Peloponnese: Places to Explore

West of the isthmus, the countryside opens up into a low-lying coastal plain around the head of the gulf of Corinth. Modern Corinth, near the coast about 8 km (5 mi) north of the turnoff for the ancient... Read more

In Areopolis, the typical Maniote tower houses began to appear in earnest as spooky sentinels in the harsh landscape. The town was renamed after the god of war Ares, because of its role in the War of Independence:... Read more

The city of Argos (population 21,000), set amid citrus groves on the western edge of the Argive plain, is the economic hub of the region, a workaday town with a long past. The fall of Mycenae and Tiryns... Read more

Leave your car at the entrance of this stone village stunningly set amid the Arcadian mountains and stroll the maze of narrow cobbled lanes. Should you need to add some ancient history to your enjoyment... Read more

Located at the end of a long natural harbor, around which cluster a few tavernas and shops, Gerolimenas was an important port in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sleepy as Gerolimenas now is, it's... Read more

More of a pit stop than a town, the isthmus is where the Peloponnese begins. Were it not for this narrow neck of land less than 7 km (4½ mi) across, the waters of the gulf of Corinth and the Saronic... Read more

The gateway to the Mani on the Messinian side is Kardamyli, found 31 km (19 mi) southeast of Kalamata. It is considered part of the outer Mani, an area less bleak and stark than the inner Mani that begins... Read more

The Byzantine town of Monemvassia clings to the side of the 1,148-foot rock that was once a headland, but in AD 375 was separated from the mainland by an earthquake. The town was first settled in the 6th... Read more

Oraia (beautiful) is the word Greeks use to describe Nafplion. The town's old section, on a peninsula jutting into the gulf of Argos, mixes Greek, Venetian, and Turkish architecture; narrow streets, often... Read more

Patras is the third-largest city in Greece and a major harbor. Unless you come to town to catch a ferry to Italy or Corfu, you might want to zoom right by. The municipality has launched an extensive improvement... Read more

For those who have read about ancient Sparta, the bellicose city-state that once dominated the Greek world, the modern city on the broad Eurotas river might be a disappointment, since ruins are few and... Read more

Also called Ipsous, Stemnitsa is one of the most beautiful towns in southern Greece, wondrously perched 3,444 feet above sea level amid a forest of fir and chestnut trees. For centuries the stone village... Read more

Regardless of the direction from which you approach the southern half of the Peloponnese, history, along with the practicalities of the road network in this part of Greece, suggests you're sure to at least... Read more