Nafplio

Palamidi steps early, Arvanitia swims and a morning at Mycenae

Climb the Palamidi steps early, before the sun reaches them, then take coffee on Syntagma Square and see the Archaeological Museum in the Venetian arsenal. Walk round Akronafplia to swim at Arvanitia and watch sunset over the Bourtzi; on a second day, drive to Mycenae and on to the theatre at Epidaurus.

Start the first morning on the Palamidi steps before the sun reaches them, and take your time on the ramparts. Come down for coffee on Syntagma Square, then visit the Archaeological Museum in the old Venetian arsenal and the Vouleftikon next door. In the afternoon, walk Kapodistriou street to Agios Spyridon and follow the path round Akronafplia to Arvanitia for a swim. End at a cafe facing the Bourtzi as the sun drops into the gulf.

In July and August, try to time this with an evening performance of the summer festival. Back in town, pick up something from the bakeries for the road, and spend the last evening wandering the lanes below Akronafplia, where the Frangoklissia, the oldest church in town, keeps traces of a Frankish monastery. Weekends fill up with visitors from Athens, so if you can, make these two days midweek.

Bakeries, ice cream and harbour tables in Nafplio

Nafplio has a sweet tooth. Old-town bakeries such as Alevri+Zahari serve breakfast pastries, Karamalis by the port draws summer-evening queues for ice cream, and the lanes behind the harbour are full of tavernas, with Zorbas a reliable family-run choice. The surrounding Argolid is orange country, and Nemea's vineyards are close.

Nafplio eats sweet. Traditional bakeries are scattered through the old town, and Alevri+Zahari on Sidirou Merarchias, a bakery and pastry shop, is a local favourite for breakfast or something for the road. Ice cream is made in town too, and Karamalis, officially called Nafplios, by the port at the start of the old town, is where queues form on summer evenings.

For proper meals, the lanes behind the harbour are full of tavernas; Zorbas, a family-run place with friendly staff, is a reliable choice for salads and Greek mains. The Argolid plain around the town is orange country, and the vineyards of Nemea are a short drive north. Popeye on Staikopoulou does pizza and burgers with a good list of Greek microbrewery beers when you want a break from taverna food. Drinks are best taken outdoors: in the cafes on Syntagma Square, where locals gather at every hour, or at Iliostasio, a cafe and cocktail bar facing the Bourtzi at the western end of the promenade.

Mycenae, Epidaurus and Argos, plus the summer Epidaurus festival

Nafplio is surrounded by major ancient sites a short drive away: Mycenae with its Lion Gate and beehive tombs, the theatre of Epidaurus in the sanctuary of Asklepios, and Argos. In July and August the Epidaurus festival stages ancient drama on weekend evenings, so book early and bring a cushion and a warm layer.

Nafplio sits in the middle of some of the most important ancient sites in Greece, and a car turns them into easy half days. Mycenae, the Bronze Age citadel of Agamemnon, with its Lion Gate and beehive tombs, is a short drive north. The theatre of Epidaurus, celebrated for its acoustics, lies to the east in the sanctuary of Asklepios. Argos, the regional town on the plain, has its own ancient theatre.

Summer brings the main event. In July and August, the Epidaurus festival stages ancient Greek drama in the theatre on weekend evenings, and many visitors book their Nafplio stay around a performance. Arrive early, bring a cushion for the stone seats and something warm, as evenings turn cool after sunset. For beach days, Arvanitia is walkable from town, Karathona's sandy bay is a little further, and Tolo, a resort to the southeast, adds a long beach and a campsite at Assini.