Luxury hotels in Costa Navarino

Costa Navarino guide

Costa Navarino: Messinia's coast, olives and history

Voidokilia's crescent beach, Nestor's Palace, Pylos and golf among the olive groves.

Costa Navarino, on the south-west coast of the Peloponnese in Messinia, is known for its resorts set among olive groves and its championship golf courses. Voidokilia Beach, a perfect crescent of sand below a Venetian castle, is its most cited sight.

Nearby, the Palace of Nestor, the Mycenaean king of Homer's Odyssey, the harbour town of Pylos, where the Battle of Navarino was fought in 1827, and the Venetian fortresses of Methoni and Koroni are rich in history. Ancient Olympia is about ninety minutes away.

Ancient Olympia

Ancient Olympia, about ninety minutes north of Costa Navarino, is the most cited excursion from the region: the sanctuary where the Olympic Games were held for more than a thousand years, with the stadium, the Temple of Zeus and the workshop of Phidias. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The archaeological museum holds the Hermes of Praxiteles and the sculptures of the Temple of Zeus. Arrive early to walk the stadium before the heat, and combine the visit with a winery or olive oil tasting in the countryside.

Pylos, Methoni and the Venetian castles

Methoni Castle, a Venetian sea fortress with a small Ottoman tower, the Bourtzi, at the end of a causeway, is one of the most cited sights in Messinia, about twenty minutes from Pylos. Koroni, on the other side of the peninsula, has another fine castle.

Pylos, a harbour town of arcaded squares, looks over Navarino Bay, where the naval battle of 1827 helped secure Greek independence; boat trips visit memorials on the islet of Sfaktiria. The Gialova lagoon, a bird sanctuary, is lovely at dawn.