Bike & Boat Ionian Islands & Gulf of Corinth
Distance: 30 km average per day Altitude meters: 300 - 700 altitude meters per day
Join us on a fascinating journey! On this Bike & Boat tour we explore both the Greek mainland with the impressive islands of the Ionian Sea. Along the way we get a first-hand experience of the scenic and cultural diversity in Greece as we travel by bike and on board the two-masted motorized sailing boat, the Panagiota.
The Ionian Islands show Greek at its greenest, unspoiled scenery and centuries of Venetian influence characterize this yet little-known archipelago. The glistening blue waters of the Ionian Sea, the mountainous landscape of Ithaca, the bird-sanctuary island, Lefkas, and the small island of Paxos covered in olive groves all play part in a wonderfully relaxing vacation. Famous sites such as Delphi and Aegina are just some of the highlights of the tour. The passage through the Corinth Canal is sure to become an unforgettable memory.
This cycling trip is also offered from Athens to Corfu!
Individual arrival by plane and subsequent transfer to the ship. Check-in on the Panagiota from 2 pm onwards. Dinner and overnight stay on Corfu.
Cast off! In the morning we sail to Paxos, the smallest of the seven Ionian Islands. This tiny island is so densely covered in olive trees the whole island seems to glisten a wonderful silver green colour. Our morning tour leads us around the whole island. There is plenty of time to enjoy a swim in the sea at one of the many beaches. Later, we can enjoy the evening in a cosy tavern in the unique natural harbour of Gaios! Overnight stay on Paxos.
Our day begins with a longer sail to the town of Lefkas. During the crossing we pass by the original swing bridge which connects the island of Lefkas to the Greek mainland. Today’s tour leads us across the island’s fascinating mountain landscape to the lively harbour of Nidri. The island of Skorpios, once the private haven of shipping magnate Aristotle Socrates Onassis, can be seen from our mooring. The night is spent in Nidri.
Early in the morning we cruise to the island of Ithaca for our day’s bike tour. This hilly island with its spectacular scenery is said to have been home of the mythical king Odysseus. During the ride we get to enjoy the special character of the Ionian Islands off beaten tourist track: gnarled olive trees, crystal clear water and friendly islanders – time appears to stand still on Ithaca. We then board the boat once more for a longer sail to Mesolongi in the Corinthian Gulf, where we spend the night.
A transfer bus will pick you up in the morning to take you to the medieval town of Nafpaktos. There you can take a short stroll through the enchanting old town with its Venetian harbour and fortifications. Afterwards, the journey continues by bringing us to the famous site of Delphi at the foot of the Parnassos Mountains. In Delphi, the god of light, Apollo, was once worshipped and the oracle was consulted. The many beautiful temples & treasure houses, the well-preserved theatre & stadium, but particularly the breath-taking hillside location of the sanctuary make a visit to the Delphi an unforgettable experience. Afterwards, your transfer bus takes us to the picturesque port of Galaxidi, where we spend the night. For those would are interested, one can bike to a nearby beach in the afternoon and enjoy a swim in the sea! Overnight stay in Galaxidi.
Today we lift anchor early and the journey continues towards the Isthmus of Corinth. The impressive passage through the Corinth Canal, which was completed in 1893 and whose construction was already planned by Julius Caesar, is one of the absolute highlights of this trip. The passage is 6.3 km long, 24 meters wide and 8 meters deep and it connects the Aegean Sea with the Gulf of Corinth. It saves passengers from the nearly 400 km long trip around the Peloponnese. From the Saronic Gulf, we set course for the island of Aegina. In the afternoon, we enjoy a coastal bike tour to the quaint fishing port of Perdika. In the evening, the old town of Aegina entices visitors to take an extended stroll.
The island of Aegina is also known beyond its borders for its pistachios. In the morning, our last bike ride from the island’s capital take us past the Monastery of Saint Nektarios and to the well-preserved Temple of Aphaia, perched high above the blue sea. Our ship waits for us in the town of Aegina for our last crossing to Athens/Piraeus where we round off our Greek adventure with a final cozy dinner on board.
After breakfast check-out and individual return home or extended stay in Athens.
Gulf of Corinth & Ionian Islands
Participants require a high level of fitness for this tour. The daily routes vary in length: 12 – 31 mi. (20 – 50 km). They lead through hilly and mountainous terrain. The tours can, however, be completed without any time-constraints. The cycle tours will have an altitude of 1,000 – 2,300 ft. (300 – 700 m). Participants will also need to master long and steep climbs, during which, of course, bikes can be pushed. Most of the roads we cycle along are asphalted and with low traffic. You are free to set aside a half or full day to swim or spend time on board the boat, instead of taking a planned cycle-tour. This tour is primarily a guided group tour. Your tour guide informs you each day about the tour details. Upon consultation with your tour guides, the possibility to cycle on your own along recommended, suitable routes, may present itself.
Requirement to wear a helmet
Helmet use is mandatory on all bike rides. . It is advised to bring your own, well fitted, helmet with you as our rental helmet numbers are limited (reservation required).
Please note: departure is on Friday
Supplements:
Reservation costs € 25,- per booking
Contribution Dutch Guarantee Fund € 5,- per person (Insolvency Protection)
May 2
Lower deck: twin/double cabin € 1.999,-
Lower deck: cabin single use € 2.999,-
Upper deck: twin/double cabin € 2.349,-
Upper deck: cabin single use € 3.524,-
May 30, June 27, August 22, September 19
Lower deck: twin/double cabin € 2.199,-
Lower deck: cabin single use € 3.299,-
Upper deck: twin/double cabin € 2.549,-
Upper deck: cabin single use € 3.824,-
Rental Bike:
Hybrid bike per week € 80,-
E-bike per week € 245,- (limited)
Bike insurance € 20,- for a hybrid bike and €30,- for an E-bike (optional)
Collective transfer (available on embarkation/disembarkation days only): between Athens airport and the boat in Marina Zeas / between a hotel in Athens city and the boat in Marina Zeas / between Corfu airport and the boat / between boat and a hotel in Corfu city (prices on request).
Port of embarkation/disembarkation
Corfu: Marina Gouvia. It is located 7 km north of the city of Corfu. In Gouvia the Panagiota has a fixed mooring at Mole P.
Athens: Marina Zeas, part of the Athens Piraeus harbor.
You are welcome to check in on board from 2 pm onwards on the embarkation day. If you arrive without a pre-booked transfer and have difficulties finding the Panagiota, please call your local guide (phone number is mentioned in your travel documents).
Inbound flight to Corfu - Outbound flight from Athens
A flight is the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to get to Greece. We recommend booking a ‘multi-stop’ flight.
On this tour the following barge is scheduled
For the duration of the tour we supply you with a waterproof pannier by Ortlieb, a practical way of carrying drinks, bathing gear, camera etc
By this tours you can rent the following bikes:
Our hybrid bikes are equipped with 28 inch hollow chamber rims with puncture proof touring tires, derailleur gears and break systems, a carrier and a stand, touring saddle as well as mudguards and a pannier rack.
Our hybrid bikes are equipped with 28 inch hollow chamber rims with puncture proof touring tires, derailleur gears and break systems, a carrier and a stand, touring saddle as well as mudguards and a pannier rack.
An e-bike powered mainly by a Bosch motor capable of covering long distances. Standard components in varying frame sizes include, 28 inch rims with puncture proof tires, derailleur gears and break systems, a carrier and a stand, touring saddle as well as mudguards and a pannier rack.
Catering
The on-board chef is a member of the crew and prepares the breakfast and one or two warm meals a day. A packed lunch instead of lunch on board is possible as well on our tour. The catering starts with the dinner on the arrival day and ends with the breakfast on the departure day.The on-board chef is a member of the crew and prepares the breakfast and one or two warm meals a day. The catering starts with the dinner on the arrival day and ends with the breakfast on the departure day.
If you wish to eat vegetarian food or have distinctly different eating habits please inform us in time before your arrival. Please keep in mind that special food requirements cannot always be met in all details. If you have extensive food allergies we ask you to give us a list of the food that you can eat. This should be done before your arrival so that the cook can be instructed to plan and shop accordingly.
In the case of a glutenfree diet, we request that you bring along your own basic foodstuffs such as bread and cereals for the duration of your tour with us, as it is extremely difficult to attain these products from Greek vendors.
Please note that due to the small size of the kitchen and the available equipment on board, we cannot guarantee that your food will not come into contact with kitchen utensils in which gluten-containing foods have already been processed.
So if you have a serious celiac disease, where the food must not come into contact with utensils in which food containing gluten was prepared, then we would recommend not to participate in the trip as the risk of an allergic shock would be too high. If it is a (mild) gluten intolerance it is not a problem.
Language aboard
Due to our international audience all Islandhopping tours are conducted bilingually, in English and German.
Time zone
Please note that Greece is on Eastern European (Summer) time, i.e. GM(S)T + 2 hours.
Itinerary changes
We reserve the right to make changes to the planned itinerary due to changing wind and weather conditions as well as organizational requirements.
Group riding pace
On our regular cycling tours, the cyclists on regular bicycles determine the pace. We ask guests who have reserved an e-bike to be mindful of this and to acknowledge that the regular cyclists need time to rest and take longer to climb the hills. We thank you for your understanding.
Bringing Children
We believe that only children with a good physical condition and previous bicycle tour experience and a minimum age of 10 are able to master the cycle tours with their own strength. Please note that the minimum height for a rental bike is 1.30 m (4.3 ft.) for hybrid bikes.
Internet availability
Please note that there is no WiFi available onboard the Panagiota. If you need to connect to the internet during the tour, we recommend bringing your portable electronic device to a cafe or bar somewhere in the harbour. Free WiFi is on offer almost everywhere. If you order something to eat or drink, then you are able to use the WiFi to your hearts content.
Bringing private bikes & EXCLUSION of private E-BIKES and road bikes
The tour which you have booked requires a bike with a fully functional set of gears. We can offer you high quality, fully serviced rental bikes perfect for the terrain of this tour.
Should you however wish to bring your own hybrid or MTB with you, please make sure to check the condition of your breaks, gears, and tires and don’t forget to bring along a puncture repair kit and the essential spare parts for your bike (e.g. brake pads and tubes). Your bike should be in prefect mechanical working order.
We do not allow private e-bikes on board of our boats. This decision has been made due to health and safety regulations. If you wish to ride an e-bike for the duration of your tour, please get in touch with us about the rental options.
We do not recommend bringing along private road bikes, as the thin tires are not suitable for some of the road surfaces encountered on the tours.
Our Ships
Please do not forget that the ship is your hotel as well as a machine, which has to be maintained and operated – day and night. A certain level of noise is therefore inevitable.
No, the barge doesn’t take the same route as the cyclists do. Sometimes the route may be altered because of weather conditions or repairs to bridges or locks and then the guests and the guide can arrange with the skipper to be met at a different place. Naturally you can always stay on board for one or more days.
Yes, but you must indicate this when booking. Diets which need a special preparation or special ingredients can only be offered in limited form. We will do our best to meet your needs, but we also ask for your understanding as due to limited logistic possibilities on a barge we are not able to prepare complete specialized menus.
On some trips, in case of a gluten-free diet/lactose-free diet/ vegan meals, a surcharge applies. This is stated per tour.
The size of the group depends on the barge scheduled on the tour. The capacity of the barges varies between 10 and 170 participants,but on most barges the capacity is between 10 and 24 people.
However, on the larger barges a guided cycling group never consists of more than 26 people.
The average daily distance on our Bike & Barge tours in the Netherlands is 50 kilometers (32 miles). But don’t forget that Dutch countryside is very flat and the stages, taken at a leisurely pace, take seven to eight hours including a number of breaks and visits.The time spent on your bicycle is about 4 hours per day.
You find the average daily distance on the tour page under 'Summary'.
The main countries represented by our cycling guests are: United States and Canada. We also receive guests from United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand. The common language on board is English.
