Peloponnese Itinerary in early April-Thoughts?

Sparta is very near Mystras; we stayed there when visiting that historic town. You are missing one of our favorite historic sites, Olympia. We drove from Sparta to Kalamata and up the west coast of the Peloponneasean Pen. Then we drove to Delphi, stayed overnight, and on to Athens.

I loved Mystras but thought Sparta seemed like an ordinary modern town, and not a particularly attractive one. I didn't have a car, though, so perhaps I'd have had a different reaction if I'd been more mobile. But it simply wasn't a place I'd choose to spend extra time.

I've just Googled "photos Sparta" to see what I missed. Apparently nothing. There may be lots of highly desirable day-trips, though.

Just a couple thoughts....

That time period is a bit early for many of the Islands, until maybe later in your trip. You could do maybe Naxos, Santorini, or Crete, as those islands go year round. You might also look at islands in the Saronic Gulf (Hydra, Aegina, Spetses) due to proximity.

Also be aware of the Orthodox Easter on April 8th. Good time to see the culture, but impacts travel and business hours.

Have you looked at the RS tour itinerary? It's a good start for a plan. You'll have the most flexibility if you rent a car in Athens. Start in Delphi, then across the bridge at Patras, loop the Peloponnese and drive back to Athens from Nafplio, via Corinth. Take advantage of the car in Athens and drive to the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounio - best as sunset.

The Peloponnese peninsula is mountainous, with narrow winding roads and lots of hairpin turns. This is one place where I'd consider changing hotels more frequently rather than adding driving time.

I took the RS tour this year in late April. Gorgeous. We had 2 nights in lovely Kardamyli (Mani peninsula). We stopped in Sparta for lunch - skip it, nothing to see here. We spent many nights in seaside towns and 2 nights on the island of Hydra - being on the coast is the same, whether it's an island or a peninsula. Hydra is different because there are only 2 land vehicles, one for emergencies and one for garbage collection. I say this because you mentioned going to one of the islands for a few days. Just spend your days along the coast of the Peloponnese, though parking the car for a couple of nights and taking the ferry to Hydra is a good idea.

Don't shortchange Athens. There's a lot to see and explore.

Sequence is important in Greece. My thoughts are that a circle route gives you the most highlights and is the most efficient way to go.

Here are my thoughts based in several trips to the Peloponnese. First if you have traveled transatlantic two nights in Athens is not sufficient time to get over jet lag. You don't want to be driving before you are fully recovered. Athens needs a minimum of three days 4 or 5 is better,

So you want to do Meteora first that's OK but it is a 5 hour drive and jet lag can still be a factor.

However Mereora is well worth the effort. You need at least two nights there to do it effectively primarily because all of the Monasteries are never open at the same time.

Depart Meteora and visit Delphi. Its one of the best archeological sites around and the sequence works well. You will need a night in Delphi. Arrive in the early afternoon get a hotel and visit the museum to get an idea what was there. Note, everything is going to be on winter hours so you should expect virtually everything to be closed by 3 in the afternoon.

Next day cross the Gulf at Patras. You have a choice here go South to Nafplio or go west to Olympia. The shortoption is Nafplio with Olympia another good 4 hour drive. I know Olympia and Delphi were not in your original plan but they are major sites and worth the trip particularly with the time you have.

Olympia Delphi Meteora https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157645469717811/

Head south from Olympia and take the time to hunt for some Venetian battle castles. This area at Pylos, Koronos, and Methoni is full of old Castles.
Peloponnese Battle Castles https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157645468134284/

Then head east to the Mani. You might want to spend some time in Karmadili. Its a lovely seaside village and is a great base for the Mani. Personally I think you are budgeting way too much time in Gerolimenas. Maybe one night there as you do the circle route back to Karmadili.

Now continue east to Monemvassia. It is something special. Imagine spending a night or two inside the walls of a 14th century village/fortress.

Now head north to Mystras. Its just over an hour to get there and because of short operating hours you want to get there promptly because it takes a good 4 hours to do this site. That will give you enough time to drive through Tripoli to Nafplio before dark.

Nafplio deserves at least three or 4 nights because there is so much around it, Mycenae, Tiyrns, Epidavros and Nafplio old town itself.

Now head back to Corinth. There you can visit the canal but even better is Ancient Nemia (a sister site to Olympia) and still has its stadium a partially restored temple and a very good museum. Oh yes ancient Corinth the Roman town is also a very good site to visit here, From Corinth its only an hour and a half back to Athens. We always drop off our car at the airport so we don't have to drive in Athens proper.
Nafplio and Peloponnese http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094108982/

This route means you have no backtracking just a continuous flow.

Having said all that I wouldn't do the trip starting in Meteora. After getting over jet lag in Athens for a few days I would drive to Corinth for the ancient sites there. They can be done in about 3 hours total then south to Nafplio. Its a delightful seaside town and is perfect for more relaxation and the great sites nearby which can be done at your leisure as energy levels increase. I would spend 4 or 5 nights here. Now do the route the opposite way to Mystras. Don't bother stopping in Sparti just get to Monemvassia after Mystras. Now west toward Karmadili, the Mani and continue to Pylos for the castles and on to Olympia. Now head north and east to Delphi and Meteora. You will be dong the long drives at the end of the trip rather than the beginning.

Hope that makes sense.

Stanbr,

Your comments seem predicated on dealing with jet lag. We will have been in Europe for over a month at this point, so that won't be an issue. Does that change your route recommendations at all?

Thanks all for your thoughts! Really helpful. I'll definitely look at Olympia and Delphi and consider changing our route.

Indeed I did make an assumption. Assumptions seldom work very well. Since Jet lag will not be an issue for you . I did provide a plan based on what info you provided which included Athens first then off to Meteora. I outlined what I considered to be the optimum way to do that trip. Since jet lag is not a problem then the plan I outlined works fine. My preferred route was based on our experience after a 26 hour trip from the west coast to Athens. With jet lag not an issue then the tweaks I suggested still work well.

Hello!

A road trip in the Peloponnese is one of my favourite journeys in Greece. It has been years since I've done it, but after reading your itinerary I am considering to plan a new one myself! You got some excellent choices there. The magical Peloponnese has so many sight-seeing destinations...

Mani is one of my favourite destinations, the last time I went there I had a close-up encounter with a sea turtle! You might also want to check Gytheio and Dimitsana. Kythera island is close. Areopolis is a very cosy area, close to Limeni Beach (another astonishing place to swim). Explore the South of Mani, discover the stone city of Vathia and head to Cape Tenaro... Marmari Beach will remind you what it means to live like an outcast... Don't forget to visit the Diros Caves <3 You will find plenty settlements with traditional towers and stone houses on your way!

Obviously, it would be great if you manage to stay inside the protected castle city of Monemvasia (there are 2-3 amazing spots where you can try its famous wine labels). From Monemvasia you can go to Elafonissos, the watercolour on this small island is exotic!

From Nafplion, you can visit the Ancient Theatre of Epidavros, the Archaeological Site of Mycenae, and the Archaeological Site of Olympia.

I hope you have a great time. I really miss this place...

You are spending too much time in Napflio, IMO, unless everyday is a day trip. It is pretty, but there is not a lot in the old town...big, but not really interesting after the forts, which don't take long. It was my least favorite stop. Again, just my opinion. Don't short-change Athens. I loved Kardamyli with hiking trails and the small town.

Nafplio is one of Greece's most loveliest and beautiful Old Towns. Nice waterfront but the back lanes of the town are the main area to wander around. It's a good base to explore the Argolis Peninsula and world-class archeological sites like Epidavrous, Myceanea, Tyrns and many other areas. You can even do a day cruise to the islands of Hydra/Spetses to get a Greek Island Experience.

We stayed in Nafplio for 8 days and loved it, not only the Old Town but also the "New" Town with small, locally-owned shops with something for everyone, new, old, ancient and there's a wonderful Farmer's Market just on the edge of the Old Town with all kinds of local products, goods, etc. to check out.

We haven't done much else in the Peloponnese but do have it on our "to-go-to" list for future trips. The Peloponnese offers history, ancient and recent, lovely villages, mountains, archeological/historic sites, great food, lots of tradition if you avoid the more touristy areas and so much more.

Sparta appears to be not what you think . . . the "old" Sparta is long gone so it may not be that interesting.

I would devote at least 3 days in Athens, maybe more if you have the time. It's filled with some of the best of the ancient world's archeological sites, the Plaka, Monistiraki and Sygntagma Square, Central Markets, Anafiotika (a "village" on the north side of the Acropolis that will remind you of a village on a Greek Island, lots of small, local shops, great food and so much more.

You may want to consider Kardymili just south of Kalamata as a good choice to stay or even Stoupa a bit further south to explore the Maini.

Lots of options so check out Matt's Greek Guide for more info: http://www.greecetravel.com/peloponnesos/index.html