Continued from Part 4 - Kythera and Monemvasia because I'm too verbose...
Nafplio - 5 nights
The next morning we made our way to Nafplio taking the coastal route through Kyparissi, Tyros, and Leonidio. We stopped in Plaka for a light lunch and swimming. The public beach is beautiful and has free WCs and changing rooms which was great since we had another couple of hours of driving from here.
We rented an Airbnb here that was just perfect. Our host, Athanasia was simply wonderful. As I said previously we arrived via taxi because the car broke down - Athanasia's father was waiting for us at the top of the street to direct our driver in and greet us. They showed us around the flat and made sure we knew how to work everything, and gifted us with bottles of water and wine. There was a huge wrap around balcony with the best view of Palamidi fortress and the bay, especially at sunset. The flat is adjacent to Evangelistrias church and the bells are beautiful plus we could hear the choir singing, beautiful in the early evening. There was 1 morning the bells went off at 7a but otherwise it wasn't until 9 so it worked for us. I liked this area because we were out of the old town so less touristy and easier parking. I would absolutely stay here again.
Highlights in Nafplio:
A cooking class at Savor Nafplio. We've taken cooking classes all over the world and this was the best. Food was delicious, wine pairing was perfect, and our hosts Chef Costas and Agathi were the absolute best. Highly recommend if you like to cook and are in the area.
Mycenae was amazing! Go early, we got there at 9:30 and it was perfect. When we left at 11:30 it was jam-packed with tour buses. Don't miss the Treasury of Atreus.
We went to the ancient theater of Epidavros after Mycenae, easy to do both in a day. I didn't find the museum or ruins very interesting but the theater is a must see.
My favorite part of that day is after Epidavros we went to the ancient city of Epidavros and I snorkeled the underwater ruins there. Just up from the Athina Taverna is a public beach. The ruins are about 150 feet offshore, very easy to find and sea. The beach is rocky and there are sea urchins in the rocks in the sea floor so water shoes are a must here. I encountered 2 big sea turtles in the ruins here. It was truly an epically unforgettable day!
We also did a wine tour of Nemea with Greece by the Glass (https://www.greecebytheglass.com/) from Nafplio and it was the best wine tour I've had. Our guide Betty is an oneologist and also a winemaker herself. She is so knowledgeable, kind, and approachable. We had a great time and I would highly recommend. They also do tours of Mantineia and Attica.
And from Nafplio we drove straight to the airport to catch our flight home. It was an easy 2 hours and Swift met us there to pick up the car. We had a fabulous trip and I'm already plotting my return to Greece.
And that's it! I hope this helps you in your planning. Cheers!
Links to all reports for this trip:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-greece-part-1-athens
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-greece-part-2-kardamyli
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-greece-part-5-nafplio