Greece · Peloponnese
Yacht Charter Monemvasia
A Byzantine town on the seaward face of a rock, invisible until you have gone round it.
Monemvasia is built on the far side of a three-hundred-metre rock joined to the Peloponnese by one causeway — the name means single entrance, and that is literally the arrangement. From the mainland you see bare cliff and nothing else. You go round, and a walled Byzantine town is there on the seaward face, which is exactly the point of building it that way.
The lower town
Inside the gate there are no cars, because nothing wider than a mule ever needed to get in. Vaulted lanes, forty churches, and houses that were ruins in the 1970s and have been rebuilt stone by stone under strict control since.
It was one of the great trading ports of the Byzantine empire and it gave its name to Malvasia wine, shipped from here across medieval Europe. The vines are back on the plain behind the rock.
The upper town
A steep zigzag path climbs to the plateau on top, where the upper town was abandoned and left as it fell. Agia Sofia stands on the cliff edge up there, a twelfth-century church with a drop straight to the sea below it.
The rock is on the east coast of Laconia, which puts it between Kythira and the Saronic — a natural stop on the way round the Peloponnese rather than a detour.
Practical notes
- Joined to the mainland by a single causeway; the town is on the seaward face and invisible from the road
- No cars inside the walls — the lanes were built for mules
- The upper town on the plateau is a steep climb, and Agia Sofia sits on the cliff edge
- Malvasia wine takes its name from here, and the vines are back on the plain behind
Reached from: Athens, Kythira and the Peloponnese
Where to dine
A table by the water
Matoula
Lower townOpen since 1950 on a terrace over the sea, and the oldest kitchen inside the walls.
Chrysovoulo
Lower townIn a vaulted room off the main lane, doing Laconian cooking with the local Malvasia.
Skorpios
GefyraOn the mainland side by the water, where the fishing boats tie up.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The lower town
A walled Byzantine town with vaulted lanes and forty churches, rebuilt stone by stone under strict control.
Agia Sofia
A twelfth-century church on the cliff edge of the upper plateau, with a straight drop to the sea.
The upper town
Abandoned on the plateau and left as it fell, up a steep zigzag path with no shade.
The Malvasia vineyards
On the plain behind the rock, growing again the grape that took the town's name across medieval Europe.
The fleet
Yachts available for Monemvasia
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Monemvasia
- Why can't you see the town from the mainland?
- Because it was built on the far side of the rock on purpose. From the causeway you see bare cliff; the walled town is round the other side, facing the sea.
- Is the upper town worth the climb?
- It is steep and there is no shade, but the twelfth-century church of Agia Sofia stands on the cliff edge at the top with a straight drop to the water.
- What does a yacht charter to Monemvasia cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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Enquire about a charter in Monemvasia
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.