I spent 3 weeks cycling in the Peloponnese region of Greece. It's an amazing landscape to cycle through, which I'd love to share with you here.
Bike Touring in Greece
I've been living in Greece now for over four years, and during that time, taken a number of bike tours around the country.
Greece is both a fantastic and slightly strange place to cycle. Unlike many other European countries, there is no cycling infrastructure to speak of. So forget any ideas of bike paths and well marked trails you may have!
Instead, picture countless quiet country lanes, amazing hills and mountains to endure and then enjoy, and lots of clean fresh air.
It's a challenging country to cycle for sure – it's a rare day you'll have got away without cycling up and over one hill or mountain. But it's rewarding, whether as a bike touring destination in itself, or as part of a long distance bike tour.
Cycling in the Peloponnese Region
The Peloponnese region of Greece is, in my opinion, an ideal destination for a bike tour. You can start and end the tour in Athens with its international airport, and you can plan a tour of almost any length of time.
Whilst I spent around 3 weeks cycling in the Peloponnese, the route I took could be adapted to a shorter two week tour, or a longer one of four weeks.
For people who want to spend even longer cycling in Greece, there's also the option to continue through mainland Greece.
The route I chose when cycling around the Peloponnese was based in part on the legend of Hercules and the 12 Labours. This combined my interest with ancient history and bike touring perfectly, whilst taking me around the varied landscape of the region.
You could create your own themed tour as well if you wanted. Some ideas you could consider include a Venetian Castles bike tour, Ancient Greece bike tour, or best beaches bike tour.
It's an amazingly varied region of Greece, which you can find out about here – Things to do in the Peloponnese.
Greece Cycling Vlogs
During my bike tour of the Peloponnese in Greece, I made a vlog a day. I think this is the best way to show the landscapes I cycled through, as well as describe what I got up to on a day by day basis.
I've included the cycling vlogs below. Each one has a description and you can click through to watch it on YouTube.
Cycling in the Peloponnese Videos
During my bike tour, I made a vlog a day whilst cycling in the Peloponnese of Greece.
Cycling in the Peloponnese - Athens to Corinth Day 1 Hercules Bike
Day 1 of my bike tour in the Peloponnese of Greece began from Athens. I chose to cycle all the way through to Corinth from Athens. If planning your own tour, you could choose to skip this section and take a train instead. Here's my vlog from the day.
Cycling in the Peloponnese Episode 2 - Corinth to Nafplion
Day 2 of my bicycle tour around the Peloponnese region of Greece. On this leg, I cycled from Corinth to Nafplion, stopping at the UNESCO site of Mycenae along the way.
Cycling in Greece Episode 3 - Tiryns and Lerna
Day 3 of my bike tour in the Peloponnese in Greece. Basing myself in Nafplion, I took the bike out without panniers to visit the sites of Tiryns and Lerna. These two sites were connected with the myth of Hercules and the 12 Labours. It's this myth that I in part based my cycling route of the Peloponnese on.
Cycling the Peloponnese - Episode 4 Nafplion to Stymphalia
On day 4 of my Peloponnese bicycle tour, I moved on to another location connected with the myth of Hercules and the 12 Labours. This time it was Lake Stymphalia.
Cycling the Peloponnese in Greece Episode 5 - Stymphalia to Akrata Beach
On Day 5 of the bicycle tour, I cycled on from Lake Stymphalia and headed toward the Greek coastline. Today's destination was Akrata Beach, a place I had previously visited when cycling from Greece to England.
Peloponnese Bike Tour Episode 6 - Akrata Beach to Kalavrita
My time cycling along the coastline in the Peloponnese was short lived, as it was to head up into the mountains. In the winter, the area around Kalavrita is known as a ski resort. At this time of year though, it's a great place to cycle!
Cycling in Greece Episode 7 - Kalavrita to Olympia
You could say there was lots of up and down on this long day's cycling! My ultimate destinations was Ancient Olympia, where I aimed to stay for a couple of nights. As such, I could afford to put in the extra effort needed to do the combined distance and elevation required, knowing there was a nice bed ready for me at the end of the night!
Cycling in Greece Episode 8 - Ancient Olympia
Zero cycling today, as I spent the day walking around Ancient Olympia and its museum. This was one of the most important centers in the ancient Greek world, and of course, the place where the Olympic Games was born.
Cycling in Greece Episode 9 - Olympia to Gialova
After the day spent at Olympia, it was time to resume my bike tour around the Peloponnese in Greece. This vlog covers the places I saw as I cycled to Gialova.
Cycling in Greece Episode 10 - Gialova to Finikounda
Not many people realise that Greece has some marvellous Venetian castles. During today's section of the Peloponnese bike tour, I stopped by one of them, and also visited a few other places along the way.
Cycling in Greece Episode 11 - Finikounda to Petalidi
Another day, another cycling vlog! Although Finikounda is an area I could easily spend longer in, I was on something of a schedule when it came to this bike tour. Today, I cycled on to Petalidi.
Cycling in Greece Episode 12 - Petalidi Beach to Megalopoli
Leaving the coastline, I cycled inland across the Peloponnese and to the town of Megalopoli. Perhaps this name is a joke or a Greek version of sarcasm, because it wasn't really that big!
Cycling in Greece Episode 13 - Megalopoli to Tripoli
Cycling across the inland Peloponnese once more, my destination for the day was Tripoli. This cycling vlog details what I got up to, and some thoughts from the road.
Cycling in Greece Episode 14 - Tripoli to Tolo
Time to head to the coast, as I wanted to eventually visit another archaeological site. In today's episode, I cycled between Tripoli and Tolo.
Cycling in the Peloponnese Episode 15 - Tolo to Epidaurus
Epidaurus is one of the more remarkable sites in Greece. It's a UNESCO World Heritage designated site, and perhaps most famous for the acoustics in the theatre. People sitting far away in the high seats can literally hear a pin being dropped!
Cycling in Greece Episode 16 - Epidaurus to Camping Glaros
With the bike tour in the Peloponnese coming to an end, it was time to complete the loop, and start the route back to Athens. In this episode, I finished the day at a campsite by the sea. This is a campsite I had stayed in a couple of years earlier when cycling from Greece to England.
Cycling in Greece Episode 17 - Camping Glaros to Athens
And finally, the bike tour ended back in Athens. There's always mixed feeling when finishing a tour - Satisfaction that it is complete, happiness for the things seen and achieved, and also that seed of thought that it's time to start planning the next bike tour!
More information on bikepacking in Greece
If you're looking for more information on this bicycle tour in Greece, these other articles may also be of interest.
- Introduction – Here, I explain the concept of the bike tour, along with a few other details.
- Bike Touring Gear – In this post I review the bike touring gear I took with me. This might be useful when planning your own tour.
- The Bicycle – I used a ‘classic' style steel touring bike for this bike tour in Greece.
Are you thinking of cycling in the Peloponnese and have any questions? Please feel free to comment below, and I'll be happy to answer them if I can!
Leandro says
Hi Dave
Thanks for sharing all the information!
I am thinking of planning a 5 day bike trip with two friends in the Peloponnese in October. Are you aware of any bike rental stores in Athens providing a similar bike as yours?
Thanks and best regards,
Leandro
Dave Briggs says
Hi,
I’d suggest contacting: https://athensbybike.com/
They might be able to help you out with bikes and panniers. They have a lot of bikes for their city tours which might be suitable for an extended bike tour as well as panniers. Also, it’s getting to off-season for them so they may have availability for you.
If they can’t help you, they might at least point you in the right direction!
James says
Hi Dave, love the route!
Do you have a downloadable version of the route? I’m going to do Peloponnese in a couple of weeks and I’d love to do a similar one. I’ve only got 10 days to do it though — is there anywhere you’d leave out?
All the best!
Dave Briggs says
Hi James – No downloadable route – sorry!
If I was to leave anything out, it would be the north of the Peloponnese, and maybe even Olympia.
If time restricts you from a circular route, you could always get a bus from Kalamata back to Athens (or get a bus to Kalamata and ride back from there).
If you decide to add the Mani peninsula on to your route, it would be perhaps 3 days of hard riding – but very rewarding!!
Happy tailwinds wherever you decide to ride in the end 🙂