Day Trips From Nafpaktos: Trizonia & Monastiraki Fodikas

The final stretch of my Greek travels…Nafpaktos, and some day trips I took from there.

After all the craziness of traveling with Covid (for more info on my travel experience click here), I wanted to take a trip on the mainland to avoid yet another COVID test. Nafpaktos is a beautiful city with a great central location to hit a bunch of other places as well. While I’ll be giving you the rundown on Nafpaktos on Thursday’s post, today I wanted to highlight some of the side trips we were able to visit.

Monastiraki Fodikas

A short drive from Nafpaktos are the beaches of Xiliadou, a small strip of low key beach bars perfect for families and relaxing getaways.

A little further down from Xiliadou beach is the quaint and picturesque village of Monastiraki. It is the perfect place for just a leisure walk along the port, with a few tavernas to choose from. It is especially nice in the evenings during sunset for a walk/ dinner. Should you want to stay there for more of a peaceful vacation away from the city, there are a bunch of accommodations in the area as well.

Psarotaverna Iliopoulos

Iliopoulos was a great option for a meal in Monastaki. The decor and views are beautiful and the food was delicious. As usual we had a bunch of shared appetizers. The spicy cheese dip (tirokafteri), some grilled octopus, fried sardines, and even a grilled shrimp and quinoa salad were all great and tasty options.

Trizonia

A beautiful small island and one of the last of its kind, Trizonia is located in the gulf of Corinth between mainland Greece and the Peloponnese. With barely any cars on the island and only a few family run accommodations, this island is simplicity and unspoiled beauty at its finest. There are of course a few beaches and many tavernas along the port to visit but otherwise it is almost untouched.
Some things to know before you go:
You can arrive by a small boat that leaves every hour from Chania on the mainland.
Be prepared to walk. There are some more known beaches such as Pounta, however they are quite the hike from where you will arrive on the port.

Overall it is a well kept secret and definitely worth the visit.