girolibero Cycling holidays
Guided Bike and Barge
Web code GR001
Greece / Cyclades and Saronic Islands
In the heart of Aegean sea
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Day by Day
1. Piraeus (Marina Zeas)
Individually arranged arrival to Marina Zeas; port of Piraeus. Check in is possible from 2 pm. Dinner will be on board and the night will be spent in Piraeus.
2. Kythnos Island (25 km)
Early in the morning sail to the Island of Kythnos, which was famous in ancient times for its cheese and honey production. The first cycling leg, which starts from the harbour of Merichas and will lead you to the capital Chora and it offers lots of scenic views to the coastline. Chora is an appealing village, situated on a high plateau. Its angular alleys are decorated with painted flowers and geometric patterns. From there you will cycle on to Driopida, a picturesque village.Return to Merichas for the evening enjoying one of the typical taverns.
3. Seriphos Island (30 km)
The morning starts sailing to Seriphos, a small island far from the tourist track, with deep valleys, countless bays and coves and lots of beautiful sandy beaches. From the harbour town of Livadi you will cycle along a serpentine road to the main town of Seriphos, whose square houses are nestled along a mountain ridge high above the sea. Continue on through untouched landscape to the Byzantine monastery of the Archangel Michael. Cycle back to Livadi along a panoramic road on the East coast. In the afternoon the boat will bring you to Siphnos, where you can relax on the beautiful beach. Overnight stay in Kamares on the island of Siphnos.
4. Siphnos Island (20 km)
The island of Siphnos, which is famous for its ceramic artwork, is only inhabited inland, because the coastline drops dramatically into the sea. The cycling tour begins in the harbour of Kamares. The route leads through a green, hilly terraced landscape to the central highlands where the island’s capital Kastro is located, a defensive settlement built on a steep cliff face and listed protected town since 1975. In the afternoon we enjoy a longer cruise to Kea. Along the way we throw anchor for a refreshing swim stop. Overnight in Kea.
5. Kea Island (25 km)
Our starting point for exploring the northwestern most inhabited Cyclade island is the beutiful natural harbor of Korissia. From here you will cycle uphill to the capital of the island, Loulis before continuing on to the white sand beach, Otzias where you can take a refreshing swim break. After returning to Korissia in the afternoon, you will sail to Poros in the Saronic Gulf. The harbor city of Poros is truly spectacular, its iconic clock tower juts out above the rest of the town, and provides a true Greek island atmosphere for a relaxing evening.
6. Poros Island (25 km)
Today starts with a special destination: Poros City to the 18th century Zoodochos Pigis monastery. Afterwards you will almost completely cicrcle around the island which used to belong to the God Poseidon himself. Shortly before the end of the tour you will arrive Russian Bay, a sandy beach with turquoise blue water where you won’t resist swimming into. Back in Poros City the boat awaits with a delicious midday meal during the cruise to Ägina.
7. Ägina Island (35 km)
The Island of Ägina is known far beyond the Greek borders for its incredible pistachios! Today’s bike tour leads you up to the Sanctuary of Aphaia. The incredibly well preserved temple towers high above the blue sea from the ponty cliff of Ägina where the Aegean Sea can be seen from either side. On the way back you will cycle across the middle of the island past the monastery of Nektarios all the way to the town of Ägina where you will board the boat for your last cruise back to the Piraeus. Enjoy a last evening meal on board in the company of friends, guides and crew. The tour is nearly over.
8. Piraeus (Marina Zeas)
The tour and services end after breakfast around 9 am.
Due to organisational reasons, weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during the holiday. Issues with high and low water, as well as logistic obstacles such as officially ordered - previously not announced - repair work on locks or bridges can modify some of the daily stretches or overnight stays and may even request a transfer by bus. These decisions are only taken by the barge’s captain.
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Route profile
This a hilly bike tour because you will be cycling up and down the hills, which anyhow are not very steep: 200 to 500 m at the most.
Because you will be riding mostly by the seaside it can sometimes get quite windy.
Keep in mind that you can complete your daily tour in your own time and there’s no rush.
No special training is required but come prepared because spending a whole week on the saddle can be challenging.
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How to get there
The precise embarkation point will be written in the Final Tour Details that you will receive a few days before departure.
By Plane
The easiest way to get to the starting point is flying into Athens. From the airport you can:
- book a private transfer (€ 25 p.p.);
- take a train to Pireus (ca. 1 hour) and from there reach the docking place by foot;
- take the bus no. X96 (ca. 1h30) until Demotiko and from there reach the docking place by foot.
More information on www.oasa.gr/en/ and on www.trainose.gr/en/
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Accommodation and meals
THALASSA
The barge Thalassa is equipped with:
- 10 Standard Twin/Double cabins (9-12m2)
The cabins are equipped with double or twin beds, teak cladding, A/C, hairdryer, tiled bathroom with a mirror, shower, washbasin and WC.
Common areas
Thalassa is a beautiful three mast motor sailor where elegance and comfort combined result in one of the most majestic ships of our fleet. The tall masts make the Thalassa an eye catcher in every harbor. The saloon and the cabins are spacious and the wood finish give a noble touch. The vast deck provides plenty of comfortable sitting areas with tables and chairs available in the shade and sunning mats on the sundeck. Fitted ideally for maximum relaxation during the crossings from island to island. The crew spoil their guests at mealtimes with a delicious selection of local specialties prepared in the ships own galley.
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Bikes and accessories
In this tour you can rent:
- unisex hybrid bikes with 27/24 gears and hand brake
- unisex e-bikes with hand brake.
On board you can draw up a bike insurance against theft and damage (touring bike € 10; e-bike € 20). This policy covers:
- the theft of the bicycle only if you present the key of the lock;
- the damage of the bicycle if it is not due to careless or improper behavior of the customer.
The bikes are equipped with:
1 pannier bag
For this tour bike helmets are mandatory.
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Accompanying material
Before your arrival, you will receive an email from us with the digital information material. It contains the link to download the tour information material in Pdf:
- Tour notes
- Final tour details
On board you will find overview maps.
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By your side
Our tour leaders are multi-lingual, and speak at least English and German. Smart, entertaining, caring and endlessly enthusiastic, they have a true passion for sharing their love of the outdoors, people, culture and local food. Thanks to a deep knowledge of the territory, they can give you useful hints and help you appreciate the place you are visiting. Of course they love cycling and will be happy to give you some advice about how to correctly use the bicycle gears and whenever necessary they can fix your flat tyre.
Staff support
In the Final Tour Details you will find the contact phone numbers you can call during the tour in case of emergency. -
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