Peloponnese in five days
Distance≈ 1 140 km
Days5
Start / finishPatras
Best seasonSep – Oct
Autumn is the right time for the Peloponnese: the sea is still warm, the roads are empty and the tourist traffic has gone home. This is a relaxed clockwise loop with short riding days and long stops.
Day by day
- Day 1 — Patras to Olympia. Flat and fast along the west coast. Arrive early enough for the ruins before closing.
- Day 2 — Olympia to Kardamyli. Inland through the hills, then down to the Messinian coast. The last hour is the best riding of the trip.
- Day 3 — Around the Mani. Tower villages, bare hills, almost no traffic. Short distance, lots of stops.
- Day 4 — Mani to Monemvasia, then Nafplio. The longest day. Monemvasia is worth the detour; walk the old town without the jacket.
- Day 5 — Nafplio back to Patras. Mountain road via Tripoli or the faster motorway if the weather turns.
Notes
- Toll motorways are excellent but expensive on a bike. The old national roads run parallel and are more fun.
- After the first autumn rain, the surface in the south gets very slippery for a day or two. Ride it like ice.
- Goats on the road in the Mani are not a figure of speech.
- Small family hotels are happy to let you park the bike in the courtyard — just ask.
Plan less, stop more. Every good memory from this trip is from a stop I did not plan.