommodation.

Tip: Do not compromise for any trip/tour to Delphi without a visit to Osios Loukas too!

USD $394.00

Traveler Reviews

Review by:   livesaymt,    June 2018
What a spectacular day! I recently took a Private Delphi and Hosios Loukas tour with Nikos of EUDAIMONIA Private Tours. A small business started ten years ago, it was obvious at all of the stops that Nikos, one of the founders and owner, was well-known, liked and respected. Still, he was very humble, unpretentious, and thoroughly informative. Small touches made and already excellent day, outstanding. From homemade cookies, enjoying green almonds from a tree, a quick stop for a most authentic local yogurt, to coffee and a treat after the (beautiful) monastery tour, the trip was perfect throughout. Email communication was quick and detailed, and he can also make other "concierge" arrangements in addition to any bookings. Oh, and lunch was local, generous, and varied... a great introduction to fresh, Greek cuisine. I only wish I would've taken a photo with this wonderful (guide) new friend. Looking forward to returning and highly recommend!

Review by:   Ramune M,    February 2018
It was a great experience, and our family - me, my husband and our teenager son- were really happy that we made a choice with Hosios Loukas monastery. Delphi was a fascinating place, and we were glad to come there early in the morning and enjoy the charm of the place without crowds of tourists running around. We made a slow walk up enjoying the countryside with blossoming trees and majestic ruins around us. The museum on site is very informative!_br/_ The monastery of St. Loukas was a place where you can realy experience a feeling of being here and now: calm, spiritual, yet friendly atmosphere._br/_ And few words about our guide - Nikos. It looked like he really enjoyed our excitement and really minded what we liked - architecture, landscape or food. He shared a lot of knowledge during the trip, and it made it a very special one.

Review by:   Blair T,    December 2017
Nikos was awesome! Highly knowledgeable about the sites and the places along the way with more local flavor. Highly recommended!

Review by:   Michelle K,    November 2017
This was our third trip with Nikos and, as we had earlier mentioned to him that we had already been to the Delphi site and museum, he took us to the less visited Temple of Athena that is near the main Delphi site. This is usually bypassed by the major tours. We had enjoyed the drive there as Nikos ensured we got to see much of the countryside. We stopped at the gorgeous mountain village of Arahova for lunch where our lunch consisted of authentic Greek food which Nikos ordered to allow us to try different dishes. We then had some free time to stroll around the village. As Nikos knew I took many photos he took us to a point where I could get some great shots of the village from afar. _br/_ On our way to Hosios Loukas Monastery we saw a roadside 'shop', with what looked like posters all hung around it and Nikos was more than happy to go and investigate with us. It turned out to be a rug sale. After making some purchases we continued on our way, enjoying the countryside. At Hosios Loukas Monastery we encountered the local Archbishop, who turned out to be an acquaintance of Nikos'. The monastery was more than we expected, above a valley that was filled with olive trees, lovely and peaceful. After exploring we enjoyed a quiet coffee. We then continued our journey, stopping to inspect cotton fields and orange groves, culminating in a visit to an Olive press which was run by a co-operative for the local village. The staff there were more than happy to let us take photos and have a look at each stage of the olive pressing. _br/_ All in all this was an enjoyable trip made very pleasant by Nikos, who seemed to be more of a friend than a guide, his very safe driving left us feeling at ease and his knowledge of the area was very enlightening._br/_ Thoroughly recommend this trip _br/_ Thank you Nikos for such a great day, your friendliness and thoughtfulness. You made our trips memorable and special._br/_ Judy and Michelle Kean, Tasmania, Australia

Review by:   ReidyJones,    October 2017
Nikos was excellent and was unbelievably knowledgeable about the area and gave us great tips for our entire trip to Greece!

Review by:   Suresh S,    October 2017
My wife, daughter, and I visited Greece for the first time this past summer. We spent three days in Athens to experience the rich Greek history that we had only encountered in history books. Since we had very little time and we wanted to have a very flexible schedule, we booked a private tour with Eudaimonia Private Tours through Viator.com. Even before we left, Nikos Giannopoulos reached out to us via email and text to not only confirm the tours but discuss what we were interested in, whether we had any dietary restrictions we are vegetarian, etc. He was very meticulous in his planning and communicated with us at all times and provided us with suggestions for additional activities.

Review by:   lssimpson94,    September 2017
We had a wonderful day trip to Delphi with Nikos this past week - he was a wonderful host! We were picked up close to our lodging in Athens at 8 am, and headed to the beautiful site of Delphi. On the way, Nikos provided us with information about the site, along with pleasant conversation. After we finished at Delphi, we had lunch in a small town - this was one of my favorite parts of the day. Nikos ordered for us after asking if that was okay, and we were treated to some authentic Greek culinary delights. We had Kolokitho Keftedes zucchini meatballs, Vlita greens that were exquisite, Salata Hoiratiki greek salad, among other things, and also had some delicious desserts, to include Ekmec custard type dessert and Kormos an orange flavored cake. The entire meal was absolutely delicious. We were also taught how to appropriate drink Ouzo : After lunch, we went to the Monastery of Hosios Loukas - it was beautiful and free of tourists, as most do not even know or think to go there. That was the beauty of this tour - we were off the beaten path, so to speak, for most of the day. In addition, Nikos provided us with a box of fresh baked Greek desserts to take back to our apartment to enjoy that evening. They were wonderful! We really enjoyed this trip, I highly recommend it! Thank you Nikos!

Review by:   Keith M,    September 2017
I had limited time and wanted a trip that took me out of the city and didn't involve a bus. Nikos was a great host and provided the right mix of Greek culture and history and friendly chat - I was the sole passenger. Excellent English speaker. Vehicle was in tip-top condition and the lunch was authentic and tasty. If you want a knowledgable, interesting and communicative guide and the freedom to be away from other tourists I'd recommend this trip with ancient history Delphi and the peacefulness of the Monastery.

Review by:   Kirk O,    July 2017
It's a nice get-away from Greece and Nikos our guide was terrific! His English is wonderful and is a true historical database....don't hesitate to book this tour!

Review by:   Cate R,    July 2017
Nikos was a great driver and fun guide for our trip to Delphi. I wanted the opportunity to see more of the countryside and have a discussion about Delphi, the history, and current life in Greece rather than merely a generic tour. My 20yo son and I enjoyed the drive out and hiking up to see Delphi. By going on a private tour, we were able to get an earlier start and beat the heat and crowds. After the main site, Nikos guided us to the lower site to see the other buildings. It looked like not all tours were able to see this part.

Review by:   greyguy,    May 2017
The driver/guide for this self-guided tour was extraordinarily helpful and friendly. He was informative and anwered our questions . The lunch was delightful and in a small town on the plaza at a town near Hosios Loukas. He Nikos was careful to drop us off and pick us up and convenient locations which enhanced our tour. His driving was safe and beyond reproach. I would highly recommend this tour.

Review by:   NANCY J,    April 2017
This tour was wonderful! Both Delphi and Hosios Loukas Monastery were fascinating UNESCO sites. Our guide Nikos from Treehouse tours was great! Very thoughtful and informative. We enjoyed him so much, we booked a private tour with him for a second day of touring monasteries in the Pelononese.

Review by:   Chris C,    October 2016
Booked the tour a couple of days before arriving in Athens. Nikos was our chauffeur Treehouse Tours ? and met us at our hotel. He asked if his adult son could accompany us, and we had no objections. The drive to Delphi is about 2 hours. We stopped at a small town on the way up I think that the tour busses stop there on the way down. Nikos dropped us off at one end of the main street so we could do some shopping and get some coffee and walk through the town. They met us on the other side of the street to continue the trip. The scenery was great since he took the back roads to avoid the traffic on the highways. Once we got to Delphi, we agreed on a time and place to meet after we completed our tour. Tickets to Delphi are not included in the tour, so get some in advance if you can. The Delphi site is amazing, as are the views. I would suggest going all the way to the top to see the Stadium first as it is a bit of an uphill climb. And if it's hot and you have already been steadily climbing up hill, it can be a trek. Once you see the Stadium head down to view the rest of the site--and the views on your way down are made for photos and selfies. Once we finished, we met Nikos and then went down the road to the other part of the site--where the temples to Athena are located. I could see the site with a telephoto lens on my camera. This is the site of the temple usually used on all of the advertisements I saw for Delphi. There were only about 5 people there touring including us. Nikos dropped us off and we arranged a signal for him to come get us when we were through. I don't think the busses go there since there is hardly any parking on the side of the road. Once we left there we headed toward the Hosios Lukas Monastery Holy Luke. On the way we stopped at a cafe/bar in another small town that had an outside area for drinks and snacks. Both were excellent. The owner kept bringing out various dishes for us. There were other locals at the bar and the weather was nice, so it was a great place to stop. The Monastery is definitely recommended. It is still an active monastery the sanctuary is amazing and has been untouched since built in 953. The views are also great. We sat and had cappuccinos and pastry before leaving. Nikos' son drove back and we got to the hotel in time to relax and head out for dinner. We mentioned to Nikos that we were planning to go to the market the next day in Athens to get some fresh figs while they were still in season. Unfortunately we never made it. However, when we got back to the hotel, Nikos had dropped off a Thank You note and package. Inside were fresh figs!

Review by:   roulo42,    October 2016
This tour with Nikos was great! Aside from the trip to Delphi, we stopped for lunch in a small village that doesn't see many tourists and visited the Monastery of Saint Luke -- another off the beaten path gem. Nikos is full of insider knowledge and will go above and beyond to make your trip a success.

Review by:   hmsatl,    June 2016
What a wonderful experience! Nikos maintained excellent communication with us before the tour and was extremely prompt and generous with his time, insight, and resources throughout. We were able to see and experience lots more than just the ruins of Delphi due to Nikos being accommodating, open, and willing to show us areas and facets of local Greek culture, food, and drink we never would have experienced in the same way otherwise. If you want to see Delphi and don't want to get herded around on a bus with the masses, this is definitely the way to go! Thank you so much, Nikos!

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