Monastery of Daphni and Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus starting at Chaïdári
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
375 km
Riding-time estimate
7 h 14
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
375 km from Chaïdári to Chaïdári, about 7 h 14 of riding. On the way it passes Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus, Archaeological Site of Tiryns, back through Archaeological Site of Tiryns and back through Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Monastery of Daphni
Daphni sits beside the Sacred Way that ran from Athens to Eleusis, on the western edge of the city, and it is one of the finest Byzantine monuments in Greece. The monastery was founded in the early Christian centuries on the site of a temple of Apollo, and the present church dates from about the eleventh century, with a dome set on a square plan and eight sides inside. The mosaics are the reason to come. In the dome the Christ Pantocrator looks down with a stern, brooding face, and around the walls are scenes from the life of Christ in gold and deep colours. The best are the Baptism, the Crucifixion and the Anastasis, with figures drawn with grave dignity.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Monastery of Daphni is where the day begins. Next is Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus.
2. Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus
Drop a coin in the centre of the orchestra at Epidaurus and people sitting in the top row, fifty-odd rows above, will hear it. The theatre of the sanctuary of Asklepios, built in the fourth century BC, is famous for its acoustics and its almost perfect state of preservation, and it still hosts performances of ancient drama during the summer festival. But the theatre was only part of the sanctuary. Epidaurus was the most famous healing centre of the ancient Greek world, where the sick came to sleep in the sacred buildings and hope that the god Asklepios would visit them in a dream with a cure.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus comes up 53 km in. Next is Archaeological Site of Tiryns.
3. Archaeological Site of Tiryns
Homer called it Tiryns of the great walls, and when you stand next to them you see that he was not exaggerating. The citadel rises from a low limestone ridge in the Argolid plain, and its walls are built of blocks so enormous that later Greeks decided only the Cyclopes, one-eyed giants, could have lifted them. The name stuck: Cyclopean masonry. Tiryns was one of the great centres of the Mycenaean world in the late Bronze Age, linked in legend to Heracles, who was said to have served its king, and its galleries are the best part. These long corridors are roofed with corbelled stone vaults, their walls polished smooth over the centuries by sheep sheltering from the weather.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Monastery of Daphni closes the day.
Leg by leg
Monastery of Daphni to Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus
Monastery of Daphni → Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus to Archaeological Site of Tiryns
Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus → Archaeological Site of Tiryns is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Archaeological Site of Tiryns to Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus
Archaeological Site of Tiryns → Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus to back through Archaeological Site of Tiryns
Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus → back through Archaeological Site of Tiryns is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Archaeological Site of Tiryns to back through Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus
back through Archaeological Site of Tiryns → back through Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus to Monastery of Daphni
back through Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus → Monastery of Daphni is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.