48 HOURS IN
Nafplio, Greece
THURSDAY, 2:30PM Pick up your hire car at Athens airport, then drive to Corinth to visit the Roman Greek ruins. After wandering around the temples and toppled columns, drive up to Acrocorinth, a medieval fortress with amazing views of the sea and mountains.
6PM Check in to the pretty Hotel Byron (Platanos 2, Nafplio; tel: 00 30 27520 22351, www.byronhotel.gr, double rooms cost around e70).
8PM Spend the evening at Epi Skinis, where you can expect to pay around
e20 for a generous selection of fishy, meaty and veggie mini-dishes (Amalias
19A; tel: 00 30 27520 21331, www. episkinis.eu).
FRIDAY, 9AM Visit Mycenae, the ancient seat of Homer’s Agamemnon. Rediscovered in the 19th century, it’s one of Greece’s most fascinating archaeological sites.
1PM Lunch at I Spilia (Tripoleos 165, Argos; tel: 27510 62300, www.spilia. gr) will set you back about e20. It’s a popular grill restaurant.
3PM Wander around the remains of ancient Argos, which are dotted around the modern town.
4PM Cool off with a swim at Kiveri, about ten miles south of Argos, where there’s a long pebbly beach lined with plenty of umbrellas and cafes.
6PM Take a sunset boat trip from the
Nafplio waterfront to the Bourtzi, the Venetian island fortress about five minutes’ offshore.
9PM Dine at Alaloum (Papaniokolaou 10; tel: 0030 27520 29883, booking recommended).
SATURDAY, 9AM Climb the 999 steps to the bastions of the Palamidi fortress (you can cheat by driving or taking a taxi.)
11AM Visit the huge theatre at Epidavros, 15 miles east of Nafplio. Built in 340BC, it has 55 tiers of seats and is still used during the Athens Festival (www.greekfestival.gr).
NOON Drive on to the tiny port of Galatas (about 45 minutes from Epidavros) and take a two minute boat ride to the tiny island of Poros for lunch by the harbour at Prima Sera (Pounda, Poros; tel: 0030 22980 23080).
9PM Back in Nafplio, dine at To Potaraki tis Kardias (Sidaras Merachias 10).
11PM Go bar-hopping on Bouboulinas, Nafplio’s liveliest nightlife street.
SUNDAY, 9AM Check out to drive back to Athens.