After our 6 week honeymoon trip 43 years ago we are going back to Greece! Back in 1981 we landed in Crete with a hotel reservation but no clear plans of where to go next. Recognizing that those halcyon days of our youth are past this time lots of planning is involved. Besides, at my age trip planning counts as fun.

Our plans include 2 nights on arrival in Athens, 6 nights on the Island of Milos, and the rest of our time on the Peloponnese. I have researched Rough Guides, Eyewitness, Rick Steves, online blog posts and of course Fodors Forum Trip Reports! Athens and Milos we've got figured out but I would like to invite anyone who has done a Peloponnese road trip to have a look at the itinerary and give feedback. We've booked most accommodation and have few ideas but we still have lots of blanks to fill in.

We are reasonably fit and like walking, seeing beautiful scenery, beaches and swimming (hopefully still able to in October). Looking at driving times we should be able to visit some wonderful castles as well as historical sites like Mystras, Mycenae and Epidaurus. It's just a bit tricky figuring out the logistics of it all and whether we have planned enough time or too much in each of the places we are booked to stay.

Sep 24: Athens: 2 nights on arrival at InnAthens (recover from jet lag / visit Acropolis Museum)
Sep 26: Ferry to Milos: 6 nights Hotel Rigas (friends stayed last year and recommend), relax / boat trip sailing tour
Oct 2: Fly to Athens, pick up car from Athens Car Rental, drive to Dimitsana
Oct 2: 3 nights Dimitsana at Archontiko Deliginis (Mountain sightseeing, water museum, visit nearby villages, hiking, see monasteries)
Oct 5: 2 nights Akrolithi Boutique Hotel in Oitylo (explore Mani Peninsula)
Oct 7: nothing booked
Oct 8: 3 nights Navria by Aetoma in Nafplio (lots to see within driving distance I think)
Oct 11: See Corinth Canal enroute to 1 night Cokkinis Hotel in Magara
Oct 12: drive to Athens airport for 10 am departure

You may want to add that night of Oct.7 to Nafplion so you’ll have three full days there. We spent a full week in Napflion. Yes, there is a lot to see in the area, and you should spend a full day in the city itself.

I'm sure you will have a wonderful trip no matter what you decide!

I'm glad I stopped in Dimitsana and am glad to see you've included it.

While it depends on your interests, it seems to me that 3 nights is not much for Nafplio. It might be worth considering adding the night of the 7th to that stop. (as HappyTrlr suggested -- we were posting at the same time.) I spent three nights in Napflion, but I travel HARD and even so, could easily have enjoyed another night there. Or add a night for the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio? Or stay there instead of at Megara for your last night?

I trust you've seen my trip report? The relevant sections begin at about post # 125.
With Gratitude for a Glorious Solo Month in Greece

We just spent 4 weeks in Greece including nearly 3 weeks in the Pelopponese. I would definitely add that extra day to Nafplio, though I would consider squeezing out another day for the Mani peninsula, too.

We found that driving often takes far longer than you expect, particularly in the Mani peninsula. We did stay at Akrolithi and it’s lovely - but it takes time to get back and forth. We really enjoyed visiting Cale Tenaro, the southern tip of the peninsula and (I believe) the most southern point of continental Europe, and the abandoned village of Vathia, though now it’s being discovered by tour groups and is also slowly being restored. Still beautiful and amazing to see. We had a lovely lunch at Gerolimenas in the way back.

Nafplio has so much to see, though, both in town and in the region that our 6 nights there were quite full. We loved Nafplio and I could’ve easily enjoyed even more time there.

One of our favorite stops was Mystras, which we visited from the Mani peninsula (an hour away vs a longer trip from Nafplio. One of our favorite meals was at the foot of the hill in Mystras - best moussaka ever!

As a geography nut, I just thought I would point out the southernmost point in continental Europe is actually Tarifa, Spain, with its south point sitting pretty squarely at 36 deg latitude (more to the south than many North African cities such as Algiers, Tunis, etc.) The southern tip of the Greek peninsula is at a little less than 36 and a half deg latitude, which equates to roughly a difference of 45 km more to the north.

Please do not mind my trivia posting lol.

Thanks, I know I read it in some Greek tourist guide but I wasn�t completely convinced!😉

Cape Tenaro is, however, strongly associated with Greek mythology and thought to be the gateway to the underworld. There�s something special about being there that we both felt.

One of the absolute highlights of our too-short Peloponnese driving holiday was Ancient Messene. You could consider detouring there, making a longer, but very scenic, drive from Dimitsana to Oitylo.

Mystras indeed enchanting, and I’d allow most of a day for uphill and downhill walking, if you decide to visit and are drawn to Byzantine monasteries. Remember your long skirt that day, or the nuns will lend you a wraparound.

Reports of another traveller snorkeling over ruins in old Epidauros — the coastal town — have me marking that for a future visit. It will still be warm enough to swim then so you might consider it during your Nafplio time.

Nemea’s ancient stadium and its well-executed museum are worth a stop on your drive back to Athens. I’d rate it far higher than the Corinth Canal, if you have to choose.

We used the Bradt guide to the Peloponnese.

happytraveller
kja Taking your advice and adding another day in Nafplio, although Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon look worthwhile too! That nice hotel you stayed at is fully booked now however, so that makes the decision easier..
progol Lucky you to have 4 weeks in the Peloponnese! Although did I read you ended up with COVID? I see in the news that a new variant is running through Greece, oh dear. I have read with interest your very well written and informative trip reports, including the one to Italy which prompted us to stay in Atrani a few years ago. By the way have you seen Ripley with Andrew Scott that was partially filmed there?
A question: approximately just how out of the way is the Akrolithi? It looks so beautiful but we only have 2 nights in the area and will be driving quite a bit.
FTOttawa We'll see if we can go snorkeling over ruins in old Epidauros, and visit Nemea�s with its stadium and museum as well. And I'll check where Messene is on our route and go there too.

Thank you all for your suggestions, I was suffering analysis paralysis and now am excited to be happily planning again!

kanadajin
Don't mind a bit!

<<Lucky you to have 4 weeks in the Peloponnese! Although did I read you ended up with COVID? I see in the news that a new variant is running through Greece, oh dear. I have read with interest your very well written and informative trip reports, including the one to Italy which prompted us to stay in Atrani a few years ago. By the way have you seen Ripley with Andrew Scott that was partially filmed there?
A question: approximately just how out of the way is the Akrolithi? It looks so beautiful but we only have 2 nights in the area and will be driving quite a bit.>>

Yes, we did end up with COVID. We didn’t know it until we got home, but as we arrived in Meteora, my husband was definitely feeling off, and spent the whole next day in bed. We had several more days before we flew home and, by then, I contracted it, too, though didn’t feel quite as bad as he did. Flying home was not fun. And, as I mentioned in the other post, most of our activities were outside, though certainly, we interacted with people in hotels, went to restaurants and museums. Lots of opportunities for the latest variant to hit us.

It’s hard to describe how out of the way Akrolithi is or isn’t - once you’re in Aeropoli, it’s probably no more than 15 minutes to the hotel, but the first time we got there, we followed good old Google maps and took some crazy route down a very narrow road. Once we figured out the best routing, it wasn’t bad, but Google maps struggled with the small roads in the area! It overlooks a nice cove, though it’s a drive out if you don’t eat at the restaurant. We would eat a large lunch for a main meal and then have a light meal at Akrolithi. I have to say that 2 nights for me wouldn’t warrant a stay there - but we’re also getting to the point where we go very slowly, make less stops during the day and use our time at the hotel to rest up, so a place that is a bit out of the way wouldn’t be my preferred choice for 2 nights. It really may just be us and our travel limitations these days.

Re: Atrani - funny you mention the filming of Ripley - we happened to make our second visit to Atrani the weekend they were filming it! I was so pissed off - we couldn’t eat in the piazzetta the entire time we were there! It worked out fine as we went to Amalfi for dinner every night but we had fond memories of the restaurants in that little square. But it did “force” us to explore the back end of town during our second trip.

In that case progol I may look for somewhere in Aeropoli instead. I don't relish being the navigator on unfamiliar roads as it is and for only 2 nights maybe not worth the extra challenge.

I think Aeropoli would be so much easier for a 2-day stay. And you can walk outside and find a restaurant.

While Akrolithi is lovely and beautifully sited, we never warmed up to it. It was a little more inconvenient and we didn’t really connect with the owner. Just about everywhere else, we enjoyed our interactions with the people, but not here.

And other places…in Nafplio, there is a great walk around the Nafplio peninsula (you’ll find it, it’s hard to describe, but it starts at the promenade and continues). Mycenae is fabulous as is Epidavros. We loved all the castles (and we did not walk up to Palamidi castle, but drove to the entrance - much more reasonable!). We loved strolling the town and wandering up, up, and more up! Or down and around. Don’t miss the gelato ice cream shop - it’s wonderful!

If you can manage to include Mystras (loved it) and Ancient Messene (more out of the way for you), try to do so. Those were both remarkable places.

I want to echo progol's praise for Nafplio! We spent 5 nights there and loved every minute. We followed the Michelin Green Guide walking tour of Nafplio, relaxed by the waterfront with drinks, and saw our best sunset in Nafplio by the waterfront. More spectacular than the sunsets on Santorini! We drove to the Palamidi fortress/castle, too. Didn't walk up the 900 steps.

From Nafplio we visited Mystras which was one of the highlights of our trip. We also visited Mycenae and Epidavros. We visited Epidavros in the morning, and then decided to drive down the Argolis Peninsula where we went swimming at the small resort town of Porto Heli. Then drove to the fishing village of Ermioni where we had an early dinner (mediocre food) but we really enjoyed seeing this area and driving through small Greek villages.

There are more ruins that you can visit from Nafplio if you wish but we like to do a variety of things. We don't need to see every ruin. But, yes, there is lots to see and do within driving distance of Nafplio.