Photo: Stolbovsky · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Nafplio
A Venetian harbour town under a hilltop fortress, Greece's first capital.
A small, elegant harbour town on the Peloponnese coast, with Venetian lanes and squares under a hilltop fortress and a castle on an islet in the bay. Greece's first capital, an easy two hours from Athens by bus. Mycenae and Epidaurus are day trips by local bus (check).
Places to see
Palamidi fortressSight · A huge Venetian fortress on the hill above town, a maze of bastions and gateways with…≈ A$14- BourtziSight · A little stone castle filling an islet in the harbour, the town's postcard view.≈ A$9
Old town and Syntagma SquareWalk · Marble-paved lanes of pastel houses with wooden balconies and bougainvillea, opening onto…Free
Arvanitia promenade and beach
When to go
- Jan15° / 6°Often wetQuiet
- Feb15° / 6°Often wetQuiet
- Mar17° / 8°Some rainQuiet
- Apr21° / 10°Some rainBusy
- May25° / 14°Mostly dryBusy
- Jun30° / 18°Mostly dryVery busy
- Jul32° / 21°Mostly dryVery busy
- Aug32° / 21°Mostly dryVery busy
- Sep
Staying and getting around
Good areas to stay
The old town. Venetian lanes, Syntagma Square and the harbour front: the place to stay if you can, with rooms in old houses.
The new town and Pronia. Plainer streets east of the old town around the bus station, with cheaper rooms and supermarkets, 10 minutes' walk from the harbour.
Flying in
Athens Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH): X93 bus to Kifissos bus station, then a KTEL bus to Nafplio, about 3 h 30 min, ≈ A$39. About 3.5 h with the change; check the day's KTEL times (check).
Flewaway's estimate for the usual budget way into Nafplio; check times and fares before you fly.
By bus
The train doesn't reach Nafplio: take it to Athens railway station, then the bus. KTEL buses leave from Athens' Kifissos bus station (not the train station), about 2 h, several a day (check)
Getting around
You can walk everywhere. A single ticket is ≈ A$3. The old town, fortresses and Arvanitia are all on foot. KTEL buses from the bus station reach Tiryns, Mycenae and Epidaurus (check).
Tourist tax
Greece's climate resilience fee is charged per room a night: about €2 at simple places from April to October, less in winter; paid at check-in (check).
