Delphi and the Gulf of Corinth: mosaics, oracle and Venetian harbours

Route description

Start at Daphni Monastery in Chaidari, about 11 km north-west of Athens on the old Sacred Way to Eleusis. Its gold-ground mosaics from around 1100, with the Christ Pantocrator in the dome, are a UNESCO-listed highlight of Byzantine art. Then head north-west towards Boeotia, a drive of a couple of hours, for the next monastery.

Hosios Loukas, a monastery of the 11th century in the hills near Distomo, is another UNESCO site and holds some of the finest mosaics of the same era. Continue up into the mountains to Arachova, a stone-built village on the slopes of Parnassus. Its steep lanes are narrow, so campervans are best parked at the edge of the village.

Delphi lies a short drive beyond Arachova, with the sanctuary of Apollo, home of the ancient oracle, spread over a hillside above the valley. Allow a good half day for the site and its museum. From Athens the whole distance is about 180 km, which is why many travellers split it with an overnight stop in or near Arachova.

Drop down towards the coast to Galaxidi, about 15 km from Delphi, a harbour town on the Gulf of Itea. It grew rich on shipping in the 18th and 19th centuries and still has grand captains’ mansions, plus a museum of local archaeology and maritime history in an 1870s house. It is a pleasant place for a slow evening by the water.

Follow the northern shore of the Gulf of Corinth west to Nafpaktos, known as Lepanto under Venice. A small Venetian harbour sits below a fortress that climbs the hill by steep cobbled streets, with views towards the Rio-Antirrio Bridge. Cross the bridge to finish in Patras, the port city with ferry links to Italy; check local rules before wild camping anywhere on the way.