We spent the final two nights of our Peloponnese road trip in Pylos, and it turned out to be one of the towns that suited us best on the whole trip: a small, cosy coastal town with a relaxed atmosphere and a beautiful setting on the water.
We arrived on the afternoon of 8 September, after a morning of swimming at the Polylimnio Waterfalls. We didn't do much classic sightseeing in Pylos itself – we mostly just enjoyed the calm and the harbour, and used the town as our base for the area's highlights.
Navarino Bay
Pylos sits at the southern end of Navarino Bay, a vast natural harbour sheltered by the long island of Sphacteria. The bay is famous for the Battle of Navarino in 1827, when a combined British, French and Russian fleet destroyed the Ottoman-Egyptian navy – a turning point in the Greek War of Independence. A monument to the battle stands in the main square.
An Olympic champion's birthplace
Walking around town, we came across a marble plaque on a garden wall: this is the house where Kostis (Konstantinos) Tsiklitiras was born and lived. He won Olympic gold in the standing long jump at the 1912 Games in Stockholm – and died just months later, in 1913, aged only 24. A nice surprise for two sports nerds like us.
Things to do from Pylos
Old Navarino Castle & Nestor's Cave
At the northern end of the bay, a 20-minute drive away, the ruined Old Navarino Castle (Palaiokastro) stands above Nestor's Cave and Voidokilia Beach – the highlight of our stay. Read about our morning hike in Old Navarino Castle, Nestor's Cave & Voidokilia Beach.
Methoni Castle
About a 15-minute drive south, the huge Venetian sea fortress of Methoni makes a great evening trip – we went there after our morning at Voidokilia.
If you have more time
We didn't get to these ourselves, but they're close by: Niokastro, the Ottoman "new castle" from the 16th century on the edge of town; Gialova Lagoon, an important wetland for migrating birds; and the excavated Mycenaean "Palace of Nestor" a short drive north.
Where we stayed: Hotel Miramare
Our base for two nights, 8–10 September, was Hotel Miramare, booked through Booking.com. It's a small, cosy hotel right down by the water, and the location was excellent.
The rooms have a fridge but no kitchen, and our stay included breakfast. The price was fairly low, so for us it worked really well as a base for the last days of the road trip.
A workout in Pylos
After arriving, we did a bit of shopping and relaxed at the hotel. In the evening we went to train at a small local gym, One More Rep. It wasn't big, but we could easily get a good workout in. We paid around €12 each for a drop-in session.
Before training, we fuelled up properly: an afternoon coffee and a big scoop of ice cream at a café in the arcades in the centre of town.
Drop-in prices can change – check with the gym before you go.
Our experience
Pylos was exactly the kind of place we like: small, relaxed and right on the water. In the evening the harbour front glows in the low sun, and the town feels calm rather than busy – a nice contrast to Kalamata the night before.
After our workout we headed back early and went to bed, because the next morning we were up early for our hike to Old Navarino Castle, Nestor's Cave and Voidokilia Beach.
