19 Best Sights in Nafplion, The Peloponnese

A kilometer-long seaside promenade skirts the Nafplion Peninsula. It is paved with flagstones and opens every so often onto pretty terraces planted with rosebushes and olive and cedar trees. Halfway along lies the tiny church of the Virgin Mary, or Agia Panagitsa, which once hid one of Greece's "secret schools," where pupils were reputedly taught Greek history and culture during the Ottoman occupation. You'll also find steps to Arvanitia Beach, which is a lovely place for a dip but be careful if you go swimming because the rocks are covered with sea urchins, which can inflict a painful wound. Directly above the beach, starting at the car park, a forested path wraps its way for 4 km (2½ miles) around the coast to the sands of Karathona, passing umpteen stretches of wild rocky shore along the way; it makes a wonderfully shaded and scenic stroll.

The story of the 1822 revolution, as told through the paintings, art and letters of the era, is the joy of this far-flung wing of Athens' National Gallery. Set in a beautiful, lemon-colored neoclassical house, its front yard is strewn with sculptures, but what draws you inside is its magnificent collection of paintings, with works centered on heroic deeds or suffering locals. It's a glimpse into the mindset of an era when Greece was finding its voice amid the parting smoke of revolution. Look out for pieces by Dionysios Tsokos, one of the defining brushes of post-independence Greek art.

This collection displays costumes, handicrafts, and household furnishings, albeit without a huge amount of context. Many of the exhibits are precious heirlooms that have been donated by Peloponnesian families, and several exhibits are painstaking re-creations of 19th-century Nafplion homes. Top hats from the 1950s and contemporary fashion sandals are among the items that bring the overview into a later modern era. There is also some surprisingly good background on the post-revolution era, particularly on local figure Kalliopi Papalexopoulou, a woman who was a key voice in Nafplion's refusal to accept the rule of the much-disliked King Otto and played a leading role in his eventual deposing in 1862, after warships had been sent to the city to quell local discontent. The gift shop on the ground floor has some fascinating books and a good selection of high-quality jewelry and handicrafts, such as weavings, kilims, and collector's items such as roka (spindles) and wooden koboloi (worry beads).

The Turks called this imposing hilltop of ruined fortifications Its Kale (Inner Citadel). The heights are crowned with a series of castles: a Frankish one on the eastern end of the hill, a Byzantine one on the west, and a massive Castello del Torrione (or Toro for short) built by the Venetians also at the eastern end in 1840. During the second Venetian occupation, the gates were strengthened and the huge Grimani bastion was added (1706) below the Toro. The Acronafplia is accessible from the west side via the battered elevator leading to the Nafplia Palace hotel, which sits on the ruins of the Frankish fort, and from the east via Potamianou Street, whose flights of steps ascend the hillside from St. Spyridon Square. The remains of the fortifications can be explored free of charge on overgrown sections that provide stupendous views over Nafplion and the sea.

While following the seaside promenade, before you reach the very tip of the peninsula (marked by a ship's beacon), there is a little shrine at the foot of a path leading up toward the Acronafplia walls above. The tiny church of the Virgin Mary, or Agia Panagitsa, hugs the cliff on a small terrace and is decorated with icons. During the Turkish occupation the church hid one of Greece's secret schools.

This in-town swimming spot is not really a beach but a seaside perch of smooth rocks, pebbled shoreline, and concrete platforms, all backed by fragrant pines. This is a good place for a morning wake-up swim or a refreshing plunge after a day of sightseeing. At times the popular and well-maintained spot, with a pleasant beach bar, seems as sociable as the town square, so don't be surprised to hear other bathers gossiping and exchanging recipes as they bob in the delightful water. You can walk to Arvanitia by following the seaside promenade that hugs the cliffs beneath the Acronafplia south of town. Amenities: food and drink; free parking; showers; toilets. Best for: swimming.

Nafplion's pocket-size fortress is a captivating presence on a speck of land in the middle of the harbor. The Venetians completed a single tower in 1473, and they enlarged it with a second tower and bastion when they recaptured Nafplion in 1686. Freedom fighters captured the Bourtzi during the War of Independence in 1822 and used the island to bombard the Turks defending the town. The new Greek government retreated to the island in the unsettled times following the revolution; then, after 1865, the fortress became the residence of the town executioners. Boats such as Odyssey Cruises ( 69720/15296) leave on no fixed schedule from the eastern end of Akti Miaouli on €5 return trips. 

In the 19th century, King Otto returned this 13th-century landmark—restored and converted into a mosque under the Turks—to Nafplion's Catholics. The church is best known for the wooden arch erected inside the doorway that has the names of philhellenes (Greek admirers) who died during the War of Independence carved on it—the British poet Lord Byron is number 10. A mihrab (Muslim prayer recess) behind the altar and the amputated stub of a minaret are evidence of the church's use as a mosque. The church also has a small museum and an underground crypt in which can be found sculptural work commemorating the defeat of the Turks at the hands of the Greeks and philhellenes.

This post-Byzantine three-aisle basilica is, by tradition, linked to St. Anastasios, a Nafpliote painter. Anastasios was reportedly engaged to a local girl, but he abandoned her because she was "immoral." Becoming despondent as a result of spells cast over him by her relatives, he converted to Islam. When the spells wore off, he cried out, "I was a Christian, I am a Christian, and I shall die a Christian." An Ottoman judge ordered that he be beheaded, but a Turkish mob stabbed Anastasios to death before that could happen. His corpse was then allegedly hanged on an ancient olive tree that rises next to the church and which never again bore fruit. The basilica was the main Orthodox church during the Venetian occupation and has an elaborate wooden reredos carved in 1870.

Above the harbor at the western edge of town are the ruins of a fortification known as the Five Brothers, the only remaining part of the lower wall built around Nafplion in 1502. The name comes from the five guns placed here by the Venetians around 1690; they remain in place, all bearing the winged lion of St. Mark.

The closest sandy beach to Nafplion, Karathona is easy to reach by road (just keep following 25 Maritou Street) or a pleasant walk first along the seaside promenade and then a dirt track for 4 km (2½ miles). You can also get there by bus in summer. The pine-backed sands are favored by Greek families with picnic baskets, and this is an ideal spot for kids, since the waters remain shallow far out into the bay. Sun loungers and umbrellas are available for rent, though a pine grove behind the sands provides plenty of nice shady spots. Several tavernas back the beach. Amenities: food and drink; free parking; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.

The thick walls of this red-stone building, built in 1713 to serve as a naval storehouse for the Venetian fleet, ensure the coolest interior in town. It's more than just shelter, however. The museum houses artifacts from nearby sites Mycenae, Tiryns, Asine, and Dendra. The findings from the Mycenaean tombs are especially rich and include wonderful masks and a remarkable bronze suit of armor from the 15th century BC.

This venerable mosque near the southeast corner of Syntagma Square has been put to various purposes since Nafplion was liberated from the Turks: as a school, a courthouse, municipal offices, and a movie theater, during the latter era of which it acquired the name most still know it by: Trianon. (The writer Henry Miller, who did not care for Nafplion, felt that the use of the building as a movie theater was an example of the city's crassness.) The landmark occasionally hosts temporary exhibits and performances; it also remains one of the oldest surviving examples of Ottoman architecture in Nafplion.

Whether in harsh sunlight or under floodlights at night, this mighty fortress is a beautiful sight, with red-stone bastions and flights of steps that zigzag down the 700-foot-tall cliff face. You can drive up the less-precipitous eastern slope, but if you are in reasonable shape and it isn't too hot, try climbing the stairs. Most guides will tell you there are 999 of them, but 892 is closer to the mark. From the top you can look down on the Old Town, the Gulf of Argolis, and the entire Argive plain.

Built by the Venetians between 1711 and 1714, the Palamidi comprises three forts and a series of freestanding and connecting defensive walls. But little good did it do them. The Palamidi fell to the Turks in 1715 after only eight days, allegedly because the Venetians assumed the fortress was impregnable and saw no need to garrison a large number of troops within the walls. In 1840, following the declaration of Greek independence, the Palamidi's Miltiadis bastion was converted by the Greeks into a fearsome prison that was used well into the 20th century. Its inmates included the revolutionary war hero Theodore Kolokotronis, on a charge of high treason that was later rescinded. His cell is indicated by a sign.

The fishermen's quarter is a small district of narrow lanes above Staikopoulos Street, running between cramped little houses that huddle beneath the walls of Acronafplia. The old houses, painted in brownish yellow, green, and salmon red, are embellished with additions and overhangs in eclectic styles. The walk is enjoyable, though many of the houses have been turned into small pensions. Keep a low profile to respect the privacy of the locals.

The resort town of Tolo, 12 km (7½ miles) south of Nafplion, is a short inexpensive bus ride from Nafplion's main station or a more expensive taxi ride; beware, though, that in the warm months the beach of fine sand is packed solid with sunburned northern Europeans and abuzz with every water sport and beach activity ever invented, from taking in the sun in the endless rows of loungers to volleyball. A long parade of bars and tavernas backs the beach, and some tables are set right on the sands. Two uninhabited islands in the bay, Romvi and Koronissi, can be reached by excursion boat. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; swimming; walking.

This one-aisle basilica with a dome (1702) has a special place in Greek history: it was in its doorway that the statesman Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first head of the newly independent Greek state, was assassinated in 1831 by the Mavromichalis brothers from the Mani, the outcome of a long-running vendetta. The mark of the bullet can be seen next to the Venetian portal. On the south side of the square, opposite St. Spyridon, are two of the four Turkish fountains that remain in Nafplion. A third is a short distance east on Kapodistria Street, at the steps that constitute the upper reaches of Tertsetou Street.

This former mosque, built of carefully dressed gray stone, was where the Greek National Assembly held its first meetings, hence the name: Vouleftiko (parliament). The building dates from 1530, and legend has it that the lintel stone from the Tomb of Agamemnon was used in the construction of the large, square-domed prayer hall. Another story goes that it was built by a rich Turkish Aga in order to redeem his soul for the murder of two young men who had come to the city to find their father's treasure. The man stole the map and, years later, guiltily used the proceeds to build the mosque. Rather disappointingly, it is now used as a government conference center.

For a militaristic view of the Greek revolution of 1821, this museum unravels life under occupation and the many battles fought across the Argolid region that it took to liberate Greece from the rule of the Ottomans. Relics, uniforms, art, weapons and the usual military paraphernalia make up the bulk of the displays. Its scope runs all the way up to World War II, though its focus on cold, hard battles and facts leaves little room for nuance. Pair with a visit to the National Gallery for a more rounded view.