Greece by motorhome – Meandering The Peloponnese

Travelling Greece by motorhome has been nothing short of spectacular. Our Spring motorhome travels have taken us meandering around the Peloponnese, a peninsula at the southernmost part of mainland Greece. Looking at a map, the Peloponnese is almost shaped like a hand with four-south-pointing peninsulas that look like long fingers; the Messenian, the Mani, the Cape Malea and the Argolid. 

On this next stage of our trip we will be exploring parts of the Mani Peninsula, Cape Malea peninsula and the Argolid peninsula, before crossing over the Corinth Canal towards central Greece. 

After riding the vintage Odontotos railway line along the Voraikos Gorge, visiting Ancient Olympia, mysterious Mystras and many other incredible sites in the Messinia region, blog post here, we did not think the Peloponnese could possibly offer us anymore extraordinary sites than those we had already seen. But how wrong we were, there were plenty more places to wow us along this magnificent Peninsula.

Our itinerary for this next leg our trip is as follows: The Mani Peninsula>Gythio>Monemvasia>Elafonisos Island>Leonidio>Agios Christoforos>Ancient Maecaemae>Epidavros>Corinth Canal

We had already been travelling around the Peloponnese for about 11 days, when we arrived in the stunning Mani Peninsula.

Exploring The Mani Peninsula

The Mani is the central peninsula, also known as the middle finger, it is formed by a continuation of the Taygetos mountain range. Generally divided into the Messinian Mani or outer Mani and the Laconian Mani or inner Mani. My geography is not great, but looking at the map we can spot the Laconian Gulf to the east and  Messenian Gulf to the west. 

There is a rugged, untamed beauty to this area that we were not expecting. It felt quite remote even, with roads almost devoid of traffic.This wild landscape is arid, rocky, and there are plunging mountains with lots of stone towers scattered amid olive groves, with many of them looking abandoned. 

From my research I found out the distinctive Maniat tower-houses were built by rival families who would fiercely want to defend their land from invaders . There are many tales of bloody vendettas between the family clans that did not end with happy ever after. The peninsula’s native inhabitants were the Ancient Spartans, so not surprising that the Maniots (people of the Mani) would be fiercely independent and not averse to a good fight. 

We stayed on the Outer Mani, at the top of the peninsula by the side of a Greek taverna, a free place with the caveat of having to eat a meal at the taverna. The site was just a small piece of land, next to one of the two local Tavernas, and staying here for two nights we enjoyed a meal at both Tavernas. An evening meal was about 20 to 30 Euros including a glass of wine, depending on food choices. 

We used Little Bill – our scooter – to explore the Laconian Mani/Inner Mani, journeying down the main road through the narrow peninsula, from our base at the small fishing harbour of Karavostasi, near Neo Itilo (GPS 36.6960; 22.3783). 

On our first day in the region we visited nearby Limeni, a little fishing village that looked idyllic with pastel coloured houses  arranged around a small bay, with spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea. In town we noticed a group of cyclists, who were touring this region on tandem bicycles. We had first noticed them when we visited Koroni, a few days before and we have since then passed them a few times, when riding Little Bill around the Mani peninsula. 

Afterwards we also had a good look around  Aeropoli, named after Ares, the God of War. The town built on higher ground at 242 meters above sea level, the Mani capital was made famous for its role in the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire in 1821. It is considered to be the most important town of the Mani, with just over 1,000 inhabitants. 

The Diros Caves are a popular place to visit, situated about 11km from Aeropolis, where the flooded caves have been inhabited since Neolithic times. Unfortunately they were closed at the time of our visit. 

One gloriously sunny morning we rode Little Bill along the west side of the Mani Peninsula from Aeropoli all the way to the most southern point at Cape Tenaro and then returned via the east side. Our Lonely Planet guide book had an excellent driving tour map with suggestions of places to stop. 

On the way we stopped at various places, one of our favourites was the pretty village of Gerolimenas, set around a pebble beach with crystal clear water. We stopped at this village for lunch at a restaurant with gorgeous sea views and delicious Greek food. 

We passed the abandoned town of Vathia, which looked like a medieval fairy fantasy with many tower- houses clustered together on a ridge with panoramic views of the surrounding area. 

From Vathia we continued on along the coastal road before arriving at Cape Tenaro, also known as Cape Matapan which had an end-of-the-world-feel, the cape separates the Messenian Gulf from the Laconian Gulf.

There is a half hour walk to the lighthouse at the cape, but we decided to give it a miss and push on riding Little Bill onwards to Porto Kagio, where we stopped for a drink and relaxing for a while on one of the seafront Tavernas.  

Interestingly our Austrian motorhome neighbours (Monika and Fred), were also riding their scooter around the Mani and decided to stop for a drink at the same little cafe by the waterfront, so we had a quick chat with them before moving on. 

Afterwards we rode on the east side of the peninsula towards Nyfi, Kokkala and Skoutari, before crossing back to the west side towards Aeropoli and then home. This coastal route can be explored in a day, either by car or a scooter like we did, although for us it was quite a long day and now with hindsight it might have been better to have moved Big Bill – our motorhome – further into the Deep Mani on the second day of our stay. The main road was plenty large enough for Big Bill and I think if we visit this region again in the future, we would probably base ourselves for a second night at Gerolimenas and explore it with Little Bill from there. 

For our last night on the Mani Peninsula we enjoyed dinner at the local Taverna,  leaving early next morning bound for Gytheo. 

Gytheo

The drive to Gytheo was a bit stressful, since the new roads were not showing on our GPS and we got a little lost. The folk on the pretty town of Gytheo were having a street party when we arrived and therefore some of the roads in the town centre were closed. A few reversing manoeuvres later we did find an alternative way to our campsite. 

The campsite, Camping Melteni (GPS N36.7295 E22.5536) was about 3 miles, walking distance from Gytheo, or just a short ride on Little Bill, but feeling lazy we wanted to relax for the rest of the day and just went out for our evening meal meal at the campsite Taverna and then a short walk along the beach afterwards. We left Gytheo, without exploring the town, next day bound for Monemvasia, stopping for a visit at the Shipwreck Dimitrius.

The Greek shipwreck is an interesting place to visit, it has been made famous because of its location on an easily accessible sandy beach, just a few km from Gytheo. There is a free car park near the shipwreck and we noticed a few motorhomes which looked like they had stayed overnight. There are different accounts and stories about how Dimitrius got stranded on this beach with rumours that it was used for smuggling. Whatever its history the shipwreck makes for some great photos. 

 We decided against an overnight stay at the free car park and drove on towards Monemvasia. 

Magnificent Monemvasia 

Monemvasia is hidden behind an imposing rock with sheer cliffs rising hundreds of meters from the sea. The town is not visible from the road that leads up to a causeway. The medieval village is enclosed within the walls of a Kastro/Castle Fortress. 

We parked Big Bill along the causeway and walked a few hundred meters towards the entrance of the medieval town. 

We entered the castle walls, from the only available entrance and walked towards the central square along the cobbled streets and arched passageways. The name Monemvasia derives from two Greek words, “mone” and “emvasia” meaning “single entrance”, there is a sense of isolation in this town surrounded by a fortress wall. 

Only about 20 people live inside the Kastro walls, with most people living on the nearby mainland village of Gefyra, just across the causeway. Monemvasia is divided into the lower town and the upper town.

It is such a quaint little village with narrow cobbled streets. Since we arrived at midday there were already people having lunch or drinks at the local restaurants and Tavernas or looking around the many souvenir shops that line the main road into the town square.  It was fun to wander around the labyrinth of secluded corners, small alleyways and steps leading up to stone house and walled gardens. 

From the Lower Town we followed a path and steps to the Upper Town, it was quite a warm day,  there were not many people doing this hike up and we soon discovered why. The midday sun was beating down on us making it harder to push ourselves towards the higher ground. 

It was definitely worth going uphill to get the fantastic views and also visit Agia Sofia, a Byzantine church founded by the Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos. It was converted into a mosque during the Turkish occupation. The interior has beautiful frescoes from the 12th and 13th century. 

After our visit to the town we returned to Big Bill and drove just a few hundred meters to the harbour overlooking Monemvasia, for an off-grid overnight parking. We managed to get a pole position with fabulous views over to the Monemvasia rock. Later on a couple of other motorhomes joined alongside us, but our views were uninterrupted.

As evening approached we cooked dinner and sat outside watching the small fishing boats returning home, we could hardly believe our luck to be enjoying such a beautiful place for free. The Monemvasia rock across the water from us looking ominous and mysterious under the dark sky. 

Brian tried some fishing early next morning and he did managed to catch a small barracuda, which he just returned back to the sea. After breakfast we went into town to buy some food supplies, before setting off  over the mountains, a very scenic route towards the island of Elafonisos, a short drive of about one hour and half.

Elafonisos Island

To get to the island we had to board a ferry, from the port of Pounta, near Neapolis. It was a very short crossing of about 10 minutes. Once on board we paid a ferry fee of 25 Euros for a one way ticket for our 7meters motorhome and two adults, the costs are cheaper for cars (it costs 11 Euros for a car and 1 Euro per person) and we notice that many people boarded the ferry on foot and then get a taxi to their hotel at the other end.

There is no need to book ferry tickets in advance, people just turn up and queue at the port. During the high season the tickets are issued at a small booth at the port in Pounta or at Elafonisos port at the other end. There are regular daily ferries going and returning from the island. 

After docking at the island, Brian had to reverse our motorhome off the ferry, luckily there was lots of space and he was guided by ferry staff. 

We stayed at Simos Camping (GPS N36.4763 E22.9752), located about 4km from the port of Elafonisos, we paid 18 Euros per night including electricity using our ACSI card. The campsite was perfectly located next to the famous Simos Beach. 

This tiny island was so beautiful and relaxing. There were no must-sees or special sites and activities, we loved the slow pace of life, delicious Greek food, peaceful surroundings and some stunning sunsets. In the evenings we would head to the main town, in fact only town for a meal at our favourite Taverna, called Antonis. From our dinning table overlooking the harbour we spotted wildlife such as birds, fish and even turtles. 

There is no public transportation in the island so we used Little Bill to get around, but others were exploring by bicycle, hiking, or with a hired taxi. It did not take us long to explore the whole island.

We have mentioned before that we have hardly met any British motorhomes travelling in this region, but we did meet again for the third time British couple, Sue and David from Leeds, again totally by chance (if you have been following our journey you might remember we have met them first at San Marino in Italy, the day before we caught our ferry from Ancona in Italy to Patras in Greece, them we met them again at Koroni, where they were staying in the same campsite we stayed) . It was lovely to see them again, staying at the same campsite. We exchanged travel tales and recommendations for our forward travelling. They were heading in the opposite direction from us heading back to Patras and then home. 

Meeting like-minded people is always something we really enjoy on our travels. After spending 3 peaceful nights on the island and feeling very relaxed, it was time to move on towards Leonidio. 

Leonidio

Leonidio is located at the mouth of the Badron Gorge, nestled between mountains. We stayed overnight nearby at place called Plaka, on Campsite Semeli (GPS 371495; 22.8927) run by two brothers and paying 18 Euros including electricity. We explored Leonidio the following day, we could not miss out on buying some of the famous local Tsakonian aubergines (eggplant) at a local vegetable stall. The village of Leonidio is a magnet for climbers who enjoy hanging from some of the magnificent cliff faces. 

The most striking part of this journey for us was driving along the mountain roads with spectacular views. From Leonidio we stayed for a couple of nights at a very friendly campsite called Camping Zaritsi (GPS 37.2765; 22.8404) at Agios Christoforos. The owner was lovely, another family owned place where there was great emphasis on good hospitality with some delicious meals on offer at the campsite taverna.

We were again tempted to stay for two nights and just enjoy swimming in the crystal clear waters at the nearby beach and relax. Our motorhome neighbours were a couple from Germany called Ulf and Silke plus their lovely dog called Alma (the name means soul in Portuguese). They were great company and we enjoyed meeting up with them at the Taverna to share an evening meal on both nights of our stay. Ulf was a retired dentist who would often spend many months volunteering his expertise in Africa. It was fascinating to hear about all the difficulties he faced in some of the poorest regions of Africa. 

From this campsite we drove northwards towards Epidavros, with a short detour to visit Ancient Mycenae.

Ancient Mycenae

Surrounded by mountains, World Heritage-listed Ancient Mycenae was the home of the legendary Agamemnon, who in Greek Mythology was the king of Mycenae. He is known for being the commander-in-chief of the Greeks during the Trojan War. The Ancient city consisted of a fortified citadel and surrounding settlement. Here again we required imagination to understand about a place that was once upon a time one of the most powerful kingdoms of Greece.

Before heading over to the Ancient site we visited the Archaeological Museum. The exhibits are fascinating, I found particularly interesting to learn about the golden death mask (although the one exhibited here is a replica of the original). . 

It was worth visiting the small Archeological Museum first, before exploring the ruins

We entered the fortified citadel via the Lion Gate, a solid construction of stone blocks over which preside two large lions.

There is a free parking area, to enter the site it cost us 12 Euros which included a visit to the small museum. Totally worth it and I would recommend this site to anyone visiting this region. After our visit we moved on towards Ancient Epidavros. 

Epidavros

For our visit to the Ancient Theatre of Epidavros we stayed for one night at Camping Nicholas (GPS N37.6301 E23.1580). Another great location by the side of a beautiful beach from where we snorkelled over an underwater ancient sunken city.

The main attraction here is of course the amazing Theatre of Epidavros.

This late 4th century BCE theater is one of the best preserved Ancient Greek structures in existence. The acoustics are amazing, we tested it and could not believe how clear I could hear Brian, with him standing at the theatre’s centre and I was sitting at the very top. The Theatre is still used for performances, but sadly there were none happening during our stay. Soon afterwards we left Epidavros bound for the Corinth Canal. 

Corinth Canal 

The main bridge over the canal offers a fantastic view over the cutting through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth. We parked Big Bill at the nearby carpark and walked over the bridge. From the bridge we watched mesmerised as a group of brave young women bungy jumped from underneath the bridge. 

 The project spanned many centuries  – began by Roman Emperor Nero who was the first to attempt to build the canal, but the project was abandoned when he died. The building of the canal experienced many financial problems and bankruptcies,  but it was finally completed in 1893, although it still experienced financial and operational difficulties. 

The canal was dug through the Isthmus at sea level and has no locks. It is 24.6 meters (80.7feet) wide, therefore making it too narrow for modern ships. It also experienced problems with landslides and serious damaged caused during World War II. Currently the canal is mostly used by smaller boats, with the exception of the cruise ship MS Braemar, which was the widest and longest ship to transit the canal in 2019.

Once we crossed the bridge over the Corinth Canal we waved goodbye to the Peloponnese, crossing into mainland Greece. Some people argue that the Peloponnese is an island, since it is cut from the mainland by the Isthmus of Corinth. For us crossing over the bridge signed the end of a fantastic leg of our motorhome tour and it was with a heavy heart that we left the Peloponnese behind. 

Tips for Visiting the Peloponnese

The Peloponnese can be easily explored on a road trip since,  and being relatively close to Athens it can be easily combined with a trip to the Greek Capital. Many important archaeological sites such as Ancient Olympia, Mycenae, the Ancient walled city of Monemvasia, Epidavros, Ancient Corinth etc. can be easily explored on a one or a two week-itinerary.

• There is a public bus service around the Peloponnese, we met a couple who were backpacking and using the buses to get around. Although having a car or motorhome would give a lot more flexibility. They told us that it was very easy to find accommodation and there was no need to book ahead (I guess in the high season it would be different).
• For people travelling here by motorhome the Peloponnese offers plenty of opportunities for free parking/wild camping, particularly during the low season. We travelled during the Spring and although we did overnight in some free parking/wild camping places, the majority of our stay was in campsites using our ACSI card to get a discount. We loved all the places we have mentioned in this post, having the security and facilities included was great. 
• Traffic was very light in most places, we would often drive for ages without meeting another vehicle, which was great, particularly on some narrow mountain roads. 
• We paid tolls when using their excellent motorways, it is good to keep some small notes and euro coins, although we were also able to pay by debit card. We did not find the tolls particularly expensive.
• We paid on average of 12 Euros to enter attractions such as Museums and Ancient sites. 
• The food was delicious and inexpensive, Greek wine was very drinkable and cheap. 
• It is all in Greek –  road signs and names of places were of course written in the Greek, but they would often also be written using the Latin/Roman Alphabet. 
• We found English to be widely spoken in restaurants, campsites, tourist attractions, but we did learn a few Greek words such as kalimera: Good Morning; kalispera:Good evening; Yiasou:hello/goodby/cheers; Effkharistoe:thank you. It was always appreciated when we tried to communicate in the local language. 
• We found the Greek people we encountered on our trip to be super friendly, funny, hospitable and basically could not do enough for us. A huge highlight of the trip.

We absolutely loved the Peloponnese and we could not recommend it enough. My next blog post will be about the next leg of our trip around mainland Greece, exploring central and some of Northern Greece. Thank you all for reading and safe travels.