A food tour is one of the best ways to get to know Nafplio, tasting the flavours of the town and the Peloponnese while walking its beautiful old town. Over about three hours, a local guide leads a small group through the marble streets, stopping at traditional grocers, cellars and shops to sample local cheese, cured sausage, olives, wine and the famous gelato, with the history of the town and its food told along the way. Ending on the waterfront by the island castle of Bourtzi, a Nafplio food tour combines eating, drinking and sightseeing into a single memorable experience, and it is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend a few hours in the town.
This guide covers the Nafplio food tour in full: what you taste, where the tour goes, the wine-tour options, the local products, the cost, who it suits and how to book. Read it beside the full Nafplio travel guide, the guide to Nafplio food and restaurants and the guide to Nemea wine.
What is a Nafplio food tour?
A Nafplio food tour is a guided walk of about three hours through the old town, in which a local guide leads a small group to taste local cheese, cured sausage, olives, wine and gelato at traditional shops and cellars, telling the history of the town and its food along the way.
It is a guided tasting walk. A food tour combines a walk through the marble streets of the old town with a series of tastings at grocers, cellars and shops, so it is both a sightseeing stroll and a chance to sample the flavours of Nafplio and the Peloponnese.
It is led by a local guide. A knowledgeable local guide leads the small group, sharing the history of the town and the stories behind its food and wine, so the tour gives cultural context as well as good things to eat.
It is a small-group experience. Tours run in small groups, often up to fifteen people, so the experience is personal and relaxed, with time to talk to the shop owners and the guide, as the guide to Nafplio food describes.
What do you taste on a Nafplio food tour?
On a Nafplio food tour you taste local cheeses and cured sausage from a traditional grocer, olives and dips, wine from a cellar, and the famous gelato of the Antica Gelateria di Roma. The tastings sample the flavours of the Peloponnese, from the feta of Argos to the reds of Nemea.
It starts with cheese and sausage. Tours usually begin at a traditional grocer, tasting local varieties of cheese and cured sausage and learning their making from the grocer, so the first stop grounds the tour in the region’s staples.
It takes in wine and meze. Along the way the group tastes local wine from a cellar or wine shop and samples olives, dips and other meze, so the savoury flavours of the Peloponnese are covered in full, paired with the wines of Nemea.
It ends with gelato. The tour finishes with the famous gelato of the Antica Gelateria di Roma, regarded as the best in Greece, so it ends on a sweet note, often with a walk to the waterfront for the view of Bourtzi.
Where does a Nafplio food tour go?
A Nafplio food tour winds through the old town, past neoclassical mansions and Venetian balconies, taking in landmarks such as Syntagma Square and the waterfront view of the Bourtzi fortress. It stops at grocers, cellars and shops in the lanes and the Yialos waterfront district, ending by the sea.
It walks the old town. The tour strolls the marble streets of the old town, past the neoclassical mansions and Venetian balconies, so it doubles as a walking tour of the historic quarter, with tastings along the way.
It passes the landmarks. The route takes in Syntagma Square and other landmarks, with the guide telling their history, so the tour combines the sights of Nafplio with its food, a rounded introduction to the town.
It ends on the waterfront. The tour finishes near the waterfront, with a view of the island castle of Bourtzi across the harbour, so it ends at the town’s most famous sight, rounding off the walk by the sea.
How long is a Nafplio food tour?
A Nafplio food tour lasts about three hours, walking the old town at a relaxed pace with several tasting stops. The gentle timing leaves room to enjoy each stop, talk to the shop owners and take in the sights, so it fills a morning or an afternoon without rushing.
It runs about three hours. The typical food tour lasts around three hours, so it is a substantial but not exhausting experience, filling a morning or an afternoon of a stay in Nafplio.
The pace is relaxed. The tour walks at an easy pace with several stops, so there is time to enjoy each tasting, hear the stories and take in the streets, rather than hurrying from place to place.
It leaves you well fed. With several tastings of cheese, sausage, wine, meze and gelato, a food tour leaves guests well fed, so it can stand in for a light lunch, and many follow it with a rest or a swim.
What is a Nafplio wine tour?
A Nafplio wine tour is a tasting-focused walk of the old town, visiting wine bars and cellars to sample local wines, often several reds, whites and rosés paired with platters of cheese and charcuterie. It focuses on the wines of Nemea and the Peloponnese, a drinking counterpart to the food tour.
It centres on wine. A wine tour focuses on tasting, visiting wine bars and cellars in the old town to sample local wines, so it is the drinking counterpart to the food tour, for those who want to explore the region’s wine.
It samples several wines. Wine tours often taste a range of wines, reds, whites and rosés, sometimes as many as nine across a few stops, each paired with a platter of local food, so guests get a full taste of the region’s wine.
It showcases Nemea. Because Nemea, the great red-wine region, lies nearby, the wines of the tour are largely from there and the wider Peloponnese, so a wine tour is an introduction to the local wine without leaving the town, as the guide to Nemea wine describes.
What local products do you try on a Nafplio food tour?
On a Nafplio food tour you try local products of the Peloponnese: the protected feta cheese of Argos, soft myzithra made from goat’s milk, cured sausages and charcuterie, olives and olive oil, the red wine of Nemea, and traditional sweets and gelato. The tastings showcase the best of the region.
The cheeses lead. The feta of Argos, protected by its designation of origin, and the soft, sweet myzithra made from goat’s milk are among the cheeses tasted, so the tour showcases the dairy of the region alongside its harder and aged cheeses.
The cured meats and olives follow. Local cured sausages and charcuterie, along with olives and olive oil, fill out the savoury tastings, so the tour covers the meats and preserves of the Peloponnese as well as its cheeses.
The wine and sweets complete it. The red wine of Nemea and the traditional sweets and gelato of the town complete the tastings, so a food tour gives a full picture of the region’s flavours, from the savoury to the sweet.
How much does a Nafplio food tour cost?
A Nafplio food tour costs in the region of 150 to 200 euros per person, including all the tastings and often pick-up and drop-off from the port or old town. The price reflects the several tastings of cheese, wine, meze and gelato, the small group and the guiding, a full experience rather than a snack.
It is priced for the tastings. The cost, around 150 to 200 euros a head, covers all the tastings of cheese, sausage, wine, meze and gelato, so guests pay for a full afternoon of food and drink, not a single meal.
It includes the guiding and often transfers. The price includes the local guide and usually pick-up and drop-off from the port or old town, so it is an all-in experience, easy to join without arranging anything else.
It is a treat, not an everyday meal. Because it combines guiding, several tastings and the small-group experience, a food tour is a treat rather than a cheap eat, so it suits those who want a special, in-depth introduction to the town’s food.
Who is a Nafplio food tour best for?
A Nafplio food tour is best for food and wine lovers and culture-focused travellers who want an authentic, in-depth introduction to the town and its flavours. It involves walking and standing, so it suits able walkers more than young children or those with mobility difficulties.
It suits food and wine lovers. Those who enjoy tasting local produce and learning its stories get the most from a food tour, so it is ideal for foodies and anyone curious about Greek food and wine.
It suits culture-focused travellers. Because the tour combines tastings with the history and sights of the old town, it appeals to travellers who want to understand the town as well as eat, a rounded cultural experience.
It needs able walking. The tour involves walking the old town and standing at stops, so it suits able walkers more than young children or those with mobility difficulties, who often find the slow pace and standing tiring.
What is the difference between a food tour and a wine tour?
A food tour focuses on eating, tasting cheese, cured meats, meze and sweets with some wine, while a wine tour focuses on drinking, sampling several wines at wine bars with food platters. Both walk the old town; the food tour is the broader introduction, the wine tour the deeper dive into local wine.
The food tour is broader. A food tour covers the full range of the town’s flavours, cheese, sausage, olives, meze, wine and gelato, so it is the broader introduction to the food of Nafplio and the Peloponnese.
The wine tour goes deeper on wine. A wine tour focuses on tasting, visiting wine bars and cellars to sample several reds, whites and rosés with platters, so it is the deeper dive for those whose main interest is the local wine.
Both walk the town. Because both take place on foot through the old town with a guide, either way you see the sights and hear the stories, so the choice is simply whether food or wine is the focus of the experience.
What to know before a Nafplio food tour?
Before a Nafplio food tour, come hungry, wear comfortable shoes for the marble streets, and tell the operator of any dietary needs when booking, as many can adapt. The tastings are generous, so a food tour can replace a meal, and it is best enjoyed at a relaxed pace with an appetite.
Come hungry. Because the tastings are generous and add up across several stops, it is best to arrive hungry, so a food tour can stand in for lunch or an early dinner rather than being added to a full meal.
Wear comfortable shoes. The tour walks the marble streets of the old town for about three hours, so comfortable shoes make the walking easier, especially on the cobbles and gentle inclines of the quarter.
Mention dietary needs. Many operators can adapt the tastings for vegetarians and other dietary needs if told when booking, so it is worth mentioning any requirements in advance, ensuring everyone in the group can enjoy the food.
How do you book a Nafplio food tour?
You book a Nafplio food tour in advance through tour operators and online platforms, choosing a food or wine-focused walk. Because the groups are small and fill up, especially in summer, booking ahead is wise, and most tours include pick-up from the port or old town and run in the morning or afternoon.
Book ahead online. Nafplio food tours are booked in advance through operators and online platforms, so securing a place ahead of time is easy, and it is wise given the small group sizes.
Summer fills up. Because the tours run in small groups and demand is high in the busy summer season, they fill quickly, so booking early is important for a summer visit, avoiding disappointment.
Pick-up is usually included. Most tours include pick-up and drop-off from the port or old town and run at set times in the morning or afternoon, so joining one is simple, with little to arrange beyond the booking.
Can you combine a food tour with a Nemea wine day?
Yes, a Nafplio food tour combines well with a day trip to the wineries of Nemea, an hour away. The food tour introduces the flavours and wines of the town, while a Nemea day tastes the region’s red wine at source among the vineyards, so together they give a full picture of the local food and wine.
They complement each other. The food tour samples the town’s produce and local wines, while a Nemea wine day tastes the region’s reds at the wineries, so the two together cover both the town and the vineyards.
Nemea is close. The wine region of Nemea lies about an hour from Nafplio, so a wine day is an easy day trip, tasting the Agiorgitiko reds among the vines after the food tour has introduced them in the town.
Together they tell the whole story. Because one covers the food and the town and the other the wine and the vineyards, combining a food tour with a Nemea day gives a full picture of the food and wine of the region, as the guide to day trips from Nafplio describes.
What is the Yialos waterfront district on the tour?
The Yialos is the waterfront district of Nafplio, along the seafront where the food and wine tours often stop at a cellar or wine shop. Looking out over the harbour to the Bourtzi, it is a scenic part of the tour, combining a tasting with the finest view in the town.
It is the seafront quarter. The Yialos is the waterfront area of Nafplio, along the harbour, so it is a scenic and atmospheric part of the old town, where the sea meets the streets.
Tours taste wine there. Food and wine tours often stop at a cellar or wine shop in the Yialos to taste local wines, with the owner telling the story of the wine, so the district is a highlight of the tour.
It has the Bourtzi view. Because the Yialos looks out over the harbour to the island castle of Bourtzi, a stop there combines a tasting with the town’s most famous view, so it is a memorable part of a food tour, as the guide to Bourtzi castle notes.
What is the best time for a Nafplio food tour?
The best time for a Nafplio food tour is spring and autumn for comfortable walking, and the late afternoon in summer to avoid the midday heat. Tours run year-round in the mild climate, but the shoulder seasons and the cooler hours make the walk through the old town most enjoyable.
The shoulder seasons are ideal. In spring and autumn the weather is mild and the old town pleasant to walk, so these seasons are the most comfortable for a food tour, without the heat or the peak crowds of high summer.
Late afternoon suits summer. In summer a late-afternoon tour avoids the midday heat and ends around sunset on the waterfront, so it is the most pleasant time for a tour in the warm months.
They run year-round. Because Nafplio has a mild climate and is lively year-round, food tours run in every season, so even a winter visit can include one, though the shoulder seasons are the most comfortable, as the guide to the best time to visit Nafplio notes.
Why take a food tour in Nafplio?
You take a food tour in Nafplio to taste the flavours of the town and the Peloponnese, learn their stories from the shop owners, and see the old town through the eyes of a local. It turns eating into an introduction to the culture of the town, richer than dining alone.
It reveals the local food. A food tour samples the cheeses, cured meats, wine and sweets of the region from the people who make and sell them, so it reveals the local food far more fully than a single meal in a restaurant.
It tells the stories. Because the guide and the shop owners share the history and traditions behind the food, the tour turns eating into learning, so guests understand the culture as well as the flavours of Nafplio.
It shows the town. As the tour walks the old town past its landmarks, it doubles as a local’s introduction to Nafplio, so a food tour is a rounded first experience of the town, combining food, history and sights.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens on a Nafplio food tour?
On a Nafplio food tour, a local guide leads a small group on a walk of about three hours through the old town, stopping at several traditional shops, cellars and grocers to taste the flavours of the town and the Peloponnese. A typical tour begins at a traditional grocery, tasting local cheeses such as the protected feta of Argos and the soft goat’s-milk myzithra, along with cured sausage, and learning how they are made from the grocer. Along the way the group passes landmarks such as Syntagma Square and the neoclassical mansions of the old town, with the guide telling their history, and stops at a cellar or wine shop to taste local wines from Nemea and the Peloponnese, often with olives and meze. The tour usually ends with the famous gelato of the Antica Gelateria di Roma and a walk to the waterfront for the view of the island castle of Bourtzi. All the tastings are included in the price, and the small group, often up to fifteen people, makes the experience personal and relaxed, combining eating, drinking and sightseeing in one.
How much does a Nafplio food tour cost and how long is it?
A Nafplio food tour typically lasts about three hours and costs in the region of 150 to 200 euros per person, with the exact price depending on the operator and the tour. The cost includes all the tastings along the way, cheese, cured sausage, olives and meze, local wine, and the famous gelato, and often pick-up and drop-off from the port or the old town as well. Because it covers several substantial tastings, the guiding, and a small-group experience, a food tour is a full afternoon of food and drink rather than a single meal, and the tastings together can stand in for a light lunch. Wine-focused tours, which visit several wine bars and taste a larger range of wines paired with platters, are priced similarly. The three-hour length is walked at a relaxed pace with time to enjoy each stop, talk to the shop owners and take in the sights, so it fills a morning or an afternoon comfortably. Booking in advance is wise, especially in the busy summer season, as the small groups fill up.
Is a Nafplio food tour suitable for vegetarians?
A Nafplio food tour can be suitable for vegetarians, though it depends on the operator, so it is important to mention any dietary needs when booking. Much of what a food tour tastes is naturally vegetarian or easily adapted: the local cheeses, from the protected feta of Argos to the soft goat’s-milk myzithra, the olives and olive oil, the dips and meze, the bread, the wine of Nemea, and the famous gelato of the Antica Gelateria di Roma are all suitable for vegetarians, while the cured sausage and charcuterie are the main items that are not. Because the meze culture of Greece is rich in vegetable, cheese and pulse dishes, guides can usually offer vegetarian alternatives to the meat tastings if told in advance, so a vegetarian can enjoy a full and satisfying tour. Those with stricter diets, such as vegans, or with allergies do best to check with the operator when booking, as the tastings can often be adjusted with advance notice to suit them. In general, the emphasis on cheese, wine, olives and sweets means a Nafplio food tour works well for vegetarians, and mentioning your needs ahead of time ensures the best experience.
Is a Nafplio food tour worth it?
Yes, a Nafplio food tour is well worth it for food and wine lovers and for anyone who wants an authentic, in-depth introduction to the town and its flavours. In about three hours it combines a walking tour of the beautiful old town, past Syntagma Square, the neoclassical mansions and the waterfront view of Bourtzi, with a series of tastings of local cheese, cured sausage, olives, wine and the famous gelato, all explained by a knowledgeable local guide. Rather than simply eating a meal, you learn the stories behind the produce from the shop owners themselves, sampling the protected feta of Argos, the soft myzithra, the reds of Nemea and more, so the tour is as much a cultural experience as a culinary one. The small-group size makes it personal, and the relaxed pace leaves room to enjoy each stop. For visitors keen to understand the food and wine of the Peloponnese, and to see the old town through the eyes of a local, a food tour is one of the most rewarding things to do in Nafplio, and it pairs well with a day trip to the wineries of Nemea for those who want to taste the wine at source.