66 Best Sights in The Peloponnese, Greece

This post-Byzantine three-aisle basilica is by tradition linked to St. Anastasios, a Nafpliote painter. Anastasios was supposedly 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 spell 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. His corpse was then allegedly hanged on an ancient olive tree that rises next to the church and that never again bore fruit. The basilica was the main Orthodox church during the Venetian occupation and has an elaborate wooden reredos carved in 1870.

Remains of the classical city are scattered throughout the modern one, and you can see in a small area the extensive ruins of the Roman bath, odeon (a roofed theater), and agora, or market. The theater is especially striking, and its well-preserved seats climb a hillside.

Manuscripts, a 35,000-volume library, and other artifacts here are from surrounding churches, monasteries, and the School of Greek Letters that flourished in Dimitsana in the 19th century. The school educated Germanos, a bishop of Patras, and other young men who went on to become Greek scholars and church leaders.

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.

In the early 13th century William de Champlitte divided the Peloponnese into 12 baronies. He bestowed Kalamata on Frankish knight Geoffrey de Villehardouin, who built a winter kastro. Through the centuries the castle was bitterly fought over by Franks, Slavs, and Byzantines, and today it's difficult to tell what of the remains is original. From Martiou 25 Square, walk up Ipapandis past the church, take the first left at the castle gates, and climb the small hill; the views of the town, coast, and the Messinian plain are lovely.

This long, sandy stretch backed by a pine forest and a grassy plain where cattle graze is much favored by Patras residents on weekends and in August. Bracing winds that can whip up a wild surf don't seem to deter beachgoers and are a boon for windsurfers. A river behind the beach forms estuaries that are great for bird-watching. People swim in them as well, but you may feel like Hercules if you are joined by yard-long snakes (they are nonvenomous). Amenities: food and drink; parking (free); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing.

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 (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; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.

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 Tues.), a small, interesting museum housed within an 16th-century former mosque. Outside, a canon dominates the square, typically forming a backdrop to the many selfie-ing couples.

Olives are thick on the ground in these parts, so it's only fitting that Sparta is home to a quirky and appealing collection of apparatus and culture related to the staple of Greek economy since ancient times, housed in a stunning renovation of the city's first electricity works.

Most of the great treasures of Mycenae have been removed to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, but you'll see copies of death masks and other great artifacts in the small but well-done museum at the site. Cult offerings and other original finds are also on view. Of most interest are the model of the ancient city, helping put the ruins in context, and reconstructions of several rooms of the palace.

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 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 remains one of the oldest surviving examples of Ottoman architecture in Nafplion.

A water mill, tannery, and gunpowder mill on the river Lousios below town provide displays and demonstrations that reveal why water power was the force behind the region's economy until the first part of the 20th century. Mills like the one here operated up and down the river and helped supply the forces who successfully fought the Turks during the War of Independence in 1821.

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 guidebooks 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 in 1711–14, the Palamidi comprises three forts and a series of freestanding and connecting defensive walls. 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.

In the evening the Frankish and Venetian citadel atop a bluff overlooking Patras draws many Greek couples seeking a spectacular view; a long flight of stone steps ascends toward the Kastro from the southern edge of the Old Town. The sight of the shimmering ships negotiating the harbor stirs even the most travel-weary.

A Roman odeon remains in use in Patras, almost 2,000 years after it was built. Today the productions of Summer Arts Festival (mid-Jun.–mid-Sept.) are staged in the well-preserved theater, which was discovered in 1889 and heavily restored in 1960.

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.

What little remains of Ancient Sparta's acropolis is now part archaeological site, part park. Locals can be seen here strolling, along with many young couples stealing a romantic moment amid the fallen limestone and shady trees. The sparse ruins include a theater, a stadium, and a sanctuary to Athena.

This eclectic collection reflects Laconia's turbulent history and is worth an hour to see Neolithic pottery; jewels and tools excavated from the Alepotrypa cave; Mycenaean tomb finds; bright 4th- and 5th-century Roman mosaics; and objects from Sparta. Most characteristic of the relatively few pieces of Spartan art that have survived are the bas-reliefs with deities and heroes; note the one depicting a seated couple bearing gifts who are framed by a snake (540 BC).

This is one of the largest churches in Greece, and dates from the early 20th century. It is built next to a spring that's been used for thousands of years, and during antiquity its waters were thought to have prophetic powers. St. Andrews is an important pilgrimage sight—the cavernous interior houses the head of the namesake saint, who spread Christianity throughout Greece and was crucified in Patras in AD 60.

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.

Stop a moment and contemplate the statue of the stern Spartan leader. During the Second Persian War in the 5th century BC, with 30,000 Persians advancing on his army of 8,000, Leonidas, ordered to surrender his weapons, jeered, "Come and get them." For two days he held off the enemy, until a traitor named Efialtes (the word has since come to mean "nightmare" in Greek) showed the Persians a way to attack from the rear. When forced to retreat to a wooded knoll, Leonidas is said to have commented, "So much the better, we will fight in the shade." His entire troop was slaughtered.

This long stretch of clean sand along a curving bay is undeniably the most popular beach in the Mani, though far from the quietest and most scenic spot in this rugged region. You'll share the company of frolicking young Greeks and sun-worshipping northern Europeans, but given that this is the Mani, this is a relatively low-key beach resort, and it's quite possible to find a quiet stretch. Amenities: food and drink; parking (free); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; snorkeling; swimming; walking.

One of the great majesties of ancient Greek architecture is isolated amid craggy, uncompromising scenery. Unfortunately, these days the temple looks more like the Sydney Opera House, thanks to a modernistic shed that has cocooned the structure in an attempt to prevent further weather damage during extensive ongoing restoration. The covering destroys the sense of place that was so important to this temple, which sits in miles of empty, hilltop fields. For many years it was believed that this temple was designed by Iktinos, the Parthenon's architect. Although this theory has recently been disputed, Bassae remains one of the best-preserved classical temples in Greece, superseded in its state of preservation only by the Hephaistion in Athens. The residents of nearby Phygalia built it atop an older temple in 420 BC to thank Apollo for delivering them from an epidemic; epikourios means "helper." Made of local limestone, the temple has some unusual details: exceptional length compared to its width; a north–south orientation rather than the usual east–west (probably because of the slope of the ground); and Ionic half columns linked to the walls by flying buttresses. Here, too, were the first known Corinthian columns with the characteristic acanthus leaves—only the base remains now—and the earliest example of interior sculptured friezes illustrating the battles between the Greeks and Amazons (now in the British Museum). As for the restoration, it will be ongoing for some time yet, which may be a reason not to visit for some given its remoteness.

Climb to the summit northwest of the temple for a view overlooking the Nedhas River, Mt. Lykaeon, and, on a clear day, the Ionian Sea.