Fine tune my Peloponnese itinerary

I like the first half of the trip and with 4 days in each location will give you enough time to explore nearby areas. I did however do 5 days in Gythio as it was a great base to explore the Mani, Mystras and Monemvasia and other locales.

In fact I've started one trip to the Peloponnese with the exact locations you mentioned then moved on to a small village of Petilidi to explore Messene, Koroni, Methoni, Pilos and a day trip up to the mountains.

I never made it to Olympia and beyond as you plan.

Yes, it does involve lots of driving but if you want to explore then you gotta drive.

You can read one of my trips reports on another forum with photos of 13 days in the Peloponnese:

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

I am in process of organizing a trip for next May so have not actually done the trip yet.

There is a choice between driving and moving and we are trying to find that sweet spot. We are planning on moving more than Tommy did but we haven’t actually done this trip.

With that in mind, I would not stay in Kalamata. We are going in the opposite direction as you but plan to visit Messene on our way from Pilos area to Kardamyli. I would think about moving your night in Kalamata to Kardamyli and consider moving one of your nights in Gytheio there as well. I think you would do less driving that way.

On a previous trip, we spent one night seeing Delphi and found that adequate so consider what you will do with more time. We took a tour about 5 pm of the site and then visited the museum the next morning. We left before noon. We thought the town of Delphi was perfectly fine for our purposes.

Hi Beth,
Thanks for your input. If I may ask…
How much time are you taking for this?
Where will you stay in transit towards Pilos?
Why did you choose Pilos?
Why did you choose Kardymili?

The morning of Messene we’ll be doing a 2 hour drive, we don’t get up early, and we usually take a long time visiting these sites so I thought Pilos might be too far, incase it goes late. I never really wanted to stay in Kalamata, but at least within a half hour of the site.

Did you mean take a Gytheio day to add to Pilos? Making it five nights there? I guess it would be nice if the weather is good. I am so tempted to just wait and book everything on the fly.

Regarding the 2 nights in Delphi: I thought that since the drive to Delphi takes the better part of the day, we would arrive, spend the night, visit the site and the museum and stay another night. But now I think we’ll stay in Galaxidi en route. I’m not doing too well reducing my moves…

Honestly, this is the most difficulty I’ve ever had planning a trip! At least the airline ticket and the rental car are bought.
I’ve added two nights to this segment of the trip.

Thanks tommyk5.

I had actually read your trip report on TA and it had helped to inform me. So many choices and I would really rather wait until I get there! I guess I’m resigned to all of that driving or I will have to cut a place or two.

Booking on the fly can be "iffy" as you don't want to waste valuable time trying to find an accommodation that meets your needs and budget.

If you go to Gythio I can highly recommend Studio Gelly's just a short walk from the waterfront. Nice basic studios with balconies overlooking the sea and coast line. Even though they have a website (https://studiosgelly-gr.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp) you'll have to contact them via their facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/StudiosGelly/)

I've been researching my trip to the Peloponnese next April and yes it is "challenging" but also enjoyable, fun and educational doing the research.

I've been using my Cadogan Guide, Bradt Guide and various websites for research. Also a map of the Peloponnese.

Also using Google Maps to determine have far and how long a drive it will take to get from Point A to Point B.

I've several areas to concentrate on and each would work but I'm also considering budget which always is a big factor on accommodations and car rental.

For me a car is vital for the Peloponnese and am resigned that it will increase the budget but if I'm going to Greece I want to see as much as possible even if the budget gets "bumped" up a bit.

I go to markets for food for most breakfast and lunches and go out to eat at night and maybe an occasional lunch somewhere.

While I'm not cheap I am economical and don't need a over-the-top room when I'll be spending more time outside of it. Still you can get some very good accommodations at much lower prices than I would pay here in the US.

You still have a lot of time to figure out where you are going so take the time for research.

Plus there are some very good posters here who can help with questions and advice and that can be the best help in deciding where you are going.

We also are staying 15 nights but have been already to Nafplio and Delphi. We went to Nemea when we visited Nafplio and decided against going to Olympia. We are moving around a lot more than most people do. We did this in Crete and preferred it to driving more.

To get to Pilos, we are coming from Athens airport where we will have spent the night near by following our international flight.

Pylos (Pilos) 3 nights
Koroni 1 night (we will go to Messene on way to Kardamyli
Kardamyli 3 nights
Aeropolis 2 nights
Dimitsana (in Arcadia mountains) 3 nights

We have 3 nights that we haven't figured out yet. We want to see Mystras and Monemvasia and perhaps Kalavryta. We might stay in Gytheio.

I had meant that you would stay the night before going to ancient Messene in Kardamyli rather than Gytheio. This would get you closer to Messene and my thinking was you could then make it to Pilos after Messene rather than going to Kalamata. Goggle says the drive from Messene to Pilos is an hour. I had thought that you might stay 2 nights in Kardamyli and 3 nights in Gytheio which would perhaps reduce the driving by allowing you to see parts of the mani peninsula without returning to Gytheio.

I first learned of Kardamyli from the Rick Steves show on the Peloponnese. I liked what I learned about the town and that there is an old town and hiking there.

We are staying in Pilos because it looks interesting but also because it is close to things we want to see. Nestor's Palace is near there and Voidokila Bay. We actually are staying 3 nights there and 1 night in Koroni. Tommy convinced me that Koroni had a more Greek look which I really liked but I thought the location would mean more driving than I wanted to do. So that was our compromise.

Your reasoning of two nights in Galaxidi makes sense. Delphi is perfectly nice but you should have some extra time if you spend two nights and being on the water would be very nice You don't need a full day to see Delphi.

tommyk5,

I will look into Studio Gelly.We don’t go for high end accommodation either. We usually rent through Bookings or Airbnb (now a politacal hot potato) so that we can cook. We love local markets and my husband is a great cook, although we still do go out a fair amount and will have to more often if we are constantly on the move since appartments usually have minimum time limits.

So far I’ve researched various travel sites on the internet and I have the 2025 Lonely Planet Greece I figured it would be a start but has so far proven to be just passable. They seem very fond of Arcadia, but as we have so much hiking and mountains here where I live, I thought that we might skip that area. Dunno.
Google Maps is my friend and an obsession if I’m not careful! So helpful though. I’ve planned two six week trips to Italy in the last few years and it is a giant rabbit hole! I’ve started looking into the Bradt Guides as they are often reccommended.

I agree about the car and I throw money at full insurance coverage, zero deductable. I’m always wary.

I have been reading so many comments on several travel forums, but just had to start to reach out to get my bearings. It also starts to make it feel more real. I appreciate the help.

Beth, thanks for sharing some of your itinerary it helped me to focus.

I do like the suggestion of staying in Kardamyli because I had considered staying somewhere along that coastline after the Mani. I thought maybe Limeni but that is still a distance to Messene. I chose Pilos because it’s so well spoken of, but haven’t done the research required. Looks like it’s got promise. I was also intrigued by Koroni.

I agree with you, I like to keep moving in one direction and not backtrack. We only have carry on luggage and have road traveled so much for work, in and out of hotels, that we have a rhythm for it, although I would rather slow down a bit, I appreciate that you understand what I was getting at. It’s good advice for Crete too, as we will be going there for three weeks and I thought, oh no, here we go again with the driving and too many choices!

Thanks again for the input. Happy travels

Perhaps you will find my report on Crete helpful. I would love to have had as much time as you have there! Crete is one of those places I would love to return to.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/report-on-trip-to-crete-delphi-and-meteora

And I would recommend getting the Rick Steve’s book on Athens and the Peloponnese. I also have the Rough Guide which is more comprehensive but the Rick Steve’s guide has more on fewer places.

I liked Koroni more than Pylos as it seems more Greek. Nice waterfront and the village is lovely as it cascades down the hillside.

Colorful homes, narrow lanes and a nice Greek Vibe.

More south than Pylos so it would be a longer drive so a toss up where to stay.

Look into Petalidi as it's closer to Messene than either Pylos or Koroni., far less touristy, waterfront is long and pretty, nice town square with shops, markets and tavernas.

I stayed at Erato Studios and they were very nice, low prices and wonderful hosts and just a 5 minute walk to town center.

Some of my photos of the town were included in my trip report you read.

There's also a great farmer's market every week.