# Nemea and its wineries

A wine excursion from Athens: agiorgitiko tastings at Palivos, Barafakas and Skouras, the sanctuary of Zeus and the stadium (€10) and where to eat and sleep.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/greece/peloponnese/nemea · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Nemea is Greece's largest wine appellation and the home of agiorgitiko, the Greek red grape par excellence: about 3,200 hectares of vineyard and more than thirty wineries scattered across a valley in the northern Peloponnese, an hour and twenty minutes from Athens. In the middle of the vineyards is the sanctuary of Zeus where the Nemean Games were held, with its 4th-century BC temple and a stadium that keeps the tunnel through which the athletes entered. According to myth, here Heracles killed the Nemean lion, the first of his twelve labours. It is a day trip for anyone who wants archaeology in the morning and wine in the afternoon.

## How do you get there from Athens?

By car, 1 h 20 min. A8 motorway to Corinth and then the A7, the Tripoli one, to the Nemea exit, with tolls. Archaia Nemea, the village of the sanctuary, is on the right of the motorway; Nemea, the village of the wineries and restaurants, is about 10 minutes away. From the airport, an hour and a half.

Without a car is difficult: there is no train and the bus drops you in the village, but not at the wineries. What works is the walking route among the vines with Trekking Hellas, with a tasting at the end, or an excursion with a driver such as the one that leaves from Nafplio.

Whoever drives doesn't taste. The wineries are 10 or 20 minutes from one another. Decide beforehand who is driving, or sleep in Nemea.

## Which wineries can you visit?

The appellation's winemakers' association lists 36 wineries, and almost all receive visitors by appointment only. Three with published hours:

Ktima Palivou, 800 metres from the sanctuary, is open every day, Sundays too, and has an old train carriage at the top of the vineyard for tasting with a view.

Barafakas, in the town of Nemea, is open Monday to Sunday from 9:00 to 17:00, with a one-hour visit through terraced vineyards.

Domaine Skouras, in Malandreni, to the south, one of the country's benchmark wineries, with a cellar of a thousand barrels; open Monday to Saturday and by reservation only.

Others, such as Ktima Lafazani, at the first exit towards Archees Kleones, with convenient parking, or Gaia and Semeli, in Koutsi, also receive visitors by appointment: the DOP Nemea Winemakers' Association can tell you which are open on the day you go.

## What else is there to see?

The sanctuary of Zeus, with its museum, and the stadium, 500 metres away, share a ticket: €10 (reduced, €5). From May to mid-September it opens from 8:00 to 20:00; from November to March, from 8:30 to 15:30 and closed on Tuesdays. An hour and a half for both. If you like walking, the Virgin of the Rock, a chapel beneath some rocks known as the Meteora of Corinthia, has the best view of the valley.

## Where to eat and sleep?

In the centre of Nemea, 17 Choria, a bistro with dishes named after the villages of the area and about 150 Nemea labels; call ahead, because it doesn't publish hours. To sleep, Terra Vinum, in the centre, with a pool and tasting room. If you prefer the sea, Nemea is half an hour from Corinth and Isthmia, and 40 minutes from Nafplio.

## How much time do you need?

A full day: sanctuary and stadium in the morning, lunch in Nemea and two wineries in the afternoon. You have it hour by hour in the excursion to the Nemea wineries from Athens. With a night, add the walking route among the vines or carry on to Mycenae, 20 minutes away.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Peloponnese
- Cerca: Corinth (a 19.7 km), Nafplio (a 29.1 km), Aegina (a 65.1 km), Galaxidi (a 68.2 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Sanctuary of Zeus at Nemea and Its Museum** (1 h 30 · All ages · €10 with the stadium and the museum; reduced €5): What it is
Nemea was one of the four great sanctuaries of the Panhellenic games, with Olympia, Delphi and the Isthmus. The Temple of Zeus, from about 330 BC, was among the first to mix the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders; three columns always remained standing and others have been raised again in recent decades. Around it are the oikoi, the buildings of the cities' delegations. All in the middle of vineyards.
The museum
Next to the entrance, small, with pieces from the sanctuary and the region and the history of the excavations. Half an hour.
Admission and opening hours
The ticket costs €10 (reduced, €5) and is valid for the sanctuary, the stadium and the museum. From May to 15 September it opens from 8:00 to 20:00; in spring and autumn the closing time changes every fortnight, from 18:00 to 19:30. From November to March, 8:30 to 15:30 and closed on Tuesdays. Last entry, 20 minutes before. It closes on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25 and 26 December.
Getting there
It is in Archaia Nemea, ancient Nemea, about 10 minutes by car from the town of Nemea and 25 from Corinth. Parking next to the entrance. From Athens, leave the Tripoli motorway at Nemea, 1 h 20 min away.
- **Palivos Winery and Its Train Carriage Among the Vines** (1 h 30 · Adults; tasting for over-18s only): What it is
The Palivos family winery is in Archaia Nemea, 800 metres from the Sanctuary of Zeus, in the middle of its 50 hectares of vineyard. The visit starts among the vines, continues through the winery and the ageing room, with 300 barrels of French and American oak, and ends with a tasting of its wines, from agiorgitiko and international varieties. What sets it apart is the Wine Train: an old train carriage, restored and placed high in the vineyard, where you taste with local products and a view over the valley.
Opening hours and booking
Open every day, including Sunday: from October to March, 9:00 to 17:00, and from April to September, 10:00 to 18:00. Book with the form on its website, choosing between The Winery Experience and two experiences on the Wine Train. The website does not publish prices: they tell you when you book. You can also call 27460 24140.
Getting there
By car, at the Nemea exit of the Tripoli motorway; it is signposted from Archaia Nemea. It is the winery closest to the site: you can walk there from the sanctuary.
- **Nemea Stadium and the Athletes' Tunnel** (45 min · All ages · Included in the sanctuary ticket, €10): What it is
About 500 metres from the temple, along the road, is the stadium where the athletes of the Nemean Games ran. It dates from 330 BC and about 40,000 people fitted on the earth slopes. It preserves the stone starting line and, above all, the vaulted tunnel through which the athletes entered the track, one of the oldest to survive, with the names they scratched on the wall while waiting their turn.
For children
It is the place to let them run: the track is open and you can hold a race from the starting line.
- **Barafakas Winery in Nemea** (1 h · Adults; tasting for over-18s only): What it is
Barafakas is a family winery in the town of Nemea itself. The visit goes on foot along the paths between its terraced vineyards, where the vines blend with the scrub, passes through the production, bottling and ageing rooms and ends in the tasting room, where you choose which labels to try among whites, rosés and reds made from agiorgitiko.
Opening hours and booking
Open every day, Monday to Sunday, from 9:00 to 17:00, and the visit lasts an hour. Book beforehand on +30 27460 22484 or by email: it is what they recommend. The website does not publish the price.
Getting there
It is at Pindou 8, in Nemea, ten minutes by car from the Sanctuary of Zeus.
- **Domaine Skouras and Its Cellar of a Thousand Barrels** (1 h 30 · Adults; tasting for over-18s only): What it is
Domaine Skouras is one of the best-known wineries in Greece, with vineyards in Nemea and in Mantinia. It is at Malandreni, on the southern edge of the appellation, closer to Argos and Nafplio than to the village of Nemea. The visit goes through the thousand-barrel cellar, the bottling and production rooms and ends with a tasting of several labels looking out over the countryside: whites such as the Moschofilero or the Viognier Eclectique, the Peplo rosé and reds such as the Grande Cuvée Nemea, from agiorgitiko.
Opening hours and booking
By reservation only, with the form on its website, choosing date, number of people and a visit in Greek or English. Open Monday to Friday 9:00 to 16:30 and Saturday 10:30 to 17:30. Closed on Sundays and public holidays. The website does not publish prices.
Getting there
Malandreni is about 30 minutes by car south of Archaia Nemea, and 20 from Nafplio. It fits well if you are carrying on to Mycenae or Nafplio.
- **Guided Walk Through the Nemea Vineyards with Tasting** (5 h · 10 km · Adult walkers, over 18 · Desde 55 € per person, in groups of 6 or more): What it is
A way to see Nemea without a car between one winery and the next: ten kilometres on foot, in a loop, among vineyards and dirt tracks to the chapel of Panagia tou Vrachou, the Virgin of the Rock, tucked under some rock formations that locals call the Meteora of Corinthia. From above you can see the whole Nemea valley. The route ends at a local winery with a tasting of four wines, mostly agiorgitiko.
Who it suits
It is easy, level 1 out of 5, with only 70 metres of ascent; you walk for three or four hours. Over-18s only, because of the tasting. The outing requires a minimum of six people: if there are fewer of you, ask whether there is a group already formed.
Price and booking
From €55 per person, in groups of six or more. It includes an English-speaking Trekking Hellas guide, the tasting, photos and insurance. It does not include lunch, entry to the site or transfer from the hotel. Meet at 10:00 at the Virgin of the Rock; finish around 15:00. The same company runs another route to Polyfengo castle and the chapel, of four hours, from €50.

## Dónde comer
- **17 Choria** (Restaurant, Nemea, €€). Qué pedir: a village dish, such as the "Nemea", rabbit with petimezi, and a glass of agiorgitiko from the eight or ten served by the glass.

## Consejos

### On Sundays, Palivos or Barafakas
Many wineries close on Sundays; these two are open every day.

### Always book
Even with published hours, call ahead: groups fill the rooms.

### Site in the morning
From November to March it closes at 15:30 and on Tuesdays.

### Leave room in the suitcase
All of them sell wine at the winery.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Which grape is grown in Nemea?
Mostly agiorgitiko, the most widely planted red grape in Greece, which covers most of the appellation's 3,200 hectares.

### Do you have to book to visit the Nemea wineries?
Yes, almost all receive visitors by appointment only. Palivos and Barafakas publish visiting hours every day, but it is best to call.

### Which wineries are open on Sunday?
Ktima Palivou and Barafakas are open every day. Domaine Skouras closes on Sundays and public holidays.

### How much does admission to the Nemea sanctuary cost?
€10 with the stadium and the museum; €5 reduced.

### Can you go to Nemea without a car?
With an organised excursion or with Trekking Hellas's walking route; you can't reach the wineries by public transport.