Nafplio

Nafplio is a town you cover on foot in one or two days: the Old Town below Acronafplia, Palamidi fortress on the hill and Bourtzi on an islet in the harbour. The whole walk is one loop: from the square uphill to the fortresses, then back down to the water.

The walk starts on Syntagma Square, in the Old Town. Nafplio was the first capital of modern Greece: Count Kapodistrias, the first governor of the free country, arrived in 1828 and was assassinated in this town in 1831, and King Otto moved the capital to Athens in 1834.

From there the streets climb towards Acronafplia, the oldest fortified part of the town. Its walls are older than the classical age, and Byzantines, Franks, Venetians and Ottomans built on them in turn. Access is free, with no ticket and no closing day, and the upper terraces look over the roofs of the Old Town and the bay below.

Above Acronafplia, on a hill 216 metres high, stands Palamidi. The Venetians built it in 1711–1714, the Ottomans took it as early as 1715, and the Greeks have held it since 1822. Kolokotronis, the leader of the uprising, was held prisoner in the Miltiades bastion. Entry is €8, the visit takes 2–3 h, and the opening hours are: Apr–Oct 8 to about 19; Nov–Mar 8.30–15.30. In summer the climb is best made before 10 am or after 4 pm.

From the hill it's back down into the Old Town, to the Archaeological Museum. Entry is €6, it is open 8.30–15.30, and it is closed on Monday. The Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation Museum, devoted to Peloponnesian folk culture, costs €5.

The last stop is the water. Bourtzi is a fortress on an islet in the harbour, reached by a small boat from the harbour. The boat and entry together are €14, the crossing takes about 5 min crossing, and the timetable is: boats until end of October 9–20 (every 30 min), winter 9.15–16.

Nafplio is reached from Athens by the direct KTEL Argolidas bus from the Kifissos terminal, about 2 h 10 for €14.30. There is no airport of its own. Inside the town city transport is unnecessary: none, all on foot, because everything described here is done on foot.