9 Best Bars in The Peloponnese, Greece

A slick café that turns into a humming nightlife spot after dark, with occasional live music, excellent cocktails, and a laid-back air to go with the retro posters and vintage chic inside. Grab a table on the street and watch the world slide by. And yes, there is a rather chubby black cat in residence.

Decent beer is a rarity in Greece but this cute stone bar, just up from the seafront, bucks the trend with a fair selection of international brews (think well-known Belgian ales and lots of Brewdog), good local beers (Nema, Sura), and the odd blast of live jazz. A cozy respite from the cafés blaring out live soccer on the main street, and it has a nice garden to the rear. The burgers are good, too.

A large terrace overlooking the bay draws a big crowd by day, but by the evening this café-bar is the village's liveliest nightspot. Imaginative cocktails and decent beers keep the party going until 2 am in summer.

A beer garden on the lively Riga Fereou street with a great selection of brews accompanying some better-than-average pub fare.

An excellent spot, tucked into the alleyways south of the main square, and a welcome opportunity to acquaint yourself with the famous wines of the area. Owner Byron is a knowledgable, charismatic source; tastings (including three meze) start at €20.

A trio of cocktail bars-cum-cafés dot the main street, but the brightest and largest is this slick affair. Inside, its cool, wooden interior offers respite from the heat, but it's the large terrace out the back that catches the eye, affording fine views over the water and an agreeable spot to sip its signature Skyfall cocktail.

This long, narrow, high-ceilinged bar is set within a 1920s arcade, and has retained an art deco vibe to complement its retro cocktails (around €10) and a good selection of local craft beers (Sura, Nema).

A stylish deli and wine bar that doubles as a bottle shop during the day. Tastings (€10 per person, including tapas) are good value and the staff have excellent knowledge, with a very pourable selection of Greek wines to complement French and Italian bottles. It's small, so it gets packed fast.

This new addition to the nightlife area of the city's old town is a rarity in this part of Greece: a specialist craft beer bar. It certainly isn't cheap: a pint goes for around €8 to €9, so it's not a place to spend the night. Worth it only to sample some truly small-batch local beers.