9 Best Sights in The Peloponnese, Greece

Of all the sights in ancient Olympia, some say the modern archaeological museum gets the gold medal. Housed in a handsome glass and marble pavilion at the edge of the ancient site, the magnificent collections include the sculptures from the Temple of Zeus and Hermes Carrying the Infant Dionysus, sculpted by the great Praxiteles, which was discovered in the Temple of Hera in the place noted by Pausanias. The central gallery of the museum holds one of the greatest sculptural achievements of classical antiquity: the pedimental sculptures and metopes from the Temple of Zeus, depicting Hercules's Twelve Labors. The Hermes was buried under the fallen clay of the temple's upper walls and is one of the best-preserved classical statues. Also on display is the famous Nike of Paionios. Other treasures include notable terra-cottas of Zeus and Ganymede; the head of the cult statue of Hera; sculptures of the family and imperial patrons of Herodes Atticus; and bronzes found at the site, including votive figurines, cauldrons, and armor. Of great historical interest are a helmet dedicated by Miltiades, the Athenian general who defeated the Persians at Marathon, and a cup owned by the sculptor Pheidias, which was found in his workshop on the Olympia grounds.

Stunning galleries are laden with Mycenaean-through-Roman-period finds, including tools, cups, and jewelry reflecting everyday life in the Peloponnese. More than 15 mosaics from Roman villas around Patras have been reassembled, and many items are from the ancient Roman odeon in town. A large collection of burial items includes several reconstructed tombs.

This exemplary collection focuses on textiles and displays outstanding costumes, handicrafts, and household furnishings. Many of the exhibits are precious heirlooms that have been donated by Peloponnesian families, and several rooms are painstaking re-creations of 19th-century Nafplion homes. Top hats from the 1950s and contemporary fashion sandals are among items that bring the overview into the present day. The gift shop has some fascinating books and a good selection of high-quality jewelry and handicrafts, such as weavings, kilims, and collector's items such as roka (spindles) and wooden koboloi (worry beads). The shop on the ground floor stocks an appealing array of merchandise that includes jewelry, candlesticks, and handicrafts.

This small, well-organized collection is shown to advantage in the city's rebuilt 18th-century market hall. On display are local stone tools, proto-Geometric and Geometric pottery, and a 1st-century AD Roman mosaic floor depicting Dionysus with a panther and a satyr.

Manuscripts, a 35,000-volume library, and other artifacts here are from surrounding churches, monasteries, and the School of Greek Letters that flourished in Dimitsana in the 19th century. The school educated Germanos, a bishop of Patras, and other young men who went on to become Greek scholars and church leaders.

Most of the great treasures of Mycenae have been removed to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, but you'll see copies of death masks and other great artifacts in the small but well-done museum at the site. Cult offerings and other original finds are also on view. Of most interest are the model of the ancient city, helping put the ruins in context, and reconstructions of several rooms of the palace.

The thick walls of this red-stone building, built in 1713 to serve as a naval storehouse for the Venetian fleet, ensure the coolest interior in town. It's more than just shelter, however. The museum houses artifacts from nearby sites Mycenae, Tiryns, Asine, and Dendra. The findings from the Mycenaean tombs are especially rich and include wonderful masks and a remarkable bronze suit of armor from the 15th century BC.

A water mill, tannery, and gunpowder mill on the river Lousios below town provide displays and demonstrations that reveal why water power was the force behind the region's economy until the first part of the 20th century. Mills like the one here operated up and down the river and helped supply the forces who successfully fought the Turks during the War of Independence in 1821.