Nafplion

Nafplion in the Peloponnese was the Greek capital before Athens and today is a charming waterfront town with good restaurants, museums, shopping, beaches, old fortresses and a delightful atmosphere.

The Bourtzi Fortress in NafplionThe Bourtzi Fortress

Nafplion (or Nafplio) is one of the most appealing towns in Greece, perhaps even in Europe. It has a lovely waterfront with beaches nearby, a fine headland with wonderful views, several fortresses, some interesting museums, an offshore island to admire, a sophisticated feel to the town with some chic hotels and so many good restaurants that, no matter how long you can manage to stay, you'll wish you were here for longer.

Much of its charm stems from the medieval architecture of its old town, dating from the second Venetian occupation (1686-1715), not to mention its looming castles and watery vistas. The narrow streets and pristine whitewashed houses of the old town are reminiscent of the Greek islands.

Nafplion is also a convenient base if you want to visit ancient sites including Mycenae and Epidavros, both within a 30-minute drive, and Tiryns, which is only five minutes away.

The Bourtzi Fortress in NafplionThe Bourtzi Fortress

Nafplion Sights and Attractions

Archaeological Museum

The small but fascinating Archaeological Museum of Nafplio occupies two floors of a splendid 18th century Venetian warehouse on the town's main square. It's worth visiting to see some of the Mycenae finds that haven't been sent to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. There are also finds from Tiryns on display. It's on Platia Syntagmatos  (tel: 27520- 27502).

Bourtzi Fortress

The Bourtzi FortressThe Bourtzi Fortress

The Bourtzi Fortress is unmissable as it stands on an offshore island and is one of Nafplion's most distinctive features. It was built in the 15th century at the time of the Venetian occupation and it owes its importance to the deceptive waters here. They look deep but in fact there is only one navigable passage into Nafplion. The Bourtzi guards could block this passage by stringing chains from the island to the town.

Among the fortress's various functions over the years, it was the home of the town's executioner until 1930, and later a luxury hotel. These days it simply stands there, looking picturesque.

View over NafplionNafplion

Folklore Museum

The Peloponnesian Folk Foundation runs this very impressive specialist little museum, one of the best in the country in dealing with local crafts and culture. It has a large collection of traditional costumes, household and agricultural items, fascinating old photographs and an excellent handicrafts shop. The address is Ipsillantou 1 (tel: 27520-28379)

Its Kale Fortress

The name of this fortress is the Turkish for Inner Castle, and while it's slightly less dramatic than the Palamidi Fortress (see below), it's still worth a visit. This was the site of Nafplion's original acropolis, and several castles have stood here over the centuries. There are few remains to be seen, but it's a pleasant place for a short stroll. Another good walk leads around the headland on which the fortress stands.

Palamidi Fortress

Palamidi Fortress in NafplionThe View from the Palamidi Fortress

This massive 18th century Venetian citadel is so large there are several others ruined inside it. You can drive up to the entrance if you have a car, but otherwise it's a steep climb up almost 1000 steps to get there, which indicates how much the fortress dominates the town. There isn't that much to see when you get inside, other than the walls and the remains of three inner fortresses, but the views are really impressive. Tel: 27520-28036.

Our Pick of the Guides to Greece

Rough-Guide-Greece-2022.png

War Museum

The War Museum in Nafplion is a branch of the excellent War Museum in Athens, and was the first to open outside the capital. It's full of authentic weaponry and historical documents, and has a large collection of moving - and occasionally harrowing - photographs showing the impact of World War II on Greece.

There is also an interesting collection of artefacts relating to the War of Independence, with which Nafplion is closely linked. The town served as the capital of the newly-independent Greece from 1829-1834, when Athens became the capital.

Ioannis Kapodistrias in Nafplion

Ioannis Kapodistrias was born on Corfu in 1776, and became Greece's first president in 1829, based in Nafplio. In 1831 he was assassinated outside the church of Agios Spiridon, by two villainous chieftains from the Mani region in the southern Peloponnese. You can still see the bullet holes in the wall of the church. Three years later, in 1834, Athens became the new capital of modern Greece.

Nafplion SunsetNafplion Sunset

Shopping

For a small town, Nafplion has some very good shopping. Explore the back streets of the old town and you'll find potters, painters and jewelers making and selling their wares, some good bookshops and a more upmarket kind of souvenir shop. 

Nafplion at NightNafplion at Night

Other Peloponnese Pages

  • The Peloponnese in Greece has such sights as Olympia, Mycenae, the Mani, Nafplion, Corinth and Epidavros.

    Peloponnese: Travel Information about the Peloponnese in Greece

    The Peloponnese in Greece has such sights as Olympia, Mycenae, the Mani, Nafplion, Corinth and Epidavros.

  • The top archaeological sites in the Peloponnese in Greece include Epidavros, Olympia, Mycenae, Mystras, Tiryns, and Argos.

    Top Archaeological Sites in the Peloponnese

    The top archaeological sites in the Peloponnese in Greece include Epidavros, Olympia, Mycenae, Mystras, Tiryns, and Argos.

  • The Greece Travel Secrets guide to the ancient archaeological site of Tiryns, near Mycenae, in the Peloponnese of Greece, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    Tiryns

    The Greece Travel Secrets guide to the ancient archaeological site of Tiryns, near Mycenae, in the Peloponnese of Greece, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • The Temple of Bassae in Messenia in the Peloponnese of Greece is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece.

    The Temple of Bassae

    The Temple of Bassae in Messenia in the Peloponnese of Greece is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece.

  • The Nemean Games, like the Olympic Games, take place every four years but, unlike the Olympics, anyone can apply to take part and run in the original stadium.

    The Nemean Games

    The Nemean Games, like the Olympic Games, take place every four years but, unlike the Olympics, anyone can apply to take part and run in the original stadium.

  • Sparta (or Sparti) in the Peloponnese of Greece was one of the most important city-states of ancient Greece and has significant archaeological remains.

    Sparta

    Sparta (or Sparti) in the Peloponnese of Greece was one of the most important city-states of ancient Greece and has significant archaeological remains.

  • Patras, or Patra, in the Peloponnese is Greece's third-largest city, home to Greece's largest Carnival, with many Roman and Greek remains, museums and churches.

    Patras

    Patras, or Patra, in the Peloponnese is Greece's third-largest city, home to Greece's largest Carnival, with many Roman and Greek remains, museums and churches.

  • The ruined Byzantine city of Mystras sits on the top and the slopes of a hill that juts out from the plain and is one of the most remarkable places in Greece.

    Mystras

    The ruined Byzantine city of Mystras sits on the top and the slopes of a hill that juts out from the plain and is one of the most remarkable places in Greece.

  • Mycenae in the Greek Peloponnese was a royal palace and is famous for the royal tombs, Lion Gate, and was excavated by archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann.

    Mycenae

    Mycenae in the Greek Peloponnese was a royal palace and is famous for the royal tombs, Lion Gate, and was excavated by archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann.

  • Monemvasia in the Peloponnese is the Greek Rock of Gibraltar and is a huge offshore rock which conceals a tiny town connected to the mainland by a single road.

    Monemvasia

    Monemvasia in the Peloponnese is the Greek Rock of Gibraltar and is a huge offshore rock which conceals a tiny town connected to the mainland by a single road.

  • The Mani in the south of the Peloponnese is the most southerly part of the Greek mainland and famous for its rugged landscape, feuds, and tower houses.

    The Mani

    The Mani in the south of the Peloponnese is the most southerly part of the Greek mainland and famous for its rugged landscape, feuds, and tower houses.

  • Kalamata in the Peloponnese is the area's second-biggest city and is world-famous for the quality of its olives and for the nearby site of Ancient Messene.

    Kalamata

    Kalamata in the Peloponnese is the area's second-biggest city and is world-famous for the quality of its olives and for the nearby site of Ancient Messene.

  • The ancient theatre at Epidavros is one of Greece's greatest attractions, ranking alongside the Acropolis and the Palace at Knossos in Crete, and it is easily the finest theatre in Greece.

    Epidavros

    The ancient theatre at Epidavros is one of Greece's greatest attractions, ranking alongside the Acropolis and the Palace at Knossos in Crete, and it is easily the finest theatre in Greece.

  • Corinth has four aspects to it, which are the Corinth canal, the modern town of Corinth, nearby Ancient Corinth, and above that Akrokorinthos or Upper Corinth.

    Corinth

    Corinth has four aspects to it, which are the Corinth canal, the modern town of Corinth, nearby Ancient Corinth, and above that Akrokorinthos or Upper Corinth.

  • Argos is one of the top archaeological sites in the Peloponnese, one of the oldest cities in Europe, and with museums and a theatre bigger than Epidavros.

    Argos

    Argos is one of the top archaeological sites in the Peloponnese, one of the oldest cities in Europe, and with museums and a theatre bigger than Epidavros.

  • Travel guide to Ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese of mainland Greece, home to the original Olympic Games.

    Ancient Olympia

    Travel guide to Ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese of mainland Greece, home to the original Olympic Games.

  • The Bradt Guide to the Peloponnese is the best book on the Greek region which includes attractions like Mycenae, Epidavros, Olympia, Monemvasia and Nafplion.

    Bradt Guide to the Peloponnese

    The Bradt Guide to the Peloponnese is the best book on the Greek region which includes attractions like Mycenae, Epidavros, Olympia, Monemvasia and Nafplion.

  • Greece Travel Secrets reviews the photography book Monemvasia with extracts from works by Yiannis Ritsos and Nikos Kazantzakis.

    Monemvasia Book Review

    Greece Travel Secrets reviews the photography book Monemvasia with extracts from works by Yiannis Ritsos and Nikos Kazantzakis.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Latest Posts

RSS

  1. Paris 2024 Olympic Flame Lit at Ancient Olympia, Countdown to Games Begins

    The Olympic flame that will be burning for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer was lit in Ancient Olympia on Tuesday, April 16. Located in western Peloponnese, Ancient Olympia is one of the most…

    Read More

  2. April 17 Greece National Strike to Affect Public Transport, Ferry Travel

    Public transportation in Athens as well as ferry travel in Greece will be disrupted on Wednesday, April 17, due to a 24-hour strike called by the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), the cou…

    Read More

  3. The Ikaria Way

    the-ikaria-way-front-and-back-cover-900.webp
    Greece Travel Secrets reviews the Greek cookbook, The Ikaria Way by Diane Kochilas, containing 100 delicious plant-based recipes.

    Read More

  4. Greece Announces Steep Fines for Beach Access Violations

    The Greek Finance Ministry announced this week that it would taking strict measures including fines of up to 60,000 euros to ensure that Greece’s beaches are always accessible to the public. Fines ran…

    Read More

  5. Cyprus-Greece Ferry Connection to Start on May 29

    For a third year in a row, the ferry service linking Cyprus with Greece is scheduled to resume operations on May 29. The Cypriot-flagged Daleela, which can transport 400 passengers and 200 vehicles, w…

    Read More

  6. Greece Aiming to Include Knossos on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

    The Region of Crete announced this week that all actions had been taken to include the world-famous archaeological site of Knossos on Crete on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

    Read More

  7. Travel & Tourism Set to Break All Records in 2024, Says WTTC

    The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is projecting a record-breaking year for Travel & Tourism in 2024, with the sector’s global economic contribution set to reach an all-time high of $11.1 tri…

    Read More

  8. Two Top Floors of Athens Hotel Blocking Acropolis View Shut Down

    The Greek Tourism Ministry announced this week that it had sealed off the two top floors and the rooftop bar of a hotel in the center of Athens which were blocking views to the Acropolis.

    Read More

  9. Greece Opens Visa Station on Rhodes to Facilitate Turkish Tourists

    In order to facilitate tourists arriving from neighboring Turkey under a new visa-on-arrival scheme, Greek authorities announced the opening of a visa station on Rhodes. Under the fast-track visa sche…

    Read More

  10. 10 Day Trips to Restaurants Near Athens

    You don't have to travel far to have a good time in Greece. Here's our list of 10 eateries for day trips from Athens.

    Read More