Things to do in Nafpaktos- mainland Greece

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Things to do in Nafpaktos Greece - Life Beyond Borders

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Not to be confused with Nafplio,  Nafpaktos in mainland Greece is a place I’d vaguely heard of, but wasn’t sure exactly where it was.  When I was invited to go and explore this neck of the woods with Go Nafpaktia, I jumped at the chance.

Things to do in Nafpaktos – where is it?

As you can see from the map above, Nafpaktos is located just opposite the Peloponnese area of Greece and is approx a 3 hour drive from Athens (depending on weather and traffic), on the western mainland on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth.   The region is known as Aetolia-Acarnania and zoom in on the map above, you’ll see a small bridge spanning the Gulf (near Patras).  This is the rather spectacular Rio-Antirrio cable bridge – one of the world’s longest multi-span cable bridges and the longest fully suspended bridge at 2250 meters.  It crosses the Gulf of Corinth from the town of Rio on the Peloponnese to the town of Antirrio, near Patras.  Hence the name.

You can also cross the Gulf by small roll on/off car ferries.  The journey takes 15 minutes and cars cost approx €6.50.  I travelled on the minibus by ferry as it’s cheaper than crossing the bridge: €13.20 at time of writing for a car . Double check here for updated prices.

Things to do in Nafpaktos Greece and Top Tips - Life Beyond Borders

Either way, the view is stunning.

 

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The view from the #castle of #Nafpaktos across the bay to the Rio Bridge is stunning @travelbloggersgreece

A post shared by Rebecca – Writer/Blogger (@beyondbex) on

For more beautiful pictures of Nafpaktos and Greece in general, head to my Instagram account and follow me.

Things to do in Nafpaktos

Battle of Lepanto

If you happen to be in Nafpaktos on 7th October, every year the Battle of Lepanto is celebrated.   Basically, in 1571, during the heart of the Ottoman rule, the Christians wished to take back control of their region and the Battle commenced in the Gulf of Lepanto – an inlet in the Ionian Sea between the Peloponnese and Northern Greece.  It was a huge success for the Christians, but with many lives lost (primarily on the Turkish side).
Every October 7th, there is a battle re-enactment in the harbour of Nafpaktos and we were lucky enough to be there during this time; fireworks explode, whole families with their young children and grannies and grandpas attend and the street is alive with everyone craning to see the puppet like re-enactment on the harbour walls, with the important few such as the town’s Mayor, the priest and head of Police sitting on a raised stage.

Tip: Get there early, say 6pm and hold onto each other’s hands!  You may very well get separated in the goodnatured revelry.

 

Battle of Lepanto - Nafpaktos Greece. Life Beyond Borders
Battle of Lepanto – Nafpaktos
Battle of Lepanto Fireworks. Life Beyond Borders
Battle of Lepanto Fireworks – photo courtesy of Travel Bloggers Greece

The Kastro (Castle) of Nafpaktos

Thought to be built on approx. 5 levels (from the pyramid shaped hill at the top of the town all the way down to the harbour), the Castle is one of the largest in Greece and very well preserved. Its construction was actually completed by the Ottomans in the 15th Century and its picturesque location with stunning views across the Bay of Patras means it’s popular with tourists who visit, making it a good afternoon trip for your Nafpaktos itinerary.

Nafpaktos Castle, Greece. Life Beyond Borders
Nafpaktos Castle
Beautiful Nafpaktos Harbour - Greece. Life Beyond Borders
Beautiful Nafpaktos Harbour – Greece.  Top photo © Dimitris Kamaras

Where to stay in Nafpaktos

There are a number of choices of accommodation.  On this trip I was hosted at the Hotel  Akti and my room was huge with a view of the sea and a four poster bed.
Don’t take my word for it though, check out other people’s views on the hotels:

Trip Advisor reviews of Hotel Nafpaktos

Trip Advisor reviews of Hotel Akti

Hotel Nafpaktos kindly provided evening meals during my trip.

Conclusions for visiting Nafpaktos Greece

  • I’d say Nafpaktos is a wonderful weekend (or even slightly longer) getaway from Athens. It takes roughly 3 hours by KTEL bus, the long distance buses that leave from Athens (Kifissos stations) and costs approx. €30 one way (this includes the road and bridge toll) at time of writing.
  • Go Nafpaktia who can seamlessly organise all aspects of your Nafpaktos adventure.

More activities in mainland Greece:

25 COMMENTS

  1. Hi Rebecca,

    Wow how about that bridge! 2200 plus meters. Epic! We just left Istanbul a few months ago and the day we flew out I believe they opened the new #1 bridge in terms of span. 1 upsmanship LOL. Beautiful photos and looks like it was an awesome time. Thanks for sharing!

    Ryan

  2. I could never get tired of reading about or visiting Greece! It’s just like peeling back the skins of an onion. There are so many different flavours and personalities to Greece. It’s obvious that I’ve only seen a small part of it and should definitely plan to go back.

  3. What a fascinating place, I haven’t really learned much about this until you shared some of the historic details of this region. I love visiting for important festivals and I’m sure this would have been inspiring to witness

  4. Nafpaktos is on the mainland Ursula – but yes, the islands are beautiful too. Don’t overlook the mainland for travelling though…there are some great spots to Greece!

  5. Thanks Elaine. Yes, Nafpaktos is a lovely place, and with good company it obviously makes it all the nicer.

  6. What can I say? You are doing justice to the hidden gem Western Greece!! Thank you, beautiful post on my hometown!! We would love to see you again!

  7. What a beautiful castle! I love old structures and learning about the history behind it. Now, you’ve got me wanting to revisit my old books about the Ottoman empire (from my International Studies majoring days…ahhh)! That it offers awesome views of the waters just leaves me speechless.

  8. Thanks Kevin. Yes, it is a beautiful part of Western Greece and you’re correct; the adventure starts with the bridge itself!

  9. The battle of Lepanto sounds like an interesting event, but I would be stressed in the crowds with all my kids. However, I would definitely want to see the castle. Looks like a cool place though

  10. Thanks Amanda. It is a lovely place to spend time with the family…and breathtaking views out to sea.