4 days in the peloponesse with family of 4 ( 2 girls ages 11 and 14)

I would suggest that you limit your exploration to a much smaller circle than is proposed with inclusions like Monemvasia and Gythio. They're amazing places but are far away from Tolo.

There are spectacular places to visit much nearer like Mycenae, Epidarus, Nafplio, Corinth. Mystras is two hours drive so that might be within reach.

There are three islands within reach for a day-trip, depending on ferry schedules, Poros, Spetses and Hydra. They're all pretty close but it's unlikely the ferry will align with a neat morning-over / evening-back kind of schedule for you.

For what it's worth, Olympia is closer to Tolo than Monemvasia. I also love the mountain village of Kalavrita and the train ride up to there from Diakopto. But they're both too far away to squeeze into such a small window.

I would consider this:

Day 1: Visit Ancient Corinth and Acrocorinth (closes at 3pm) on your way to Tolo from Athens.
Day 2: Visit Mycenae and Epidarus, return to Tolo.
Day 3: Early start and drive to Mystras. Three hours for the Byzantine city, have lunch at Palaiologos restaurant in Mystras before returning to Tolo. If you get an early start, say 0800, you should be hitting Nafplio on your return to Tolo at about 1700. I would drive straight to the top of the Palamidi Fortress, tour the castle and then walk down the famous 999 steps to the old town. Spend as much of the evening as you have energy for in the delightful old town of Nafplio (the children will be out playing on Syntagma Square well past midnight). Take a taxi back up to the top of the fortress to retrieve your car, return to Tolo.
Day 4: If you haven't decided to just go back to the richness of Naplio today, perhaps wander a little farther afield and see what small villages and beaches you can discover on the peninsula south and east of Tolo.

Thank you very much! You have been very helpful. We will build our schedule around your suggestions.

Just a couple of thoughts to add to the helpful reply provided. At Corinth I would probably drop Acrocorinth and substitute Ancient Nemia. It is a compact site and had sister games to Olympia. It has a partially restored temple and the stadium is still there. The kids can enter the stadium through the competitors tunnel and run a race from the starting line. This site is all flat compared tot eh hike up to Acrocorinth.

Good call to drive up to Palimidi Fortress in Nafplio. I do love a drive in Fortress. However the logistics of driving up and then walking down the 999 steps leaves you at the bottom of the stairs and your car still up at the fortress.

Just stay in the Tolo area. There is lots of ancient sites nearby. Mycenaea, Tiryns the home of Hercules and the wonderful site at Epidarus plus Nafplio old town will take up your 4 days.
Nafplio and Peloponnese http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094108982/

stanbr, one answer to the Palamidi dilemma, if there are 2 adults. Whole family goes up in car, enters fortress for views, photos, etc. Then 1 parent (whichever one draws the short straw!) goes down steps with group, other parent drives car down, parks on street near end of steps, enjoys coffee & does crossword puzzle in shady cafe with a lovely waterfall near steps. A tested approach.

My young adults kids loved Nemea. There is a wonderful museum there too. There are two parts to it-the stadium where my kids pretended to run races and where the reconstructed temple, baths, and museum is. Great place to eat lunch really close. Just ask staff.

We walked up and down the 999 steps and enjoyed it. We stopped and took pictures so many times that it wasn’t that rigorous.

Beth

Looks like a great itinerary!! The shared knowledge on this forum continues to astound me!
Just a quick question: florinalevin, have you arranged a car rental in the area? If so, who did you use? We are thinking of renting a car for a few days to do sites outside of Athens.

Thank you