Pavlopetri

Pavlopetri - dive down to a sunken city - is among the best dive sites in Greece. Even if you’re not a qualified diver, it’s still possible to go snorkeling and view fascinating underwater sights and marine life in Greece’s azure seas. A superb example is the remains of the 5,000-year-old sunken city of Pavlopetri, which lie in the shallow waters of Vatika Bay, best accessed from the beaches of Pounta in the southern Peloponnese.

The closest main city to the site is Neapoli, but a blissful base for exploring this region is the island of Elafonisos, which offers spectacular white sand beaches and the chance to spot loggerhead turtles. Recreational diving is banned at Pavlopetri, so the only way to see the UNESCO-protected site is by snorkeling. Although you’ll have to use your imagination to work out the city’s layout from the underwater remnants, Pavlopetri, which thrived for around 2,000 years before it was claimed by the sea, represents one of Europe’s first ‘planned’ cities, with distinct residential and commercial neighborhoods.

Location: Pavlopetri, Greece