Greece · Peloponnese
Yacht Charter Nafplion
The first capital of independent Greece, with a Venetian fort on an islet in its own harbour.
Nafplion was the capital of Greece from 1823 until 1834, when the government moved to Athens and left behind a town built to be a seat of state — neoclassical façades, a square paved in marble, and three separate fortresses stacked above and around it. It sits at the head of the Argolic Gulf, and you come in past the Bourtzi, a Venetian fort built on an islet in the middle of the entrance.
Three fortresses
Palamidi stands on a rock two hundred and sixteen metres above the town, eight self-contained bastions each able to hold out if the others fell. The stair up from the town is famously counted at a thousand steps and is actually about nine hundred, which does not help on the way up.
Akronafplia below it is the oldest, Byzantine on Frankish on ancient walls. The Bourtzi, out in the water since 1471, held the chain that closed the harbour, and later housed the town's executioner because nobody would have him as a neighbour.
The town and the plain
Syntagma Square is paved in marble with a Venetian arsenal of 1713 along one side, now the archaeological museum. Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first head of state, was shot on the steps of Agios Spyridon in 1831; the mark of the bullet is still in the doorway.
The plain behind holds Mycenae, Tiryns and the theatre at Epidaurus, which seats fourteen thousand and has acoustics that carry a whisper from the stage floor to the back row.
Practical notes
- Capital of Greece from 1823 to 1834, and built to look the part
- Palamidi sits two hundred and sixteen metres up; the stair from town is about nine hundred steps
- The Bourtzi has stood on its islet in the harbour entrance since 1471
- Mycenae, Tiryns and the theatre at Epidaurus are all on the plain behind
Reached from: Athens and the Saronic Gulf
Where to dine
A table by the water
Aiolos
Old townIn a lane behind Syntagma Square, doing Peloponnesian cooking that has not changed to suit anyone.
Ta Fanaria
Old townUnder a vine by the steps up to Akronafplia, and open since well before the town became fashionable.
Savouras
WaterfrontOn the quay facing the Bourtzi, and the fish is what came in that morning.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Palamidi
Eight self-contained bastions on a rock two hundred and sixteen metres above the town.
The Bourtzi
A Venetian fort on an islet in the harbour entrance, holding the chain that closed the port since 1471.
Syntagma Square
Paved in marble, with a Venetian arsenal of 1713 that is now the archaeological museum.
Epidaurus
A theatre for fourteen thousand on the plain behind, with acoustics that carry a whisper to the back row.
The fleet
Yachts available for Nafplion
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 Nafplion
- Why is Nafplion so grand for its size?
- It was the capital of independent Greece from 1823 to 1834 and was built as a seat of government — marble squares, neoclassical façades and three fortresses — before the capital moved to Athens.
- Is Palamidi worth the climb?
- It is about nine hundred steps and no shade, and at the top there are eight separate bastions, each built to hold out alone. The view runs the whole Argolic Gulf.
- What does a yacht charter in Nafplion 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 Nafplion
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.