Nafplion – Points of Interest

Nafplio is the first capital of Greece. Below you can find the most important archeological sites – points of interest of the city.

Points of Interest – Archeological Sites

• Palamidi Fortress
• Bourtzi Castle
• Five Brothers (Five Cannons)
• Acronafplia Fortress
• Syntagma Square
  • Archeological Museum Of Nafplio
• Kolokotronis Statue
• Kapodistrias Statue
• The Three Admirals Square
  • The Statue Of Otto
  • The First Pharmacy Of Greece
  • War Museum
  • Palamidi Municipal Library

Palamidi Fortress

In Palamidi Fortress there are eight bastions that had different names through the decades and now have their Greek names by the ancient Greek leaders and heroes.

Palamidi is a fortress in the heart of Nafplio built by the Venetians on top of the hill that is 216 metre high.  The Fortress was finished between 1711-1714 based on the architech plans of the engineers Giaxich and Lasalle. From 1715 until 1822 was captured by the Turks and after 1822 by the Greeks.

(Epaminondas, Miltiades, Leonidas, Phocion, Achilles, Themistocles).

The Miltiades one was used as a prison where was also held Theodoros Kolokotronis, a hero from the Greek Revolution.

You can either drive to the Fortress or walk through the hill from the downtown. The locals still support that there are 999 steps to the top. We are not sure how many steps are there but we can guarantee you that from the staircase you can enjoy amazing view to the Argolic Gulf!

Bourtzi Castle

Bourtzi is a castle located in the heart of the harbor of Nafplio. It was built in the 1473 and was named from the Ottoman Turkish “burc” meaning “tower”. It was equipped with cannons in order to protect the city from the sea invaders.

On 1930 it was licensed and operated as a hotel with 12 rooms and a restaurant but later on the license was not extended and since then the Fortress is one of the most well-known archeological sites of Nafpio.

The Five Brothers Cannons

The “Five Brothers” is the only bastion that survived until today. It was constructed on the 15^th century by the Venetians and was named “Five Brothers” because there are five cannons exactly the same that combining with the Bortzi Fortress were defending the city from the sea invaders. It is located at the North West side of the Acronafplia Fortress.

Acronafplia Fortress

Acronafplia Fortress in the oldest castle in the city of Nafplio. It is named “Acronafplia”, meaning the edge of Nafplio, due to its location at the very end of the city. Part of the Fortress was created in the Bronze Age and then it was extended by Romans, Venetians and Turks. Once the whole city of Nafplio was existed inside the walls.

From the path that leads from downtown Nafplio to the top you can enjoy amazing view, at the North to the city of Nafplio and the harbor and at the South to the Arvanitia beach and the Argolic Gulf.

At the middle of the hill you will see an abandoned building that will take your attention. This building was operating for a lot of years as the best hotel in Nafplio but at some point the company that was operating the hotel and other hotels in the country went bankrupt and since then the building is owned by the Greek government. Hopefully at some point soon we will see again life at this historical building.

Syntagma Square – Archeological Museum Of Nafplio

Syntagma Square is the heart of the old city of Nafplio. All the city is full of paths and all of them lead to the Syntagma Square. According to a law of the country the landlords at the old city of Nafplio are responsible to maintain the ancient buildings and are not allowed to make major changes, so at all the paths you will have the chance to enjoy architectural and colors from the ancient Greece that will drive you to the past. You can find traditional taverns, coffee shops and retail stores!

At the main square, you can find the Archaeological Museum of Nafplio. It is the stone built Venetian Structure building, on the West side of the square. The Archeological Museum of Nafplio was built in 1973 in order to be used as the navy’s depository. It is known as one of the best well-presented Venetian structures of the whole Greece.

The exhibition into this two storey building presents stone & bone utility tools, shells & bones of animals and fish, jewelry made of shells. At the Archeological Museum of Nafplio you will find findings from the early period of the Bronze Age or Early Helladic Period (3300-2100/2000 BC), from the Middle Helladic Period (2100/2000-1600 BC) from the settlements of Assini, Nafplio-Pronoia, Epidaurus and Tirynth.

Below are some examples of the exhibits:

• Soapstone seal from wheel-made hydra from Assini (2700-2200 BC)
• Figurine of Midea goddess (2^nd half of the 13^th cent. BC)
• Red-figure hydria from Attica Portayal of Clytemnestra’s Assassination by Orestis, her son (app. 440 BC)

Visiting Hours are Tuesday-Sunday 8:30am-3:00pm.

Kolokotronis Statue

At the midle of the Kolokotronis park is located a monumental statue of the hero of the Greek revolution, Theodoros Kolokotronis, riding his horse. The Statue of the “Old Man Of Moria” as he was known is made of a copper alloy as is placed on a monumental stone pedestal. The Statue was moulded in 1894 at the Thiebaut foundry in Paris and in 1895 it was transported to Greece. The pedestal was created by the brothers Tiero and was constructed in 1900 in Athens at the marble workshop of Ioannis Chaldoupis. The statue was unveiled in 1901. The cost for the acquisition of the statue was extremely high and a nationwide appeal was necessary to raise the funds. The pedestal was a donation from the appeal court judge, Nicholas Kostakis.

Kapodistrias Statue

Ioannis Kapodistrias was the first governor of the modern Greek state. The statue of Ioannis Kapodistrias is located at the Kapodistrias square in Nafplio. The statue was created by the sculptor Michael Tobros, was placed at the square in 1932 and is craved from Marble.

Kapodistrias was born in 1776 in Corfu, and studied medicine in Italy. In April 1827 he was elected as governor of the country for a period of 7 years. On 27 of September of 1831 he was murdered outside of the church of Aghios Spiridonas.

Ioannis Kapodistrias had an amazing career as the governor of Greece and is considered as one of the greatest politicians of the Greek History.

The Three Admirals’ Square

The Three Admirals Square, or the “fountain Square” as it was named until 1854. The name of the square was given in the honor of the three admirals, the Englishman Kodrington, the Russian Eiden and the French Derigny, where they defeated Ibrahim’s fleet at the naval battle of Navarino in 1827.

To the West of the square is the statue of Otto, the first King of Greece. Next to Otto’s statue there is the first pharmacy in Greece where the pharmacist Bonaphin tanned Kapodistria’s pile.

At the Three Admirals Square you can find the most important historical buildings of Nafplio, such as the the first high school, the Town Hall and the most well-known street of the old city of Nafplio the Grand Street or King Constantine.

From the northern side of the square is Amalias Othonos Street, where the War Museum of Nafplion is located on the left and at the end of the Palamidi Municipal Library.

We can support you, visit Nafplio, with great accommodation. Simply choose the apartment that fits better to you: