A Methoni Koroni tour takes the two Venetian fortresses on the south-western capes of Messinia: the walls and Bourtzi tower at Methoni, the castle above the stepped lanes of Koroni, and the olive country and beaches between them. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
This page covers the route: the two castles, the harbour and the islands, the Venetian history, the town below Koroni, the beaches, the turtles, the link with Pylos and Voidokilia, the season and what to carry.
What does a Methoni Koroni tour cover?
A Methoni Koroni tour covers the two fortified Venetian ports on the Messinian capes. You visit Methoni castle, the Bourtzi tower, Koroni castle, the town under its walls, and the olive groves and beaches between the headlands.
The two towns sit on the south-western capes of Messinia in the Peloponnese. Methoni faces the open sea and Koroni faces the Messinian gulf.
The Venetians called them the eyes of the Republic because they guarded the sea route to the east. That role shaped their walls, their ports and the road between them.
The Peloponnese road links Kalamata, Koroni, Methoni and Pylos in a loop around the Messinian capes. You can start the route from any of these points.
Where does a Methoni Koroni tour start?
Methoni and Koroni sit on the two south-western capes of Messinia in the Peloponnese. Methoni lies 11 kilometres south of Pylos and 11 kilometres west of Foinikounta. Koroni sits on the other cape, facing the Messinian gulf.
Methoni stands on one of the two south-western capes. Its castle covers the whole cape and opens to the sea.
Koroni sits on the other cape and faces the Messinian gulf. The town climbs the headland below the castle.
The road loop connects Kalamata, Koroni, Methoni and Pylos. This road links the two capes in one route.
What does Methoni castle and its land gate look like?
Methoni castle covers the whole cape. Its land gate opens over a bridge that crosses a dry moat. The walls run close to the water on all sides and close off the flat end of the headland.
The Byzantines built a fortress at Methoni. They placed it on the cape where the land gate now stands.
After the Fourth Crusade, Methoni came under Venetian control. The Venetians fortified the site heavily and developed the port.
The bridge at the land gate marks the entry from the land. Beyond the gate, the walled enclosure spreads across the stone cape.
What is the Bourtzi tower on a Methoni Koroni tour?
The Bourtzi is an octagonal tower on an islet off the southern wall of Methoni castle. A stone causeway leads from the castle to the tower. The sea surrounds it on three sides.
The causeway leaves the southern wall and crosses the water to the islet. The tower stands low and solid at the far end.
From the tower you look back across the water to Methoni castle. The wall and the islet form one defensive line.
The tower guarded the sea approach to the castle. It sits close to the water and watches the southern side of the cape.
What shelters Methoni harbour on a Methoni Koroni tour?
The islands of Sapientza, Schiza and Santa Marina lie off Methoni and shelter its harbour. They are known as the Oinousses islands of Messinia. Their mass breaks the open-water swell before it reaches the port.
Sapientza, Schiza and Santa Marina form an island chain off the Methoni cape. They sit between the harbour and the open sea.
The islands act as a natural breakwater. Ships can anchor in the protected water behind them.
From Methoni castle you can see the three islands in line. The view shows the sea route the Venetians guarded.
What is the Venetian history of the two ports on a Methoni Koroni tour?
Venice held Methoni after the Fourth Crusade and fortified it heavily. Koroni castle was held by the Republic of Venice from the early thirteenth century until the Ottomans took it. Both ports guarded the sea route east.
The Venetians called Methoni and Koroni the eyes of the Republic. The name shows how the two capes watched sea traffic to the east.
Methoni came under Venetian control after the Fourth Crusade. The Venetians developed its port and strengthened the fortress on the cape.
Koroni castle encloses the top of the headland above the town. Inside its walls, houses, gardens and a convent still stand.
What stands inside the walls of Koroni castle?
Koroni castle encloses the top of the headland above the town. Inside the walls stand houses, gardens and a convent. The outer wall follows the high ground and looks down to the sea.
The castle was held by the Republic of Venice from the early thirteenth century until the Ottomans took it. The ramparts still wrap the hilltop.
Houses and gardens inside the walls make the castle a living settlement. The convent sits among them.
From the castle you see the town below and the water of the Messinian gulf. The height shows why the headland was fortified.
What is the town below Koroni castle like on a Methoni Koroni tour?
The town below Koroni castle climbs from the port to the fortress on the headland. It sits between the water of the Messinian gulf and the high wall. Streets rise from the quay toward the gate.
Koroni faces the Messinian gulf. The town opens east toward the water.
The castle stands directly above the settlement. Its wall rises over the lower roofs and gardens.
The port below serves the town and the farmland behind it. Sea routes from Koroni lead into the gulf.
What are the beaches under Koroni like on a Methoni Koroni tour?
Below Koroni lie the sandy beaches of Zaga, Memi, Agia Triada and Peroulia. They run along the lower ground under the headland and open onto the Messinian gulf.
Zaga is one of the sandy beaches below Koroni. Memi and Agia Triada continue along the shore.
Peroulia lies under the same headland along the gulf. The beach is one of the lower strips on the cape.
The beaches sit under olive country that rises toward the castle. They form a flat break between the hill and the sea.
Do sea turtles nest on the beaches of a Methoni Koroni tour?
Sea turtles nest on some beaches under Koroni in summer. The sandy shore below the headland gives them space to lay eggs. The beaches face the Messinian gulf.
The beaches below Koroni are sandy and run along the Messinian gulf. Some of them hold turtle nests in summer.
Turtles come ashore on the sand under the headland. The beaches lie below the castle and face the water.
Summer months bring visitors to the beaches under Koroni. Giving space to the turtle nests keeps the sand safe.
What does a Methoni Koroni tour pass in the olive country?
The towns sit in olive country. Messinian olive oil has been exported from these ports for centuries. The road between Methoni and Koroni passes through groves that cover the low hills and the flat ground.
Olive trees fill the land behind both capes. The groves stretch between Koroni, Methoni, Pylos and Kalamata.
Messinian olive oil left these ports for centuries. The two harbours exported the oil by sea.
The olive crop shapes the working landscape along the loop road. You see the same groves between the castle stops.
How does a Methoni Koroni tour link with Pylos and Voidokilia?
Methoni lies 11 kilometres south of Pylos, so a Methoni Koroni tour links directly with a Pylos stop. The road loop around the Messinian capes makes it possible to add Voidokilia on the same route.
Bookable on GetYourGuide from this area, Mystical Messinia with Voidokilia, Pylos and Methoni joins the western cape with the Voidokilia area. A Pylos day trip works as a related route.
A Pylos tour with cruise-port pickup starts from the port and connects to the same road. The route runs through the western Messinian coast.
The road link between Pylos and Methoni is 11 kilometres. Koroni sits on the opposite cape and completes the loop.
How long does a Methoni Koroni tour take?
Plan a full day for a Methoni Koroni tour. The route loops around the Messinian capes and includes two castles, the Bourtzi, beach stops and olive country. You need time outside the car.
The road link connects Kalamata, Koroni, Methoni and Pylos in one loop. You can drive the capes without backtracking.
The two castles need separate visits. Methoni castle covers a whole cape, and Koroni castle encloses the hilltop above the town.
Bookable on GetYourGuide from this area, a five-hour Mani tour shows the wider route, and a tour of ancient Messene adds an inland stop. From Kalamata, Kalamata tours start the same road loop.
What is the best season and hours for a Methoni Koroni tour?
Plan a Methoni Koroni tour in spring or autumn. The stone courtyards of both castles hold heat, and summer visits are easier in the morning or late afternoon. Midday sun is strong on the bare rock.
Methoni castle covers a whole cape with little shade. Koroni castle stands on the top of the headland above the town.
In summer the beaches under Koroni draw visitors and nesting turtles. Early hours leave the sand calmer and cooler.
Bookable on GetYourGuide from this area, a guided snorkelling tour at Marathopoli adds water time on the coast. The road loop from Kalamata, Koroni, Methoni and Pylos lets you start early.
What do you wear and carry on a Methoni Koroni tour?
Wear flat shoes with good grip for a Methoni Koroni tour. The castle paths, stone causeway and dry moat are uneven. Carry water, sun cover and a hat for the open castle ground.
Methoni castle covers a whole cape with stone paths. The Bourtzi causeway crosses the water south of the wall.
Koroni castle encloses the headland and has houses, gardens and a convent inside the walls. The ground is hard stone from the gate to the ramparts.
Carry water and sun cover for the beach stops under Koroni. The beaches of Zaga, Memi, Agia Triada and Peroulia lie below the castle.
What does a Methoni Koroni tour find inside the Methoni walls?
Inside Methoni’s walls stand a Turkish bath, a granite column known as the column of Morosini, ruined houses and a small church. These structures share the enclosed space of the castle at Methoni on the Messinian coast.
The Turkish bath stands inside the walled enclosure. It forms part of the built remains within the castle walls, alongside the ruined houses.
The granite column known as the column of Morosini rises among the ruined houses inside the walls. These features stand within the walled ground of the castle.
A small church shares the enclosure. The Bourtzi tower stands on an islet at the southern tip, joined to the castle by a short causeway that runs out from the castle.
How is the bridge and the moat at the land gate arranged?
The land gate of Methoni castle is reached over a stone bridge with arches that crosses a dry moat, and the walls run down to the water on both sides of the cape. This forms the landward entry to the castle.
The bridge is made of stone and carries the approach across the moat. It leads directly to the land gate from the landward side.
The moat beneath the land gate is dry, and the arches of the bridge cross it without water below. The gate stands at the end of this raised approach.
From the land gate the walls descend to the water on both sides of the cape. That line of walls encloses the ground behind the gate.
What does a Methoni Koroni tour see in the lanes of Koroni town?
In the lanes of Koroni town, the Methoni Koroni tour sees stepped streets running down the slope below the castle walls to a small harbour. The walled enclosure above holds gardens, chapels and a convent of Saint John the Baptist.
Gardens and chapels sit inside the castle walls that overlook the lanes. The town of Koroni follows the slope below these walls.
The convent of Saint John the Baptist stands within the walled enclosure above the town. It shares this enclosed space with the gardens and chapels.
Paths between old houses lead through the upper enclosure, and the stepped streets below run down to the harbour. The lanes form the connection between the castle walls and the small harbour.
Where does a Methoni Koroni tour stop between the two capes?
Between Methoni and Koroni, a Methoni Koroni tour stops at Foinikounta. This settlement lies on the south coast with a sheltered bay, and Messinian olive groves cover the plain and hills between the two capes along the route.
Foinikounta lies between Methoni and Koroni on the south coast. The town is a stop on the coastal run between the two castle settlements.
The bay at Foinikounta is sheltered. The settlement lies on the south coast with this bay at its shoreline along the route between the capes.
Messinian olive groves cover the plain and hills between the two capes. They fill the open ground around the road that passes Foinikounta.
How is a Methoni Koroni tour planned from Kalamata?
Kalamata is the nearest city and the usual base for drivers, and a Methoni Koroni tour is planned from there along the Messinian coast road. The road serves the coastal points between the city and the two capes.
The Messinian coast road passes Voidokilia beach, the Gialova lagoon and Pylos on the way north from Methoni. This road forms part of the route from Kalamata.
Marathopoli lies north of Pylos, opposite the islet of Proti. It sits on the coastal route north of Pylos and close to the Messinian coast.
Kalamata is the nearest city and the usual base for drivers. The route from the city runs along the Messinian coast toward the castle towns.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far apart are Methoni and Koroni?
They sit on the two south-western capes of Messinia, linked by the coast road through Foinikounta.
What is the Bourtzi?
An octagonal tower on an islet at the southern tip of Methoni castle, joined by a causeway.
Can you walk inside Koroni castle?
Yes. Paths run between gardens, chapels and the convent inside the walls.