Yoga and Culture in Nafpaktos, Greece (+ Santorini Add On Excursion)

Group One: September 23 – October 4, 2023 (+ Santorini add on October 4-October 7, 2023)

Group Two: October 9 – October 20 , 2023 (+ Santorini add on October 20-October 23, 2023)

Both retreats are full at this time. Please contact Fran if you would like to be wait-listed.

Greece, here we come!  Be inspired by Athena and stories of Zeus and Hermes! Be inspired doing yoga while looking at the Acropolis.  This yoga retreat is also a cultural extravaganza and a great learning opportunity, where we will explore archaeological sites with excellent English speaking guides. How exciting to experience yoga in the “navel of the universe”!  Cities to be explored include Athens, Meteora, Nafpaktos (our home base for 6 nights), Olympia, Delphi, and Messolonghi. There is an optional add on trip to spend three nights on the stunning island of Santorini, which includes a hotel stay on the cliff side of the caldera. Excellent English speaking guides throughout our stay in Greece.

In June 2019 and, again, in October 2021, I led fantastic trips to Greece with daily yoga and I can’t wait to do it again in 2023!  Our home base will be Nafpaktos.  It is a delightful quiet town. Nafpaktos is an ancient city, steeped in history, and among the most picturesque places in mainland Greece.  It is not far from Athens, but quiet, off the beaten track, not well known to tourists. It has a medieval character, its own castle, and its Venetian port is charming and inviting.  The town sits on a bay.  A relaxing swimming beach is just outside our hotel.

My vision for this retreat is to have a quiet place to practice yoga Hatha yoga in the mornings and yin yoga in the evenings, enjoy late lunches as our main meals, and have time in the evenings to sit at a cafe or a rooftop restaurant and people watch, enjoy delicious Greek cuisine, enjoy the beach area outside our hotel and explore some UNESCO sites on fabulous day tours. Nafpaktos will be our “home” for five nights and from this base, we will go on guided outings to well-known towns, often with UNESCO World Heritage sites, so we can experience the rich history of the area.

If you choose to do the optional add-on trip, the exclamation point of this trip will be the last three days spent on the gorgeous island of Santorini. A short flight away, Santorini is as magical as the photos you have seen. You will feel you have stepped into a painting. (We offered this add on Santorini trip on the last retreat and almost everyone was able to join us!)

Itinerary:

Yoga once daily in Athens, twice daily in all other locations.  When in Greece, we’ll do as the Greeks do and have our main meal around 2pm as a group (breakfasts and one daily main meal included in the retreat fee). This will allow us to be free in the evenings to walk around on our own, to discover places where we can have light appetizers or a drink at the Venetian port, or simply have a quiet evening back at the hotel.

Day One September 23 Athens (Orientation meeting around 5pm, welcome dinner) Two nights stay in Athens

Day Two September 24 Athens Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum

Day Three September 25 Meteora UNESCO World Heritage Site: Mountain Monasteries of Grand Meteora  Sunset Hike to experience this incredible landscape on foot. Relatively moderate hike. We can arrange to have a second guide for slower paced walkers if needed. We will stay near Meteora for two nights.

Day Four September 26 Meteora Visit two of the best preserved monasteries, San Stefano and Megalo Meteoro and go truffle hunting with trained truffle-dogs, then enjoy a cooking experience in the forest with pasta cooked with truffles and food tasting.

Day Five September 27 Nafpaktos  This will be where we stay for the next five nights.  The places below are day trips from Nafpaktos. Evening dinner as a group at the Venetian Port of Nafpaktos.

Day Six September 28 Nafpaktos Castle and Nafpaktos Walking Tour

Day 7 September 29  Olympia archaeological site and museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (en route see the Rion Antirion Bridge and brief stop at the bridge museum). Our lunch on this day will be homemade, hosted by a local family and enjoyed in their home.

Day 8 September 30 Delphi UNESCO World Heritage Site (archaeological site and museum)

Day 9 October 1st Messolonghi, a day trip which includes a visit to the salt flats, bird watching at the lagoon, an ouzo distillery, a walk through the historic Garden of Heroes, and lunch in a traditional fisherman’s home called a Pelades (house on stilts).

Day 10 October 2 Depart Nafpaktos, visit the Corinth Canal and head back to Athens. Leisurely evening in Athens, where we will be for the next two nights.

Day 11 October 3  Back in Athens, we will visit the Athens National Archaeological Museum. Late lunch in the beautiful Athenian Riviera, the seaside area of Glyfafa. Visit the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio.

Day 12 October 4 For those opting out of the Santorini add-on excursion, this is your departure day. SANTORINI: For those going to Santorini, we will fly to Santorini on this day, where we will be for the next three nights.

Day 13 October 5 SANTORINI: Visit the fascinating archeological site of Acrotiri, Followed by wine tasting at the Venetsanos Winery. The evening in Oia to see the most famous sunsets in Greece.

Day 14, October 6 SANTORINI: A day on a Catamaran. We will have an opportunity to relax, enjoy a homemade meal on the catamaran, go snorkeling, and take a dip into the hot springs.

Day 15 October 7 DEPART SANTORINI and Fly back to Athens airport. Evening flights back to your home city.

Fees MAIN RETREAT  September 23-October 4, 2023 (does not include Santorini)

$3500 per person for Double or Twin accommodations (shared room)

$3900 per Single Room accommodation

Fees SANTORINI ADD ON October 4-October 7, 2023 (optional portion of the retreat)

$1550 per person for Double or Twin accommodations (shared room)

$1980 per Single Room accommodation

 

To Register please contact Fran so she can give you payment options and details on payment methods. Minimum participants 14 people. Maximum participants 15 people.

  • $1000 per person non refundable deposit due May 28, 2022 (deposit refundable only if we can get someone to replace you ) Please indicate if you are signing up for the add on, too.
  • Balance for both the MAIN RETREAT and the SANTORINI ADD ON due March 4, 2023. (balance non refundable unless we can get someone to take your spot).
  • We highly recommend you purchase Travelers’ Insurance to protect your investment. Travelers’ Insurance should be purchased at the time you pay for your trip.

Retreat Fee Includes:

  • ATHENS HOTEL FRESH HOTEL First 2 nights (Yoga will take place on the roof with towels offered from the hotel. Yoga in the morning only when at the hotel)
  • DIVANI METEORA  2 nights – 4 stars superior, best hotel in the area, superior rooms (Yoga will take place at a meeting room of the hotel, twice daily yoga sessions.)
  • NAFS NAFPAKTOS  5 nights accommodation, standard rooms, all rooms have sea view.  (Yoga will take place at the meeting space in the hotel, twice daily yoga sessions.)
  • ATHENS HOTEL FRESH HOTEL 2 nights accommodation before leaving for Santorini (Yoga will take place on the roof with towels offered from the hotel.)
  • SANTORINI ANDROMEDA  3 nights accommodations, facing the caldera.
  • RT flight from Athens to Santorini
  • Hotel overnight taxes
  • All breakfasts plus one main meal per day (most of the time, the main meal is a late lunch, eaten around 2pm like the Greeks do).  Welcome dinner is included.
  • Archaeological sites and museum entry fees, group activities
  • English speaking assistant throughout your entire stay, including Santorini, and proficient English speaking guides
  • Audio for easily hearing the guides while on tours.
  • Ground Transportation from the Athens airport to the hotel (private pick up or group shuttle -if individuals arrive at the same time.) We will all be at the airport at the same time on departure day from Athens, having just arrived from Santorini.
  • Yoga once a day in the mornings (Depending on the day, I will offer evening Yin yoga sessions if time permits).
  • Includes tips for restaurants and guides.

Retreat Fee Does Not Include:

  • RT Flight to Greece
  • Because most of our main meals will be late lunch, dinners will not be included (exceptions: welcome dinner) so that you may have plenty of time to discover fun places to have light fare on your own in the evenings. At times, dinners are included as the main meal and then you would cover your lunch. I will have a detailed itinerary as we get closer to the retreat.
  • Drinks other than water, when enjoying our main meal of the day together.
  • Tip for the driver not included (we have one main driver on the mainland and a different driver in Santorini)
  • Tip for our escort/assistant not included. She will be with us throughout the entire trip.

VIEW VIDEO FROM JUNE 2019 GREECE YOGA AND CULTURE trip LINK