Fortress of Palamidi — Attraction in Municipality of Nafplio

Visited in March 2024

We spent a few hours here in the afternoon and it was a highlight of our drive thru the Poloponnese. This is a beautifully restored and managed fortress. It was a decent walk to the top with gorgeous views. This is a must see if your in the area. Palamidi is a fortress to the east of the Acronauplia in the town of Nafplio in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. Nestled on the crest of a 216-metre high hill, the fortress was built by the Venetians during their second occupation of the area (1686–1715). The fortress was a very large and ambitious project, but was finished within a relatively short period from 1711 until 1714. It is a typical baroque fortress based on the plans of Venetian engineer Antonio Giancix (Antun Jančić) and built by French military engineer Pierre de la Salle. In 1715 it was captured by the Ottomans and remained under their control until 1822, when it was captured by the Greeks. The eight bastions of the fortress were originally named after the Venetian provveditori. However, when it fell to the Ottoman Empire, the bastions were given Turkish names. Lastly, when the Greeks overthrew the Turks the bastions were renamed after ancient Greek leaders and heroes (Epaminondas, Miltiades, Leonidas, Phocion, Achilles, Themistocles. The two remaining bastions were named after St. Andrew (Agios Andreas) and the French Philhellene Robert who died in battle on the Acropolis of Athens. The "Miltiades," was used as a prison and among its walls was also held Theodoros Kolokotronis, hero of the Greek Revolution. The fortress commands an impressive view over the Argolic Gulf, the city of Náfplio and the surrounding country. There are 913 steps in the winding stair from the town to the fortress. However, to reach the top of the fortress there are over one thousand. Locals in the town of Nafplion will say there are 999 steps to the top of the castle,] and specials can be found on menus that incorporate this number to catch a...

Anyone with common sense wouldn’t pay this amount to enter. The Greek government has switched to a robbery policy and, as of 2025, has shamelessly and immorally started robbing people. Last year, for €20, you could get a combo ticket granting access to 6 sites, including Palamidi and Mycenae. This year, charging €20 for just one site is outright theft. This place is just a fortress made of stones and walls!

I’m updating my previous 5-star rating for this fortress — which I had visited and liked — to 1 star.

Palamidi is a massive fortress built quickly between 1711 and 1714 by the Venetians, who ruled Nafplio at the time, to defend against the Ottomans. In 1715, at the end of the Seventh Ottoman-Venetian War, the Ottoman Empire besieged the fortress and captured it in just eight days, reclaiming control of the Peloponnese Peninsula. The Ottomans reinforced the fortress, gave its bastions Turkish names, and managed to hold onto it until 1822.

In 1822, during the Greek War of Independence, the Greeks captured the fortress from the Ottomans. They, too, renamed the bastions after their own heroes. Since that time, the immense fortress, untouched by war, has stood in all its glory above Nafplio, offering visitors breathtaking views of the region.

As I toured the impressive fortress, I couldn’t understand how such a formidable structure could have been lost in a siege back in the day. Even today, it seems like a place that could be defended by a single regiment and remain unconquered. Upon further research, I found claims that during the Ottoman siege, the French engineer who had helped build the fortress betrayed the Venetians by aiding the Ottomans and informing their sappers of the fortress’s weak points. Similarly, the Greek siege succeeded when two Albanian soldiers within the fortress betrayed the Ottomans and provided information to the Greeks. What goes around…...

Palamidi is a fortress to the east of the Acronauplia in the town of Nafplio in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. Nestled on the crest of a 216-metre high hill, the fortress was built by the Venetians during their second occupation of the area (1686–1715).

The fortress was a very large and ambitious project, but was finished within a relatively short period from 1711 until 1714. It is a typical baroque fortress based on the plans of the engineers Giaxich and Lasalle. In 1715 it was captured by the Turks and remained under their control until 1822, when it was captured by the Greeks.

The eight bastions of the fortress were originally named after the Venetian provveditori. However, when it fell to the Ottoman Empire, the bastions were given Turkish names. Lastly, when the Greeks overthrew the Turks the bastions were renamed after ancient Greek leaders and heroes (Epaminondas, Miltiades, Leonidas, Phocion, Achilles, Themistocles. The two remaining bastions were named after St. Andrew (Agios Andreas) and the French Philhellene Robert who died in battle on the Acropolis of Athens. The "Miltiades," was used as a prison and among its walls was also held Theodoros Kolokotronis, hero of the Greek Revolution.

The fortress commands an impressive view over the Argolic Gulf, the city of Náfplio and the surrounding country. There are 913 steps in the winding stair from the town to the fortress. However, to reach the top of the fortress there are over one thousand. Locals in the town of Nafplion will say there are 999 steps to the top of the castleand specials can be found on menus that incorporate this number to catch a...