The Peloponnese 12 Day Road Trip Itinerary
The Peloponnese is a peninsula on the southern part of the country. We encourage you to explore the region by driving in this exciting part of Greece at your own pace. You will discover various historical sites from ancient civilizations, friendly locals, old style village tavernas, modern beach resorts and uncrowded beaches.
As boomers we like to decide where and how we travel mixing sightseeing & relaxation. Adding new experiences and a modest amount of adventure in comfort. Greece and particularly the real Greece on The Peloponnese mainland provides the perfect environment and backdrop for our lifestyle.
Driving in Greece has changed dramatically in recent years with the EEC funds improving the road and safety systems.
Check out some helpful tips we listed in Boomer Tips & Advice Visiting Greece
- This post lays out a 12 day itinerary focused on historical sites on mainland Greece. We recommend visiting the following historical sites, in the Peloponnese:
- Ancient Corinth, Evidavros, Mycenae, Fortress at Palamidi.
- Mystras , Monemvasia
- Ancient Messene, Ancient Olympia.
- I use Google Maps deliberately as they show English & Greek place names as you will see on the road signs
- remember the distances are in Kilometers / Km.
- most of the main roads have tolls for a modest amount of Euros so keep change ready and available
Boomer Alert: We recommend if possible to avoid traveling / sightseeing in Greece during the heat of July & August. We recommend the quieter months May & June and September.
Athens – Ancient Corinth – Evidavros
Assuming you collect the rental car at Athens airport, we suggest you take the Toll Road to Corinth.
Head southwest on Attiki Odos/A62: Use the right 2 lanes to take exit K2 to merge onto Attiki Odos/A6/E94 toward ELEFSINA/ATHINA.
Continue to follow E94 Keep right at the fork to continue on Olympia Odos/A8, follow signs for Patra/Anc. Korinthos. (Drive should take about 1 hr 15min)
Stopping at the Corinth Canal is worthwhile to stretch your legs and to check out the canal. You should also to taste the “souvlaki” which is served at the many cafes lining the main street.
A walk across the footbridge of the canal gives great views. The engineering of the canal is impressive as are the Zulu Bungy jumpers! Opened in 1893, the canal cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth connecting the Ionian and the Aegean Seas. This creates an island out of the Peloponnese Peninsula in the technical sense.
Ancient Corinth / AcroCorinth
Some of the Ancient Corinth sights include the Temple of Apollo as well as walls from the ancient Roman city. There is also a small but impressive museum.
Acrocorinth is a location featured in the New Testament related to the missionary travels of the Apostle Paul.
Boomer Alert: Acrocorinth is a tough hike, so beware, you need good walking shoes and a good healthy stamina.
Epidavros
From Corinth to Epidavros takes 1 hr 15min, from there to Naphlio another 30 min.
Epidavros, constructed in about 300 BCE, is an ancient theater carved out of stone with the ability to seat over 14,000 people. It’s still in use today.
The seating comes complete with specially carved seats up front for the rulers of the time (you can sit in them and feel regal.)
The site was originally used as an ancient healing center dedicated to Asklepios, the god of healing. There’s a museum and archeological site and monastery. Tours cost about 12 euros and last about 1.5 hrs and are worth booking in advance during summer months.
Epidavros theatre’s reportedly allows almost perfect intelligibility of the spoken word to all 14,000 spectators, regardless of their seating position!
Naphlion
Naphlion (or Nafplio, or Nafplion) is a great place to stay 1 or 2 nights to relax and explore. Nafplio was the first capital of the newly born Greek state between 1823 and 1834. We enjoy the city’s restaurants and shops and walking along its charming colorful streets.
Our favorite hotel found on Booking.com while staying in Naphlion is the Hotel Grand Bretagne in the heart of Nafplion by Filellinon Square. The city is very walkable and the hotel is in a good location and looks out to the Venetian castle of Bourtzi, in the middle of the harbor. The castle was once a prison and a hotel and a home for executioners, so the story goes. You can take a taxi-boat out the the castle for a tour.
We recommend you book your hotel room ahead of arrival, there is a wide range of hotels to choose from to suit all tastes and budgets check out Booking.com (where we found the Hotel Grand Bretagne) or any other hotel site.
The Fortress of Palamidi, also built by the Venetians, offers fantastic views of Naphlion and the sea, and will challenge you with 999 steps to the top. The fortress, like so many buildings and plazas in the area built by the Venetians, comes complete with symbols of the Lion of St. Mark.
Palamidi Castle
Boomer Alert: If climbing the 999 steps to the top sounds too many, the option (which I chose) is to drive to the east side of the castle.
The Palamidi Castle is named after Palamidis, a major character in the Trojan war and part of Greek Mythology. Palamidis is credited for the invention of dice, numbers, and letters and was the Mythological son of King Nauphlius.
Mycenae
Mycenae is one of Greece’s most important archaeological sites and is only about a 30 minute drive from Naphlion. It was a military city in Ancient times and once ruled by King Agamemnon – the leader of the Greek army during the Trojan war.
The city has huge walls built during the 13th century BCE and are still in tact today. The archaeological site consists of a palace, a museum, numerous ancient tombs, the Lion Gate (see above), the Treasury of Atreus – the Tomb of Agamemnon.
Argos is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and the oldest in Europe. Agros has a foothold in the plain of Argolis – fertile agricultural land. with a good supply of water . (They lost the Battle of the 300 Champions vs Sparta, where each side supplied 300 of their best warriors.)
Mystras – Monemvasia
Leaving Naphlion, head north to join the E65 going south towards Tripoli. Then take the road E691 towards Sparta, in all this should take around 1 hr 30min. Mystras is another 10-15 min drive.
Mystras
A must see site is the UNESCO Archaeological Site of Mystras which is located on the eastern side of the Taygetos Mountain and overlooks the plain of Sparta. The fortress was erected in 1249 by William of Villehardouin and conquered by the Byzantines, then occupied by the Turks and the Venetians, and then abandoned in 1832. Most residents moved to Sparta.
The view at the top is spectacular overlooking Sparta and the Laconian Plain.
Boomer Alert: In my younger days I enjoyed trekking up the slippery slopes and exploring each wall and monument. These days I suggest driving to the top of the site, to avoid the lengthy and strenuous climb by foot.
Gytheio
Gytheio, is the ancient port of Sparta and a good base to stay. There are numerous seafood restaurants and it’s conveniently located for a day visit to Monemvasia.
Gytheio is the site of ancient Cranae – a small island. According to legend, Paris of Troy and the famous Helen from Sparta spent their first night together before departing for Troy and starting the Trojan War.
When in Gytheio we generally stay at the Aktaion City Hotel, (find it on Booking.com) which is clean and basic, with a great location to explore the town and with a never-failing panoramic sunrise across the harbor.
Monemvasia
Monemvasia is just over an hour direct drive from Gytheio and is a pleasant day trip. The town is a “mini Gibralter”, founded in the 6th century. It was once a stronghold medieval fortress. And as a major commercial center for the eastern part of the Mediterranean, it became a target of pirate raids as well as being invaded by the Venetians and the Ottoman Empire. Today, it’s a nice place to visit and take in the mix of ancient and modern Greece.
The drive from Gytheio takes you through dozens of citrus groves – the region is a significant source of oranges in Greece.
Monemvasia is located on a small island, drivable, near Epidaurus, carved out of rock overlooking the sea. It’s breath-taking and besides great views, offers a good assortment of restaurants, nice shops, and great photo ops.
Gytheio is a good place to come back to, walk through the town, head to a nearby beach, or just chill, before heading off to Ancient Messene.
Matt Barrett’s Travel Guide provides a great overview of Gytheio on his website.
Ancient Messene
Ancient Messene
Ancient Messene was built in 369 BC by the Theban general Epaminondas. He established the city after the Theban victory over Sparta at the Battle of Leuctra, which freed Messenia from Spartan rule. The city was constructed on the slopes of Mount Ithome, as a new capital for the Messenians.Â
Ancient Messene is close to 2 hours drive from Gytheio and is my favorite historical site on the Peloponnese.
It’s off the beaten path which limits the number of visitors, and it’s an immense, archeological dig of a city.
You can wander the site and the perimeter and explore at your leisure and there’s a lot to see!
Sparta ruled Messenia for hundreds of years, but were defeated by the Theban general Epaminondas, who then built the Messene settlement in 369 BC.
I’ve visited Ancient Messene in the Peloponnese few times over the years and am still in awe. Its ruins are remarkably well-preserved and display a stadium, theater, agora (marketplace), temples, and fortifications. The agora is complete with ancient bowls for measuring grain as well as exposed intricate mosaic flooring.
Here is a video from our YouTube channel of my first visit to the site back in 2013:
Kyparissa
We suggest staying at Kyparissa which is a sea-front resort within an hour of Ancient Messene, and in easy reach of Olympia (1 hr) to the north and Pilos / Costa Navarino (1 hr) to the south.
Ancient Olympia
Site of the first Olympic Games in 776 BC, the UNESCO-listed ruins of Ancient Olympia are one of the archaeological highlights of the Peloponnese.
Boomer Alert: Olympia, for obvious reasons, is a very popular site and usually busy but there’s plenty to see. Planning an early start is a good idea to avoid the tourist buses and crowds.
The Olympic Games took place here every four years from 776 BC to 393 AD. The site was also a place of worship dedicated to the Greek God Zeus.
The statue of Zeus, at Olympia, Peloponnese, Greece, was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The statue was one of two masterpieces by the Greek sculptor Phidias and was placed in the huge Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
Olympia’s infrastructure still remains and includes temples, the gymnasium, and the stadium (among other things). Every four years the Olympic flame is ceremoniously lit via a solar reflector and relayed to the site of the hosting city.
The Archaeological Museum of Olympia which houses finds from the excavation of the sanctuary of Zeus, is one of the most important museums of Greece.
Adjacent to the UNESCO-listed site of Olympia, the Museum of the History of the Ancient Olympic Games follows the founding and development of the Olympic games.
The return drive to Athens airport will take close to 4 hours.
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