Family Road Trip in the Peloponnese With Kids

kids pylos Greece ancient

If you are looking for an itinerary for a family road trip in mainland Greece to explore mythology, history and culture, this 10-day itinerary in the Peloponnese with kids is just for you! Start your “Herculean Adventure” now with MAMAKITA family travel specialists by making your request here!

The tour of the Peloponnese with children is a journey to the highlights of Greek mythology and the ancient Greek civilization. A rich and hospitable land all year long and a miniature of the Mediterranean landscape, the Peloponnese represents Greece’s rich soil: it is the place where endless vineyards meet vast olive groves, the homeland of the renowned Corinthian raisin, the notorious Nemean red wine colored with “Hercules’ blood”, as it is often narrated, and the Kalamata extra virgin olive oil.

Traveling in the Peloponnese with your kids combines learning with pleasure and relaxation. Depending on your family holiday period and interests, you will have the chance to explore the highlights of Greek mythology, history and culture in Mycenae, Epidaurus and Ancient Olympia; hike and enjoy authentic mountainous villages along the Menalon Trail in Arcadia; visit picturesque small towns, such as Nafplio, Pylos and Kalamata; join interactive family-friendly tours in legendary castles and towers across Mani, Mystras & Monemvasia that trigger every young mind’s imagination; swim in pristine beaches around Messenia and Navarino; taste authentic local products, such as olive oil, wines and grapes, and cherish farm-to-table dinners with great views.

By Eleni Fotiou, travel journalist, founder & travel specialist at ΜΑΜΑΚΙΤΑ Family Friendly Greece and family travel advisor for Greece and Italy with Travel 12 and KimKim.

Brief Family Road Trip in The Peloponnese With Kids

  • Day 1: Ancient Corinth & Greek Traditions
  • Day 2: Epidaurus & Nafplio with kids
  • Day 3: Wine Tour & Mountain Lakes
  • Day 4: Hike the Arcadian villages
  • Day 5: Mystras day trip
  • Day 6: Monemvasia day trip               
  • Day 7: Ancient Messini, Olive Oil Tasting & Treasure Hunt for Kids
  • Day 8: West Mani & Swimming         
  • Day 9: Navarino & Messenia Beaches
  • Day 10: Ancient Olympia & departure

Detailed Family Road Trip

Day 1: Ancient Corinth & Greek Traditions

Starting your family road trip in the Peloponnese with kids, make a stop at the Corinth Canal and ancient Diolkos. One of the most impressive scientific and technological achievements of Antiquity, a paved 6-km trackway, which enabled boats to move overland across the Isthmus of Corinth, Diolkos was constructed in the 7th century BC. It operated until the opening of the Corinth Canal in the middle of the 1st century AD and the transformation of Peloponnese to an island. If time allows, today you can visit one of the two “pieces” left from the ancient trackway.

Experience crossing the canal with a small boat, where you will be able to see the submersible bridges of Posidonia and Isthmia, as well as its slopes from the inside. Then, continue to Ancient Corinth and the Acrocorinth to learn more about the history of the area and admire the views over the Corinthian Gulf on a kid-friendly guided tour.

After your history tour of the day, you may visit “Linos”, a museum that is a simulation of a 19th century Greek village to meet the Greek Traditions and Culture and enjoy a farm-to-table meal like a local. You may also participate in wine pressing and grape-tasting from August to October and learn how to knead bread all year round.

In the afternoon, you can relax and enjoy the sea or you may visit the “rich in gold” Mycenae, the center of the Mycenean civilization and kingdom of Agamemnon, the place where the Trojan War began. If you book a private family-oriented tour, you have the option to attend a ceramic workshop and create your own souvenir to take back home to remember this precious day forever!

Day 2: Epidaurus & Nafplio with kids

Today is the day to discover Ancient Epidaurus, the most famous healing center of the Greek and Roman world, considered to be the birthplace of medicine. With the guidance of a certified guide, explore Epidaurus with kids and take part in a theatrical play designed for the whole family inside the ancient theatre.

Then head to Nafplio, the first capital of Greece and a small picturesque town ideal for families. Its cobblestone streets are amazing for strolling around with safety. Here, you have the opportunity to take a food tour in the historical center, join a bike tour to swim and enjoy a picnic on a sandy beach, or embark on a sea kayak expedition to take in Nafplio from the sea.

In the afternoon, visit an old factory transformed into an art center, a place ideal for families, enjoy your coffee, while your kids entertain themselves with art activities. Your kids will definitely thank you for this one!

Day 3: Wine Tour & Mountain Lakes

This day is dedicated to Nemea and mountainous Corinthia -the so-called “Greek Switzerland”- lakes Doxa and Stymphalia, the land where semi-God Hercules accomplished two out of his 12 Labors.

Start from Nemea, famous for its red wines from the Agiorgitiko grape variety, with a family friendly wine tour including wine tasting for adults, grape-tasting and activities for kids, or a wine & mythology tour, followed by a cooking class and lunch at the winery.

After your meal, drive to the mountains and enjoy the rest of your day in the lakes of mountainous Corinthia. Swim and enjoy activities in lake Doxa, visit the unique interactive Stymphalia Environment Museum, cherish the views from Ancient Stymphalos and trace the place where Hercules fulfilled the Labor of the Stymphalian Birds! Enjoy your dinner or coffee next to a playground, where children can safely play!

Day 4: Hike the Arcadian villages

Visit Dimitsana and the open-air water power museum. From the 18th century until the 19th, the small town was a flourishing regional commercial center thanks to the water-powered craft (flour, fulling, tanning and gunpowder mills), pulled by the abundant waters of the valley.

From Dimitsana, you can hike for 1 hour and a half, following the Menalon Trail to the monasteries of the Lousios valley. The monasteries of the Philosopher and Timios Prodromos were built in byzantine times and flourished during Dimitsana’s years of prosperity playing a crucial social and economic role during the Greek War of Independence. The path passes from Ancient Gortys and reaches a beautiful spot to swim in the river and rest under the trees. Rafting Lousios  is also an option.

For lunch, you have the option to participate in a farm to table cooking class and lunch at an authentic traditional workshop. In the afternoon, enjoy your coffee and drinks at a very beautiful farm and natural playground or the silversmiths’ village Stemnitsa and participate in a silversmithing workshop to create your own souvenir to take back home.

Day 5: Mystras day trip

Continue your family road trip through Taygetus, the highest mountain of the Peloponnese, to reach the fortified medieval Castle Town of Mystras, one of the most important centers of the Byzantine Empire. Walk around the Acropolis of William and visit the museums within the cluttered walls on an interactive “Game of Thrones” tour led by a state-licensed guide experienced in kids and teens.

In the afternoon, you can join a 2-hour mosaic art workshop or you have the option to dine at an exceptional local restaurant with a veranda overlooking Sparta.

Day 6: Monemvasia day trip               

Visit Monemvasia and stroll along the cobbled paths of the medieval Castle Town, a natural fortress and Europe’s only castle that has never ceased being inhabited. Walk amidst the mansions and the Byzantine churches and grasp the opportunity to taste Greek local wine varieties in an old cellar or create natural olive-oil soap together with a local host. [Not suitable for strollers].

Day 7: Ancient Messene, Olive Oil Tasting & Treasure Hunt for Kids

Ancient Messene is one of the greatest and best-preserved cities of antiquity. After your visit, you have the opportunity to taste the Kalamata olives and olive oil at a traditional olive oil mill very close to the ancient site. Walk through the olive groves and marvel the perennial olive trees while kids indulge themselves in a treasure hunt with the guidance of an experienced guide. Depending on the season, you can participate in the harvesting as well (usually October to November). Then in a family friendly olive oil tasting & food pairing seminar, a certified olive oil sommelier will help you discover the richness of the Messenian taste. A traditional meal with local dishes will follow.

In the afternoon, visit Kalamata, probably the most beautiful town of the Peloponnese. You can either visit the interesting museums of the city, take a food tour, or enjoy the sandy beaches along the Messenian Gulf. Walk in the old railway station, which operates as an open-air railway museum with old wagons -ideal for children to discover and play- and enjoy the sunset view from the Kalamata Castle.

Day 8: West Mani & Swimming         

A land adored by globetrotters, West Mani is marked by the famous towers and cypresses that mix with olive trees and reach its lacework shores. In shoulder seasons, you can hike Old Kardamyli and the abandoned fortified tower houses. In summer, you can explore the beautiful pebbled coast on a sea kayak tour or a private boat trip. Don’t miss the sunset on a bike tour along the kid-friendliest coastal trail in Greece starting from the sandy beach of Stoupa.

Day 9: Navarino & Messenia Beaches

Visit Nestor’s Palace, one of the most kid-friendly archeological sites, Pylos & Niokastro (the New Castle), also known with its Venetian name Navarino. After your history and culture tour of the day, you have the option to swim in two of the most beautiful beaches in Greece, Divari and Voidokilia -considered to be Ancient Pylos’ port- and in shoulder seasons, to hike in the paths of King Nestor.

If you are fond of exploring by the sea, you can enjoy a private boat or sea kayak tour in the Gulf of Navarino, famous for the most decisive naval battle during the Greek War of Independence, the Battle of Navarino (1827), and the last major naval battle in history fought entirely with sailing ships.

In the afternoon, you may visit an artistic farm, where kids will take part in a workshop to create handmade souvenirs from materials collected from the sea, while parents will have the chance to enjoy a massage. Taste handmade snacks and traditional sweets, as well as handmade lemonade, and if you want, enjoy a private dinner prepared by a local chef! 

Day 10: Ancient Olympia

Enjoy a full-day trip to Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics. You will be able to see where the Olympic torch is lit to this day, to run the Olympic track, to stand on the grounds of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the statue of Zeus.

Be an archaeologist for a day, visit the site with a kid-friendly guide and participate in an excavation simulation that familiarizes both kids and adults with archeology. You also have the opportunity to visit the Archimedes’ Museum, dedicated to the great mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer and inventor of ancient Greece and the ancient Greek technology of his time. Find out how the massive stones were lifted with the life-size cranes to create the temples and the ancient Greek technological marvel that created the analog computer of Antikythera, humanity’s first. To conclude your day, enjoy a honey tasting and private dinner at a farm.

If you have more days of family vacation, you can extend your trip to include Athens, the Greek islands, Delphi, Meteora, Zagori, Northern Greece, or you can slower the pace adding more days to cherish the sea and the sun!

Need some help in trip planning by the best family travel agents in Greece? MAMAKITA family travel specialists can customize this itinerary according to your preferences, age of kids, travel pace and budget. Enjoy your family holidays in Greece without worrying about family friendly accommodation or kid-friendly tours and activities by making your request here.

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