Highlights
Island-hopping
A watercraft can whisk you to crowd-free beaches on uninhabited islands, or to picturesque, cosmopolitan gems like Spetses and Hydra, both delightfully car-free and known for their rich maritime heritage. Explore tiny Spetses by horse-drawn carriage, admiring its neoclassical architecture, before stretching out horizontally on a pine-fringed beach. Meanwhile, Hydra is a yachting paradise with a buzzing atmosphere, crammed with harbourside restaurants and exclusive shops. Charmingly traditional, the most popular mode of transport on Hydra is a donkey!
Golf
Costa Navarino is a luxury golf destination, offering superb facilities on Greece’s first two 18-hole signature courses. Wrapped in a stunning sea and olive grove setting, The Dunes Course was designed by US Masters Champion, Bernhard Langer, while The Bay Course is another knockout from Robert Trent Jones Junior. Great year-round weather means great year-round play and there are various golfing packages on offer.
Scenery
The Peloponnese is a land of majestic natural beauty just begging to be explored – boasting sandy beaches, rocky coves, vast gorges, shimmering lakes, snow-capped mountains, fertile valleys, dense forests, rivers and caves. Places to note include Gialova Lagoon, a main stopover site for migratory birds and sole European refuge for the African chameleon. Taygetos is the tallest mountain in the Peloponnese, standing at 2,407m tall; showcasing prolific plant-life, it is a haven for botanists and eco-tourists. There is also the tremendous gorge of the Neda River, named after a nymph who looked after baby Zeus, alongside the stunning Polylimnio Waterfalls, a great spot to cool off in the midday heat.
Beaches
The Peloponnese’s coastline is dramatically jagged, revealing unexpected and pretty coves of sand, which tend not to be as crowded as other parts of Greece. Relax along the Costa Navarino’s pristine shores of sweeping strands and idyllic, golden-sugar coves, or head to the clean, turquoise seas at Finikounda. The astonishingly pretty bay at Voidokilia is home to an extraordinary semi-circle of fine sands sitting below the Old Frankish castle and cave of Pylos’s mythical King Nestor. Nestled between pretty, gnarled olive trees and warm, translucent waters, Voidokilia has won accolades for its historical and geological significance.
History
Shrouded in the mists of time, a top pick in The Peloponnese is the archaeological jewel that is the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus, a huge site overlooking the Saronic Gulf and known for its giant 14,000-seat theatre (hosting ancient Greek drama in summer). Discover the chequered past of Ancient Messini, built in 369BC and boasting well-preserved ramparts stretching 9km, or visit Ancient Olympia, famed as the ‘Birthplace of the Olympic Games’ and home to a magnificent stadium. Next, the Temple of Apollo Epicurius is a splendid example of Classical design, while the superb Byzantine monastery of Andromonastiro and the elaborate royal Palace of Nestor are also worth a glimpse.