Poros is a beautiful island an hour from Athens, the Saga Hotel being one of its most notable hotels. Zefi and Takis Alexopoulos are an enterprising and warm-hearted couple who have succeeded in creating a modern hotel in which the guests feel part of the family. This page of the website examines the tours and the attractions of the Peloponnese mainland.

Touring the Peloponnese...

The Peloponnese is that part of the Greek peninsula south of Athens and the isthmus at Corinth that once held such famous (and infamous) states as Mycenae and Sparta. Later, it became one of the cultural areas of classical Greece into the time of the Roman Empire. Much later it was a part of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, until Greece achieved its freedom again in the Nineteenth Century. Now it is one of the most popular of all tourist destinations in Greece, for its turbulent history has left a vast amount of archaeology to investigate and visit. Add to that a wide variety of flowers and bushes and a sunny climate, and you will see why the combination makes every visitor reach for the camera.

Most visitors arrive at Poros by ferry from Athens, so need either a car or an organised tour bus to reach beyond the island and visit other attractions within Greece. Go to Travelling to Poros for details of approximate costs for car hire. The alternative is to go on a minibus tour like the ones organised by Stakis's brother Constantinos, who can arrange for tours throughout the Peloponnese, Athens and elsewhere in Greece. The Saga Hotel can arrange places on these tours for guests.

Constantinos runs day tours to the following main destinations :-

• Athens itself, covering the main tourist features such as the Acropolis and visits to a bouzouki club;
• Troizina - A ruined city, in legend the home of Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur. 5 km walk or taxi from Galatas.
• Epidauros - The home of drama, with its 14,000 seat ancient theatre, and the huge ancient hospital, the Asklepieion.
• Mycenae - One of the most striking of ancient Greek cities and the legendary home of Agamemnon.
• Nauplio - A Venetian city and fortress - beautiful and unusual. Overlooked by the Palamid fortress.
• Olympia - Ruined, but the original home of the ancient Olympics.

To the northwest of Poros and along the coast is the volcanic island of Methana, famous for its fumaroles, hot springs and spa baths. The island's volcano last erupted underwater in 1700, and on land in BC 265, so it is an interesting but safe attraction. Visitors can take the ferry from Poros and be there within twenty minutes.

He can also arrange boat trips around Poros to visit its bays and other sights, or a trip through the famous Corinth Canal between the Saronic Gulf and the Gulf of Corinth, or south to the islands of Idra (Hydra) and Spetsai (Spetses).

Those wishing to travel further afield can hire a car in Athens or Galatas, or take the ferry to Piraeus and link to the ferries that go to the islands further out in the Aegean Sea, such as Naxos, Thira (Santorini) and Andros.

New For 2008 :

The Poros 2007 Blog has more detail on the history and attractions of this remarkable area. There is also an extensive Poros History website, providing unique information on the Net on the history of Poros and Trizina and interesting sites to see.