Things to do
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Acronauplia
The rocky peninsula directly behind the old town carries the oldest walls in Nafplio, layered by Byzantines, Franks, Venetians and Ottomans. Paths and a road lead up through gates to open ground with views over the gulf and the Bourtzi. Entry is free and open. A lift cut into the rock rises from the old town to the hotel at the top.
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Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus
Climb to the top row while someone speaks loudly from the stage, and you will still understand every word. Around the theatre lie the ruins of the sanctuary of Asklepios, once the leading place of healing in the Greek world.
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Arvanitia
A pebble beach and swimming platforms sit in a cove below Palamidi, a short walk south of the old town. A level promenade path runs from here around the cliffs of Acronauplia, a good evening walk above clear water. Sunbeds and a café operate in summer. The sea shelves quickly, so the swimming is deep almost at once.
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Bourtzi
Take a small boat across Nafplio harbour to the Venetian castle that fills its own islet, then walk the stone walls that once guarded the narrow way in from the gulf.
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Mycenae
Massive stone walls still ring the hilltop citadel, and you enter it under a gate carved with two lions. The same ticket opens the Treasury of Atreus, the most impressive Mycenaean beehive tomb.
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Palamidi
You climb from the edge of the old town to a hilltop fortress, and from its bastions Nafplio and its harbour open out below you.
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Archaeological Museum of Nafplion
Housed in the stone Venetian arsenal on Syntagma Square, the museum gathers finds from Mycenae, Tiryns and other Argolid sites. Its best known piece is the Dendra panoply, a full suit of Mycenaean bronze armour with a boar's tusk helmet. The building sits at the heart of the old town, an easy stop between cafés. Entry is ticketed.
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Bouboulinas Promenade
The Bouboulinas promenade runs along Nafplio's harbour front, with the Bourtzi sea castle out in the bay in view at any time of day. It is flat, open and right on the water, the easiest walk in town. In summer, walk it after the heat of the day.
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Karathona
A long sandy beach in a sheltered bay on the far side of Palamidi, reached by road or by a coastal footpath from Arvanitia. The water is shallow and calm, suited to families and long swims. Beach bars run along part of the sand in summer, while the southern end stays quieter. Parking fills on hot weekends.
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Kastro of Astros
The castle at Astros stands above the Argolic Gulf, in the neighbouring region of Arcadia. A short climb leads to a wide view over the gulf and the land behind it. Drive there from Nafplio, and carry water and a hat for the climb in summer.
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Kefalari Spring
At Kefalari, a village on the edge of the Argolic plain, a powerful karst spring rises beside the church of Zoodochos Pigi. A karst spring is water that has run underground through limestone and wells up at the surface. Drive there from Nafplio across the plain.
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Kolokotronis Park
Kolokotronis Park is the main green space of Nafplio, a park just east of the old centre and within an easy walk of the old town's lanes. Summer is hot in town, so come here for a break from the sun between the old town and the harbour front.
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Larissa Castle
Larissa Castle stands on the hill above Argos, the town across the plain from Nafplio. From its walls the view runs over the whole Argolic plain to the sea. Drive over from Nafplio, and carry water, a hat and sunblock for the open hilltop.
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Nafplia Palace Hotel & Villas
Set on the summit of Acronauplia inside the old fortress walls, this hotel looks straight across the harbour to the Bourtzi and Palamidi. Rooms and a separate group of villas, many with private pools, spread over the hilltop. A lift through the rock drops guests into the old town in a minute. The hotel opens seasonally, from spring to late autumn.
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Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation
A neoclassical mansion in the old town holds a large collection of Greek regional dress, embroidery and woven textiles. Costumes from across the Peloponnese and the islands fill the upper floors, with looms and household tools below. The shop sells books and textile reproductions. Allow an hour, more for anyone interested in craft and pattern.
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Syntagma Square
Syntagma Square is the main square of Nafplio's old town, car-free and brightly lit until late in the evening. The Archaeological Museum stands on the square, its exhibits captioned in English. Start a walk of the old town's lanes here, on uneven cobbles underfoot.
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Tiryns
A Mycenaean citadel on a low rise just outside Nafplio, ringed by walls of boulders so large that later Greeks credited them to the Cyclops. Visitors walk the ramp and gateways and see the vaulted galleries built inside the walls. It is part of a UNESCO listing with Mycenae. The site is ticketed and usually far quieter than its neighbour.
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Tolo
Tolo is a seaside village near Nafplio with one of the area's best beaches. The sand is wide and slopes gently into the sea. Drive there for an afternoon of swimming, and bring water, a hat and sunblock for the open sand.
