The Peloponnese & Mani Peninsula

Peter, The suggested route is almost exactly the same as the RS Athens & Heart of Greece tour (which is wonderful!). A few thoughts on Monemvasia..... While it may only take a few hours "to do" Monemvasia, that's not the whole story. The time it takes to tour Monemvasia varies to some extent. Some people are content to just cross the causeway from Geyfra (where the hotels are located) and have brief look in some of the shops in the lower regions of "the rock", stop for a Mythos beer and some lunch and then head out. Other travellers prefer to hike to the higher regions of the fortress, tour the ancient Church of Agia Sophia and other sites and enjoy the views. If you arrive later in the afternoon, you may not have time for much of a look at Monemvasia. Spend the latter part of the arrival afternoon looking around Geyfra, tour Monemvasia the next day and depart the following day. That could be why two nights was suggested in Monemvasia. BTW, there's also an ancient Agia Sophia Church in Kardamyli. You can either drive up or hike up the goat trail (if you hike, be sure to go early and bring lots of water and reward yourself with a tall, cold Heineken after you get back to town). Happy travels!

I've stayed in Monemvasia twice, both times for a few days and it's certainly possible to fill your time there quite happily. For example, in September, swimming off the back of the rock is great. On the other hand if you are doing this route you could stop at Mystra or at Ancient Corinth or both. Both of these are well worth a visit and, reluctantly, I would probably prioritise these over an extra night in Monemvasia. Alan

I concur with Alan, Mystras is well worth a visit and is not included in the RS guide. It is just outside of Sparta, which doesn't offer much for the tourist but could be an overnight. Or it is a couple hour drive from Nafplio and could be done as a day trip with an extra night in Nafplio.

September 2012 we spent 13 days driving the Peloponnese from Piraeus back to Athens, the reverse of RS route as we were coming from Hydra. We stayed in Loutraki 2 nights to visit Corinth, Acrocorinth, and the Corinth canal; we visited Nemea and Mycenae and stayed in Nafplio for 3 nights to visit Epidavros and the Palamidi Fortress. From there we stopped at Mystras on our way to Monemvasia where we stayed in Gefyra for 3 nights, then on to Kardamyli for 2 nights, then Ancient Olympia for 1 night. From there we drove to Delfi for 2 nights and on to Athens where we left our car and spent 3 nights. We did not drive the entire Mani peninsula loop. Our trip gave us time to visit the sights and to rest and enjoy where we were. We decided to cut out the Mani loop as it would have been too much additional driving. Our route took us to so many memorable sights and gave us so many great experiences along with the time to enjoy the beaches and scenery. We didn't 'do' Monemvasia but spent the better part of a day on the rock, walking through the town and hiking up to Agia Sophia. The amount of time you spend at any of these sites would depend on your interest and energy leve. Regardless, you're sure to enjoy your trip.

Thanks All. You've given us a lot to think about.