girolibero Cycling holidays
Guided Bike and Barge / 2022
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 (18 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 (23 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
Check in on board will start at 14:00 on the first day and the boat will not sail until the following day. However do inform us in case of delay.
The precise boarding area will be written in the Final Tour Details that you will receive a few days before departure.
Contact us for a free airfare quotation.
From the airport you can book a transfer (approx € 25) or you can take a train to Piraeus (roughly 1 hour) and then arrive by foot at the embarkation (roughly 30minutes).
Alternatively you can ride on the bus X96.
Consult the metro website (www.stasy.gr) and the ground transport website (www.oasa.gr) for more info.
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Accommodation and meals
The travel package includes:
- 7 breakfasts and 9 meals (lunch and/or dinner, beverages excluded).
Flat rate for bottled water is requested aboard (€20 for adults, €10 for children up to 16 years)
Your barge will be:
Thalassa
The Thalassa is a three-mast motor yacht built as a traditional Turkish gullet. A ship with best equipment, which combines pure elegance with greatest comfort.The saloon and guest cabins are spacious. The expansive ships deck provides an array of comfortable seating arrangements.
At mealtimes the guests are pampered with a generous variety of authentic dishes, bringing an insight into the diversity of the Greek kitchen to the table.
In brief:
- Passengers (max.): 18
- Private bathroom
- Towels
- Air conditioning
- Hair dryer
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Bikes and accessories
In this tour you can rent:
- Hybrid bikes with 24 gears and hand brake
- E-Bikes with hand brake.
On board you can purchase an insurance against theft and damage: 10 €/week for the 24-speed hybrid bicycle or 20 €/week for the E-bike. (Not insured: grossly negligent damages).
Accessories
Bikes are equipped with:- 1 Ortlieb one-sided saddlebag
In this tour helmets are mandatory. In general we prefer not to rent them for security and hygenical reasons. Therefore we suggest you to bring your own helmet.
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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 the spot you will find maps and route descriptions.
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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.
For the whole duration of your bike tour, you can contact us:- office +39 0444 1278430
- emergency phone number which will be specified in the Final Tour Details.
