The Peloponnese is Greece's large southern peninsula, joined to the mainland only by the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, cut in the 19th century by a canal: so it is effectively an island. The name means "island of Pelops", the hero who in myth founded the Olympic Games. Here stood Agamemnon's Mycenae and Leonidas's Sparta, and here the War of Independence broke out in 1821.
The great sites
| Site | Why |
|---|---|
| Mycenae and Tiryns | Bronze Age citadels, the Lion Gate |
| Epidaurus | The best-preserved theatre and the sanctuary of Asclepius |
| Olympia | The sanctuary of Zeus and birthplace of the Olympic Games |
| Ancient Corinth | The Temple of Apollo and memories of St Paul |
| Mystras | The Byzantine town on the slopes of Taygetus |
| Messene | One of the best-preserved ancient cities, little visited |
| Pylos | Nestor's palace and Navarino Bay |
| Bassae | The Temple of Apollo Epikourios in the Arcadian mountains |
Towns and villages
- Nafplio: first capital of modern Greece, with Venetian lanes, the Palamidi fortress and the Bourtzi castle in the sea. The ideal base for Mycenae and Epidaurus.
- Monemvasia: a Byzantine and Venetian fortified town on a rock in the sea, joined to the coast by a causeway.
- Kalamata: a lively town on the Messinian Gulf, famous for olives.
- Patras: Greece's third city and port for Italy. See Patras.
- Kardamyli, Areopoli, Gerolimenas: villages of the Mani, the wild peninsula of tower houses, whose people were never subdued by the Ottomans.
- Dimitsana and Stemnitsa: stone villages of Arcadia, among gorges and trails.
Beaches and nature
The Peloponnese has superb beaches: the lagoon and horseshoe bay of Voidokilia near Pylos, the Messinian beaches, the Mani coast, the island of Elafonissos with Simos beach, and the long Kyparissia Gulf coast where sea turtles nest. Inland lie the Lousios and Vouraikos gorges, with the rack railway from Diakopto to Kalavryta, and Mount Taygetus.
Getting around
From Athens modern motorways lead to Corinth, Tripoli, Kalamata and Patras. A car is essential to explore the region; KTEL buses link the main towns. From Italy ferries sail to Patras from Ancona, Bari and Venice.
See also the classical Greece itinerary.