Things to Do in the Peloponnese

By Frank Adam Burns · Updated 31 August 2026

The Peloponnese is the classical route without the ferry logistics. Ancient Olympia, the theatre at Epidaurus, the Mycenaean citadels, Venetian sea towns and the stone tower villages of the Mani all sit within a few hours of each other on good roads. For travellers who want the history and would rather not spend the trip on boats, this is the answer.

Ancient Olympia

The original Olympic site, in a quiet valley of pine and olive. The stadium is still there and you can walk out through the vaulted entrance tunnel onto the track. The museum holds the Hermes of Praxiteles and the pediment sculptures from the Temple of Zeus.

Epidaurus and Mycenae

The theatre at Epidaurus seats fourteen thousand and has acoustics so precise that a coin dropped at the centre is audible in the back row — people test it constantly and it works. Summer performances still run there. Mycenae, forty minutes away, is the Bronze Age citadel of Agamemnon, entered through the Lion Gate, with beehive tombs outside the walls.

Nafplio

The first capital of modern Greece and the best base in the region — Venetian architecture, a waterfront promenade, two fortresses and a walkable old town. Most people stay one night and wish they had booked two.

Monemvasia and the Mani

Monemvasia is a Byzantine town on a rock joined to the mainland by a causeway, invisible from the road until you are on top of it. The Mani, further south, is stark and beautiful — stone tower houses, empty beaches and a reputation for feuding that lasted into living memory.

Wine

Nemea produces structured Agiorgitiko reds and sits close enough to Mycenae to combine in a day. The wineries are small and visits are informal.

The Peloponnese is a driving region. Roads are good and distances are short, but public transport between the sites is slow and infrequent. Allow five to seven days for a loop from Athens.