Nafplio

The lovely seaside town of Nafplion (also sometimes called Nauplia or Nafplio) is the capital and administrative center of the prefecture of Argolida, and is an excellent base from which to explore the two nearby World Heritage sites of Epidaurus and Mycenae. It is an area steeped in history and has a long connection with the sea, as it is named after the Argonaut son of Poseidon! It has a lovely harbor front and a well-protected harbor, and it is a frequent port-of-call for cruise ships, whose passengers get a peek at this lovely town, or go on to visit Epidaurus and Mycenae.

Nafplio today is a modern, seaside town of 12,000 inhabitants. It has lovely streets populated by beautiful Venetian-style houses and neoclassical buildings, lots of good restaurants, harbor front cafes, and excellent shopping around Constitution Square (Plateia Syntagmatos), including a wide variety of handcrafts, ceramics, and jewelry. The town is quite picturesque and combines the beauty of the Venetian era, with a subtle Turkish influence, and the grandeur of the 19th century neoclassical period. Other attractions of the town include an excellent Archaeological Museum; St. Spiridonas Church, where the first Governor of the newly liberated in 1828 Greece Ioannis Kapodistrias was assassinated; the mosque at Constitution Square; and the legendary castles Akronafplia, Bourtzi and Palamidi.