Places to Explore

• Ancient Corinth

  West of the isthmus, the countryside opens up into a low-lying coastal plain around the head of the gulf of Corinth. Modern Corinth, near the coast about 8 km (5 mi) north of the turnoff for the ancient... (more)

• Ancient Messene

• Ancient Nemea

• Areopolis

  In Areopolis, the typical Maniote tower houses began to appear in earnest as spooky sentinels in the harsh landscape. The town was renamed after the god of war Ares, because of its role in the War of Independence:... (more)

• Argos

  The city of Argos (population 21,000), set amid citrus groves on the western edge of the Argive plain, is the economic hub of the region, a workaday town with a long past. The fall of Mycenae and Tiryns... (more)

• Dimitsana

  E2 hiking path. The E2 hiking path, part of the European trail system, passes through Dimitsana. You can follow the path south along the gorge of the River Lousios or east into the surrounding mountains... (more)

• Epidauros

• Gerolimenas

  Located at the end of a long natural harbor, around which cluster a few tavernas and shops, Gerolimenas was an important port in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sleepy as Gerolimenas now is, it's... (more)

• Isthmus

  More of a pit stop than a town, the isthmus is where the Peloponnese begins. Were it not for this narrow neck of land less than 7 km (4½ mi) across, the waters of the gulf of Corinth and the Saronic... (more)

• Kardamyli

  The gateway to the Mani on the Messinian side is Kardamyli, found 31 km (19 mi) southeast of Kalamata. It is considered part of the outer Mani, an area less bleak and stark than the inner Mani that begins... (more)

• Monemvassia

  The Byzantine town of Monemvassia clings to the side of the 1,148-foot rock that was once a headland, but in AD 375 was separated from the mainland by an earthquake. The town was first settled in the 6th... (more)

• Mycenae

• Mystras

• Nafplion

  Oraia (beautiful) is the word Greeks use to describe Nafplion. The town's old section, on a peninsula jutting into the gulf of Argos, mixes Greek, Venetian, and Turkish architecture; narrow streets, often... (more)

• Olympia

• Patras

  Patras is the third-largest city in Greece and a major harbor. Unless you come to town to catch a ferry to Italy or Corfu, you might want to zoom right by. The municipality has launched an extensive improvement... (more)

• Pirgos Dirou Caves

• Sparta

  For those who have read about ancient Sparta, the bellicose city-state that once dominated the Greek world, the modern city on the broad Eurotas river might be a disappointment, since ruins are few and... (more)

• Stemnitsa

  Also called Ipsous, Stemnitsa is one of the most beautiful towns in southern Greece, wondrously perched 3,444 feet above sea level amid a forest of fir and chestnut trees. For centuries the stone village... (more)

• Temple of Apollo at Bassae

• Tiryns

• Tripoli

  Regardless of the direction from which you approach the southern half of the Peloponnese, history, along with the practicalities of the road network in this part of Greece, suggests you're sure to at least... (more)

• Vouraikos Gorge