Meteora or Monemvasia?
 

My wife and I (both 30) will be in Greece the end of September. We will be spending three nights in Nafplion. We also definitely want to see Olympia and Delphi (spending one night in each). We have two additional nights on that part of our itinerary, and we're trying to decide if we should drive up to Meteora (probably using both nights), or instead drive down to Monemvasia after Nafplion and spend a night there, and spend another night somewhere else in the Peloponnese. I want to see Meteora, but I wonder if we'd enjoy ourselves more if we just took our time driving around the Peloponnese instead.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Both are fantastic places but I think your instinct may be right to visit Monemvasia and maybe one of the mountain villages near the Lousios Gorge (like Dimitsana or Stemnitsa) where you can also see some fantastic monasteries. You could also visit Mystras en route. We stayed near Nafplion, in Monemvassia and Paralio Astros last year and had a wonderful 10 day holiday.

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/296138/index.html

Let me preface my preference by saying I have never been to Monemvasia, but our visit to Meteora about 7 years ago was one of the most memorable experiences of our lives. Seeing those mountaintop monasteries was simply magical. I do remember it was difficult getting to, but once there, absolutely worth the effort!

I haven't been to Meteora since 1978 but I wouldn't have the guts to drive on those mountain roads. It was scary enough on the bus. I would opt for Monemvasia as it is closer and really interesting. You could also drive the Mani. I stayed at Limeni Village which is a modern small hotel built in the Mani syle. http://www.dilos.com/hotel/875
If the weather is good and you are into beaches, you could take the ferry over to Elafonisi Island. Some of the hotels start closing up in late Sept. although something would be open. Gythio is a cute seaside town to be stay in and take a side trip to the Diros caves. Mystra near Sparti is worth a visit.

Thanks for your help, everyone... this is really a tough call. We appreciate the input!

You will have to take my comments with a grain of salt because I have never chosen to go to Delphi Olympia or Meteora.
We do love Naphlion and Monemvasia was unbelievable. Imagine driving to a place and walking through a stone wall and being transported back 5 centuries into a living Venetian city/fortress.
There is my plug for Monemvassia.
It seems to me you are trying to do too much and are splitting your trip into a North South orientation. Sometimes you just need to slow down and really experience where you are. You need to remember travel times can be deceptive in Greece. Once you get into the mountains you may find 100 kilometers can take hours. There is much to see and experience.
I applaud your choice of Naphlion as a first stop. It is close to Athens and a good place to get over jet lag. It is interesting in it's own right and can easily keep you busy for two or three days. From there you can head north or south, but I wouldn't want to do both. You may have to choose between Olympia and Delphi. That will decide if you want to do the Peloponnese or Delphi/ Meteora.
From Naphlion you can head south and stop at Mystras for a three or four hour tour and then hop over to Monemvassia. We planned one night there and stayed two. Living inside the fortress walls was like stepping back in time. It was very romantic.
It is an easy hop to Gythio where you have to make another big decision do you head south through the Mani or head north to Olympia or do both. If you skip the Mani you may still have time to hit Olympia and Delphi.
One hint to consider on the way to Naphlion just as you take the interchange off the highway look for signs to Ancient Nemia. It was actually a rival to Olympia and the site of games as well. It still has its stadium, ruined temple and museum, but is not at all crowded. It is no more than 5 km off the main highway where you turn south to Naphlion. It is well worth the stop.
Here are links to our pictures of Naphlion and Monemvassia.

Monemvassia
http://travel.webshots.com/album/551987765EoLDkO
Naphlion
http://travel.webshots.com/album/551991579dJbWvh

Thank you for your comments, stanbr. You're obviously a big fan of both Nafplion and Monemvassia... so let me ask you this: are they really that different? From what I've read, both are on the water, both have towns with Venetian architecture, and both have big hills with an old castle/fortress at the top. After spending three nights in Nafplion, will Monemvassia still be as impressive as everyone says it is? I'm sure I'm oversimplifying, because everyone says Monemvassia is fantastic, but I was just curious as to your thoughts on what makes each location unique.

Thanks for the Nemia tip. Our current plan is to stop in Corinth, and probably now Nemia, on the way to Nafplion from Athens.

Also, you mentioned seeing Mystras on the way down to Monemvassia. I was actually thinking of driving down the coast as far as we can on the way to Monemvassia from Nafplion, and then possibly seeing Mystras on our way back north. Have you ever driven the coastal road to Leonidion? This will be our first time renting a car in another country, so I'm somewhat anxious (but also excited) about the idea of us driving around on our own.

Hi Kevin.
There is really no comparison between Naphlion and Monemvassia. In Naphlion you are in a small city with modern areas and older section with Venetian Neoclassical style buildings. It is a charming city with its main marble square polished to a shine by millions of feet over the years. It is near so many sites including Mycene, Ephaduaras,and Ancient Tyrns.
True it does have three quite intact Venetian fortresses which are worth exploring, but they are dead monuments to the past.
At Monemvasia you pass through a bullet scarred armored door through a 10 foot thick fortress and arrive on the other side to a live 15th century town. All supplies must be brought into town by people or Donkeys. The main street is rough cobblestones wide enough for two laden donkeys to pass.
You don't visit Monemvasia you live in the past for a night or two.
History comes to life in Monemvasia and believe me even our Greek friends find an overnight there is very romantic.

With respect to driving in Greece. Rent the car at the airport. Don't even think about renting in Athens. From the airport it is super highway 75% of the way to Naphlion.

Remember that you should stay over to the right and let everybody pass on the left. The rental cars are way too underpowered to compete with the Mercedes, Audis and BMW's which cruise at about 140 to 160 km per hour. Apparently the speed limit signs don't apply to them.

Once you get off the National highway Greece is just like driving on a paved country road, except you will end up in mountains, with blind curves and Greeks either passing you or coming at you in the middle of the road. You have to be alert but for the most part all this happens at fairly slow speeds and believe it or not you do have time to react. By the end of our trip I was driving in the middle of the road too. It just comes natural after a while. Be cautious and alert and driving is fun.

Thanks for the additional feedback, stanbr. I think we will drive down to Monemvassia and stay the night. I'd really like to see Meteora, but I think that will have to wait for a return trip.

It's funny... it seems like every time we make an "either/or" decision on what places to see, that decision brings with it another question... like now that we're probably going to drive south to Monemvassia, should we make time to drive around the Mani? Or see the Pirgos Dirou Caves? Or both?

Probably neither, if we want to see Olympia and Delphi (which we do). But it's tempting.

I really thought that when we were able to expand our trip to 14 full days in Greece (originally 9 days), we'd have plenty of time to see everything we wanted to see. But the more I read, the more I want to see!

And thanks for the driving advice. We will be renting at the airport, and I'll definitely be staying to the right on those roads.

ok this is going to sound extreme and insane....but last trip to greece, I planned on staying in mystra for 2 days...and I stayed for 10. most people wouldn't dream of staying there for 10 days, but i fell in love with it. I couldn't bring myself to go, and because i didn't have a rigid itinerary (I was in Greece for 7 weeks) I could afford to do that. I stayed in a rented house at the bottom of the hill leading up to the ruins. I watched tourists and backpackers go by while I sipped on ouze or drank greek coffee. Played chess on the huge patio that seemed to be suspended atop of an olive grove. I couldn't leave because or the smell of jasmine and orange blossoms. it was magical. sometimes you just have to chill out and just live life. not necessarily squeeze items on an agenda into your life. blah. sorry to get all hokey. I sound 65. I'm not. I spent 10 days in this lazy languid village when i was 27 with my 32 yr old sister. we loved it

One vote for Monemvassia,a plus the scenic journey and the beauty of Peloponnissos (beaches included)

We decided not to even attempt Olympia because we just were not sure how long it would take to see the eastern side of the Peloponnese. That turned out to be a good decision because once we hit Monemvassia we stayed two days rather than the one we had budgeted because it so captured our imaginaions. It is a very leisurely half day trip from Monemvasia to Ariopoli which is the gateway to the Mani. From there you can make the whole Mani in a day and be back to Gythion for the fast 4 hour drive back to Athens.

Here are out pictures.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/551988174qxbTNw

Thank you all for the added comments... I hadn't checked this post in a while. We'll be staying one night in Monemvassia, and perhaps more if we are unable to make it up to Olympia due to the very unfortunate fire devastation. Perhaps this will give us more time to spend at Mystras, as was suggested. Thanks again for your input!

My wife and I went to Monemvasia in 2002. We took the costal roads and my wife did not like all the hair-pin turns. I understand you can go down the center of the Peloponnese and the ride is better. I was driving and all those crosses didn't scare me. We still talk about our 3 day stay on that rock. What an experience! We did get $100 worth of fines by parking near the castle entrence, but we fled the country. We are heading back to Greece in June and hope they forgot our parking fines. You will NOT go wrong by visiting Monemvasia.