Lilibug

SO...here's the backstory in a nutshell! I am the travel planner for ALL trips or my husband wouldn't set foot on any voyage. I spend DAYS even months in research to provide the perfect experience! We love to find art and crafts and unusual items from the areas that we visit so we spend our time visiting shops, galleries, craft fairs, artist studios, etc. We aren't the type to sit on beaches or go hiking.
We will be in the ports of Nauplion, Gythion and Ancona on our upcoming cruise and, while I've found materials on our other ports I haven't found ANYTHING on these ports! We like to get off the ship/tender and hit the ground in search of our next great adventure or treasure but feel like these ports will hold nothing more than photo ops or cafes. Finally, we are not at all the couple to sign on for the cruise-sponsored 45 passenger bus trips so that's my dilemma. Many thanks for any help! We leave on May 9th for Athens.

Blueeyedcod

Ancona is a great stop. There is an ancient Roman triumphal arch to see as well as a great archaeological museum. Info is here

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/u...-marche/ancona
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attra...na_Marche.html

thursdaysd

Have you checked cruisecritic.com?

Gythion is probably the stop for Monemvasia and/or Sparta.

Nauplion (Nafplio) is a charming town, and the base for Epidaurus and Mycenae.

Have no idea about shopping, never do any.

Any guidebook to Greece should have plenty of info.

worldinabag

Hi

You could try a travel agent like this one - http://www.alfatravel.gr/eng/excursions.php - and tailor a tour. I suggest Epidaurus and Mycenae. The latter is well worth a visit but it's largely in ruins so you have to use your imagination alot. If you must choose one I lean towards Epidaurus. Looks like there is a bus service from Nafplio to Epidaurus. Check out - http://www.ktelargolida.gr/?module=d..._id=63&lang=en.

Lilibug

Thank you all three for taking your time and especially for sending me the links! I've been hooked up to cruise critic since I signed up for the cruise but the Trip Advisor for Ancona was great. Nauplion and Gythion may prove to be just tiny and photo ops as I suspected but that's OK too. After all, beauty and a good Greek café is what life is all about, yes?

bvlenci

I live near Ancona. The arch is right by the port, a very busy port, and you can see it in five minutes. The archaeological museum is a good suggestion if that would interest you.

The cathedral of Ancona, San Ciriaco, is on a promontory overlooking the bay. It's a beautiful Romanesque cathedral, but not terribly straightforward to reach. If you're interested, I'll investigate the best way to get there and back.

There are lots of things to see in the immediate vicinity of Ancona, but public transportation is a bit of a problem.The Tripadvisor link has a lot of things that are either nearly always closed or very difficult to reach, or both. The Church of Santa Maria della Piazza, for example, is lovely, but very rarely open. The Mole Vanvitelliana often has temporary exhibits that might interest you. It was designed by a well-known baroque architect as a leper hospital.

http://www.anconatoday.it/eventi/loc...vanvitelliana/

How long will you have in port, and what day of the week is it? (In the local papers there have been lots of complaints that very little is open on Sundays and that cruise passengers hang around the port area looking for something to do.)

bvlenci

I don't think I'd exclude the idea of taking one of the excursions offered by the cruise line. If there's an excursion to Urbino, you might consider that, if only for the transportation. You'd find plenty of craft shops there, especially for ceramics, which are a specialty of this area.

jamikins

Nauplion is a lovely town in Greece. You could spend a day relaxing there or do a trip to Epidavros or Mycenae. It is not a small village and there are lots of restaurants, a lovely castle on the hill, and stores to enjoy.

Our pics are here:
https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

Happy planning!

stanbr

For Gythion I would rent a car and drive north to Sparti to visit Mystras. It is the last city of Byzantium and is spread out over a mountaintop. It is an easy drive. There will probably be taxis willing to take you. It will be a wonderful day.
A second alternative would be to drive to Monemvassia. It is a 13th century walled town which is still lived in. The big treat for Monemvassia is you can stay in period rooms. Thats not going to work for you.

As you can see from jamikins photos Nafplio is a beautiful city with its seaside location and old town. You will find shopping at Nafplio. It is also a good place to explore ancient sites.
Here are photos
First part is nafplio and if you count the images as you scroll you will find 84 to 95 is Mystras and on the second page of the album 11 through 22 are Monemvassia.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...7632094108982/

doug_stallings

So many people just have no idea of how wonderful the Pelopponese Peninsula is. Aside from the islands, it's one of my favorite parts of Greece.

Nafplion is one of the most beautiful towns in the Peloponnese. You could happily spend a day there. The shopping is wonderful. Cruise lines usually use it as a base for trips to Mycenae or Epidauros.

Gythion itself is not an unpleasant town, but it's a gateway to Mystras, which is well worth visiting.

Even if you don't want to go on an organized bus trip, you can rent a car and explore.