A Road Trip Through Parnon

Self-drive · history, wine and waterfalls

A spellbinding route through the heart of Arcadia and Mount Parnon, weaving together history, tradition and wild natural beauty.

• Self-drive
• Tripoli → Platanos
• 8 stops

The idea

Eight stops on the road from the Tripoli plain into the Parnon foothills — ancient ruins, a working wine estate, a mountain village, and a monastery known across the Peloponnese, ending where the plane trees and the springs take over.

The route

• 1 · TripoliStart in the capital of Arcadia. Don’t miss a walk through Areos Square, the second-largest square in Greece, and Petrinou Square for coffee and local sweets.
• 2 · Tegea Archaeological SiteA few kilometres outside the city: the Temple of Alea Athena and the award-winning Tegea Archaeological Museum, one of the country’s most modern and interactive museums.
  
• 3 · TeGaia EstateA Kyriakoulis family business built around the cultivation and standardisation of premium agricultural products — including the celebrated Pilafa Delicious apples.
• 4 · Tselepos EstateA tasting of PDO wines at Arcadia’s largest estate. Over 50 years of history, and a member of “The Mantinians,” the Mantineia winemakers’ association.
• 5 · Ano DolianaClimb the slopes of Parnon to this historic, stone-built village — an ideal base for hiking the surrounding trails and visiting “Nikitaras’ Redoubt” (Tambouri tou Nikitara).
• 6 · Agios Petros & Malevi MonasteryContinuing toward Parnon, the picturesque village of Agios Petros. From there, Malevi Monastery — one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Peloponnese, known for its myrrh-streaming icon of the Virgin Mary.
  
• 7 · Agios Ioannis & the Lepida WaterfallsNear the village of Agios Ioannis, the striking Lepida Waterfalls: a wild, dramatic landscape where the water drops from a great height.
• 8 · PlatanosThe route ends in this beautiful traditional village, shaded by plane trees with water running throughout. Enjoy a meal in the shade of the trees, to the sound of the springs.

On the map

Make it yours

Where to stay

Every stop along the route is a network host.

AKROTHEA Suites & Lounge

Suites & Lounge

Skopi, Tripoli — Arcadia

Modern suites and lounge hospitality in Skopi — between Menalon, the Kapsia Cave and the Mantinia wine country.

Visit Member

La Villa de Madeleine

Traditional Guesthouse

Agios Ioannis, Kynouria — Arcadia

Between the Lepida waterfalls, the springs of Agios Ioannis and the road to Moni Malevis — traditional hospitality in eastern Arcadia, with Terra TEA…

Visit Member

Good to know

• Best seasonThe Lepida Waterfalls are at their fullest in spring.
• Buy localStop at Tselepos and TeGaia directly; every purchase supports the growers, not a middleman. In almost every village you’ll find someone selling their own produce — look for hilopites, trachanas, pasto and preserved fruit sweets (spoon sweets).
• Drive carefullyThe road narrows and switches back past Ano Doliana; take the mountain stretch slowly.
• Share the drivingIf you’re tasting at Tselepos, plan for someone else to take the wheel afterwards.

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