Peloponnese, Greece

Peloponnese: where to stay, shop, eat and relax

Editor's pick: best hotels, local restaurants, shopping attractions and activities to attend in Peloponnese.

HOTELS

Grande Bretagne Hotel

Five-star luxury in Syntagma Square, Athens, opposite Parliament. Lovely views from the rooftop restaurant, plus a spa and pools.
www.grandebretagne.gr

New Hotel

Small and friendly, this funky, four-star Athens hotel is just minutes from both Syntagma Square and the Plaka district.
newhotel.athenshotels.it

Grande Bretagne Hotel

Nafplion has lots of pensions and small hotels. This one (different to the Grand Bretagne above) is the classic, packed with old-world charm, right on the waterfront.
www.grandebretagne.com.gr

Costa Navarino resort

Tucked away from it all in the southwest Peloponnese, two beachside five-star hotels – the high-end Romanos and the family-friendly Westin – have golf courses and a spa. Extensive activities are offered: Philosophical Walks led by scholars; regional cookery lessons; trips to Nestor’s Palace and Messini; weekend wine tastings with Greece’s only MW, Konstantinos Lazarakis; vineyard visits and olive-picking.
www.costanavarino.com

Kinsterna Hotel & Spa

Picturesque boutique hotel created out of a Byzantine mansion, with stunning views over Monemvasia and the Aegean. Set amid olives and vines, the traditional tsipouro spirit is distilled here in the autumn. There’s a spa, pool and wine tastings.
kinsternahotel.gr

Image: The Hellenic Parliament building in Athens by Gerard McGovern and adapted under Creative Common Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

RESTAURANTS

Aleria

A beautiful neoclassical house in Athens with a stunning courtyard garden for summer meals, the young chef here has a formidable reputation.
www.aleria.gr

Orizontes Lycabettus

Good modern food with the best view in Athens, on Lycabettus hill looking down over the Parthenon. Take the funicular railway from Aristippou Street in Kolonaki.
www.orizonteslycabettus.gr

Strofi

In Athens, book a rooftop table for close-up views of the Parthenon. Classic dishes.
www.strofi.gr

Pachi

On the road from Athens airport down to Nafplion, stop at Pachi. This is authentic Greece: a small village with fishing boats, and tavernas selling the daily catch.

Matoula

Tucked inside the historic town of Monemvasia this offers traditional taverna cooking, with lovely views.
www.matoula.gr

3 Sixty wine bar

Nafplio’s daytime coffee-shop-cum- night-time-disco, with an excellent selection of local wines.
3sixtycafe.gr

Image: Parthenon by Onkel Tuca and adapted under GNU Free Documentation License.

SHOPPING

Pantopoleion

In the Plaka quarter of Athens, there are lots of small shops selling olive oil, olives, herbs, honey and more. Best known is this one on Sofokleous St.
Tel: +30 21 0323 4612

MUSEUMS

Set aside two days in Athens for visiting the key sights – the Acropolis and its museum has a good restaurant (www.theacropolismuseum.gr). The National Archaeological Museum houses treasures from Mycenae (www.namuseum.gr) and, close by, the Ilias Lalaounis Museum displays an astonishing collection of gold and jewellery, both historical and modern (www.lalaounis-jewelrymuseum.gr).

Translated by Sylvia Wu / 吴嘉溦