The top 12 things to do in Peloponnese with kids

By Eleni Fotiou, travel journalist, founder & travel specialist at  ΜΑΜΑΚΙΤΑ  Family Friendly Greece and family travel advisor for Greece and Italy with Travel 12 and KimKim.

The Peloponnese is a top destination for families willing to combine a beach vacation with great food and visits to some of the highlights of Classical Greece.

A rich and hospitable land all year long, the Peloponnese gave birth to Greek mythology and to glorious cities.

Today this top child-friendly destination offers unique opportunities for families to meet the world’s ancient past in interactive cultural tours specially designed for kids and teenagers, enjoy the sea and the mountain on fun activities, and taste authentic local products in “farm-to-table” meals.

But what are the experiences that you shouldn’t really miss while in Peloponnese with kids? Check these out!

1. Scavenger Hunt at an Olive Grove & Olive Oil Tasting

The Peloponnese embraces one of the most important extra virgin olive oil producing regions worldwide. Visit Kalamata, “the olive oil capital” of Greece, as well as the valley surrounding Ancient Messene.

Take a tour in the impressive ancient city and experience an olive oil tasting and food pairing seminar ideal for families with young or older kids.

Join a scavenger hunt at an olive grove, unveil the secrets of the extra virgin olive oil with a certified olive oil sommelier, and taste Kalamata olives and olive oil together with great local dishes. If kids are better tasters than you, don’t take it personally!

2. Grape-tasting & Mythology for Kids in Ancient Nemea

Visit Ancient Nemea and the Stadium where the Nemean Games took place in antiquity and meet Nemea, one of the most significant wine producing regions in Greece.

Visit a local winery, where kids have the chance to taste grapes and the Corinthian currant, grape must cookies, grape juice and moustalevria, a traditional dessert, while parents taste the local wine variety of Agiorgitiko.

Listen to myths related to God Dionysus and give your kids the chance to learn about the process of winemaking; picking, crushing and fermenting the grapes into wine, and to play drama games in the land where the ancient God of grape harvest and theater is praised.  

3. Boat trip in the Corinthian Gulf

Enjoy a boat trip in the Corinthian Gulf to watch the dolphins, swim in pristine bays and visit lake Vouliagmeni and Heraion, the Temple of Goddess Hera.

You can embark on a sailing or a motor boat from various places of the Peloponnesian coast and relish your day at an unexpected scenery so close to Athens, yet unexplored. A great family trip and a unique memory for you and your kids.

4. Swim on “Sandy Pylos” & the best Messenia Beaches

Travel along the west coast of Messenia, dressed in the silver color of the olive trees, the land of Ancient Pylos and Nestor. Visit the King’s Palace and enjoy the kid-friendly beaches of “Pylos, the Sandy” as Homer refers to it in his “Odyssey”. 

You have the chance to swim in two of the most beautiful beaches in Greece, Divari and  Voidokilia, as well as cherish the views from up the medieval Castle, Paleokastro that overlooks the Gulf of Navarino, the Gialova lagoon, and the island of Sfaktiria. 

5. Live an Epic Journey to the Castles of the South

On a road trip or during your beach vacation in Mani, Navarino or Kalamata, travel to the castles of south Peloponnese, Mystras, Pylos, Methoni and Koroni.

Listen to epic stories and climb their walls, enjoy their views from the sea and trigger your teens’ imagination on a photo expedition or a sea kayak and snorkeling tour over the most striking shipwrecks in Greece’s maritime history!

6. Eco-Tours & Hands-on Activities for Kids

Peloponnese is the ideal destination for active families who love nature and the outdoors. Join a bird-watching tour by bike in Gialova lagoon, observe and get precious knowledge and information about this unique and sensitive natural environment.

Sea kayaking in the Gulf of Navarino, river trekking in Polylimnio or Neda waterfalls are among the top things to do with teens in the area.

If you travel with toddlers, participate in an eco-tour at an organic farm, get inspired with a hands-on workshop of handmade art from materials collected from the sea and create your own souvenir to take back home along with some unforgettable family memories!

7. Corinth Canal Crossing

Travel back in time in only 6 km and learn more about the scientific journey from Ancient Diolkos until the opening of the Corinth Canal and the transformation of Peloponnese to an island.

Visit the ancient trackway and the most important remnant of that period, the archaeological site of Isthmia, once built around the Sanctuary of Poseidon.

Conclude this stunning experience with crossing the Canal with a small boat, where you will be able to see the submersible bridges of Posidonia and Isthmia, as well as its slopes from the inside.

8. Nafplio with Kids

Explore Greece’s first capital, Nafplio, and one of the most kid-friendly destinations in Greece. Pedestrianized, it is very easy to walk and stroll around with bikes and strollers. Browse the art galleries and classy boutiques and enjoy your ice-cream and pancakes at Syntagma square.

Visit the Museum of Childhood at the Old Station and the Komboloi museum to discover how time passes when playing with worry beads!

9. Family Hiking the Menalon Trail

In the heart of the Peloponnese, Arcadia, “home” to God Pan and the dryads, nymphs and other mythology creatures, you will have the chance for a family hiking in the simplest and most family-welcome paths of the Menalon Trail.

Among fir trees, rivers and streams, watermills,stone bridges, small waterfalls and accessible gorges, you will have the opportunity to come across traces of the human heritage and to learn more about the mount’s rich flora, herbs, mushrooms and wild edible potherb. 

Collect asparagus to cook them; trace the balsam and learn how you can produce balsam oil inhouse.

Appreciate the value of the forest and learn how to protect it!

10. Ancient Epidaurus for Kids

Visit the most significant healing center of the Greek and Roman world, Ancient Epidaurus, famous for the impressive ancient theatre.

Considered to be the birthplace of medicine, its healing power is alive and you can still feel it.

In a kid-friendly tour, you will have the chance to experience drama games specially designed for kids and if you visit Ancient Epidaurus during summer, you will get the unique chance to attend a performance, while your kids enjoy activities related to ancient theatre lead by experienced pedagogues.

11. Visit Kid-Friendly Museums

Two Museums that belong to the network of PIOP Foundation’s Museums are definitely worthy of your visit with kids. While in Peloponnese, close to Corinth or Nafplio, visit the Environment Museum of Stymphalia to learn more about the myths linked to the lake and its important ecosystem.

The museum is interactive, thus family friendly and it often organizes educational programs and activities for children.

While in Arcadia, don’t miss the Open-Air Water Power Museum located close to Dimitsana, narrating the history of the area and its water-powered craft, pulled by the abundant waters of the valley.

12. Ancient Olympia with Kids

There is no better place than Ancient Olympia to get inspired with the values of friendship, respect and excellence!

Visit the birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games, see where the Olympic flame is lit every 4 years, run the Olympic track and get acquainted with the work of archaeologists while …digging; a great hands-on activity for kids and for the whole family to learn about excavation practices and the history of the excavations in Ancient Olympia. 

Need some help in trip planning? MAMAKITA family travel specialists can create the perfect family trip itinerary for your according to your preferences, age of kids, travel pace and budget.

Enjoy your family holidays in Greece without worrying about family friendly accommodation or kid-friendly tours and activities by making your request here.

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