6 nights in the Peloponnese: Napoli and Stemnitsa?

Sounds like a good plan -- two nights is really too short anywhere, but if you wanted longer in Nafplio, two nights would probably be okay in Stemnitsa if you wanted to do the gorge hike on your full day and see the towns on arrival day and departure day. Then you could do the scenic drive down to Monemvasia (I skipped it and it seems pretty split here among people who loved the beauty and those who find it sterile--too far to drive in my opinion). You might stop at Mystras in between, which was stellar! If you are an avid hiker, though, there are many more trails in the area and I am sure you could fill the extra full day. We are sea people too, especially on vacation, but we really liked the Stemnitsa area--very different like you said but also very beautiful.

We hiked the Menalon trail in Peloponnese. Our first day was Stemnitsa to Dimisana. We stayed overnight in Dimitsana and then continued onward.
You could do Stemnitsa to Dimitsana yourself and either stay in Dimitsana overnight or return to Stemnitsa. Dimitsana is a nice little town with great views. A taxi between the two will be maybe $20. It’s only 10 minutes by road.
In the gorge, you will see the monestary built into the cliff and another one on the other side as you proceed. You will go down all the way to the bottom of the gorge to cross it and all the way up again. It is 8.73 miles Stemnitsa to Dimitsana.
The trail is well marked. Personally I would stay in Dimitsana for that night.
In Monemvasia you can hike to the top and all around the top among the ruins. Our total hike from the town itself RT going up and around the top and back was 3.71 miles.

Monemvasia was just OK for me but many people like.

I saw more tourists there than locals but the village itself was very pretty.

I would consider Gythio if you want to stay in that part of the Peloponnese as it's a nice town with a long waterfront and not solely devoted to tourism but more than enough services for anyone.

i did day trips to Mystras, the Mani and Monemvasia plus other near by areas.

It's a bit far from Stemnitsa but there's more than enough in and near Gythio to keep you occupied.

I also stayed in the small town of Petilidi further south in the Peloponnese and was able to go to the mountain areas near Stemnitsa for day trips and return to town where there were a good amount of shops, markets and tavernas and few tourists.

Lots of options all over the Peloponnese and I recommend the Cadogan Guide as it's the best. While last published in 2008 it's the most comprehensive guide and filled with more info than any other guide.

If interested check out my trip report and photos of one of my trips to the Peloponnese. Includes a little on Nafplio but lots of Gythio and Petilidi and nearby areas.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g189483-i1277-k14200587-Peloponnese_Trip_Report_Sept_25_Oct_12-Peloponnese.html

Thanks all!

Tommyk5, I'm slightly confused...you suggested Gythio "if you want a base in that part of the Peloponnese"but I'm not familiar with that name so unsure where on the Peloponnese it is. Are you saying it would work as a base instead of Stemnitsa for the second part of our trip? Is it also in Arcadia? There are so many many amazing spots one could drop anchor and then do day trips (or laze about and enjoy the slow pace), so I'm not doubting that it's a good option, just confused.

Nafpoli is pretty well set for a couple of reasons including other travelers, and I am figuring we can do several excursions from there. So the question is for the second part of the week, do we base ourselves somewhere south on one of the two peninsulas, or go north to the gorge? No bad choices really...just the awareness that we can't do everything!

It is true that the ancient city of Monemvasia is uninhabited, there are only a few tourist shops open during the day and hotels/restaurants for overnight visitors. It's a kind of open-air museum without any local life.

Access to the medieval city is only on foot, at the end of a road about 1 mile long that connects the mainland to the city entrance. Free parking is available along this road, but spaces are very difficult to find near the entrance.

See the street view as of May 2025:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wskw1onT5fdYtQQU9

So choosing Monemvasia as a base is a personal choice, but I don't recommend it. Nor would I recommend staying there one night.

As a base in this area, I agree with tommyk5 regarding Gythio, which allows you to be close to the eastern part of Mani and in the Laconia regional district with some stone villages, like this one:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/BsZyUAqKTAxQdfVM6

There is a possible hike of about 1 hour to Cape Tainaron Lighthouse, you will be able to say that "I went to the southernmost place in Europe (excluding islands)

https://maps.app.goo.gl/1MwDPJxQpqiKa3kL7

To the north of Gythio are some nice seaside spots like Kardamyli and Stoupa.

That said, I haven't been to Stemnitsa, so I can't compare. The decision is yours.

Thanks so much! The comments here are making it much clearer that Monemvasia itself is not actually what we're after. It sounds lovely, and a day there would certainly be nice, but an open-air museum without much life/a tourist spot is not where we'd want to be based for 2-3 days.

Having looked up Gythio, it does seem like a good location to explore the southeast, including some opportunities to hike. Stemnitsa still looks quite magical and would offer a very different few days, so now we have to figure out what we want!

What you want is more time!!

We are planning a trip for next May and have 3 nights planned in Dimitsana which is down the road from Stemnitsa. I too am intrigued by the area. We are spending more time in the Peloponese than you so will also be in the Gythio area.

All I can say is there is more than you can see with six nights so just pick what appeals to you most. There are no right answers. You will just have to return! That is what we are doing. We were in Nafplio for four nights in 2018.

Nbpt_traveler

Gythio is on the "middle finger" of southern Peloponnese in the area called Laconia.

It's probably too far from Stemnitsa for a day trip but perfect if you want to explore the Mani one of the wildest and least developed areas of the Peloponnese.

I agree that it's very difficult to decide on what part of the Peloponnese you want to see as there are just too many options.

I did travel to Karytaina which is in the area of Stemnitsa but I stayed in the village of Petilidi on the "left finger" of the Peloponnese.

The area of Karytaina and Stemnitsa is indeed beautiful and the roads are good but slow going due to the mountainous terrain.

As someone mentioned more time is needed to get a good feel of where you want to stay.

I also recommend to do as much research as possible to ensure where you want to go will give you the opportunity to see as much as possible within the time frame you have without a lot of long distance driving.