Eternal Greece Ltd

Graeco-Persian War Battlefields near Athens: Plataea and Marathon plus Aegosthena

  • plateae Eternal Greece Ltd
  • marathon Eternal Greece Ltd
  • plateae Eternal Greece Ltd
  • marathon Eternal Greece Ltd
  • plateae Eternal Greece Ltd
  • plateae Eternal Greece Ltd
  • marathon Eternal Greece Ltd
  • Marathon, Mt. Stavrokoraki Eternal Greece Ltd
  • marathon Eternal Greece Ltd
  • marathon Eternal Greece Ltd
  • plateae Eternal Greece Ltd

This exciting same-day programme focusses on two battles of the Graeco-Persian Wars of the 5th century BC, where arguably Europe itself was saved when the hordes of the invading Persian...

Introduction

We specialise and excel in creating new tours which reveal new horizons, take you to less-known yet fabulous places, add fresh activities – and all this being presented with the communicative and vibrant approach that only people impassioned with what they do can deliver.

Our well-researched, perfectly-delivered and inspiring programmes offer fresh perspectives of the wonder that is Greece, are conducted round-the-year and are all supported and escorted by our hand-picked specialist, licensed guides.

Greece has been a strategic crossroads since time immemorial and the legacy of its rich history is visible in the monuments, archaeological sites and castles which adorn every corner of this magnificent country of heroes and legends. Αt the same time, all corners of Greece are strewn with battlefields, another silent testimony to the country’s tumultuous history over the millenia.

This exciting same-day programme focusses on two battles of the Graeco-Persian Wars of the 5th century BC, where arguably Europe itself was saved when the hordes of the invading Persian armies were defeated by a far smaller number of Greek warriors united by their common roots as Hellenes despite their originating from rival city-states, in a sequence of tremendous land and sea battles (such as Plataea, Marathon, Cape Artemision and Salamis).

We also visit – and enjoy a sea view lunch at – the charming small town of Porto Germeno on the coast of the Gulf of Corinth, which is the location of ancient Aegosthena, a fortified port city whose refurbished 4th-century BC towers are the tallest surviving such edifices of ancient Greece. We will also visit Aegosthena’s two diminutive Palaeochristian country churches of the 11th/12th century.

The target audience of this programme would typically include avid admirers and discerning connoisseurs of Classical Greek history, military history and of natural beauty, who would relish the experience of seeing the most evocative battlefields at first hand.

Transportation is by modern, air-conditioned coach whilst lunch is at a carefully-chosen seaside taverna, not least with the hungry explorer in mind – but also to respect and reflect the ancient Greek tradition where eating is central to social interaction and happy bonding.

Are you more independent-minded?
This programme is also available in a self-drive version!
Find out more on Self-Drive Tours

Points of Interest

Aegosthena  |  Archaeological Museum of Marathon  |  Marathon Tomb of the Fallen  |  Plataea

Itinerary

Off to any early-morning start by picking you up for your central Athens hotel or our meeting point, for our drive towards fabled Marathon, where the famous battle of 490 BC took place and where the Marathon run was born. We will visit the Museum and the Tomb of the Fallen as well as being introduced to the geography of the region and the battlefield.

We continue to Aegosthena to visit the ancient towers and the two lovely 11th/12th-century Byzantine country churches. Lunch at a seaside taverna and on to through the impressive mountain scenery of Mt Kithaeron to Plataea, where the decisive battle of 479 BC was fought. The Plataean fields are now eerily empty and peaceful, yet one can almost visualise and hear the fury of the battle.

Return to Athens.

Day’s approximate driving distance and duration : 240 km (149 mi), 4 hrs and 24 mins. Total duration of tour, from pickup to drop-off: Approximately 9 hours. These values are indicative only and can change without notice.

Included

  • Expert tour leader accompanying the group throughout the duration of the tour
  • Transportation by air-conditioned car, minibus or coach
  • Lunch up to a value of EUR 18 per person
  • Archaeological site and museum tickets
  • Bottled mineral water during the tours
  • Free use of power packs for recharging mobile phone and portable devices on the move

Not Included

  • Air travel to and from Greece
  • Personal travel insurance
  • Beverages
  • Coach driver and guide gratuities
  • Visas and travel document and formality costs, if and where applicable
  • Anything not explicitly mentioned under the Included section

Points to note

The tour is accompanied by an expert tour leader who is fluent in English. Transport is by air-conditioned car, minibus or coach and lunch will take place at a picturesque seaside location.

The programme does not include flights to and from Greece and personal travel insurance. An example of how to obtain travel insurance can be found here.

Good and comfortable walking gear is a must. As the tours take place nearly all the year, waterproofs in non-summer months are recommended, even though they may well prove unnecessary. As the safety and comfort of all our travellers are of paramount importance to us, we might need to adjust at our sole responsible discretion the routeing and/or the activities should weather or other conditions so dictate.

The final applicable price will depend on the number of participants of the tour.

Testimonials

  • An excellent tour of fortresses in the Peloponnese which also took in many of the classical sites.

    Our guide Eric organised the tour, hotel airport transfers, and advised on other sights so we really had nothing to do but enjoy the experience.

    Already looking forward to another trip with him again.

    Recommended on TripAdvisor Eternal Greece Ltd
    Peloponnese fortress tour, by Anhourused
  • Eric Cauchi, representing Eternal Greece Ltd, was one of the main people responsible for organising the tour for about 40 people.

    He paid great attention to detail both before and during the trip and on the tour nothing was too much trouble. I would not hesitate to go on future Eternal Greece tours.

    Recommended on TripAdvisor Eternal Greece Ltd
    Peloponnese fortress tour, by Auxfireman
  • We travelled through the Peloponnese with the Fortress Study Group on a 10 day tour organized by Eternal Greece Ltd. We visited a mix of sites from classical and pre-history, through Venetian and Ottoman times. This mix gave us a picture of the breadth of Greek history instead of just a single slice of time which we much appreciated. We had an excellent archaeologist guide and an excellent driver.

    Eric Cauchi, the proprietor of Eternal Greece, travelled with us as the tour director and trouble-shooter in chief. His own passion for archaeology and for his country added to the trip experience. The hotels he booked for us were excellent, all very clean and comfortable, with friendly staff and most on the sea with beautiful views. The restaurants he selected for our meals served delicious traditional Greek food family style, far superior to what one might expect for a group meal.

    Having never been to Greece before, we came into Athens 4 days early. We had many pre-trip questions which Eric always answered very promptly. He assisted us with several aspects of our planning before we set foot in Greece. He booked an Athens hotel in an excellent location for us and arranged airport transports which worked perfectly. When we decided to do a day-trip to Delphi and asked if he could recommend some companies for us to contact, he responded with the name and cost of a group tour company with pros/cons and the offer of arranging a private driver and guide for us with pros/cons. He also offered to, and subsequently did, email the rest of the group participants to see if anyone might be interested in sharing the private tour to bring down the costs. The driver and guide Eric arranged were very professional, tailored the day to our interests, and made the day a wonderful memory for us.

    When, as part of our planning, we decided that we might like to use our free time on the last evening of the Peloponnese tour to see an additional site some distance away from our hotel on our own, we emailed Eric to enquire as to whether time-wise this might be feasible and if we would have trouble finding a taxi to take us and wait. Eric advised that renting a car would be better. We expressed concern about finding a car rental place that would be open till 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday evening. Eric responded within hours with contact information for a rental location around the corner from our hotel that would be open till 9 p.m.

    Eric’s level of service was superb. We would travel again on a trip arranged by Eternal Greece and we definitely recommend Eternal Greece.

    Summerclouds053117
  • Dear Eric,

    Thank you so much for all the work you put in to organise such a wonderful trip. The time has flown and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope to come across Eternal Greece again.

    Recommended on TripAdvisor Eternal Greece Ltd
    Pamela M.
  • Dear Eric,

    Hope I am not disturbing you from your well-deserved slumbers, but just to thank you so much for organising an excellent programme for the FSG and looking after everyone so well.

    I hope our paths meet again some time.

    Recommended on TripAdvisor Eternal Greece Ltd
    Richard A.