ABOUT
NAFPAKTOS
Let’s start with some reviews….
Review: A tiny lovely town
Posted by: elenapasp on Apr 15, 2008
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Nafpaktos is a lovely, tiny town. We spend just a couple of days there last month in a
traditional, stone-made hostel. There weren't many tourists because it wasn't a peak season,
but we had a nice time walking along the narrow pavements and drinking coffee in the
square with the huge pine tree. The first day we arrived it was raining and the hostel owner
served us hot chicken soup to get warm. I also loved the spinach pie we ate in a tavern close
to the port and asked for the recipe. The people of Nafpaktos were truly friendly.
Review: Great location for a stop
Posted by: zap on Oct 15, 2007
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Hi,
I spent a few weeks holidays in Greece. I visited mostly the mainland (Peloponnese) and also
some island near the mainland.
In my way back to Patras, I had some hours to kill and decided to take the beautiful bridge of
Rio-Antirio and go for a coffee to Nafpaktos.
I was really positively surprised by the noce atmosphere of the village. It was a really quiet
village with some architectural beauties and I was really impressed by the Venetian harbor.
It is really well preserved ans it was a great pleasure to have a coffee among this wall.
I went after in the castle up on the hill. I went there by foot and it was a bit difficult for me
(not a sportive). The castle is nothing special itself but there are great views from there.
There is also a litte cafe were I ordered a variety of cheese and it was great.
Review: You will love Nafpaktos
Posted by: vasia on Sep 26, 2008
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We stayed only for one day in Nafpatkos but if I knew that is would be such a lovely place, I
would stay more! The best area was the square with the big plane tree in the centre and the
cafeterias under its shade. From there. you had an exceptional view of the port on one side
and the Castle on the other. There are no photos to capture the beauty of the beach and the
waterfront of Nafpaktos. The beach was pebbled and its water was crystal and quiet cold.
There aren't many things to see in Nafpaktos, except for the House of Botsaris, which works
as a museum today and it is open until 1 p.m., and the Castle on top of a
mountain,surrounded by greenery. The Castle is very big, you will need at least one hour to
walk around it. Better go in the evening, because on a hot summer midday, it will be very
tiring to see all of it. Under the Castle, there is a nice cafeteria, "Castello", with great view to
the whole town.
If you have a car, it would also be nice to go to the Monastery of Agios Symeon, about 20 km
in the inland of Nafpaktos, in Trikorfo village, where the nuns have constructed a line of
catacombs in representation of the Rome Catacombs. Pretty interesting and special. Apart
from this, there are at least six or seven monasteries around Nafpaktos to visit.
Review: I wish I had stayed longer
Posted by: 3487ott on Dec 01, 2008
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I did a lot of research on the Internet on where to spend my 2-week holidays in Greece,
which is a lot of work if you want to see as much of the country as possible. So, I am happy I
chose Nafpaktos too, among other places. I just wish I had stayed longer than a day. It is just
beautiful having mountains and the ocean in one place and the water was so clear. My
dining experiences there were also quite good. People had told me that they did not eat well
when they went to Greece. I guess we made the right choices. Just one complaint: clean the
town up and put garbage cans all over the place. This is a complaint for all Greece actually.
Review: Lovely square and port
Posted by: elena34rt8 on Mar 14, 2009
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We live in Athens and Nafpaktos seemed a nice weekend destination for us. In fact, it was so
nice that I was surprised we hadn't thought of that lovely town earlier. The port was of
course the most picturesque corner. There were cafeterias all over the square and you could
drink a coffee under a huge plane tree and look at the port. What a relaxing moment!!
Another good place to relax is the cafeteria close to Castle of Nafpaktos with beautiful views
to the whole bay and Patras, on the opposite coast. If you like monasteries, there are many
around the town. Panagia Vamvakona is the oldest, I think, dating from the 10th century. I
stayed only 2 days there but I loved Nafpaktos. We will certainly go back as soon as possible.
Review: Fairly quiet and greek
Posted by: olia52 on Aug 27, 2009
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Nafpaktos is great for a fairly quiet but very Greek experience. The views across to the
Peloponnese are really good, and there is a really large castle. The top of the castle gives
views to all over the town and Patras, the opposite big town. The beaches are fine but not
particularly scenic. The food was excellent and really cheap as compared to more developed
resorts. We had a number of really nice meals and everywhere was very friendly. The square
with the plane tree is actually the most picturesque spot on Nafpaktos and you see the
lovely port. Make sure that the branches of the plane tree don't cut your view. Reduce the
traffic in the centre, too many cars for so narrow streets. Despite the recently built bypass,
there is still really heavy traffic through town.
Review: Walk the castle
Posted by: alisonbr on Nov 02, 2009
Times viewed: 798
Nafpaktos is a small but relaxing city. Close to Athens and easy to get there by car or bus, I
well recommend you to go to Nafpaktos for a weekend at least. There is a big square at the
center of the city with a classy greek plane tree in the middle and lots of cafes to have a sit
and relax. The port is really beautiful, since Nafpaktos is a place that combines mainland and
sea at the same time. Part of the city and a mustgo is the castle of Nafpaktos. The castle is at
the top of the mountain, above the city and has great view from there! You will need some
time to walk through it, the castle is quite big, but I loved the experience. The beach in front
of the square is pebbled and clean, but the water is very cold. Generally the water in the bay
between Peloponnese and Sterea is always cold. In the area around Nafpaktos, you have
nothing to see except for old monasteries.
Some Nafpaktos topics of interest
:: Overview
Nafpaktos is located on the south coast of the Prefecture of
Etoloakarnania and is the economic and administrative center of
the Municipality of Nafpaktia. It is a popular destination for
holidays not only in the summer, but also in winter. Its main
attraction is the Castle, which is unique in Europe; its walls lap the
east side of the hill on which the castle is built and extend to the
picturesque Venetian port ending to two turrets. It has many beaches both in the town and
in the surrounding areas. It has many beaches both in the town and the surrounding areas
and offers a variety of places where to have a nice time in the evening.
The Nightlife
Nafpaktos offers many different options in terms of nightlife. Apart from the typical
restaurants and taverns where you can spend a pleasant evening tasting the local
specialities, there is a wide variety of bars and night-clubs to enjoy a drink listening to local
and foreign music and dance until the early hours of the morning. Most of them are located
at the beachfront providing a very picturesque background to your entertainment...
Town Nafpaktos: Nafpaktos is a charming destination located near the
Gulf of Corinth. It is set on an exuberant vegetable slope, creating the perfect combination
between mountain and sea landscapes.
The city of Mesolongi is at 42 km and Antirrio is at a distance of only 10 km. Nafpaktos is a
busy town well catered for tourism. There are many comfortable accommodations for any
budget as well as a wide variety of restaurants, taverns, and shops.
It is an ideal place for those seeking alternative tourism and it can be visited all year round.
Over the last years, Nafpaktos has become more and more popular, attracting a big number
of visitors in Winter. One of the reasons of this tendency, apart from the attractive city
sights, is that at only 30 km lies one of the most beautiful mountainous regions of the
Western Greece.
There are a lot of places to visit in this nice city. The Castle that sits on the top of a hill
dominates the landscape and is a popular attraction for tourists. It was built in 1407. This is
an excellent opportunity to take a walk up to the castle, admire the panoramic views to the
sea and enjoy beautiful sunsets. There is also the historic center of the city and the Botsaris
mansion which are also nice places to visit.
Visiting the fort of the city is a fascinating experience. You will be able to see how people
from different eras built on top of preexisting structures. In ancient times the walls were just
large stones. In the period of the Crusaders, on the top of the ancient walls, people built new
fortifications and added a harbor inside the walls. Time passed by and the Ottoman Empire
occupied the place. The Turks built on top of the Norman walls. These changes continued
along time; a walk around the harbor is an enjoyable way to see the rests of this fort and
end the day at one of the picturesque cafes of the area.
There are many activities to do. Rafting is always a fun option. Each boat is driven by the
river and carries between five to eight people. To practice kayaking there are training
courses to get the basics of this sport. When trainers consider that people are ready they
have the first descent to the sea with trained kayakers. For everyone who wants to live an
especial and strong experience, with no physical effort, Rappel is THE activity. An excellent
option for all the family and without previous experience is Horse Riding. Mountain bike is
another thing to do.
To sum up, Nafpaktos is a ravishing place where everything can happen. No wonder why
many tourists say it is the village of their dreams and come back over and over again. Do not
waste the opportunity to visit this charming town.
The statue of Cervantes in Nafpaktos: Could it be that a European writer is honoured in a
small Greek town? Indeed, the statue of Miguel de Cervantes surprisingly stands in a park
near the port of Nafpaktos in order to commemorate the participation of this great novelist
into the sea battle of Nafpaktos, also known as “the battle of Lepanto”. This battle took
place in October, 1571 and was decisive for putting an end to the Turkish naval supremacy.
Miguel de Cervantes is a great Spanish novelist, poet and playwright. The time of the battle,
he was 23 years old and was serving the Spanish infantry.
Although Cervantes was taken down with fever, he refused to stay below and decided to
take part in the battle, saying that he would rather die for his God and his king rather than
hide under the blankets. During the fight, he got three gunshot wounds: two in the chest
and one in his left arm, which paralyzed and was cut off. Cervantes used to say that he lost
his left hand so that he could glorify his right hand, making, of course, a reference to his
literary work. Many of his military experiences are recorded in his famous novel "Don
Quixote".
His brave fighting in the battle of Lepanto granted him this imposing iron statue, in which he
is looking at a feather he is holding up with a proud gesture, as a representation of his
distinguished literary work. The inscription above the statue says "Miguel de Cervantes
Saavedra (1547-1616), Spanish soldier, genius of letters, honor of humanity, wounded
heroically at the naval battle of Nafpaktos".
the iron statue of Miguel de Cervantes stands proudly in the port of Nafpaktos to
commemorate his participation in the Battle of Lepanto (October 1571).
The Tower of Botsaris in Nafpaktos: The Tower of Botsaris lies close to the Venetian Castle
and the port of Nafpaktos. It is an impressive construction, which actually consists of two
towers.
The first tower, the west one, was built in the 15th century by Venetian builders. The east
tower was built in the 16th century by the Turks. This construction was firstly used as a
residence for the Turkish governors of Nafpaktos.
After the liberation of the city (18th April 1829), this tower was bought by general Notis
Botsaris, member of Botsaris family from Souli, Epirus, who contributed a lot to the Greek
War of Independence. The tower belongs today to the “Dimitrios and Egli Botsaris”
Institution and works as a museum. The ground of the tower hosts a permanent exhibition
about the Battle of Lepanto (October 1571). The exhibition constitutes of 80 replicas of
paintings and gravures, made by the most famous artists of that era.
There are also special displays on western churches and portraits of western rulers of the
medieval times. On the first floor, we also find paintings and gravures as well as wall textiles
that represent the historical phases of Nafpaktos town. These wall textiles were weaved in
Brussels by Jian-Andrea Doria, on the initial designs of Loukas Kabiazo. Botsaris Tower is
today well-preserved and constitutes a favorite spot for the residents of Nafpaktos.
The Venetian Castle of Nafpaktos Greece: The well preserved Castle of Nafpaktos is one of
the most beautiful castles in Greece. It proudly keeps watch on the city and the bay of Patras
and its picturesque ramparts go down to enclose the little harbor.
Its fortification passed through many phases, as it was started in the ancient times, passed
through the Venetian conquest and was completed by the Turks.
The castle protected the people of Nafpaktos during wars and was unique for its five
defensive walls, two of which were built going down to the sea and three walls were
constructed at different levels on the hill between the maritime walls and the castle for
maximum security. In periods of sieges, people would get into the castle to protect their
lives from the enemies. Through its history, it has been a base for conquerors and pirates.
The Ozolian Locrians owned the castle at first, in the ancient times. At around 455 BC, the
people of Athens sent the Messenian refugees there and made it their main naval station in
western Greece during the Peloponnesian war. Two key battles took place and in 404 BC it
was returned to the Locrians. In 191 BC, the castle was yielded to the Romans after much
fighting. In the sixth century, it was partly ruined by an earthquake.
In the Middle Ages, it fell to the Venetians, who equipped it until the Turks got it in the
fifteenth century. The entrance to the Gulf of Nafpaktos was where a grand sea fight took
place in 1571, the battle of Lepanto as it is known, where the Ottoman Empire’s naval power
was almost totally damaged by the combined papal, Spanish, Habsburg and Venetian forces.
After the end of the Revolution War, the castle and the town of Nafpaktos became part of
the greek state.Today it is a famous archaeological sight visited by many tourists every year.
Source: http://www.greeka.com/sterea/nafpaktos/greece/nafpaktos-car-bus.htm