Nafplion

Nafplio — also spelled Nafplion or Navplion — sits on the Argolic Gulf in the northeastern Peloponnese, its old town built on a small peninsula that forms a naturally sheltered bay. The town's Venetian-derived name means roughly "new town," though Greek mythology traces its founding further back, to Nafplios, a son of Poseidon. Venice held the town twice, from 1388 to 1540 and again from 1685 to 1715, leaving behind the fortifications and townhouses that still define its historic centre, while the Ottomans controlled it in between and again until Greek independence. Nafplio briefly served as the first capital of the modern Greek state, from 1827 to 1834, before the seat of government moved to Athens; the 2021 census recorded just over 19,000 residents across the municipal unit.

The harbour combines a working port with berths for leisure boats, and the small, pebbly Arvanitia beach beneath the old town walls is a popular spot for a swim within easy walking distance of the centre. Further along the coast, Karathona and Tolo offer longer, sandier stretches with the usual range of watersports, while the waters around the small fortified islet of Bourtzi, just offshore in the bay, are popular with divers for their sponges and sea anemones. Between its sheltered anchorage, walkable old town, and easy access to nearby beaches, Nafplio is worth a visit if you're chartering a gulet in Greece cruising the Argolic Gulf.