Tripoli as Peloponnese home base?

Why would you bypass one of the two most beautiful locations in Greece, Napflion and not stay there? The Peloponnesean area is very mountainous, slow going.

Wherever you stay in the Peloponnese you won't avoid mountain road driving. It is therefore pointless to look for a place from which you would not have to drive on winding roads.

A relief map is more meaningful than Google Maps:

http://www.maphill.com/greece/peloponissos/maps/physical-map/

Don't trust travel times estimated by Google Maps either. Add 15% plus probable stops to take a break, have a drink or enjoy the scenery. What you estimate at 2 hours drive will turn into at least 5 hours round trip. This means that you will spend around 50% of your vacation days behind a car windshield.

I stayed two days in Tripoli last year, although we made Greek friends in an impromptu drunken evening, in my opinion it is not the best place for a base, the city does not have much tourist interest compared to many other places.

Given the locations you mention you should choose 2 bases rather than one. This would simplify your planning and reduce travel times.

I know it seems weird, everyone says to stay in Nafplio, but I don't think it will work for us for a couple of reasons. This is our son's high school graduation trip and he's interested in seeing the historical / archaeological sites and sites mentioned in mythology, not really interested in a pretty seaside town. Plus, from Nafplio you're looking at a 3 hour (maybe more?) drive each way to visit Olympia and 2 1/2 hours to visit Pylos. So that's why I'm thinking of Tripoli. Would Megalopolis be better? Thanks!

It is not weird, it is just the result of both of you needing more background. Your son hears names, but probably hasn't yet studied the amazing Mycenaean Era of Ancient Greece (the era of Iliad/Odyssey, the great wars & fortresses). Please please do some reading -- even this website will get you started. http://www.visitnafplio.com/ Nafplio is the Center of the MOST history ancient-sites anywhere in Greece...
• Mycenae was whre the kings rules and set out for the Trojan Wars • the Ruins of Tiryns just outside Nafplio are another fortress that sent warriors to Troy • so did the warriors of Asine, a ruin 15 minutes outside Nafplio. •  Ancient Epidaurus theatre (seating 15,000) was where all the famous Greek plays held people spellbound 2500 years ago. • Ancient Nemea was the "runner-up" ANcient Games Site to Olympia -- and now a Revived Nemean Games every 4 years attracts thousands to compete, wearing white athletic garb.

• If your son is truly into ancient artifacts -- Nafplio has THE archeological Museum right on its main square -- and it houses the ONLY authentic Iliad-era warrior armor in the entire world. This is the real thing, not a Percy Jackson fairytale. And Nafplio is centraal to all this, makeing it possible to see many in a day.

Olympia is certainly famous -- but hard to reach -- whiie Nemea is right off the main central highway, and gives you a terrific feelilng of the competition, with its temple ruins, and splendid stadium. What does Olympia have that Nemea does not?L More extensive ruins of course, but unless you have a guided tour, they 'll just look like hugr rocks. It has a great museum of sculptures from the Zeus Temple (wich was leveld by earthquakes 1500 years ago)... I found the art of interest, but I've done extensive college-level study in the field... I would seriously ask him to research and decide where it's worth a drive that would take much of a day and require an overnight, & then many hours' drive back. I'm a great ancient-history buff, but did not get to Olympia until my 5th trip to Greece. But I encountered the ruins and hsitory around Nafplio on my first trip, and it was magical.

There is no ancient history at all in the town of Pylos .... one would have to go about 20 miles to the ruins of Nestor's Palace... again, exciting for archeologists, but not as accessible to somene who's mainly familiar with mythology.

The places that you want to see aren’t easy to visit with just 4 days. I’d suggest prioritizing the most important site(s) that your son wants to visit and plan an itinerary around that.

Corinth, Nemea, and other interesting sites like Tiryns and/or Mycenae are in reasonable proximity to visit. Maybe it would be reasonable to add Olympia - map it out to see what you think. I know a lot of people recommend Nafplio but I’m not a fan.

Olympia is a great site but north and Nestor’s Palace (which is fascinating) is far south. If you decide on Nestor’s Palace, Pylos is a nice town for a base - we loved our stay at Karalis Beach Hotel.

You want to enjoy a holiday and not spend a majority of the time in the car. If you can’t see them all in one trip, plan to return!

Thank you for all the great feedback. We'll sit back down with our list of sites and reassess.

I have to agree with the responses here if you use Tripoli as a base you'll spend most of the short amount time you have available driving.

It's slow going in the Peloponnese not because the roads are bad but due to the terrain: mountains, secondary roads, driving through villages, stopping for photo ops along the way, etc.

I use Google maps for directions and for the most part is good but as one says add more time than Google says it will take.

I also agree that Nafplio is your best option for a base as it's perfect to explore World Class Archeological sites near by and so much more. In addition the https://visitnafplio.com site is THE best and you'll see why it would be your best option.

In addition there is less mountain driving in the Argolis, shorter distances to sites and just a beautiful area of the Peloponnese.

If you had more days then it would be better to split your time between locations but with just 4 days don't waste it by spending more time driving.

You have received great advice from people who have experienced the Peloponnese. You will get more out of your time there if you replan your trip and slow down Less is more in Greece.
I did notice you do not plan to do Delphi which is one of the best archaeological sites there is. It can be done in a day trip from Nafplio. You might want to take some time in Corinth on you way to or from Nafplio. It has some interesting sites including Acrocorinth a massive fortress with 360 degree views of the countryside.
Here is why you are getting advice to make Nafplio your main base.
Nafplio https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632094108982

Corinth Area. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157711755443483

Nafplio gives you an awful lot of bang for your buck (in addition to being so lovely in itself): Corinth/Nemea/Mycenae/Epidaurus/Tyrins.
I would not spend five hours in the car for anything . Regarding Olympia and Nestor palace--can you extend the trip? If those are your priority, you can visit Nemea and Corinth en route and pick a western base.
Check out the Bradt Guide, maybe it will provide some ideas.

Regarding Nestar's Palace.

I went there thinking it would be quite interesting but instead it was just a smallish area that had been swept clean down to the original floor, some low walls which showed where rooms were and not much else.

There was an nice bathtub but the most impressive part was the huge canopy over the site to protect it.

Other than that I was underwhelmed.

There is a small nice Tholos Tomb just outside the site but overall I was disappointed.

Thank you everyone for offering your 2 cents. I wish I could up vote all of your comments. : )
We've decided to stay in or around Nafplio and focus on the sites we can reach near there. Marsle, I'm curious as to why you say Nafplio is not your favorite. I have to admit I'm a little concerned that it's popularity might result in it being a bit too crowded and noisy for us as a homebase. Is there another town nearby you'd also recommend?
Thanks again!

Napflion is where Athenians head on the weekends in their yachts. It is a beautiful small city. I can’t imagine that you wouldn’t have a wonderful experience staying there like we did.
It is considered one of the two most beautiful towns in Greece; the other one is Chania, Crete.

When you are going can make a difference on how crowded it will be.

If you can go during the week it may be less crowded than on weekends.

While there are smaller towns in the Argolis that may not see the amount of people it's really the best town to base yourself for your needs.

Hi Mom Traveler,

We've been to Nafplio several times over the years. A few years ago, I would have said that it's a great place to stay but the last time we were there (2022) it seemed more resort-y and less quaint. There was a huge yacht show while we were there...the city was crowded with people and very expensive yachts. Our hotel was more expensive than it should have been for what it offered so it all made for a disappointing visit.

For your trip, I'd rely on your son's priorities and Google Maps. Map out the destinations along the way, decide what's reasonable for distance, time, and sites to visit in a day. Then look for accommodations (use Google maps to help with this). I think that you could easily visit Corinth, Nemea, the archeological site of Mycenae, and Tiryns (maybe) in one day.

Nafplio is certainly convenient to these places so maybe it’s reasonable to stay there - plenty of restaurants and hotels to choose from. Or, depending on your next priority (Olympia or Pylos?) you could head in that direction and stop somewhere along the way.

I’d rely on your son’s input as this is his trip - he probably would be great at navigating Google Maps to help plan the journey!