Greece’s Peloponnese Peninsula – often overlooked because the Greek islands are so enticing.

By Lori Derauf
 
A few years ago, I had a conference in Athens and decided to extend my stay and tour the Peloponnese Peninsula as I didn’t know much about it.  I had sailed around the Greek Islands before and couldn’t imagine a better way to experience Greece.  After 5 days on the mainland I had changed my mindset to realize that experiencing this area was just as fantastic as visiting the islands.  Plus, it was a lot less crowded as most cruise ship traffic only visits Athens.
 
To get a feel for how big this area is, it covers over 8300 square miles.  Its connected to the mainland by crossing the Corinth Canal.  It’s very mountainous with lots of amazing coastal towns.
 
It’s pretty easy to get to from Athens but to truly see it you have to either rent a car or book into a guided group trip.  Our group was 12 people with a driver and a guide who were from the area and very knowledgeable.  In addition to visiting family owned vineyards and olive groves we visited Olympia and stayed on the sleepy coastal town of Nafplio.  
 
I highly recommend dedicating a few days to this area when considering a trip to Greece.  Here are a few pictures of my experiences there.