Nafplio to Mycenae and onto Athens

We began our day with a gentle descent by bus from the hotel to Nafplio, a charming coastal city with roots stretching back to antiquity. Once a vital seaport during the Middle Ages, Nafplio flourished under the Republic of Venice and later the Ottoman Empire. It even served as the second capital of the First Hellenic Republic and the Kingdom of Greece from 1827 to 1834.
Often dubbed the “Venice of the East,” Nafplio’s Venetian influence is unmistakable in its architecture and the quaint charm of its old town. A few leisurely hours spent wandering through boutique shops and indulging in coffee and cakes quickly slipped by in this picturesque setting.
From there, we journeyed to Mycenae, one of the most significant archaeological sites in Greece. Dating back to 1600 BCE, Mycenae was a powerful military stronghold and a major center of ancient Greek civilization. It once dominated southern Greece, Crete, the Cyclades, and even parts of southwest Anatolia.
Walking among its ruins, we were transported to a time of kings and warriors, myth and legend. The scale and age of the site are awe-inspiring, standing among the remnants of a city that shaped the course of history more than three millennia ago.Read more