
Greece: Sparta, Monemvasia & the Peloponnesian Peninsula
Guided Biking
- Daily Mileage: 7 - 37 miles|
- Biking: 1 - 4 hours|
Starting From
10-day Air Package
$4,445
7-day Bike Tour Only
$3,445
Per person, double occupancy
Greece: Sparta, Monemvasia & the Peloponnesian Peninsula
Cycle into past millennia in Peloponnese, legendary crossroads of civilizations, during our bike tour in Greece. On this famously scenic peninsula, Byzantines, Ottomans, Spartans and others once ruled the day. You’ll rule the splendid bike routes amid sweeping coastal and mountain vistas. Traverse the fertile Valley of Sparta and Mount Taygetus, blanketed with olive groves, pine forests, and a storied military history. Coast into unspoiled fishing villages and cast nets with local fishermen. Ferry to the island of Elafonisos, home to Greece’s most stunning beach. And marvel at the monolithic Rock of Monemvasia and the astonishing Corinth Canal. Local guides illuminate ancient capitals, perfectly located resorts make exploring easy and welcoming tavernas and a cooking demonstration introduce you to delicious Greek and Mediterranean cuisine.
Tour Highlights
- 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 dinner
- Walk through the maze of alleyways in the medieval castle town guide of Monemvasia, a crossroads of civilizations with Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, and Ottoman influences.
- Learn about Greek fishing techniques from local fisherman during a scenic 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.
What to Expect
This tour offers a combination of rolling terrain and moderate-to-challenging hills and is ideal for energetic beginners to experienced cyclists. The majority of rides are on rural paved country roads with some traffic. Our VBT support vehicle is always available for those who would like it.
- Daily Mileage: 7 - 37 miles|
- Biking: 1 - 4 hours|
- Group Size: 20
Cycling
Cyclists
Support
Average High /
Low Temperature (°F):
Apr67º/53º
May75º/60º
Jun84º/68º
Jul89º/73º
Aug89º/73º
Sep83º/67º
Oct74º/60º
Average
Precipitation:
Apr1.0 in
May0.6 in
Jun0.2 in
Jul0.2 in
Aug0.4 in
Sep0.4 in
Oct1.9 in
Air Package | Tour Only |
|
---|---|---|
Roundtrip international airfare | ||
Airport car service for arrival and departures | ||
Two nights in Athens in conveniently located hotels with daily breakfast | ||
6 nights in 5-star hotels and a 4-star historical boutique inn | ||
12 meals: 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 4 dinners |

Road Bicycle (Carbon frame)
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Step-Through (Mixte Hybrid) Comfort Bicycle
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Step-Over (Diamond) Comfort Bicycle
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Step-Through Electric-Assisted Bicycle (E-bike)
See More >Biking Packages Include:
Custom VBT Bike and Helmet
Two Local, Bilingual Trip Leaders
Vehicle Support
Luggage Transfers
Ride with GPS and Daily Route Notes
Welcome Reception
Facilitated Cultural Experiences
Your Choice of VBT Branded Gear for Your Adventure
Accommodations (Please Note: Days are based on the Air Package Itinerary. Accommodations may vary depending on departure date. )
Enjoy Your Vacation Longer With Low-Cost Trip Extensions
Air Package Only
2022 Pre-Trip Extension - Santorini & Athens
3 Nights From $745 per person, double occupancy
Single Supplement: From $345
- Roundtrip flights between Athens and Santorini
- Airport car service for arrival and departure
- 2 nights at Suites of the Gods on the island of Santorini
- 1 dinner in Santorini
- Santorini Island tour
- 1 night at the Electra Palace Athens
- Daily breakfast
- City information
All you have to do is get to the airport. On our Air Packages, we’ll take care of the rest, handling all the logistics, so you can travel with peace of mind. Spend your first night aloft and arrive refreshed for an unforgettable trip.
Start off your first day right by having a VBT representative greet you at the Athens’ airport. A complimentary car service will whisk you to your centrally located hotel in Santorini. From here, you are perfectly positioned to explore this charming city at your leisure.
Enjoy an included dinner either at your hotel or the hotel’s beachfront restaurant this evening.
Included Meals: Dinner
Believed by some to be the lost kingdom of Atlantis, Santorini enjoys a legendary setting, perched on the rim of a sunken volcanic crater 1,000 feet above the azure waters of the Aegean. Savor breakfast with stunning views of the soaring cliff of the caldera and the dazzling waters. Then join your hotel representative for an included morning tour of the highlights of Santorini, where gleaming white houses and blue-domed churches glitter in the sun. After, enjoy lunch and the remainder of the day and evening at your leisure, perhaps treating yourself to a spa treatment or a swim in the pool with sweeping views fit for the gods. If you wish to visit the hotel’s beach club, hop the complimentary shuttle. Your very own beach lounge chairs will be waiting for you. Please check with the reception desk for shuttle times.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy another freshly sourced breakfast with breathtaking vistas. There’ll be a little time afterward for relaxing or a bit of exploring before your flight to Athens. Please confirm your departure time to the Santorini airport with your hotel’s reception desk. Upon arrival at Athens International Airport, a representative holding a VBT sign meets you as you exit the baggage claim area. Transportation (about one hour) is provided to your centrally located Athens hotel. The remainder of the day is at your leisure to explore Athens (no meals included).
Please note: If you arrive early, your hotel room may not be available until 3:00 p.m., in which case you may store your luggage with the reception desk.
VBT provides city information with recommendations about what to see and do during your stay.
Included Meals: Breakfast
After a delicious included breakfast at your hotel, you are free to explore on your own, using our included city information packet to guide your discoveries.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Air Package Only
2022 Post-Trip Extension - Crete
3 Nights From $945 per person, double occupancy
Single Supplement: From $295
- Roundtrip flights between Athens and Chania, Crete
- 3 nights at Samaria Hotel in Chania, Crete
- 1 night at Sofitel Athens Airport, Athens
- Chania walking tour with an archeological guide
- Cycling tour of Chania Peninsula
- Aptera walking tour & wine tasting with lunch
- Airport car service for departure
- Daily breakfast
- City information
Travel with a VBT guide to the Corinth Canal – a 19th-century engineering masterpiece connecting the Saronic Gulf to the Corinthian Gulf. Today this dramatic waterway cut into the bedrock remains an international maritime hub and serves approximately 12,000 ships per year. There’ll be time to take in its magnificence and have lunch here before continuing to the Athens International Airport for your late-afternoon flight to Chania, Crete.
Upon arrival at the Chania International Airport, collect your luggage. Exit the baggage claim area and meet your VBT representative, who will be holding a VBT sign. Please verify with him or her your transportation time at the end of your trip from your Chania hotel back to the airport. You travel time is about 30 minutes to your centrally located hotel in Chania. VBT provides you with city information that includes recommendations on what to see and do during your stay.
Important note: Following the Post-Trip Extension, you will spend an additional night at the Sofitel Athens Airport before your departure home.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Nestled on the northern coast of western Crete, Chania is steeped in Venetian character and charm. This former capital of the island boasts narrow lanes arcing around a scenic harbor that’s graced with a picturesque lighthouse. After breakfast, you meet your guide at 10:00 a.m. in the hotel lobby for a two-hour walking tour. Explore hidden alleys and old Ottoman neighborhoods, strolling past the stunning Orthodox Cathedral, the Yali Tzami Mosque, old townhomes converted into restaurants, and the Venetian waterfront and dockyards. Your guide can recommend restaurants for lunch and dinner and other options for further exploration on your own.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Following breakfast, meet your VBT cycling guide at the hotel before you start your loop ride through verdant forests. After a short transfer of 53-km (33-mile) your ride will take you through the verdant valleys of the nearby mountains. Enjoy a scenic ride through orange and olive groves and picturesque hillside villages. Your ride concludes at a seaside resort town with time for lunch at one of the beachside restaurants and a dip in the turquoise waters. Back in Chania, there’ll be time for more exploring and perhaps a stroll along the scenic harbor. Dinner is on your own, possibly at one of the tempting waterfront restaurants.
Note: Today’s cycling tour is not operated by VBT but by our tour partner in Crete. They strictly adhere to the same safety criteria and guidelines that you would expect on any VBT tour. The day’s ride is suitable for guests on the VBT Greece tour: its longer distance and elevation gain would classify it as a “Moderate” ride by VBT standards. Bicycles are similar in standard and style to VBT bikes. And like a typical VBT tour a support vehicle is always available for those who would like it. Your specific bike requests will be given to the tour operator ahead of your arrival to ensure your Crete ride is as comfortable as the rides you experienced during the main trip.
Included Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, you shuttle to ancient Aptera. This was the legendary site of the battle between the Sirens and the Muses. After the Sirens’ defeat, they are said to have lost their wings, giving the city its name, Aptera, or “without wings.” With sweeping views of western Crete around you, explore the imposing Roman water reservoirs, an archaic temple, the Hellenistic fortification and a Roman temple and Byzantine Monastery. After, you continue to a local winery for a fascinating tour and wine tasting. Wine has been produced here since the Bronze Age, but it was the Romans who refined the process to create the island’s renowned sweet wine known as protropos. Raise a glass to your Crete adventure over an included lunch.
After lunch, you travel to the Chania International Airport for your return flight to Athens. Upon arrival at Athens International Airport, collect your luggage, exit the baggage claim area and walk across the street to the Sofitel Athens Airport hotel and check-in. The remainder of the evening is at your leisure to enjoy the amenities of your 5-star hotel. Alternatively, the nearby metro and suburban rail stations fast-track you into the beating heart of central Athens’ Syntagma Square, in only 35 minutes for further exploration of Athens.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After an included breakfast this morning, walk across the street to the International Departure Terminal and check-in for your return flights home.
Included Meals: Breakfast

The experience with VBT went beyond expectations as did the part of Greece where we cycled. The Peloponnesian Peninsula is a relatively undiscovered biking jewel, I enjoyed it far more than biking various Greek Islands. Accommodations were excellent and Greek food speaks for itself. VBT and the guides went out of their way in providing a 5 star experience. The bikes were new and top quality, the routes were varied and interesting. The guides bent over backwards to please us and provide a great biking as well as cultural experience.
Greece: Sparta, Monemvasia & the Peloponnesian Peninsula
This VBT trip does not disappoint! The attention to detail for every visit and experience was remarkable. I live in the mid-west and don't have many hills to train on so these rides were challenging for me, but doable and once I was done I felt very satisfied. The accommodations were all different and great in their own way. The guides were energetic and informative. I highly recommend this tour - it's a great way to see Greece!
Greece: Sparta, Monemvasia & the Peloponnesian Peninsula
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