Places of interest

Porto Heli is ideally suited for daytime excursions to a number of interesting places.

Didima is about 20km from Porto Heli and has a number of subsidence craters, one of which has the tiny chapel of St. George carved/built into the rock. The chapel is dated roughly as 13th century and the craters were used as shelter both for animals and humans during inclement weather.

Koilada is small fishing village and also one of the most important fishing ports in Greece. The immediate coastline is gorgeous with numerous bays for swimming and sunbathing and the village itself is renowned for the quality of the seafood.

Kranidi is about 7km from Porto Heli and is practically untouched by tourism.

Epidavros is about 50km from away and is the shrine to the Greek god of healing, Asclepios and the site of one of the best-preserved amphitheatres in Greece. They have an excellent museum and the ancient dramas are performed in the amphitheatre (in various languages and by different theatre groups) during July and August. The performances of the Epidavros Festival, as well as a number of cultural, theatrical and musical happenings all over Greece.

Nafplion, the 19th century capital of Greece with its mixture of Venetian, Ottoman and neo-classical buildings is a delight and 90km away. The view from the Palamidis Fortress towering above the town is great and you can either walk up the 999 steps or drive most of the way up and complete the climb on foot.

Mycenae is about 100km from Porto Heli, and is the site of the Tomb of Agamemnon and the famous Lion Gate. There is a path through the ruins to the top of the castle from where there is a fantastic view of the surrounding area.

Epidavros, Mycenae and Nafplion can be combined into a one day-long excursion either with an organised tour, by pre-booking a taxi or hiring a car. For more information on these and other sites of archaeological interest in Greece, see the Greek Ministry of Culture website: www.culture.gr.

Corinth is a little further away but still a lovely hour and a half drive, apart from the ancient town where St. Paul preached and the museum housing the finds from it, there is also the Corinth Canal to be explored.

Spetses is a pretty island with a mixture of traditional and modern buildings. The Bouboulina Museum, www.bouboulinamuseum-spetses.gr (the islands' heroine for her part in the war against the Turks) sited in the house she used to live in, is a must-see.

Hydra is a small, rock island with an international reputation among artists.

Monemvasia is best seen via an organised tour on a traditional Greek Caique as the hydrofoil services do not leave you enough time to explore, unless you wish to stay there overnight. Monemvasia is joined to the mainland by only a narrow causeway. The old town, built inside the walls of the fortress, has more than thirty beautiful Byzantine churches and a number of hotels have incorporated parts of the old fort into some of their rooms.