Peloponnese

The Peloponnese has a long, varied coastline on warm, clear water, and a visitor can base a whole stay on it. The Messinian coast in the southwest is the strongest choice: the near-perfect horseshoe of Voidokilia, the sheltered sweep of Navarino Bay and long sandy beaches running north towards Kyparissia. In the far south, Elafonisos has white sand and pale turquoise water that looks tropical, while the Mani offers pebble coves and swimming off rocks below stone villages such as Kardamyli and Stoupa.

On the east side, Tolo and the beaches around Nafplio are easy and sheltered, if busier. The sea is warm enough to swim from June to October, reaching about 25°C in August. Outside July and August many beaches are close to empty.

Eating here means country Greek cooking made with what grows nearby. Kalamata olives and olive oil come from the groves around the town, and village tavernas serve slow-cooked goat, wild greens, the Mani's cured pork, local sausages and fish grilled at harbour tables. Nemea is one of Greece's best-known wine regions, built on the red Agiorgitiko grape. The highland plateau around Tripoli makes crisp Moschofilero whites, and Monemvasia lends its name to a historic sweet wine.

Kalamata and Nafplio have the widest range of places to eat, from bakeries and ouzeri to more ambitious kitchens, and Kalamata's covered market is worth a morning. Fine dining is limited mostly to resort hotels. The pleasure lies in honest, inexpensive meals rather than a deep restaurant scene.

Few regions hold this much of the ancient and medieval Greek world. Olympia, birthplace of the Games, lies in the west. Around the Argolid gulf stand the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae with its Lion Gate, the massive walls of Tiryns and the sanctuary of Epidaurus with its almost perfectly preserved theatre. Ancient Corinth sits below the fortress of Acrocorinth, and in Messinia the city of Messene is one of the most complete ancient sites in Greece. The Temple of Apollo at Bassae stands alone in the mountains.

The medieval layer is just as strong: the Byzantine ghost town of Mystras on a hillside above Sparta, the fortified rock of Monemvasia, the Venetian castles at Methoni and Koroni, and the tower houses of the Mani. Nafplio, with its Venetian fortresses and neoclassical streets, is the most elegant base. The Argolid sites lie within an hour of it, while Olympia and the south call for separate bases or longer drives.

Evenings here mostly mean long dinners, a drink on a harbour front and a stroll. Nafplio's old town and waterfront stay busy late in summer with café-bars and cocktail bars, and Tolo has a few beach bars. Kalamata's seafront and centre are livelier, with bars full of locals. Patras, a university city on the northern coast, has the region's only real going-out scene, with dense streets of bars and clubs that peak during its famous carnival. In the villages of the Mani and Messinia, nights end quietly.

The interior is mountainous and green to a degree that surprises many visitors. Taygetos rises above Sparta and Kalamata to about 2,400m, with trails from Mani villages and up its peak. The Lousios gorge in Arcadia links monasteries cut into the cliffs and stone villages such as Dimitsana and Stemnitsa, and the Menalon Trail crosses these mountains on a long, well-marked route. In the north, the Vouraikos gorge has a rack railway and footpath, and Chelmos has skiing in winter.

On the coast, the dry, rocky Mani peninsula makes stark walking country down to Cape Tainaron. The Gialova lagoon near Pylos is an important stop for migrating birds, and the region has good sea kayaking and sailing. Spring and autumn are the seasons for hiking; midsummer is too hot for long walks below the mountains.

From a base in Nafplio, the Saronic islands are within reach. Spetses and Hydra, car-free and full of captains' mansions, are a short ferry ride from the ports of the southern Argolid. The Nemea wine villages are under an hour away, and Athens is about two hours by road. From the Messinian coast, the old towns of Pylos, Methoni and Koroni make easy outings, and so do the stone villages of the Mani such as Kardamyli and Areopoli.

More can be added. The mountain villages of Arcadia make a good day of winding roads and coffee in village squares. From the south, Monemvasia and the island of Elafonisos are each worth a day, and Kythira is a ferry ride further. Nearly every outing needs a car.

Families do best with a beach vacation: shallow, sandy bays at Tolo, along the Messinian coast and on Elafonisos, with tavernas where children are welcome late into the evening. The large resort hotels in Messinia add kids' clubs and pools. There are no theme parks, zoos or aquariums. Ancient sites such as Mycenae and Olympia fascinate older children, but they offer little shade and are best visited early in the morning. Nafplio is the easiest town to stroll with a pushchair. Expect a lot of time in the car.

This is car country. Fast motorways cross the region from the Corinth Canal to Kalamata and along the north coast towards Olympia, so the main towns are quick to reach. Away from them, roads wind slowly through mountains and along the Mani, and a journey that looks short on the map can take an hour or more. Regional buses connect the larger towns but are of little use for reaching sites, beaches or villages, and passenger trains barely reach the region. Nafplio and the old towns are compact and best explored on foot.

Shopping here comes down to good things to take home rather than a reason to visit. Nafplio's old lanes have the best mix: jewellery, worry beads, ceramics and small boutiques among the souvenir shops. Across the region the real finds are edible, such as Kalamata olives and olive oil, mountain honey, herbs, and wine bought directly from wineries in Nemea. Weekly street markets in Kalamata and Tripoli are lively and local. Patras and Kalamata have ordinary high-street shopping.

The mainland Peloponnese costs noticeably less than Greece's famous islands, especially away from Nafplio and the luxury resorts of Messinia. Family-run rooms in Mani and Arcadian villages, meals at village tavernas and local wine are good value. The main costs are a hire car and fuel, which are almost unavoidable, and entry fees at the major ancient sites. July and August push up room prices on the coast. May, June and September are the best-value months.

One experience stands out: ancient Greek drama performed under the stars in the theatre of Epidaurus, during a summer festival with a long history. Performances are on weekend nights through July and August, in a theatre famous for acoustics so clear that the actors need no amplification. The Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus nearby hosts summer concerts, and Kalamata holds an international dance festival in July. Outside these summer events, live culture is limited to municipal theatres in Patras and Kalamata and taverna music.

The Peloponnese is restful above all for its pace: slow afternoons in stone villages, empty coves outside high season and evenings at a taverna table by the harbour. Bathing culture exists but plays a minor part. There are old thermal spa towns at Loutraki, just across the Corinth Canal, and on the volcanic Methana peninsula, and warm sulphur springs feed the lake at Kaiafas on the west coast. The large resort hotels on the Messinian coast have the region's most complete spas. Spring and autumn are the calmest seasons.