Hidden beauties of Greece

Olympia | Monemvasia | Nafplion | Sparta & Mystras | Kalavryta | Mt. Olympus  

Monemvasia, Neapolis & Elafonissos.

Monemvasia, the birthplace of the Greek poet, Yannis Ritsos, is also known as the "Gibraltar of Greece", being an enormous sullen rock. The resplendent pavement, the whiteness of the steps of the stone houses, the flowerpots with their flowers and the nice "small stores on the Main Street" is the attraction for a huge number of local and foreign tourists. The arched malls, the castles, the canons and the seaside wall draws you to live here for a few days of relaxation as did the Franks, the Byzantines, the Catalan's, the Venetian's and the Turks in older times.
You must definitely take the upper road to the castle at St. Sophia and the magnificent plateau with the unbelievable view.

From Monemvasia drive south to the town of Neapolis (ex Vatika), the most eastern point of the left "foot" of the Peloponessus. The road climbs up the picturesque town of Neapoli on the Krithina Mountain with a magnificent view of the Elafonissos island.

Elafonissos is located at the southeastern end of the Peloponnese and stretches on 19 square km, only 570m away from the Peloponnesian coast at Pounta. The island has many loyal visitors, attracted by its endless sandy beaches with their dunes and cedars. One of the most well known and beautiful beaches is Simos. At the port entrance, there is the small chapel of Agios Spyridonas of Byzantine order. An entire fleet of fishing boats supplies daily the island and the big fish markets with fish from the sea area around the island. Elafonissos has the third fishing fleet in Greece, consisting of 180 fishing boats, which annually catch some 350 tonnes of fish. In the picturesque taverns of the island, you can try special delicacies, such as octopus famous for its taste, as well as all sorts of fish. On the island there are rooms to let and a couple of hotels, while it is ideal for children, as no vehicles are allowed and the waters are clean and shallow. Elafonissos is the closest thing to the Caribbean islands Greece has to offer.

Do not confuse this Island of Elafonissos at the South Eastern point of Peloponessus off Neapolis with the "Elafonissos beach" in Crete.