Greece - Korina Miller [131]
Camping Atreus ( 27510 76221; atreus@otenet.gr; camp sites per adult/tent €6/3.50; May-Oct; ) A well-equipped, shady camping ground on the edge of town on the main road from Fihtio. The friendly owner, Pandelis, speaks English.
Hotel Klitemnistra ( 27510 76451; d/tr incl breakfast €45/55; ) This place has clean, comfortable rooms, some with great balconies overlooking pretty rolling hills. The friendly Australian-Greek owners can suggest walks in the area. Book ahead in summer.
Any of the town tavernas serve a standard grill (mains €8 to €15), although you may have to compete with tourist groups en masse.
Getting There & Away
Three daily buses head to Mycenae from Nafplio (€2.60, one hour) and Argos (€1.60, 30 minutes). The buses stop in the village and at the ancient site.
Other bus services, such as Athens–Nafplio, stop at the village of Fihtio on the main road, leaving you 3km from the village.
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NAFPLIO ΝΑΥΠΛΙΟ
pop 13,822
For better or worse, the secret is out about Nafplio, one of Greece’s prettiest and most romantic towns. It occupies a knockout location – on a small port beneath the towering bulk of the Palamidi fortress – and is graced with attractive narrow streets, elegant Venetian houses, neoclassical mansions with flower-bedecked balconies, and interesting museums. Both overseas visitors and weekending Athenians flock to this lively, upwardly mobile place that is jammed with quayside cafes, posh boutiques and many comfortable hotels and guest houses (it does get somewhat overcrowded in high season and holidays).
The town, 12km southeast of Argos on the Argolic Gulf, was the first capital of Greece after Independence (between 1833 and 1834) and has been a major port since the Bronze Age. So strategic was its position that it had three fortresses – the massive principal fortress of Palamidi, the smaller Akronafplia and the diminutive Bourtzi on an islet west of the old town.
With good bus connections and services, the town is an ideal base from which to explore many nearby ancient sites.
Orientation
The old town occupies a narrow promontory with the Akronafplia fortress on the southern side and the promenades of Bouboulinas and Akti Miaouli on the north side.
The principal streets of the old town are Amalias, Vasileos Konstantinou, Staïkopoulou and Kapodistriou. The old town’s central square is Plateia Syntagmatos, at the western end of Vasileos Konstantinou.
The KTEL bus station can be found on Syngrou, which is the street separating the old town from the new.
The main streets of the new town – easterly continuations of Staïkopoulou – are 25 Martiou and further on, Argou.
Information
BOOKSHOPS
Odyssey ( 27520 23430; Plateia Syntagmatos) Stocks international newspapers, maps, and a small selection of novels in English, French and German.
EMERGENCY
Hospital ( 27520 98100; cnr Asklipiou & Kolokotroni)
Tourist police ( 27520 98728/9; Eleftheriou 2)
INTERNET ACCESS
Internet places are rare in Nafplio; most hotels offer wi-fi.
Echorama ( 27520 26050; Alexandrou 9; per hr €3; 10am-9pm) A CD shop in the heart of the old town with a few internet terminals and fast connections.
Extreme Net Pl@ce (per hr €10; 8am-6am) Behind Marinopoulos supermarket Click here and popular among night owls for its games.
LAUNDRY
Bubbles ( 27520 29260; Asklipiou 61; per load up to 5kg €9; 8am-9pm Mon-Fri, 8am-3pm Sat) This pricey place next to the army barracks east of the centre has the monopoly on suds – it’s the only one in town.
MONEY
All the major banks have branches in town; the following banks have ATMs.
Alpha Bank (Amalias) At the western end of the street.
National Bank of Greece (Plateia Syntagmatos)
POST
Post office (cnr Syngrou & Sidiras Merarhias; 7.30am-2pm Mon-Fri)
TOURIST INFORMATION
Municipal tourist office ( 27520 24444; 25 Martiou 4; 9am-1pm & 4-8pm) Not the strongest aspect of the town’s services.
Staikos Travel 27520 27950; www.staikostravel.gr; Bouboulinas 50; 8.30am-2pm & 5.30-9pm, closed Sun winter) A helpful source,