JUNE 2023
It is very well possible that you have never heard of Monemvasia, however it is a must stop on a Greek road trip. I had been recommended Monemvasia by some people, but I truly did not get what the hype was about until I got to visit. I was super surprised to find a medieval looking town with Mediterranean views and I highly recommend to spend at least a day in Monemvasia.
Practical information
Monemvasia is an island, that is connected to the mainland by a bridge. One side of it is rocks and the other side of it is houses carved in or against rocks. Monemvasia was constructed in the 6th Century and parts of it still look like they belong to that age. We were able to park our car on Monemvasia island itself, just a 10 minute walk from the historical center. In summertime Monemvasia can get busy and you will not be able to park on the island. Instead you can park on the mainland and take a transfer bus to the old town. There is no entrance fee for Monemvasia and we didn’t have to pay for parking when we visited in May. You will find some restaurants in Monemvasia, most of them are located on the Main Street with sea view, but there are some in the higher parts as well. We had lunch at Enetiko Cafe & Cocktail bar and were surprised at the good value for money.
Pictures of Monemvasia
I hope I was able to capture what a special place Monemvasia is. We visited on a pretty stormy day and the rain had just stopped when we entered the old town. The upside of this was that we had the main street to ourselves for a moment, when the weather cleared it quickly got busy. However, you will see that my pictures turned out to be quite dark. I am sure Monemvasia looks even better on a bright day! When we visited in May the bougainvillea did not yet hit full bloom, but the oleanders were looking very pink and red, so that definitely added some color to my pictures.
