Click on the links at the top or bottom of this page if you want to discover more about different regions in the Peloponnese in more detail. If you want more pointers take a butchers at – GRUNTIE’S TOP 21 BESTEST THINGS TO SEE.

My wife, Leashia, and I had our honeymoon in The Peloponnese on mainland Greece in 2013. A package holiday to Finikounda, a small, touristy but charming resort in the Messinia region. [If you think of The Peloponnese as a four fingered hand, this is near the bottom of the first finger on the West side]. Although we enjoyed our stay there, our holiday was enhanced hugely when we hired a car and travelled to Nafplio [Argolis], The Mani [southern finger of Messenia] and other amazing places such as Polilimnio in central Messenia, Lousios Gorge [Arcadia], Epidavros which is near Nafplio and many more.

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I would like to dedicate my pages on the Peloponnese to Andrew Bostock, the author of Greece: The Peloponnese [Bradt] who died in 2021.

His writing on the Peloponnese has been and still is an inspiration to me.

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Below is a slideshow of some of my favritist places in The Peloponnese-

Thomas Cook used to have the best package prices to Stoupa and Finikounda which are both in Messenia, and this also included transfers. Olympic Holidays also cover the same places but transfers are often not included. This may not be a problem if you intend to hire a car for the duration of your holiday. Tui also have packages to The Peloponnese, but not many and on my last peek in September 2019, holidays from Majorca were listed which which I always thought was in Spain, not Greece! Useless.

You can of course also tailor your own holiday but this is likely to be more expensive. What I tend to do is book the package for three weeks and then book up other places to stay so we don’t stay in the same resort for the entire holiday.

You will most likely fly to Kalamata, which is now linked by a superb motorway through the centre of The Peloponnese, past Tripoli and Corinth and all the way to Athens. It’s a toll road but is inexpensive and convenient if you want to get somewhere fast. If you use any other road it is likely to be slow, very slow. But what’s the rush? [Unless you need a wee].

We have returned several times since our honeymoon and we try to explore as much of the Peloponnese as we can each year.

We never tire of exploring the area. The terrain can be varied, often very mountainous, often bleak. [There are even ski resorts which may come as a bit of a surprise]. There are also a surprising number of rivers and greenery as well as hundreds of sleepy pretty villages that reap rewards if you get out of the car and have a mooch.

We now base our holiday in the larger [and more touristy] resort of Stoupa which is an area known as the Mani in the south of Messenia. It has good value accommodation, several beaches and a large choice of good quality and good value restaurants. It’s also a great base to head out into the deeper Mani [south] as well as the rest of The Peloponnese. Just a ten minute drive out of the town, the tourists disappear and you feel as if you have gone back in time.

THE PELOPONNESE LINKS:

Click and it will take you direct to the page- it’s magic !

Tips inc sections on : The Greek Language, Driving and car hire, Food and drink, Further inspiration and reading, Gruntie’s top 21 Bestest things to see

LACONIA inc sections on: Sparta , Langada Pass, Mystra, Geraki, Kastania Cave and area, Kyparissi, Monemvasia

THE MANI inc sections on: Areopoli, Diros Caves, Vathia, Stoupa, Agios Nikolaos, South of Stoupa to Itylo Bay, Kastania and the Taygetos Mountains, Kardamyli, Viros Gorge, Around Kardamyli, Gythio, Gerolimenas, Cape Tenaro

ARCADIA/ ELIS inc sections on: Temple of Apollo, Lousios Gorge, Ancient Olympia, Panagia Gorgoepikοos, Nestani, Agia Theodora of Vasta, Ancient Tegea, Levidi and surrounding area, Lousios to Levidi

CORINTHIA inc sections on: Ancient Corinth, Ancient Nemea, Acrocorinth, Corinth Canal, Dervenakia Pass

ARGOLIS inc sections on: Nafplio, Around Nafplio, Methana, Ancient Mycenae, Epidavros, Caves and sinkholes

MESSINIA inc sections on: Kalamata, Nestor’s Palace, Navarino Bay and area, Ancient Messene, Methoni, Volcanou Monasteries, Koroni, Polilimnio, Finikounda