Places to see:

Athens

Aegina

Poros

Porto Heli

Nafplion

Hydra

Catamarans Cup international regatta 2012

PORTO HELI

Porto Heli Greece (or Porto Cheli) is a small, seaside town on the peninsula of Argolida, Eastern Peloponnese. This town started to develop tourism in the 1980s, when the Athenians were building their summer houses there. Now its residents deal mostly with tourism and fishing. Porto Heli is also connected by hydrofoil to some Saronic islands, such as Spetses and Hydra.

Porto Heli is built around a picturesque natural harbor in the prefecture of Argolida, Peloponnese. This harbor is very safe and usually has enough space, if you have a boat to moor.

Porto Heli attracts many tourists every summer, thanks to its natural beauty, its facilities and the sightseeings of the area. There are some interesting sites to visit near the harbor in the daytime and it is also possible to rent a mountain bike in order to explore the area.

There are motorbike and car rentals which can be useful if you want to explore the surroundings, such as the nearby town of Kranidi, still untouched by tourism.

In fact, Porto Heli is near many important places in Argolida, such as Ermioni, Epidauros, Nafplion and Mycenae.

This town has also some nice beaches, like Hinitsa, Costa, Ververoda and Maistraki. Some of them have umbrellas and fun activities, such as water skiing, windsurfing and sailing. In particular, a waterskiing competition takes place every summer in Ververoda Lake.

There is also a good variety of cafes, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. In some of them, bands and singers perform live and owners throw parties.

The lively waterfront of this city also offers lots of activities, such as book fairs, shadow puppet theatres, fun fairs for the kids and concerts in the summer.

People are kind and communication with them is easy, as in all Greece, even if you don’t speak Greek. Hand gestures have always been helpful.

Gift shops are found all over the town and the waterfront to buy souvenirs.

Porto Heli is also close to Peloponnese islands and frequent hydrofoils to Spetses and Hydra leave from its port.
The history of Porto Heli is mostly related to the ruins of Halieis, placed on the South side of the bay.

The ancient city of Halieis was founded by Tirynthian refugees after the Persian Wars and it thrived during the period between 700 and 300 BC.

It was enclosed by a wall with several gates -at least 5- and its large size allowed it to have some territorial rights and to be independent.
 
Each house in the area had a courtyard and a well. the town had communal baths and they were all distributed along well organized grids.

Some of these grids remain in the surface, while some others are under the water and can be seen in the shallows when the sea is calm. The inhabitants of this city were mainly fishermen and farmers.

Many interesting findings in the area, such as coins, decorated pottery, remains of roof tiles, metal objects and terracotta figurines.
 
The actual reasons for the abandonment of this area remain unknown. A possible reason would be the attack of Porto Heli by Sparta and Athens, in order to own its great natural harbor.

In spite of its tourism development, the modern still seems to keep its small-fishing-village vibe from the past. Its name actually means "the bay of eel", which reflects the importance of fishing in this place.