Regional Guides

The answer to this one is clear: Patras. Sitting in the northwest, it's by far the largest city in the Peloponnese, and the third-largest in all of Greece, after Athens and Thessaloniki. It's the peninsula's main port, its commercial centre, and its gateway to Italy and the rest of Europe. For buyers, though, biggest doesn't always mean best. Patras is a working city rather than a holiday spot, so it suits some plans more than others. Here's what makes it the regional capital, and how it compares with the Peloponnese's other main towns.

It's a fair thing to wonder. A good deal of the Greek coastline is pebbly, and visitors often arrive expecting sand and find shingle instead. The Peloponnese is the happy exception. Its coast is generously supplied with proper sand, from wild, undeveloped bays to long golden stretches with full facilities, which is a large part of why it draws so many people looking for a holiday home near the water. Below are the beaches worth knowing, a few coastal towns to consider, and what to keep in mind when buying near the sea.

The Peloponnese is large and varied, so the best base really depends on the life you want. There's no single answer, only the place that fits. Most international buyers settle in one of two areas: the east, around Nafplio and the Argolic Gulf, and the southwest, around Kalamata and the Messinian coast. Both pair lovely coastline with proper towns and services, and both are within easy reach of Athens. Below are the places worth knowing, focused on where we most often help buyers find a home.

You can get a good feel for one or two areas in a long weekend. To take in the variety, the history inland, the beaches in the south, the medieval towns, you'll want closer to a week. If you're also looking at property, build in extra time. Viewing homes properly takes longer than sightseeing. Here's how the region breaks down, and how much time each part deserves.

The Peloponnese looks like an island on a map, and the sea surrounds it on three sides. The Ionian Sea lies to the west, the Aegean to the east, and open water to the south. In the north, though, a narrow strip of land joins it to the rest of the country. That strip is the Isthmus of Corinth, only about 6 kilometres wide at its narrowest point. So the Peloponnese is a peninsula, not an island. That single fact shapes much of what makes it appealing to buyers.