Nafplio
First Capital Of Modern Greece (1829 1834): A Venetian And Ottoman Harbour Town Under The Palamidi Fortress, Base For Mycenae And Epidaurus · Nafplio, Peloponnese
Nafplio is a small harbour town on the Argolic Gulf, about two hours by car south-west of Athens, and for five years (1829-1834) it was the first capital of modern Greece. Its old town is a compact grid of marble-paved lanes, Venetian and Ottoman buildings, neoclassical mansions with wooden balconies and bougainvillea, squares full of cafe tables and a waterfront facing the tiny fortified islet of Bourtzi. Above it rise two fortresses: the old citadel of Akronafplia on the rocky peninsula, and the Palamidi, a Venetian fortress of the early 1700s reached by a stair of several hundred steps (said to be 999; people argue about the count) or by road. It is also the natural base for Mycenae, Epidaurus and Tiryns, all within about 40 minutes. Visitors come for the atmosphere, the evening walk, the swimming at Arvanitia and the sense of a lived-in town rather than a resort. The honest caveat: it is small, and on summer weekends and Greek holidays Athenians fill it; rooms, tables and parking get tight and prices rise.
Old town of Nafplio on the Argolic Gulf, Argolida: Syntagma Square, the Bourtzi islet, Akronafplia and the Palamidi fortress above, Nafplio, Peloponnese, Greece
The town itself is open at all hours. The Palamidi fortress is a state site: in summer roughly 08:00 to 19:00 or 20:00, in winter much shorter (often closing around 15:00-17:00); closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25-26 December - confirm current hours. The Archaeological Museum on Syntagma Square keeps state hours with a weekly closing day in some seasons, and the folklore museum keeps its own days - confirm both. Bourtzi boats leave from the harbour quay in the warm months and not in rough weather. There is no train; reach Nafplio by KTEL bus from Athens (about 2.5 hours) or by car (about 2 hours). Book rooms ahead for summer weekends and holidays.