Greece Guide
The Peloponnese
The appeal of the Peloponnese (Pelopónnisos) is hard to overstate. This southern peninsula, technically an island since the cutting of the Corinth Canal, seems to have the best of almost everything Greek. Its ancient sites include the Homeric palaces of Agamemnon at Mycenae and of Nestor at Pýlos, the best preserved of all Greek theatres at Epidaurus, and the lush sanctuary of Olympia, host to the Olympic Games for a millennium. The medieval remains are scarcely less rich, with the fabulous Venetian, Frankish and Turkish castles of Náfplio, Methóni and Kórinthos; the strange battle towers and frescoed churches of the Máni; and the extraordinarily well preserved Byzantine shells of Mystra and Monemvasiá.
Beyond this incredible profusion of cultural monuments, the Peloponnese is also a superb place to relax and wander. Its beaches, especially along the west coast, are among the finest and least developed in the country, and the landscape inland is superb – dominated by range after range of forested mountains, and cut by some of the lushest valleys and gorges to be imagined. Not for nothing did its heartland province of Arcadia give its name to the concept of a classical rural idyll.
The Peloponnese is at its most enjoyable and intriguing when you venture off the beaten track: to the old Arcadian hill towns like Karítena, Stemnítsa and Dhimitsána; the Maniot tower villages; beaches such as Elafónissos in the south; or the trip along the remarkable rack-and-pinion railway from the north coast at Dhiakoftó to Kalávryta.
Travelling about the peninsula by public transport, you'll be dependent mostly on buses. These are fast and regular on the main routes between the seven provincial capitals, and from these towns go to most other places at least once a day; however, travelling between smaller towns in different provinces is considerably more complicated. The Peloponnese train line is gradually being upgraded, in particular with the Athens– Pátra section being converted to a high-speed track in 2008. The highly scenic southern loop still runs to a leisurely timetable but it does provide some direct connections and landscape views unavailable on buses.
Highlights
1 Acrocorinth A huge, barren rock arising from and dominating the plains of Kórinthos, crowned by a great medieval fortress.
2 Mycenae Agamemnon's legendary palace and possible site of his murder upon his return from the Trojan War.
3 Náfplio With its genteel and cultured (if slightly faded) nineteenth-century elegance, this makes a picturesque and lively base from which to explore the Argolid.
4 Monemvasiá The Byzantines' impregnable rock and stronghold now offers both a stylishly rejuvenated island of traffic-free relaxation, and insights into its historic past.
5 Paleohóra, Kýthira The ruined medieval island capital; a fortified town, hidden between ravines.
6 The Máni Anachronistic medieval architecture; high-rise internecine warfare in the deep south.
7 Mystra A visually stunning medieval city that once had a population of 20,000; a superb collection of frescoed Byzantine churches remains.
8 Olympia It's worth braving the crowds to see 1400 years of the Olympic Games laid bare along the green valley of the Alfiós.
9 Vouraïkós Gorge Greece's most scenic railway line, winding through the northern mountains.