Day trips to Nafplio
This picturesque town was briefly the capital of Greece after its liberation from the Turks. In the central square is the Archaeological Museum which is well worth a visit. There are also still two mosques from the Turkish era. They are in use as exhibition space.
The highlight is the Palamidi, the largest fortress complex in Greece. You can reach the Palamidi in two ways: on foot and by car. If you want to climb the nearly 1,000 steps, it is best to do it in the morning. It’s not so hot then. The old town has nice stores, restaurants and a number of museums. Also take time to visit the Akronafplio with its clock tower.
In the bay on which Nafplio lies you can see the Bourtzi. This is a fortress located at the entrance to the port and used to defend the entrance to the port.
If you look at the Bourtzi from the quay, you will see the castle of Argos in the background.
Nafplio has a market every Wednesday and Saturday morning. Stores are also open on Tuesday-Thursday and Friday evenings.
Day trips to Argos
If you drive from Nafplio toward Argos, first halfway on the right you will see the ancient Cyclopes wall of the castle of Tiryns. You can visit these.
Argos is a pleasant shopping town. There is a large market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The antique theater has recently been hosting performances in the summer and is otherwise free to visit. Just outside Argos is the fortress of Larissa. The way up is beautiful as is the view once you reach the top.
MYCENE
From Argos heading north, it is another 12 kilometers to the famous Mycenae, after which an entire era (1700-1100 BC) was named. This walled palace complex, excavated in 1874 by Heinrich Schlieman, belonged to the legendary King Agamemnon, commander of the army in the war against Troy. The lion gate forms the entrance to the complex.
Day trips to Monemvasia
We can imagine that you want to visit Monemvasia, the rock very reminiscent of Gibraltar. It’s a long trek to get there, but you certainly won’t regret it. In high season, you cannot park your car in the parking lot in front of the entrance gate, but in a special parking lot and will have to walk the last ten minutes. You will see this mysterious rock getting closer and closer. In this birthplace of the poet Yannis Ritsos (in front of his birth house is his bust, immediately after the entrance gate turn left), all transportation takes place with horses and donkeys. Monemvasia consists of a lower town and an upper town and you can certainly spend a day here.
The lower town consists of narrow streets with many tourist shops. Sports enthusiasts will probably want to make the climb to the upper town to visit the Agia Sofia and enjoy the view of the lower town, the coastline and the Myrtoan sea.
Kalavryta
Kalavryta is a very special village. On December 13, 1943, the entire male population aged 13 and older was executed here by the Germans. The church clock still stands still at the time of this horrific event. A museum is dedicated to this event in the school where the entire population was herded together and where the men and boys were separated from the women. It is a beautiful and understated museum that clearly depicts the events of this episode in history.
You can walk to the execution site just outside the village, where a monument has been erected with the names of all those who perished and where you will see the words “peace” and “never again war” written in the grass. In a little chapel, candles burn for all the dead.
Kalavryta can be reached in several ways. You can get there by car, of course. You drive to Corinth and take the highway towards Patras. After about an hour’s drive, take the turnoff to Kalavryta. When you choose this mode of travel, you can also travel 8 km.
Before Kalavryta, visit the monastery Mega Spileo. This monastery played an important role during the Greek freedom struggle against the Turks in the 1920s. The monastery is carved into a huge rock. After your visit to Kalavryta, you can walk 13 km. drive on to the “caves of the 13 lakes. These subterranean lakes were only discovered in 1964 and a visit is very impressive. Once you have visited the caves, you can drive back over the mountains via Nemea to Epidavros.
KORINTHE
On your way to Epidavros, you have already crossed the Corinthian Canal and perhaps even got out to walk back and forth across the pedestrian bridges.
The modern town of Corinth is 4 kilometers beyond the canal. When driving there from Epidavros, turn left onto the highway and after 4 kilometers take the Korinthos exit. It is a nice town for shopping and has a pleasant promenade with many places to eat.
For Antique Corinth from the Channel, take the highway towards Patras and then the second exit towards Antique Corinth. After this, follow the signs. You can choose to visit Akrokorinth on the mountain first.
Spetses
Spetses is an island belonging to the group of Argosaronic islands. Located on the border of the Gulf of Nafplio, which used to belong to Argos, and the Saronic Gulf it has 4000 inhabitants In summer a lot more due to the many tourists, especially Athenians, who spend their vacations here. Spetses is a green island with good infrastructure and some quiet beaches. One can get to Spetses in two ways. There is a boat connection to Piraeus via Hydra and there is a ferry from Kostas, the coastal town on the coast of the Peloponnese.
One cannot get there by car; using a car on Spetses requires a permit. However, mopeds and scooters are available. In ancient times, Spetses was called Pityousa (pine-covered) and people lived there as early as 2500 B.C., as evidenced by archaeological findings. Spetses became an important island during the 17th century, when a naval force began to develop. The island played an important role during the freedom struggle against the Turks in 1821.
Hydra
You can reach this unique island in several ways: via Poros, Ermioni and Spetses. It is forbidden to motorized traffic; everything is still done by horses and donkeys. Many artists live on the island and it is home to an art school department and a merchant marine school. Hydra played an important role in the freedom struggle against the Turks and once had an important trading function. Around the town you will see a rather barren landscape. If you like hiking, you can visit the monastery located at an altitude of 500 meters and possibly climb even further to the highest point on the island.
Methana
Methana is a peninsula between Epidavros and Poros. Before reaching the crater, one passes through a lava landscape with several views of the sea towards Angistri, Aegina and Poros. Arriving at the crater, one also has a fantastic view and on a clear day one can see Epidavros across the water. The crater itself has a diameter of 100 meters and is 25 meters deep. The lava flow, which is 1.25 km. was long, moved the shoreline 500 meters.
Poros and the Devil’s Bridge
On the way from Epidavros towards Poros, you can visit several more interesting places. There are two ways to get to Poros. You can take the road through the interior of Argolida. It passes through the villages of Koliaki and Traxia, known for their cheese production. Or you can take the coastal road that has been there for several years, which shortens the distance to Poros by half an hour. If you have been driving along the coast for some time, you will pass the turnoff to Methana. See further on this under the heading “Methana. You will continue along the coastal road towards Poros.
A few kilometers further on, you can still take the exit to Trizina. In the center, you will see a sign directing you to the so-called “Devil’s Bridge,” a natural rock bridge over a narrow gorge. You can walk down along the gorge on a here and there slippery path. Water flows summer and winter, but you can still walk a long way on the rocky bottom in spring. It is a beautiful piece of nature.
Arriving in Galatas where you can take a cab boat across to Poros in a few minutes. You will then enter the village of the same name, which is built against a hill and has many stepped streets. At the highest point is a bell tower. It is a very picturesque village.
If you want to explore the island with your car, take the ferry. It goes every half hour and takes you across in 10 minutes. On the island there is a monastery on a hill, from which you have a beautiful view. In the middle of the island are the remains of a temple dedicated to Poseidon.
Olympia
If you decide to visit Olympia from Epidavros, you would do well to leave early. You will then have enough time on site for both the excavation and the museum. You can then occasionally get out in a nice village such as Dimitsana. That makes the trip itself fun. You will drive through beautiful scenery.
Olympia especially captures the imagination of young people, as this is the birthplace of the Olympic Games.