> Hotels and Resorts > Vacation in Nafplio

Overview:

Nafplio (also sometimes known as Nauplia or Navplion) is a rarity amongst Greek towns. A lively, beautifully sited place, it exudes a grand, occasionally slightly faded elegance, inherited from the days when it was the fledgling capital of modern Greece. The seat of government was here from 1829 to 1834 and it was in Nafplio that the first prime minister, Kapodistrias, was assassinated by vengeful Maniot clansmen. It was here also that the Bavarian Prince Otho, put forward by the European powers to be the first King of Greece, had his initial royal residence from 1833 to 1834. Since the 1980s the town has increasingly served as a popular year-round weekend retreat, with the result that hotel rooms and meals have crept up to Athens rates and above, but it remains by far the most attractive base for exploring the Argolid and resting for a while by the sea.

There's ample pleasure in just wandering about Nafplio: looking around the harbourfront, walking over to the rocky town beach and, when you're feeling energetic, exploring the great twin fortresses of Palamidhi and Akronafplia on the headland. Nafplio also offers some of the best restaurants and shops in the eastern Peloponnese, plus a range of useful facilities including car rental and, in summer, hydrofoils down the coast to Monemvasia or east to the Argo-Saronic islands