Nafplio

Nafplio sits on the calm, sheltered Argolic Gulf, and from June to September the sea reaches about 24-25°C. Arvanitia, a small pebble beach just below the Palamidi cliffs, is a short walk from the old town and good for a quick swim. For sand, Karathona lies about 3km away in a quiet bay backed by pines, reached by road or by a coastal path. The longer, more developed beach at Tolo is about 12km east, with tavernas and sunbeds along the shore.

Further along the coast are smaller bays such as Kastraki and Kantia. Swimming is a large part of a summer stay here, but it fits around the town and the ancient sites rather than taking their place. The beaches are modest in size and get crowded on summer weekends.

Eating here means Peloponnesian taverna cooking: grilled fish and octopus from the gulf, slow-cooked lamb, greens and pies. The Argolid plain supplies oranges and other citrus, and the Nemea vineyards just inland produce the agiorgitiko red that most menus offer. Tables spill into the lanes of the old town and along the harbour front.

The quality is pleasant and steady rather than exciting, and the busiest squares lean towards the same tourist menus. Some of the best meals are in the fish tavernas at Tolo or in the villages of the plain. The town has a sweet tooth too, with old-fashioned gelato and loukoumades, but there is no street-food culture and little range beyond Greek cooking.

Nafplio was the first capital of modern Greece, and its old town of Venetian, Ottoman and neoclassical houses is one of the best-preserved in the country. The Palamidi fortress crowns the hill above, reached by a long stairway cut into the rock. Below it, the older walls of Akronafplia cover the headland, and the small Bourtzi castle stands on an islet in the harbour.

In town, Syntagma Square has the Venetian arsenal, which houses the Archaeological Museum and its Mycenaean bronze armour. Nearby is the Church of Agios Spyridon, where Greece's first governor, Kapodistrias, was assassinated in 1831. The Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation museum and a small worry-bead museum fill out a compact list. It is a lovely place for a few days, but not a deep one.

Evenings here mean a long dinner, then drinks at the bars along the harbour front and in the lanes off Syntagma Square. On summer weekends, when visitors from Athens fill the town, these stay busy until late. There are a few cocktail and music bars but no real clubs. In winter the town is quiet on weeknights. It suits a relaxed glass of wine by the water, not a big night out.

The town sits between rocky hills and the gulf, and the outdoors starts right at the edge of town. A paved path runs around the base of the Akronafplia headland, with views across the water to the mountains. The trail from Arvanitia to Karathona follows the coast, and the limestone around town draws rock climbers. Sea kayaking along the coast and around the small islands off Tolo is popular.

Inland, the citrus plain of Argos gives way to the mountains of Arcadia. The fir-covered Mainalo range and its gorge trails are within about an hour and a half. Spring and autumn are the times to walk, when the hills are green and the air is mild. In high summer the heat confines most activity to early mornings and the water.

Few small towns have this much on their doorstep. The Cyclopean walls of Tiryns are about ten minutes away, and Mycenae, with its Lion Gate and beehive tombs, is under half an hour. The ancient theatre and healing sanctuary of Epidaurus is about forty minutes east. Argos has its own ancient theatre and a hilltop castle.

Further afield, the Nemea wine villages and their temple, Ancient Corinth with Acrocorinth above it, and the Corinth Canal are each about an hour away. Driving to the coast at Ermioni or Porto Heli puts the car-free islands of Hydra and Spetses within a day. The Byzantine ruins of Mystras are about two hours away. A car makes all of this far easier.

Nafplio is easy and safe with children. The old town is largely free of traffic, the harbour front is good for evening strolls with an ice cream, and the gulf beaches at Karathona and Tolo have calm, shallow water. The castles appeal to older children, and the harbour boat out to the Bourtzi is a small adventure. Climbing the hundreds of steps up to Palamidi is hard going for little legs in summer heat. There are no zoos, aquariums or theme parks, and the ancient sites nearby are hot and exposed at midday. It works best for families who want beaches and a gentle pace.

The old town is small and flat, and everything in it is a short walk: the squares, the museums, the harbour and Arvanitia beach. Palamidi is the exception, reached either by the long stairway or by road. Beyond the town things get harder. Regional buses link Nafplio with Tolo, Argos, Mycenae and Epidaurus and run to Athens in about two hours, but services are thin. Most visitors who plan to see the ancient sites or the coast hire a car, and parking near the old town fills up in summer.

Shopping is a gentle browse through the old town lanes, mainly Vasileos Konstantinou, Staikopoulou and the streets around Syntagma Square. Most shopfronts sell souvenirs, sandals and beachwear. Between them are a few small jewellers, ceramics and textile shops, and some art galleries that cater to weekend visitors from Athens. The most local buys are komboloi, the Greek worry beads, and food from the Argolid: olive oil, honey, citrus preserves and Nemea wine. A weekly farmers' market in the newer part of town sells produce rather than crafts.

That is about all. There are no department stores, fashion streets or craft markets of any size, and an hour or two covers it. Visitors who want serious shopping save it for Athens.

Nafplio costs about what is normal for a Greek town that visitors know well. Taverna meals, coffee and local wine are fair value, and the site fees at Mycenae and Epidaurus are modest. Accommodation is the main expense. Old-town guesthouses in restored mansions are aimed at weekend visitors from Athens, and they cost more on Friday and Saturday nights and in high summer. Weekdays and the shoulder seasons are noticeably easier on the budget, and staying in Tolo or outside the walls costs less.

The great event is in summer, when the Athens and Epidaurus Festival stages ancient Greek drama in the theatre of Epidaurus, about forty minutes away. The 4th-century BC theatre is famous for its acoustics, and watching a performance there at dusk is unforgettable. Concerts also take place in the smaller ancient theatre at Palaia Epidavros. In town, a summer classical music festival uses historic buildings such as the old Parliament. Outside the summer, there is little beyond occasional concerts and bouzouki music in tavernas.

There is no bathing culture in the town itself. Wellness means the spas of a few larger hotels and the slow rhythm of the place: long lunches, an evening walk around the headland, and coffee by the harbour. That rhythm makes it a calm retreat, especially outside July and August. For thermal water, the spa town of Loutraki, near Corinth, is about an hour's drive away. The sulphur springs of Methana are a little further.