4 Best Sights in Monemvasia, The Peloponnese

Exit the Eastern Wall gate to reach Monemvasia Lighthouse, a clean-cut innocuous building erected in the late 19th century. The beacon contains a small museum (free; open daily) about its history; it is also the start of a 2-km (1.2-mile) rocky path that skirts the northern rim of the island (follow the red trail marks) back to the car park next to To Kastro café. It's a testing scramble in parts, and one best avoided on a windy or wet day.

On the main square stands the town's 13th-century Church of Elkomenos Christos, reputedly the largest medieval church in southern Greece. Carved peacocks on its portal are symbolic of the Byzantine era; the detached bell tower—like those of Italian cathedrals—is a sign of Venetian rebuilding in the 17th century. Sculptures from the church, together with other interesting finds from excavations around the island, are held across the square in the town's Archaeological Collection (€3; closed Tuesday), a small, interesting museum housed within an 16th-century former mosque. Outside, a cannon dominates the square, typically forming a backdrop to the many selfie-taking couples.

A small gate in the southern walls of the castle leads to a rocky outcrop that was once an unloading dock for goods traded in and out of the city. Today it is a small bathing area where paddlers can bob in the shadow of the great walls, protected from the strong northerly winds.

For solitude and a dizzying view, pass through the upper town's wooden entrance gates, complete with the original iron reinforcement. Up the hill is a rare example of a domed octagonal church, Agia Sofia, founded in the 13th century by Emperor Andronicus II and patterned after Dafni Monastery in Athens. Under Venetian rule the Byzantine complex served as a convent. Follow the path to the highest point on the rock for a breathtaking view of the coast.