10 Places to Visit in Mainland Greece Beyond Athens

Palamidi’s bastions overlook Nafplio’s tiled roofs and the Argolic Gulf. Climb the long staircase from the old town or take the road to the entrance. Two nights in Nafplio gives you a day for the fortress and another for the town and waterfront.

A short boat trip from Nafplio’s waterfront takes you to this small sea fortress. The crossing gives you a different view of the town, with Palamidi rising behind it.

The Archaeological Museum of Nafplio occupies the Venetian building on Syntagma Square. Finds from the Argolid introduce the ancient settlements of the surrounding Peloponnese. Follow the visit with a walk through the old town.

The Archaeological Collection of Monemvasia occupies a former mosque opposite Elkomenos Christos in the lower-town square. Its sculpture and objects help explain the buildings you pass in the surrounding lanes.

Pantanassa is an active convent among the Byzantine ruins of Mystras. The church’s wall paintings reward a stop inside. Spend half a day on the hillside, visiting Perivleptos on the same walk.

Perivleptos Monastery is built against the rock on the lower slopes of Mystras. Its fourteenth-century wall paintings are among the highlights of the site. Continue uphill to Pantanassa for another part of the Byzantine town.

The Archaeological Museum of Olympia displays sculpture from the Temple of Zeus and the Hermes traditionally attributed to Praxiteles. These are the finds that give the ruined sanctuary its scale and detail. See the museum and outdoor site together.

Follow Delphi’s Sacred Way uphill to the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle was consulted. The surviving columns sit against the mountain above the valley. Pair the sanctuary with the archaeological museum for a half-day visit.

The circular tholos belongs to Delphi’s Athena Pronaia sanctuary. It is a separate stop across the modern road from the main Apollo sanctuary, with a setting lower down the hillside.

Delphi’s Archaeological Museum holds the bronze Charioteer, sculpture and offerings from the sanctuary. The collections show what the ruined temples once contained. Visit alongside the Temple of Apollo.

Nafpaktos’s castle rises above its small Venetian harbour. Walk up through the old town to the fortifications, then return to the waterfront for a meal. A night here makes a pleasant pause between longer journeys.

The former Fethiye Mosque stands on the eastern side of Nafpaktos’s harbour. Its Ottoman architecture adds another layer to a waterfront walk, below the castle and old-town lanes.

Ioannina’s castle is an inhabited quarter beside Lake Pamvotida, with lanes and former Ottoman buildings around the Its Kale citadel. Spend a morning in the castle and Silversmithing Museum, then walk along the lake. One or two nights gives the town room beyond its main sights.

The White Tower’s museum follows Thessaloniki’s history through the floors of the building. The tower also makes a good starting point for a seafront walk. Stay two nights for the waterfront, museums and neighbourhoods.

Goldwork, sculpture and objects from daily life introduce ancient Macedonia at Thessaloniki’s archaeological museum. It is close to the White Tower, so the two work well on the same day.

Kavala’s fortress looks out over the harbour from the Panagia old quarter. Walk up through the lanes from the aqueduct below. A night or two in town gives you time for the hillside and the waterfront.

The Kamares aqueduct’s Ottoman-era arches stand at the foot of Kavala’s old town. See them from the surrounding streets before walking up through Panagia to the fortress.