11-Hour Greek-Persian Battlefield Tour from Marathon to Thermopylae
About This Tour
See much of Herodotus' history on a full-day tour that combines key Greek-Persian battlefield sites into one journey. Travel back in time as you visit Marathon,...
Duration: 1 Day · Tour type: Private · Activity level: Easy · Accommodation: Not included · Transport: Included · Wheelchair access: Yes · Cities: Athens, Thebes, Marathon, Elefsina · Languages: English
Know before you go: This is a private tour strictly focused on seeing the battlefields and the scenery, with drives through the mountains and along the coast; few ancient ruins can be seen. Your Greek tour driver has deep knowledge of the history of the Greek-Persian Wars and will provide many historical details.; Traveller pickup and drop-off are offered from and to your hotel or apartment in central Athens or Piraeus Port at the arranged departure and return time of your tour. It is recommended that the tour starts at 8:00 am or earlier in the summertime. If, for any reason, this is not convenient, you can adjust the time according to your needs.; Your tour is private and flexible. However, please keep the agreed hours in mind. If you would like to extend the trip, please make a fair arrangement with your driver or tour leader.; January 1st: closed; January 6th: 08:00 until 15:00; Shrove Monday: 08:00 until 15:00; March 25th: closed; Good Friday: 12:00 until 17:00; Holy Saturday: 08:00 until 15:00; Easter Sunday: closed; Easter Monday: 08:00 until 20:00; May 1st: closed; August 15th: 08:00 until 20:00; October 28th: 08:00 until 15:00; December 25th: closed; December 26th: closed; 6th of March (in memory of Melina Mercouri); 18th of April (International Monuments Day); 18th of May (International Museums Day); The last weekend of September annually (European Heritage Days); 28th of October (Greek National Holiday); Every first Sunday from November 1st to March 31st
About Elefsina
Elefsina
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What's Included
- Pick-up and drop-off from and to your hotel or apartment in Athens or Piraeus, or another location upon request.
- Private transportation. The vehicle is exclusive to your team.
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- WiFi on board
- Bottled water
- Toll roads
- Parking fees
- A-class service: non-smoking driver and vehicle, with a high level of cleanliness.
- Professional English-speaking, experienced Greek tour driver with deep knowledge of history for the day.
Not Included
- Entrance fees to sites and museums: Marathon - Thermopylae - Thebes: winter 9€ / summer 15€
- Licensed archaeologist guide (based on prior request and subject to availability). In the tour operator's opinion, you do not need one for this tour.
- Pick-up and drop-off from and to Athens Airport; an extra charge applies for toll roads and the 35 km distance.
- Gratuities
Itinerary
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1Day 01
Marathon, Thermopylae, Thebes, Plataea and Perama Journey
Visit historical battlefields as travellers, not as tourists. Your Greek tour driver is as excited as you are to travel and enjoy the history, scenery, culture, and photography. Visit historical battlefields as travellers, not as tourists. Your Greek tour driver is as excited as you are to travel and enjoy the history, scenery, culture, and photography. Head to the following sites:Marathon Tomb: Visit the Marathon battlefields and discover the amazing history captured by the location and the burial mound, which gives the area a unique meaning. This 10 m-high burial mound sits 1 km west of Marathon Beach. Ticket: 6€; reduced: 3€.Marathon Bay: These battlefields have become one of the most popular coastal resorts in Attica, located 40 km northeast of Athens. Marathon Bay, or Schinias, has an excellent reputation for its crystalline waters and comfortable facilities.Marathon Museum: Located 5 km from Marathon Bay, this excellent museum displays local discoveries from various periods, including Neolithic pottery from the Cave of Pan and finds from the Tomb of the Athenians.Marathon town: The Athens Marathon is like no other on Earth. The starting line is in the modern town of Marathon, and the finish line is in Athens' magnificent Olympic Stadium, the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games.Marathon Lake: Pass by Lake Marathon, a water supply reservoir formed by the construction of Marathon Dam at the junction of the Charadros and Varnavas torrents near the town of Marathon. It was the primary water supply for Athens from 1931, when it became operational, until 1959. In 1959, water from Lake Yliki became available.Thermopylae: This site is world-famous for the battle that took place there between the Greek forces, notably the Spartans, and the invading Persian forces. It was commemorated by Simonides in the famous epitaph, "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here obedient to their laws we lie." This passage from north to south along the east coast of the Greek peninsula requires use of the pass, and for this reason Thermopylae has been the site of several battles.Thermopylae Monument: Next to Leonidas' monument, in historic Thermopylae, lies the innovative museum dedicated to the 480 BC battle that changed the course of Greek history. Ticket: 3€.Thermopylae Therms: The baths of Thermopylae are known for the battle of Thermopylae between the Greeks and Persians in 480 BC. The Hot Gates means "the place of hot springs," and in Greek mythology it is the cavernous entrance to Hades.Thebes Museum: Drive via Thebes and visit the Archaeological Museum, one of the most important museums in Greece, as some of its collections are rare or unique. The exhibits originate from excavations all around Boeotia and cover a long chronological period spanning from the Paleolithic to the Post-Byzantine periods. General summer admission: 6 €; reduced winter admission: 3 €.Plataea: Visit the battlefields in Plataea and travel back in time to 479 BC. See Gargathia Spring, which was the place where this battle began.Mount Cithaeron, Eleuthera, Elefsina, and the coastal road: Drive via Mount Cithaeron and Eleuthera on the old Athens-Thebes National Road, north of the Villia junction, which encompasses part of the lowland and rocky hill where the ancient fortress known as Gyftokastro stands. Eleutherai was allegedly the birthplace of Dionysus, who founded the homonymous city and was thus called Dionysus Eleuthereus. Originally a Boeotian city, Eleutherai passed to Athens in the sixth century BC. The cult statue of Dionysus Eleuthereus was reportedly moved from Eleutherai to Athens on Peisistratus' orders, leading to the establishment of the homonymous sanctuary on the south slope of the Acropolis. Strategically located on the border of Athenian territory, with control over the narrow passage between Athens and Thebes and overlooking the plain of Oinoe, Eleutherai was part of the Athenian defence network in the fourth century BC. Next, pass by seaside Elefsina and follow the coastal road to Piraeus and Perama.Perama/Salamis: This is a port city and part of the Athens urban area and Piraeus regional unit. It lies on the southwest edge of the Aegaleo mountains, on the Saronic Gulf coast. The name Perama comes from the Greek word "perasma," which means "passage." Head to the following sites: Marathon Tomb: Visit the Marathon battlefields and discover the amazing history captured by the location and the burial mound, which gives the area a unique meaning. This 10 m-high burial mound sits 1 km west of Marathon Beach. Ticket: 6€; reduced: 3€. Marathon Tomb: Visit the Marathon battlefields and discover the amazing history captured by the location and the burial mound, which gives the area a unique meaning. This 10 m-high burial mound sits 1 km west of Marathon Beach. Ticket: 6€; reduced: 3€. Marathon Bay: These battlefields have become one of the most popular coastal resorts in Attica, located 40 km northeast of Athens. Marathon Bay, or Schinias, has an excellent reputation for its crystalline waters and comfortable facilities. Marathon Bay: These battlefields have become one of the most popular coastal resorts in Attica, located 40 km northeast of Athens. Marathon Bay, or Schinias, has an excellent reputation for its crystalline waters and comfortable facilities. Marathon Museum: Located 5 km from Marathon Bay, this excellent museum displays local discoveries from various periods, including Neolithic pottery from the Cave of Pan and finds from the Tomb of the Athenians. Marathon Museum: Located 5 km from Marathon Bay, this excellent museum displays local discoveries from various periods, including Neolithic pottery from the Cave of Pan and finds from the Tomb of the Athenians. Marathon town: The Athens Marathon is like no other on Earth. The starting line is in the modern town of Marathon, and the finish line is in Athens' magnificent Olympic Stadium, the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games. Marathon town: The Athens Marathon is like no other on Earth. The starting line is in the modern town of Marathon, and the finish line is in Athens' magnificent Olympic Stadium, the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games. Marathon Lake: Pass by Lake Marathon, a water supply reservoir formed by the construction of Marathon Dam at the junction of the Charadros and Varnavas torrents near the town of Marathon. It was the primary water supply for Athens from 1931, when it became operational, until 1959. In 1959, water from Lake Yliki became available. Marathon Lake: Pass by Lake Marathon, a water supply reservoir formed by the construction of Marathon Dam at the junction of the Charadros and Varnavas torrents near the town of Marathon. It was the primary water supply for Athens from 1931, when it became operational, until 1959. In 1959, water from Lake Yliki became available. Thermopylae: This site is world-famous for the battle that took place there between the Greek forces, notably the Spartans, and the invading Persian forces. It was commemorated by Simonides in the famous epitaph, "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here obedient to their laws we lie." This passage from north to south along the east coast of the Greek peninsula requires use of the pass, and for this reason Thermopylae has been the site of several battles. Thermopylae: This site is world-famous for the battle that took place there between the Greek forces, notably the Spartans, and the invading Persian forces. It was commemorated by Simonides in the famous epitaph, "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here obedient to their laws we lie." This passage from north to south along the east coast of the Greek peninsula requires use of the pass, and for this reason Thermopylae has been the site of several battles. Thermopylae Monument: Next to Leonidas' monument, in historic Thermopylae, lies the innovative museum dedicated to the 480 BC battle that changed the course of Greek history. Ticket: 3€. Thermopylae Monument: Next to Leonidas' monument, in historic Thermopylae, lies the innovative museum dedicated to the 480 BC battle that changed the course of Greek history. Ticket: 3€. Thermopylae Therms: The baths of Thermopylae are known for the battle of Thermopylae between the Greeks and Persians in 480 BC. The Hot Gates means "the place of hot springs," and in Greek mythology it is the cavernous entrance to Hades. Thermopylae Therms: The baths of Thermopylae are known for the battle of Thermopylae between the Greeks and Persians in 480 BC. The Hot Gates means "the place of hot springs," and in Greek mythology it is the cavernous entrance to Hades. Thebes Museum: Drive via Thebes and visit the Archaeological Museum, one of the most important museums in Greece, as some of its collections are rare or unique. The exhibits originate from excavations all around Boeotia and cover a long chronological period spanning from the Paleolithic to the Post-Byzantine periods. General summer admission: 6 €; reduced winter admission: 3 €. Thebes Museum: Drive via Thebes and visit the Archaeological Museum, one of the most important museums in Greece, as some of its collections are rare or unique. The exhibits originate from excavations all around Boeotia and cover a long chronological period spanning from the Paleolithic to the Post-Byzantine periods. General summer admission: 6 €; reduced winter admission: 3 €. Plataea: Visit the battlefields in Plataea and travel back in time to 479 BC. See Gargathia Spring, which was the place where this battle began. Plataea: Visit the battlefields in Plataea and travel back in time to 479 BC. See Gargathia Spring, which was the place where this battle began. Mount Cithaeron, Eleuthera, Elefsina, and the coastal road: Drive via Mount Cithaeron and Eleuthera on the old Athens-Thebes National Road, north of the Villia junction, which encompasses part of the lowland and rocky hill where the ancient fortress known as Gyftokastro stands. Eleutherai was allegedly the birthplace of Dionysus, who founded the homonymous city and was thus called Dionysus Eleuthereus. Originally a Boeotian city, Eleutherai passed to Athens in the sixth century BC. The cult statue of Dionysus Eleuthereus was reportedly moved from Eleutherai to Athens on Peisistratus' orders, leading to the establishment of the homonymous sanctuary on the south slope of the Acropolis. Strategically located on the border of Athenian territory, with control over the narrow passage between Athens and Thebes and overlooking the plain of Oinoe, Eleutherai was part of the Athenian defence network in the fourth century BC. Next, pass by seaside Elefsina and follow the coastal road to Piraeus and Perama. Mount Cithaeron, Eleuthera, Elefsina, and the coastal road: Drive via Mount Cithaeron and Eleuthera on the old Athens-Thebes National Road, north of the Villia junction, which encompasses part of the lowland and rocky hill where the ancient fortress known as Gyftokastro stands. Eleutherai was allegedly the birthplace of Dionysus, who founded the homonymous city and was thus called Dionysus Eleuthereus. Originally a Boeotian city, Eleutherai passed to Athens in the sixth century BC. The cult statue of Dionysus Eleuthereus was reportedly moved from Eleutherai to Athens on Peisistratus' orders, leading to the establishment of the homonymous sanctuary on the south slope of the Acropolis. Strategically located on the border of Athenian territory, with control over the narrow passage between Athens and Thebes and overlooking the plain of Oinoe, Eleutherai was part of the Athenian defence network in the fourth century BC. Next, pass by seaside Elefsina and follow the coastal road to Piraeus and Perama. Perama/Salamis: This is a port city and part of the Athens urban area and Piraeus regional unit. It lies on the southwest edge of the Aegaleo mountains, on the Saronic Gulf coast. The name Perama comes from the Greek word "perasma," which means "passage." Perama/Salamis: This is a port city and part of the Athens urban area and Piraeus regional unit. It lies on the southwest edge of the Aegaleo mountains, on the Saronic Gulf coast. The name Perama comes from the Greek word "perasma," which means "passage."
Meeting Point
Meeting point: Pl. Agiou Panteleimonos 2, Ag. Panteleimon 190 07, Greece · Tour start: Pl. Agiou Panteleimonos 2, Ag. Panteleimon 190 07, Greece — Tour ends at the same location as the start point.