All year

Double room/suite €70-180 per night (breakfast included)

En-suite bathroom with shower or Jacuzzi bath (in the luxury suites and the royal suite)
Telephone
Television
Internet access
Air conditioning
Hairdryer

Small sitting room
Small courtyard

Hotel Ilion is tucked away in a narrow street in the historic part of Nafplio, the seaside town that served as the first capital of modern Greece. Most rooms are quiet.

The drive from Athens to Nafplio takes less than two hours. Follow the motorway to via Korinthos towards Tripoli. The exit for Nafplio (and Argos) is about 22 km after Korinthos. As you approach Nafplio (about 30 km after you get off the motorway), follow the signs for the old town. At the beginning of the old town, turn left into Singrou St and then right again into Amalias Street. Drive to the end of Amalias Street where you will usually find space to park your car. From the end of Amalias, walk towards the left to the large central square of Syntagma (which is hard to miss), and continue straight into Efthimiopoulou St. (westwards, uphill). Take the second street to the right (Kapodistriou Str.). You will find the hotel on your left. It is possible to drive up to the hotel, but the streets are narrow and most are one way, so it is not always very easy, especially in the summer, when many restaurants put their tables in the street! There are several public parking places at just a few minutes’ walk from the hotel.

Steeped in history, Nafplio is one of Greece’s most fascinating towns. Its development dates back to the Neolithic period and through the centuries it has been under Minoan, Roman, Byzantine, Franc, Venetian and Turkish rule. In 1828, it became the first capital of the modern Greek state until 1834, when the administration was moved to Athens. Today the Venetian influence remains most apparent in the historic part of town, with the odd mosque as the testimony of the Turkish presence.

Nafplio is barely two hours’ drive from Athens, and greatly appreciated as a mini-break destination. It’s not hard to see why. Apart from its beautiful architecture and its great setting by the sea, it also has an excellent choice of restaurants, bars, cafés, boutiques and shops selling art and antiques. The atmosphere is peaceful and easy-going; compared to Athens, it feels like a village.

The old town of Nafplio is first of all a place to just stroll around, to take in the unique atmosphere and discover its little shops, art galleries and restaurants. There are several small museums worth a visit (the archaeological museum on Syntagma Square; the Folk Art Museum displaying a beautiful collection of Greek costumes; the komboloi museum for worry-beads!). You should of course visit the old Venetian fort on top of Palamidi and the Acronafplia battlements that lie beneath it. In the summer you can cross by boat to the fortified island of Bourtzi, in the middle of the bay.

If you stay a little longer in Nafplio, you can use the town as a base to visit Mycenea and the ancient theatre of Epidavros. There, you can even catch a summer festival performance of an ancient Greek tragedy.