Day trip to Nafplio

Nafplio is a picturesque seaport town located in the eastern Peloponnese. It was the capital of the First Hellenic Republic between 1823 and 1834. According to mythology the town was founded by the Greek god Poseidon's son, Nafplios. The town's architecture is strongly influenced by the Frankish, the Venetian and Turkish conquerors.

It is about an hour and a half drive away from Athens, making it very accessible for a nice day trip away from the city.

Strolling through the streets in the Old Town

What to see: 

- Walk around the old town, between the narrow streets and head to the Plateia Syntagmatos (Constitution Square) where you will be able to see well preserved neoclassical buildings.

- the Palamidi Castle, which in order to reach it can you either walk 999 steps(!!) leading to it, or you can drive to it. The views from the castle of the town and port below are simply breathtaking. Theodoros Kolokotronis was held prisoner in the castle. 

- the Bourtzi, is a small Venetian fortress on a tiny island right across from Nafplio. You can access it by boat - there are regular departures from the port. 

View of Nafplio and Bourtzi from the top of Palamidi

Where to eat: 

- Savouras Tavern is excellent for fish and seafood.
Bouboulinas St. 79 (by the promenade)
Tel: +30 27520 27704

- Vasilis Tavern is known for its traditional fare ranging from lamb in the oven to many vegetarian dishes.
Staikopoulou St. 22-24
Tel: +30 27520 25334


- Antica Gelateria: for dessert head over to this gelateria which is famous for its authentic Italian gelato.
Farmakopoulon 3 & Komninon St.
Tel: +30 27520 23520

Visit to the Dragon's Cave in Kastoria

The Dragon's Cave was discovered by a local resident in the early 1940's and it is located by the Kastoria lake on the north side of the city. The entrance resembles that of a dragon's mouth and legend has it that the cave was a gold mine which was guarded by a dragon that spewed fire from its mouth to protect the mine. 

The inside of the cave is beautifully decorated with stalactites and stalagmites spread throughout ten different rooms, and there are seven underground lakes making it one of the most unique caves in Greece! A state of the art air recycling and temperature maintenance system has been installed allowing the cave to have a stable temperature of 16-18 degrees Celsius and humidity reaching 90%.

There is a guided tour which last approximately 20 minutes and the trail is about 450 meters. 

For more information as well as visiting hours you can visit the website: 

http://www.spilaiodrakoukast.gr/index.php