Peloponnese

The Peloponnese is a mountainous and rural peninsula, linked to the mainland of Attica by the Isthmus of Corinth and its canal, where some of the most important archaeological sites in Greece are concentrated, without the tourist density of the capital. It can also be reached by a bridge from Patras.
Geographically, it forms a hand with fingers stretching toward the sea (Mani, Messenia, Laconia), separated by mountain ranges that have long isolated its regions from one another, with inland basins and a few irrigated plains toward the coast. 
Its history covers the Mycenaean Bronze Age (Mycenae, Tiryns), the rival city of Athens that was Sparta, near the medieval Mystras (Byzantine period), the Venetian occupation of the coasts, and the Greek War of Independence, of which Nafplio was the first capital. To the east of Laconia, Monemvasia, a spectacular fortified medieval city on its rock above the sea, is one of the region's historic ensembles.

Exploring the Peloponnese

Tourism there is more diffuse and less organized than in the Aegean Sea: people come by rental car, not on an organized bus, to string together ancient sites, such as the acropolises of Argos or Mycenae overlooking the Argolis peninsula to the northeast, with Epidaurus and its beautiful theatre with renowned acoustics, but also nearby Corinth, and the medieval fortress of its nearby acropolis, or the charming small islands such as Hydra.
In this area is the old Venetian small town of Nafplio, one of the most pleasant in the country.

Olympia, the birthplace of the Games, is in the western part, which is less dense in experiences. Further south, Messenia brings together Ancient Messene, a vast ancient city that is remarkably well preserved, as well as Pylos and the Mycenaean Palace of Nestor, near Navarino Bay.
In the south of the central part, the medieval town of Mystras is close to Sparta, just north of the wild and austere Mani peninsula, known for its stone villages, close to the beaches of Messenia, which are less frequented than the islands. This peninsula also has the spectacular Diros Caves.
The mountainous interior of Arcadia, around Dimitsana and the Lousios Gorge, offers one of the most characteristic landscapes of the central Peloponnese.

Distances are longer than they appear on the map, mountain roads are winding, and some sites (Mycenae, Epidaurus in high season) suffer from crowds of coaches that contrast with the calm of the rest of the region. Tourist restaurants in the most visited areas can be disappointing and expensive, while they remain simple and honest as soon as you move away from them. This is a destination that rewards those with time and a vehicle, and is less suited to a short stay without a car.