Bourtzi is the little castle that sits alone on a rock in the middle of Nafplio’s harbour, the image that appears on every postcard of the town. Built by the Venetians in the fifteenth century on the tiny islet of Agioi Theodoroi, it guarded the entrance to the port with a great chain strung across the water, and it has since been a fortress, the residence of the town executioner and a hotel before it was restored as a monument. Reached only by boat, it is one of the most photographed sights in Greece and, after Palamidi, the essential landmark of Nafplio.
This guide covers Bourtzi in full: its history and the harbour chain, its strange years as the executioner’s house, how to reach it by boat, the tickets and the crossing, what to see on the islet and the best time to visit. Read it beside the full Nafplio travel guide and the guide to Palamidi fortress above the town.
What is Bourtzi in Nafplio?
Bourtzi is a small Venetian castle built in 1473 on the islet of Agioi Theodoroi in the harbour of Nafplio. It guarded the entrance to the port, later served as the town executioner’s residence and a hotel, and today is a restored monument reached by boat.
It stands alone in the water. Bourtzi occupies the whole of a tiny rocky islet in the middle of Nafplio’s harbour, a few hundred metres offshore, so the castle appears to float on the sea, and its silhouette rising straight from the water is the defining image of the town.
It is a Venetian sea fortress. Raised during the first Venetian rule of Nafplio in the late fifteenth century, Bourtzi was designed to control the harbour mouth alongside the shore defences, an octagonal tower and gun platforms built to command the narrow entrance and protect the anchorage.
It has worn many roles. Over five centuries Bourtzi has been a fortress, the home of the town hangman, a hotel and a concert venue, and it now stands as a restored monument open to visitors, the second great landmark of Nafplio after the fortress of Palamidi on the hill above.
What is the history of Bourtzi?
Bourtzi was built by the Venetians in 1473, during their first rule of Nafplio, on the islet of Agioi Theodoroi. It was designed by the engineer Antonio Gambello to guard the harbour, passed to the Ottomans and back, and was strengthened over the following centuries.
The Venetians built it to guard the port. In 1473 the Venetian engineer Antonio Gambello raised a fortified tower on the islet of Agioi Theodoroi to command the entrance to Nafplio’s harbour, the sea complement to the land walls, and it became known to the Venetians as the Castello dello Soglio.
It changed hands with the town. Bourtzi followed the fortunes of Nafplio through the long contest between Venice and the Ottoman Empire, taken and retaken as the town itself was won and lost, and each ruler added to and repaired the little fortress on its rock in the harbour.
It was completed over generations. What began as a single tower grew into a compact sea castle with an octagonal keep, lower gun platforms and a small quay, its walls shaped to the outline of the islet, so the fortress visitors see today is the work of successive centuries of harbour defence.
What was the chain across the harbour?
Bourtzi was linked to the shore by a great chain, the porto catena, stretched across the water to the fortifications on the mainland. Raised at night or against attack, it closed the harbour to enemy ships, so Bourtzi and the shore fort together sealed the port of Nafplio.
The chain closed the harbour. A heavy chain, known as the porto catena, ran from Bourtzi across the narrow entrance to the shore defences, and when it was raised, no ship passed, so the little island fortress and the mainland fort worked as a pair to seal the anchorage against enemy fleets.
It made Bourtzi the key to the port. Because the entrance to Nafplio’s harbour is narrow, a single fortified islet in the middle of it, joined to the shore by the chain, controlled every vessel that came and went, which is why the Venetians invested so heavily in so small a rock.
The system defended the whole town. Together with the great fortress of Palamidi on the hill and the Acronafplia citadel on the ridge, Bourtzi and its chain completed a ring of defences that made Nafplio one of the strongest fortified towns in the Mediterranean, as the full Nafplio travel guide describes.
Why was Bourtzi called the executioner’s house?
From 1865, and for the following seventy years, Bourtzi was the residence of the town executioner of Nafplio. The hangman was shunned by the townspeople and lived out on the islet, cut off from the town, so the harbour fortress became known for seventy years as the home of the executioner.
The hangman lived apart from the town. After Nafplio ceased to need Bourtzi as a fortress, the islet became the home of the public executioner, a man whose trade made him an outcast, and for seventy years, beginning in 1865, the little sea castle housed the one person the town refused to live beside.
Isolation was the point. Set out in the harbour and reached only by boat, Bourtzi was the natural place to keep a figure the townspeople shunned, so the executioner and his family lived on the rock, apart from Nafplio yet always in view of it, a striking chapter in the fortress’s long story.
The role ended in the twentieth century. When the office of executioner was no longer needed on the islet, Bourtzi was freed for other uses, and within a few decades the fortress that had guarded the harbour and then housed its hangman opened its gates to travellers as a hotel.
How do you get to Bourtzi by boat?
Bourtzi is reached only by boat from Nafplio’s port, near Akti Miaouli on the waterfront. Small boats make the short crossing throughout the day, roughly every half hour in season, and the trip across the harbour takes about ten to fifteen minutes each way.
The boats leave from the waterfront. Small passenger boats run out to Bourtzi from the harbour of Nafplio, from the quay along Akti Miaouli on the seafront near the old town, so reaching the fortress means walking down to the port and stepping aboard one of the little boats waiting there.
The crossing is short and frequent. The boats shuttle back and forth across the harbour throughout the day, roughly every half hour in the main season, and the crossing itself takes only ten to fifteen minutes, so getting out to the islet and back fits easily into a morning or an afternoon in the town.
There is no other way across. Because Bourtzi sits on its own islet in the middle of the harbour, the boat is the only way to reach it, and the little voyage across the water, with the old town and Palamidi rising behind, is part of the pleasure of the visit.
What are the tickets and hours for Bourtzi?
A return boat crossing to Bourtzi costs around 7 euros, with a further entrance fee of about 7 euros to go inside the fortress. The boats run through the day in season, and most visitors spend thirty to sixty minutes on the islet before returning.
The boat and the entry are charged separately. The round-trip boat crossing to Bourtzi costs in the region of 7 euros, and entrance to the fortress itself is a further sum of about 7 euros, both bought at the harbour or the islet, so no advance booking is needed to make the visit.
The boats run through the day in season. Crossings operate through the main part of the day in spring, summer and autumn, more frequently in high season and reduced out of it, so it is worth checking the day’s timetable at the quay, particularly late in the afternoon or outside the summer months.
Allow half an hour or more on the islet. Bourtzi is small, and most visitors spend between thirty minutes and an hour exploring the fortress and taking in the views back to the town, so a visit slots neatly into a day that also takes in the old town and Palamidi.
What can you see at Bourtzi?
At Bourtzi you can explore the octagonal Venetian keep, walk the gun platforms and battlements around the islet, and look back across the harbour to the old town, the Acronafplia citadel and Palamidi. The fortress hosts concerts in summer and was restored and reopened in recent years.
The keep and battlements fill the islet. Bourtzi’s octagonal tower rises from the centre of the little fort, ringed by lower gun platforms and battlemented walls that follow the shape of the rock, so exploring the fortress means walking a compact circuit of towers, terraces and cannon positions with the sea on every side.
The views back to the town are the reward. From the walls of Bourtzi the whole of Nafplio is laid out across the water, the waterfront and red roofs of the old town, the Acronafplia on its ridge and the great fortress of Palamidi crowning the hill above, a panorama seen from no other point.
It is a living monument. Restored and reopened after works completed in recent years, Bourtzi again welcomes visitors, and in summer its courtyard hosts concerts and cultural events, so the fortress that guarded the harbour and housed the executioner now serves the town as a stage and a viewpoint, as the full Nafplio travel guide notes.
When is the best time to visit Bourtzi?
The best time to visit Bourtzi is spring and autumn, from April to June and September to October, and the early morning or late afternoon in summer for calmer water, softer light and cooler crossings. Sunset from the town, with Bourtzi lit on the water, is the finest view.
The shoulder seasons are the most comfortable. In spring and autumn the sea is calm, the crossings pleasant and the islet quiet, and the mild weather suits both the boat trip and the exposed walls of the fortress, making April to June and September to October the ideal months for a visit.
Summer visits are best made early or late. In the heat of July and August the middle of the day is fierce on the shadeless islet, so a morning or late-afternoon crossing is cooler and the light softer, and the water is usually calmest early in the day before the afternoon breeze gets up.
Sunset gives the classic view. As the sun goes down, Bourtzi is lit against the darkening water and framed by the old town and the hills, and this is the moment photographers wait for along the waterfront, whether or not they cross to the islet itself, one of the great sights of the Peloponnese.
How does Bourtzi fit into a visit to Nafplio?
Bourtzi is best combined with the old town and Palamidi in a single visit to Nafplio. Cross to the islet in the morning or late afternoon, walk the marble streets of the old town, and climb or drive to Palamidi, so the three great sights of the town fill one full day.
The three sights work as one day. Bourtzi in the harbour, the marble-paved old town along the waterfront and the fortress of Palamidi on the hill form a natural trio, close together and easily linked, so a single day in Nafplio can take in the island castle, the streets and squares of the town, and the great land fortress above.
The boat trip breaks up the walking. The short crossing to Bourtzi is a restful interval between exploring the old town on foot and the climb to Palamidi, and the view of the town and the fortress from the water gives a sense of the whole shape of Nafplio that no street-level walk can, as the full Nafplio travel guide sets out.
It sits at the heart of the Argolid. Nafplio is the base for the whole Argolid, and a visit that takes in Bourtzi, the old town and Palamidi pairs naturally with day trips to Mycenae, Epidaurus and the other ancient sites nearby, so the island fortress is one stop in a region rich with history.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get to Bourtzi and how much does it cost?
Bourtzi is reached only by boat, from the harbour of Nafplio along the Akti Miaouli waterfront near the old town. Small passenger boats shuttle back and forth across the harbour throughout the day, roughly every half hour in the main season, and the crossing takes about ten to fifteen minutes each way. A return boat trip costs in the region of 7 euros, with a further entrance fee of about 7 euros to go inside the fortress, both bought at the harbour or on the islet, so no advance booking is needed. Because Bourtzi sits on its own rocky islet in the middle of the harbour, the boat is the only way to reach it, and most visitors spend between thirty minutes and an hour on the islet before returning to the town.
Why was Bourtzi the home of the executioner?
After Nafplio no longer needed Bourtzi as a working fortress, the islet became the residence of the town’s public executioner from 1865, for the following seventy years. The hangman’s trade made him an outcast whom the townspeople refused to live beside, and the little sea castle, set out in the harbour and reached only by boat, was the natural place to keep him apart from the town. For seventy years the executioner and his family lived on the rock, isolated from Nafplio yet always in sight of it. The office ended in the twentieth century, and within a few decades Bourtzi opened its gates to travellers, first as a hotel and later, after restoration, as the monument that visitors explore today.
Is Bourtzi worth visiting?
Yes, Bourtzi is one of the essential sights of Nafplio and, after Palamidi, its most famous landmark, well worth the short boat trip. Built by the Venetians in 1473 on the islet of Agioi Theodoroi, it guarded the harbour entrance with a great chain strung to the shore, later housed the town executioner for seventy years, and served as a hotel before it was restored as a monument. The octagonal keep, the gun platforms and the battlemented walls make a compact circuit to explore, and the views back across the water to the old town, the Acronafplia and the fortress of Palamidi are seen from no other point. The little voyage across the harbour, with the town rising behind, is part of the pleasure, and in summer the fortress hosts concerts on its rock in the sea.
What is the difference between Bourtzi and Palamidi?
Bourtzi and Palamidi are the two great fortresses of Nafplio, but they are very different. Palamidi is the vast land fortress on the hill above the town, a complex of eight bastions built by the Venetians between 1711 and 1714 and reached by a stairway of nearly a thousand steps or by road, best given two to three hours. Bourtzi is the small island castle out in the harbour, built earlier, in 1473, on a tiny islet and reached only by a short boat crossing, best given thirty minutes to an hour. Together with the Acronafplia citadel on the ridge between them, the two fortresses once formed a single ring of defences around the town. Most visitors see both, along with the old town, and the full Palamidi guide and Nafplio travel guide cover them in detail.