Monemvasia or Gefyra
 

Dear Frequent travelers, We will spend only 1 day and night in the Monemvasia area. Do you recommend staying in the lower town or Gefyra. We will have a car. I understand that it is a bit more work to stay in the lower town We do not travel with a lot of "stuff".Thanks in advance for your time.

20 years ago we stayed in the lower town. Don't know what the situation is now, but it was an experience I'll never forget. Especially since the Meltemi blew up during the night and we were staying in a lovely old stone building with many shutters! (All of which started banging like crazy in the middle of the night.) We didn't visit the upper town because parts were considered dangerous then. Again, don't know what the situation is now. I'd love to hear what you decide.

You don't say when you will be in Monemvasia...
During the high season parking a car near the gate to the old town can be quite an adventure.....

You will have to park pretty far away and walk all the way up to the gate and from there to your accommodation carrying your luggage. Of course if it's only for one night i assume you won't have much to carry :)
There are small boutique hotels in the old town, where there are no cars or other vehicles. Prices are in general higher in the walled town, than in the new town ( Gefyra, which means bridge in Greek).

I have stayed in the new town in a wonderful apartment with view over the rock of Monemvasia which in my opinion was as nice as staying in the old town.

We will be there the night of May 17th. Prices are very reasonable because of being shoulder season.

I am Greek and have been too many times in Monemvasia....
but if i was to spend just one night during a trip and maybe not go back again , i would choose the old city !

May the 17th is a Wednesday, Monemvasia will be relatively quite, it gets more busy during the weekends from Greek travelers.

What are you looking for? What does Monemvasia mean to you?

If Monemvasia is a view like this https://i0.wp.com/ourbumble.com/wp-c...Monemvisia.jpg you stay in Gefyra.

If Monemvasia is an ancient town like this http://everymatic.com/v2/wp-content/...emvasia-19.jpg, you stay in Monemvasia.

You can drive up to the gate of the lower town to drop off you luggage, but after that you have to <u>carry</u> your luggage. The paths are so uneven the luggage wheels are useless. The rooms belonging to the same hotels are scattered all over town, so you really don't know how far you have to carry your luggage.

I'd do it again -:)

thanks much, I am leaning toward the old town, sounds like an adventure!

Definitely stay on the rock. There are several nice hotels there and I had no trouble rolling a suitcase from the bus over the causeway to the castle entrance. I stayed at the Malvasia and once I got to their office near the castle entrance, they assisted with the baggage.

I booked with Lena at Byzantino Hotel.

@greg, your pictures are spectacular!

We'll be staying in the old town for one night in late May. We're prepared to take only essentials up to our room. I still wish we'd spent one night on Mt. St. Michel when we visited in 2005. Don't want to make that mistake with Monemvasia.

We stayed inside the old city when we were there some twenty years ago. My recollection is that there is a limited number of parking spaces immediately outside the gate -- either some were reserved for the use of hotel guests, or maybe we were just lucky to find an open one, but I do recall that we didn't have to park on the mainland. It was a bit of a challenge getting our suitcases up the first stretch inside the gate - relatively narrow, but pretty uneven. Once you get to the main square (which the Hotel Byzantino fronts on), the other streets are easier.

In my book, this is an easy choice. The atmosphere inside the old city, in the lee of that huge rock looming over you, is very special and unique. The mainland town would be like any other smaller Greek town anywhere. Old Monemvasia is like no place else.

Climb up to the acropolis late in the afternoon. The silence is all-encompassing. The water hundreds of feet below you is still as glass. Monemvasia feels like the end of the world then, a million miles removed from the chaos and cacophony of modern life.

Sit on the sea walls and listen to the waves splashing below you. Imagine Byzantine, Frankish and Venetian galleys bobbing offshore.

Hang out in the cafes and enjoy the company of the worldly travelers you will find there. Watch the lights wink out as the town settles down for the night, in a place where there isn't a single automobile to be seen.

It's an experience you'll never forget.