Location: Nafplio
Top Things to do in Nafplio
9 Museums in Nafplio That You Shouldn't Miss
Nafplio (Greek: Ναύπλιο) is a seaport town in the Peloponnese in Greece that has expanded up the hillsides near the north end of the Argolic Gulf. The town was an important seaport held under a succession of royal houses in the Middle Ages as part of the lordship of Argos and Nauplia, held initially by the de la Roche following the Fourth Crusade before coming under the Republic of Venice and, lastly, the Ottoman Empire. The town was the capital of the First Hellenic Republic and of the Kingdom of Greece, from the start of the Greek Revolution in 1821 until 1834. Nafplio is now the capital of the regional unit of Argolis.
Restaurants in Nafplio
1. Sxizas Art Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
In the art shop Sxizas Αρτ Gallery will feature handmade paintings and marble sculptures made by Schiza Michael and John graduates of the Fine Art School of Tinos (Greece).
2. Antiminsio
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 36 reviews
A unique shop of its kind,specializing in ecclesiastical art. With us you can find monastic products (incense,icons,prayer ropes, myrrh etc.),ecclesiastical-Byzantine jewelery, handmade icons of Saints (painted,beeswax,stone),priestly items and everything for church equipment.At competitive prices and with the best service.
3. Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 154 reviews
Reviewed By permia
A selection of Greek costumes we found to be one of the most absorbing themes. Elaborate and colourful they reflect the attention and pride taken in their creation and display. Over a couple of floors many aspects of everyday life from differing areas are shown. Living and dining rooms plus kitchen wares are here. Lives of children aren’t neglected. Toys are plentiful; rocking horses and soft playthings are abundant. Cloth making, a central part of life, is exemplified with weavers and looms.
4. Archaeological Museum of Nauplion
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 488 reviews
Reviewed By permia
A more perfect home for the superlative collections could not be found. Regarded as one of the best preserved Venetian buildings in the country, it served as the old Navy Arsenal. From the remote Mesolithic times onwards treasured finds are displayed. Excavations began at Franchthi Cave in 1967 and were anticipated to be only a short stop-gap, but what was found exceeded all expectations, comprising artefacts at the nexus of hunter-gatherer to settled lives. Bronze Age exhibits are marvellous and show a range of pottery, figurines and vessels. Mycenaean Palace culture from areas under its rule is fascinating and reflect the sophistication and trade links underway. Armour and other items from Dendra were another highlight.
5. Karonis Distillery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 50 reviews
Karonis Ioannis Distillery
6. Nafplio National Gallery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 59 reviews
Reviewed By permia
It was marvellous to see such a collection on the theme of womanhood. A temporary exhibition it was promoted with a fine painting by Pavlos Mathiopoulos and comprised great portrayals from the 19th and 20th centuries by Greek artists. Nikolaos Gyzis's Foster Mother and Peak-a-Boo, which shows a woman holding a child with two more children around her, are lovely. Sleeping Flower Girl by Georgios Iakovidis is touching in its innocence. A work by Symeon Savvidis titled Lady Reading a Letter (Accompanying a Bouquet) shows the young woman engrossed in the correspondence. A permanent collection deals with the Greek War of Liberation from the Ottoman Empire. The famous Hellenophile Lord Byron is being received at Missolonghi in a work by Theodoros Vryzakis. His All for One's Country shows a garlanded young woman in white with outstretched arms arising above a large crowd. A number show the horrors of war. The Death of Lambros Tzavellas by Donato Francesco de Vivo and Flight from Patras by Dionysisos Tsokos convey the frightening chaos.
7. Komboloi Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 101 reviews
In April 1998, the first Komboloi (worry-beads’) Museum – and the only one in the world - was founded in Nafplio by Aris Evangelinos and Rallou Gromitsari, who have been collecting and studying the komboloi since 1958. Their personal collection consists of thousands of kombolois and prayer beads from different countries (Asia Minor, Greece, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Persia, etc.) that date from 1550 to 1950 and they are made from various materials. Till today more than 250.000 people have visited the museum. On the ground floor operates the workshop and the Museum shop, where you can find a large variety of new kombolois and copies of old ones made of various natural materials. The purpose and the mission of the Museum is to pre-serve the traditional Greek komboloi and make it better known. The Museum operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture.
Reviewed By permia
A fascinating little museum with a most helpful and engaging attendant. She explained that Greek worry beads have a space on the string to signify a break and relief from worry, unlike apparently those from neighbouring countries. A fine display of varied examples is on display, while in the ground floor shop all are for sale. Many different materials are crafted into beads including most expensively lapis lazuli. Amber of course is another popular source.
8. War Museum Nafplio Branch
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 109 reviews
The War Museum of Nafplio Branch, housed in the building of the first military academy, was inaugurated on Sunday 27 November 1988. The War Museum of the city of Nafplio belongs to the War Museum based in Athens and of which it is the first Branch. Here the visitor follows the history of the Military School of Guards and the recent history of Greece, especially the participation of the inhabitants of Argolis in the struggles of the Greek Nation, from the Greek revolution to the liberation from the Occupation troops during WW2.
Reviewed By permia
From antiquity there has been so much war and conflict in the country’s history. This museum concerns conflict from their War of Independence through to WW II. The first of these along with the Balkan Wars were to throw off the Ottoman Empire and an attempt to settle disputes after the latter. World War I was the first aerial war and black and white photos of biplanes are on display. Sculptures and photographs of renowned Greek statesmen like Ioannis Kapodistrias and Eleftherios Venizelos are prominent. Tragedies of WW II are shown, beginning with the Italian invasion and throughout the terrible Nazi occupation. Examples of black humour during those dark days are shown and slightly lighten the atmosphere.
9. Athena Gallery
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