Why You Will Love the Charming Village of Agios Nikolaos Greece

I fell in love with the fishing village of Agios Nikolaos Greece.

Like head over heels in love.

Seriously.

This wee village — that, by the way, I knew nothing about — is so incredibly charming.

You have to go.

And I have a British woman, who I randomly met, to thank for introducing me to it. 

Let’s place this Greek village on the map.

Where is Agios Nikolaos?

Agios Nikolaos is located in the Mani Peninsula of Greece.

And the Mani Peninsula is part of the Peloponnese Peninsula.

It’s a tiny village of 330 people but it’s popular with Greeks, Brits, Germans and Dutch who come to the area on holiday.

It’s just 4km south of Stoupa, a larger town that I stayed in.

While there are a few tourist amenities in Agios Nikolaos, it doesn’t have as much in the way of places to stay as Stoupa.

So now you know where this village is.

Let’s dive into why you should visit and why I think you will love it.

It’s still an active fishing village

I think one of my favorite things about Agios Nikolaos is that it is an active fishing village.

I find that some ‘fishing’ villages are not actually active in this trade any longer.

But when you come across an authentic, still active fishing village, you’ll know it. 

There are still boats that go out from the harbor to fish.

And some swimmers / fishermen who swim out into the sea and catch fish that way.

Yup.

I saw a guy come in with fish that way.

So if you want to not only eat fresh fish but just revel in that atmosphere, then Agios Nikolaos is a must for you.

There are quite a few places to eat

And naturally I’ll follow the above with the fact that for a wee village there are a nice array of tavernas and restaurants to eat.

And, yes, fish and seafood will be on the menu.

Fresh from the sea!

But you’ll also get delicious fruit and veggies as well. 

Add to that some good wine and you’ll not go hungry or thirsty.

I had a delicious meal at Taverna Vezuvious.

It’s tucked around the corner and a bit away from the main road along the harbor.

But I think it’s one of the best places to eat — and enjoy the views (see below) in Agios Nikolaos.

The views are spectacular

If you walk along the harbor area you’ll be rewarded with some amazing views.

Out to the sea, back to the mountains.

There are gorgeous views in all directions.

Agios Nikolaos definitely has some drool worthy views.

And the color of the water?

Surreal!

It’s a wonderful place to slow down and simply enjoy life

I think my favorite thing about Agios Nikolaos is that it has that “slow down and savor life” vibe.

Sit at a taverna along the water.

Soak up the southern Greek sun.

Eat some delicious food.

Enjoy a tasty, cool drink.

Relish in some good company and conversation.

This little village just begs you to simply be.

You can access it from Stoupa along the trail 

Another wonderful aspect to Agios Nikolaos is that you can easily walk from Stoupa.

Since Stoupa has a few more tourist amenities you may want to stay there.

The trail runs along the sea and has amazeballs views.

It’s about 4km (2.5 miles) from Stoupa to Agios Nikolaos and it’s all flat. 

I walked over in the morning, wandered about taking some photos, then had lunch. 

Then I walked back later in the afternoon.

You could also cycle it if you have a bicycle.

It’s a magnificent walk!

How I came to find Agios Nikolaos

I was actually staying further south of Stoupa and Agios Nikolaos near a village called Limeni.

I had driven up to Stoupa for the day to wander about and have some lunch.

At lunch I ended up talking to a British woman who actually had a holiday home in the Stoupa area.

She asked if I had been to Agios Nikolaos. 

And I told her I didn’t know of it.

So I got in my car and followed her to the village.

She told me a bit about it, then drove off leaving me to explore a bit.

I didn’t have a lot of time but wandered about and knew I would return soon.

Well I ended up moving to Stoupa from Limeni (see this podcast for that story).

I then decided to take the walk from Stoupa to Agios Nikolaos and back one day.

And it is one of my favorite experiences from my time in Greece.

My day in Agios Nikolaos

I was fortunate to have a fabulous weather day in the latter part of October when I walked to Agios Nikolaos.

I was able to wear my sporty skirt and a lightweight t-shirt.

After walking the 4km — and stopping to take many photos along the way — I arrived in the village and took more photos. 

Toward the southern end of the town there is a rocky beach.

Unfortunately Agios Nikolaos doesn’t have a good sandy beach like Stoupa that actually has 2 nice beaches.

However, the harbor area is lovely and charming as hell.

As I wandered about and smelled all the good food I made my way around the north side of the harbor.

That’s when I found Taverna Vezuvious and just loved the look of it.

So I sat at a table, ordered a glass of wine and a Greek salad and soaked up the sun and the atmosphere.

I talked to some other patrons of the taverna and was called Mrs America since I was one of a few Americans there.

I saw one of the owners of the restaurant (the husband half) come in from fishing. 

Yes he is the one that was out in the sea swimming and fishing.

It was just one of those days that you remember: the gorgeous weather, the charming town, the friendly and fun locals, the camaraderie of other travelers, the delicious food and drink.

*Sigh*

It just all blended together to make that perfect travel memory.

So for me, Agios Nikolaos is more than a cute fishing village.

It’s a travel memory.

Maybe you can create a travel memory in Agios Nikolaos too.

Something tells me, this village does have that travel magic.

Please note that Wander Your Way is only recommending international travel to those who are vaccinated and feel comfortable doing so. While travel to Europe is getting easier, we are still not out of the woods with COVID.

If you do decide to travel internationally, please do your research or use a travel planning service such as Wander Your Way. Please stay up to date using official sources like the WHO and CDC.

I am continuing to write about incredible destinations and to offer tips on travel to Europe, so that you will find some solace in these posts — so you dream about travel and learn about places. And hopefully make that bucket list! This way when we can all fully travel again, you’ll be ready to go. 

And if you are ready to go soon, please contact Lynne for any assistance you may need.

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