Nafplio

Crowned by the formidable bulwarks of the old Palamidi Fortress, the town of Nafplio was once hailed as the capital of the Kingdom of Greece. In the 20th century, it became a haven for jet setting locals on holiday from Athens, who came to seek out the rustic charm and historic prestige of this much-trodden corner of the Peloponnesian Argolid. Today, it hosts bustling food markets, stylish Greek coffee bars and endless collections of shimmering white yachts, not to mention some of the most totemic medieval and renaissance relics outside of Athens.

Most Nafplio tourist guides recommend that first time visitors start by scaling the so-called 999 Steps that wind their way to the tip of the town’s Venetian fort. Here, sweeping panoramas of the port, the Mediterranean Sea and the old town centre put up a display of Ottoman, Byzantine and Orthodox architecture that touts wonders like the St Spyridon Church and the Vouleftikon—the first parliament of modern Greece. Museums also abound, and history buffs would do well to case out the exhibitions of the town’s archaeological museum, or the dig sites at nearby ancient Argos. What’s more, foodies will love the seafood; a scrumptious array of fried calamari and fish cuts best washed down with swigs of potent ouzo.