Day trips from Nafplio
During my second visit to Athens, I got to discover new cities. My initial reason for visiting was an utterly magical hotel in Athens but I decided to extend my stay. Not the hardest of decisions when visiting friends in Greece! One weekend, we visited the seaside town of Nafplio but ended up spending more time in neighboring places. Inspired by the places we visited and some we didn’t have enough time for, here are a few ideas for day trips from Nafplio!
All of these day trips from Nafplio are best done with the help of a car. You can do them separately or combine them all into a little road trip. One day, I would love to discover every inch of the Peloponnese. However, exploring the sites surrounding Nafplio was already an amazing start!
Archaeological site of Mycenae
The archaeological site of Mycenae should be your first pit-stop while driving through the Peloponnese. Not far from Athens, this historically important place is beautiful even if you’re not a history nerd. Situated on top of a hillside with an impressive view of the valley, it immediately won me over. Not only because its fields of wildflowers were in bloom during March but that helped.
The entrance fee is half the price during the low season, not to mention the small amount of visitors. Aside from a handful of people, it felt like we had the entire site all to ourselves during our visit. As much as I was marveling at the pieces of history surrounding me, I was delighted upon seeing all the flowers. Pink blossoms on branches, endless fields of wildflowers adorning the hillsides. If we’re talking about best day trips from Nafplio, the Mycenae site won’t disapppoint you. Best of all, it’s less than 30min away from Nafplio so you can always drop by, no matter the time of year!
Another short ride away from Nafplio, the Epidaurus Theater and its complex is a great day trip idea. The most famous ancient theater in Greece, it’s famous for its acoustics and how well-preserved it is. In fact, certain events still take place here today. With a capacity of 14,000, you can still test out its impressive acoustics! Aside from the theater, you can also see other historical sites. Among them are the Temple of Asclepius, a 5th-century stadium, a Tholos, and an archeological museum.
Halfway between Athens and Nafplio, you will find the site of the Ancient Corinth. The ruins of Ancient Corinth still give an amazing glimpse into this once-important Greek city. Its most conspicuous monument is the Archaic Temple of Apollo. However, the remainder of the site is equally impressive to look at. The imposingly large archaeological site will take up to 2 hours of your time but you won’t regret it!
The destination closest to Nafplio, the archaeological site of Argos is a beautiful ruin of a once important city. It underwent significant changes during the Roman times. However, future city invasions destroyed its monuments and left it in ruins we can see today. Despite all that, it’s still a charming site to visit. The ancient theater is partially carved into the rocks and has an impressive capacity of 20,000. Nowadays, it hosts specific events during the summer. The site is quite expansive and includes an archaeological museum. All in all, the easiest day trip from Nafplio and quite interesting too!
Another half-hour drive from Nafplio, the Temple of Zeus in Nemea dates back to the 4th century. An archaeological museum and the Stadium of Nemea adjoin the restored Doric temple. In fact, this temple is regarded as the last of the great Doric temples! A famed sanctuary of Zeus, it was the center of the Nemean games every two years. Initially held in the town of Nemea, the games were moved to the aforementioned city of Argos.
One short day in Nafplio
In the end, we didn’t spend much time in Nafplio itself. I was excited to visit the Fortress of Palamidi but it closed early because it’s low season. Despite that, we got to enjoy a beautiful pastel sunset over Nafplio. A balmy winter sunset of subdued shades of violet and blue. Followed by a feast of delicious Greek food at Pidalio Tavern. It was one of those eventful days that leave you feeling weary but content. And just like that, it was time to head back to Athens. I had barely scratched the surface of the Peloponnese but I loved what I had found. So much so that I cannot wait to return and discover more of it!
