General Information & Reviews

Reviews

• tommyk5 25 Oct 2011
  All we could hoped for

  We just returned from 7 nights in Nafplio staying at the Hotel Leto in an out of the way spot but a very close walk to the taverns, shops and harbor. We had a marvelous balcony with beautiful view of the Bourtzi Castle and the sea. The Old Town was everything we could have hoped for with its narrow streets and pedestrian lanes filled with shops, taverns, and interesting sights. We climbed Palamidi Castle, walked around Akronafplio, swam in the Aegean and eat at many traditional taverns AWAY from the harbor. There is a Farmers Market every Wednesday & Saturday with all kinds of produce, wine, merchandise and a wide variety of people. We can't wait to go back!
  
• alanbe 07 Jun 2010
  Nice places to visit

  Nafplion is a good place to visit the numerous important archeological sites close by. My first impression of Nafplion was that the place bore an uncanny resemblance to Plaka of Athens, only bigger. The marble square in the heart of town is surrounded by historical buildings, mosques, cafes, tavernas and shops. In the evening, we watched the sunset from the sidewalk near the harbor, and went to one of the cafe bars at the square. Everything was fine, except the smoke in there. Being nonsmokers, my wife and I rushed out to occupy a table outside the cafe. The next day, we visited Mycenae, Epidaurus and Tiryns. The bus service was conveniently located at Sygrou Street, close to the Old Town. We also made a trip to Argos, a small agricultural town, which is regarded as the most ancient town with its ruins of a castle, a theater, some ancient settlements, as well as some ancient monasteries. After a few days of sightseeing, we explored a few fishing villages such as Vivari, which has a lagoon and a beautiful sandy beach. We also went to Tolo, a wonderful sandy beach, but the rows of sun beds can get pretty crammed on weekends. The beachside cafes have tasty Greek salads and burgers. In the afternoon, we rented a paddle boat and rowed to the tiny island far out in the bay. There was a little beaten path that led to a tiny chapel and big rocks from where we had exhilarating dives into the waters.
  
• tedhurtu 12 Dec 2009
  Wonderful castles

  In Athens, before hopping to the islands, we took a daily bus excursion to Epidaurus and Nafplion. The site of Epidaurus was nice, particularly the theatre. The museum was small and not well organized, but still interesting. Nafplionwas about an hour away from Epidaurus. It was a romanitc city and the Old Town remined me a lot of Corfu, you know with the narrow streets, the large squares, the tall bell towers, the old houses... The fortress surely gave the best views of the area and we took some pretty nice photos from up there. Bourtzi was also nice. I was surprised that a Medieval Castle in the middle of the sea was so well-maintained against the sea salt and the wind! Drink a coffee in the waterfront with view to the Bourtzi, it will be a memory to remember from Nafplion.
  
• vasilikiang 09 Oct 2009
  Impressive and calm

  Nafplion is a special town. It is busy a bit, but once you slide in the narrow streets of the Old Town, this is total calm. First thing to notice on Nafplion was the many stores with worry beads and ice-creams. Grab an ice-cream at hand and stroll around. In the Old Town, you will see ample squares and the church where Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of Greece, was murdered.
  
  Your steps will lead you to the port. Have a coffee with view to Bourtzi, a small islet at the entrance of the port with a strong castle on it. Then, take a small boat from the port to go there. It costs 4 euros a person with return and they leave every 30 minutes.
  
  In the evening, head to Palamidi, the fortress above Napflion. You will need comfy shoes and light clothes because climbing up the Palamidi can be a bit of a trouble. The ground is upscending and paths are slipping, it is a big castle. Some (brave) people climb up the (I think) about 800 (maybe more!) stairs from the town to the castle but it seemed toooo tiring for me! From the top of the fortress, you will get the best views of the town and the sea. For the evening, I would suggest a small tavern at the port.
  
  The most popular beach close to Nafplionis Tolo. The beach was great but I didn't like the village, it was very tourist. You could see only hotels and taverns there, almost no houses. The beach was clean, sandy, shallow and there are watersports (banana and jet ski). I saw that ships of Pegasus Cruises would leave from the port of Tolo and go for daily trips to Hydra, Spetses, Poros and Monemvasia.
  
• melimax 30 Apr 2009
  Impressions from town and close theatre

  To go to Nafplion, we drive the highway (from Athens) through the Corinth Channel. We were driving half an hour up and down to find the famous Channel, but in the end, by poor accident we found it. Believe me, it was not that obvious from the highway. It was really nice to see and we were very sorry that we could not go on a boat trip on the Channel, it could have been a nice experience but it was extremely expensive. So we decided to admire the Channel just from the bridge. Later on, we understood that there is only one tourist agency to organise boat trips on the Corinth Channel, which is a pity because in lack of concurrence they really have high prices.
  
  So we went on towards Nafplio. Not far away, there is an ancient Greek theatre, they say it is one of the nicest in Greece. Unfortunately, it was 1st of May, and although the place was full of tourist buses and cars of tourists, this place was closed. They really made us angry here, as there were 2 men sitting in the cashier office. They were simply sitting there and telling to the tourists that sorry, no tickets today it is closed. It was such a nonsense, what the hell they were doing there in the office if it was closed? In general, we could not understand how come that most archeological sites in Greece were closing at 2 p.m.
  
  Wouldn't be nicer to visit these wonderful places at sunset? Why we have to climb up to these ruins when the sun is the hottest? I can say that we were very happy about entrance fees (they were quite cheap, most places are for free for students!) but opening hours were really terrible and there were no organised guided tours. There are so many things to learn about this cultural heritage, I just do not understand why Greek tourist industry does not exploit it.
  
  As all sites were closed we went to see Nafplio. Really nice seaside town, full of restaurants and bars. We liked it and found a beautiful camping nearby with orange trees at the seaside. Next morning we climbed up to the castle of Nafplio, really worth to see. Epidauros was also interesting, it is a pity that the only information we learned from the guardians was "3 o'clock closed", they were repeating this continuously. And they really closed at 3 o'clock.
  
  
• joankam 18 Apr 2009
  A huge fortress dominates

  I had been in Nafplion about four or five years ago. I don't remember much of it. Just a huge Fortress that you will need more than two hours to see all of it and a big, paved square with cafeterias. I guess a weekend is enough for Nafplion. About 15 minutes drive from the town, there is a nice beach, Tolo, with many watersports.
• sofi345ts 07 Jan 2009
  Nice family vacations

  Nafplion had been the destination of our summer holidays two summers ago. As we have two children, aged 9 and 7, we booked a room in Tolo beach, very close to Nafplion. Tolo seemed more suitable to us as the children could play in the sea all day. The beach was fine, very clean water and many sports to do. We went to Nafplion two or three times during our two week holidays, as we spent most time at the beach. The town is lovely and has many nice corners to have a coffee. Palamidi Castle was huge and you needed at least two hours to see all of it, the children got really tired. Restaurants in the waterfront were a bit expensive for a family of four. Close places for excursions are Nea Kios fow a swim, Argos for a coffee and Mycenae for sightseeing.
• heleanatz 01 Oct 2008
  Feel the positive vibe

  I love Nafplion!! I think it is not like the other towns in Greece. Of course, it has some traffic that can get annoying some days, but when you walk around the Old Town, you feel all this positive vibe of the town. I personally don't like archaeological sites and museums, so when I go to Nafplion, I don't frequently visit Palamidi or Bourtzi. I prefer walking around the small paths of the Old Town, having a coffee at the waterfront or buying souvenirs from gift shops. The best beach close to Nafplion is Tolo. It is a very long beach with sand, watersports and hotels to stay.
• euod88 01 Jul 2008
  Lovely and popular

  Nafplion is a lovely town to go. There aren't many sights to see, so I believe you shouldn't spend more than 3 or 4 days there. The only sights worth to see is Palamidi and Bourtzi. The rest to do is stroll around in the Old Town and have a coffee at the waterfront. For me, the best restaurant in Nafplion is Byzantion, very tasty food and nice spot in the old town. The best beaches to go in the area is Tolo, very long and sandy. It is the most popular resort close to Nafplion and you can practise jet ski there. Also go to Nea Kios, a lovely seaside village about 20 minutes away by car. There are a lot of fresh fish dishes there.
• derek 08 May 2008
  Naplion

  Nafplio is an old and historical town, hiding a treasure in each corner! Visitors can climb the 999 steps that lead to the beautiful Venetian fort Palamidi, they can swim at Arvanitia, or just stroll around, feeling the special ambience of the town, which is like a travel back in time. Nafplio was the first capital of the modern Greece. In the old city the Venetian architecture co-exists with the Turkish decoration and the neoclassic elegance. It is definitely one of the most beautiful provincial towns in Greece!!
  Nafplio is a most delightful town, much of its charm comes from the medieval architecture of its old town which dates from the second Venetian occupation of 1686-1715. Then there are its castles and forts...
  Out on an islet in the bay is a small fortress known as the Bourtzi which was built in the 15th century at the time of the Venetian occupation. Because of the shallow waters here there was only one navigable channel into Nafplio and the Bourtzi guards could block this by stinging chains across from the islet to the town. It was once the home of the towns executioner, it was once a hotel but now it stands empty but very picturesque
  The Palamidi fortress stands high above the buildings of the town and can be reached either by climbing the 999 steps or by taking the easier but longer route by road. The views from the fortress are spectacular making the effort well worthwhile. The main part of the fortress is Venetian dating from the 18th century but inside the primary walls are the remains of three smaller fortresses...
  
• john_G 19 Dec 2007
  Great Town

  I have visited it twice and I would have to say it is beautiful and authentic.
  
  
  The winding streets and friendly people make it such a special place. The people that live there are great, and they are very welcoming to strangers.
  
• Sonia_M 01 Aug 2007
  Authentic town

  Nafplio is an amazing town, the authenticity of the place keeps it beautiful. It has great shops and restaurants. The walk up to the Palamidi castle was fun, and once we got to the top the view was breathtaking.