We are going to spend 9 days in Peloponnese driving around. What two locations should we base in? I was thinking Napfilio as one but wasn’t sure of the other. Any suggestions? After the 9 days we are going back to fiend 3 days in Athens before flying home. We are going first part of October.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7377 posts
Nafplio is an excellent first location. We started there back in 2018 (ultimately finishing in Athens, like you’re planning), but after 3 nights in Nafplio, many of our next stops were 1-night stays, as we were covering a lot of ground.
One place we stayed longer was waaaay southwest, on the Mani Peninsula (of the Peloponnese Peninsula), in Aeropoli. It’s a small town, remote compared to much of the rest of the Peloponnese, and served as a base for drives even further south, to even more remote parts. There are nearby caves for visiting, too. It would take some driving to get there from Napflio, but is doable, even with some stops along the way.
If you wanted a place farther north, either Kalamata (bigger city), or Olympia (site of original Olympic games, centuries ago) are worth considering. Each was one of those 1-night stays I mentioned earlier, very enjoyable.
If you wanted to stick to the eastern side of the Peloponnese, Monemvasia is a wondrous place. It’s a walled-in village on an island just off the mainland, connected by a causeway. You park, and then walk along the causeway road and thru the ancient gate. If there are lots of cars, you may have to park farther away for a spot. It was a magical 1-night stay, but more nights would’ve been worthwhile, if we’d had more time.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Any suggestions on an itinerary?
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7377 posts
Staying in Nafplio, there’s the city itself. and nearby Nemea, Mycenae, and Epidaurus for starters. Three days total. We then worked our way around the Peloponnese, clockwise, but again, didn’t have just two base stays. Monemvasia, Sparta, Mystras, Aeropoli, Kalamata, Olympia. Crossing the bridge back onto mainland Greece, we had a night in Delphi (noisy), moved to Galaxidi for the next night in the area, then circled around to Athens for the remainder of the trip.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Sounds lovely. Thanks for the info. Working on our agenda now.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
I think we will prob have many stays on the way 😀
Posted by
NH (USA)
1157 posts
With just 9 days I would do 2 locations. You might be able to do 3 but bear in mind driving in the Peloponnese will take you longer than you think, not because the roads are bad but due to the terrain: mountains, curving coastline, etc.
I spent 13 days in the Peloponnese split between 3 locations and just scratched the surface of what the Peloponnese is all about.
Nafplio (3 days)
Gythio (5 days)
Petilidi (5 days)
If interested you can read my trip report with photos which may help you decide where to stay and what to do:
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thanks for the information
Posted by
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
1376 posts
On our visit to the Peloponnese we drove to Monemvassia. As described it is a walled village with the hotels being in restored period rooms though out the village. Even our Greek friends love the Monemvassia experience.
You can visit Mystras. It was the last city in Byzantium. It has Monasteries scattered up the mountainside all the way to the fortress at the top. It is at Sparti.
We also visited the village of Kardameli for a couple of nights and took the opportunity to visit perhaps the best ancient site in Greece Messinni.
Delphi is another great location.
We finished our trip in Nafplio which may be the prettiest city in Greece. Lots of antiquities in the area. You do not have to go all the way to Olympia. Ancient Nemia is close to Nafplio. It too had sacred Games and was a sister city to Olympia. The stadium is still there.
On the way back to Athens consider stopping at Corinth. Find Ancient Corinth and nearby is probably the most impressive Fortress at Acrocorinth. You will have 360 degree views over the countryside.
Some images
Nafplio https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632094108982
Corinth Area. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157711755443483
Peloponnese, Mani and Monemvassia. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157711323535897
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thank you for your insights.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1613 posts
Definitely visit Mystras! My favorite of all the sites we visited. Byzantine ruins! So beautiful! Ancient paintings and mosaics. We also visited Mycenae and Epidaurus, another favorite.
You will love nafplio! So beautiful and filled with bougainvillea. We saw our best sunset in nafplio!