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Contents
1. Nafplio Town
Nafplio is an attractive upmarket destination with many designer shops. It is a popular weekend retreat for Athenians. It is very pleasant wandering through the streets and along the waterfront.
From Nafplio's harbour there is the iconic view of Bourtzi Castle which sits on a small island. It is particularly special at night time when it is lit up. It was recently renovated and was opened to the public in August 2023.
It costs Eur 5 to enter Bourtzi Castle and the return boat ride costs another Eur 5. The boat only leaves when there are at least 4 people. It is only a 10 minute boat ride each way.
Parking can be difficult in Nafplio. We used to park on the road called 25is Martiou. It's a wide street and in the off season we always found a place to park.
2. Akronafplia Fortress
Akronafplia fortress is the oldest part of Nafplio and until the 13th century it was a town. The Franks and Venetians made it part of the Nafplio's fortifications.
There is a road to the fortress from the south side of central Nafplio. You can drive up and there is limited free parking. Most people walk and it is only a 10 minute walk along the road to the top of the 85 metre high castle. There is no entrance fee and it is always open.
The castle hasn't been well maintained and there is very little to see apart from the fantastic views of Nafplio, Bourtzi Castle and Palamidi Fortress.
3. Palimidi Fortress
3.1. About Palimidi Fortress
The Venetians completed the construction of Palimidi fortress in 1714. Just one year later the Ottomans captured it. They held it until the Greeks won the war for their independence in 1822.
3.2. What to See at Palimidi Fortress
It is definitely worth visiting Palimidi Fortress and it took us 1 hour to explore it. You should visit early or late to avoid the heat and the tour buses.
The main, and well preserved, part of Palimidi fortress is by the entrance gate. On the bell tower there is a plaque with the emblem of Venice, the winged lion of Saint Mark. You can enter the small cell where Theodoros Kolokotronis, a hero in the Greek war of independence, was imprisoned. There are excellent views from the large terrace.
Tour groups mainly stay in this main part of Palimidi fortress but there is a lot more to explore. The remainder of the site consists of fortified walls and ruins with superb sea views. The paths are a bit rough at times.
Unfortunately there are very few signs at the site providing information about Palimidi fortress.
3.3. How to get to Palimidi Fortress
The hard way is to climb 999 steps, and ascend 216 metres, from the centre of Nafplio. We took the easy option of driving up the good road to Palimidi fortress! Another option would be to take a taxi for the 10 minute drive up. There is a small free parking lot at the top and if it is full you can park along the road.
3.4. Entrance Fee, Opening Hours and Toilets
In summer Palimidi fortress is open from 08.00 to 20.00 and the entrance fee is Eur 8. You can buy a ticket for Eur 20 that covers Palamidi, Mycenae, Tiryns, Asini and several museums. You can find more details of the hours and tickets on the odysseus.culture.gr website.
There is a portable toilet in the parking lot and there are better toilets inside the fortress near the entrance.
4. Accommodation in Nafplio
We booked a very spacious 1 bedroom apartment in Nafplio through Booking.com at a cost of Eur 77 per night for 3 nights. The apartment was on 2 levels and was fantastic. I reviewed it on my blog "UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1" (number 14).
5. Excursions from Nafplio
We used Nafplio as a base to see the famous archaeological sites in the vicinity:
5.1. Epidaurus
It is only a 30 minute scenic drive from Nafplio to the archaeological site at Epidaurus. The highlight of Epidaurus is the theatre dating back to 340 BC. See my blog Epidaurus, Greece: Travel Guide for further information.
5.2. Corinth
It's an hour drive from Nafplio to Corinth where there is a lot to see in the area. In the new town of Corinth the only worthwhile site is the spectacular Corinth Canal.
Acrocorinth is located a few kilometres away from the new town and is the ancient acropolis of Corinth dating back to the 7th century BC. Ancient Corinth is nearby and is the ruined old city of Corinth.
See my blog Corinth, Greece: Travel Guide for further information.
5.3. Tiryns and Mycenae
The little visited archaeological site of Tiryns is only a 7 minute drive from Nafplio. From there you can drive a further 20 minutes to the famous archaeological site of Mycenae.
See my blogs Tiryns, Greece: Travel Guide and Mycenae, Greece: Travel Guide for further information.
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