Paralio Astros, the ornament of Arcadia

The statue of mermaid Stheno guards the harbour and it is an attraction.

Paralio Astros ithe ornament of coastal Arcadia with its clear waters, long beaches and the castle on the top of the hill. It is in eastern Peloponese in the Argolic bay. 

The name "Astros" means star because the peninsula where Paralio Astros is located looks like a star. In the ancient years the hill of this place or 'Island' by the locals was surrounded by sea.

On the top of the hill can be seen the medieval castle. It was a fortress and it could communicate with other castles with fires. In 1256 it was fortified and improved by William Villehardouin, sovereign of Ahaia princedom, to submit the Tsakones - rebellious people of the area. So it took the name Castello della Estella which means star castle. During the Greek revolution against the turks it was used as a fortress by the Zafiropoulos brothers, which had an important role for the area.

Below the castle there is the church of Virgin Mary, its existence is estimated in 1256, since Villehardouin's time. It is a simple, beautiful temple with a nice view to the sea.

Another thing that a visitor can see and admire is the special, stone building of the Lighthouse. It started to work in 1893 and it belongs to the lighthouses service of Military Navy. It does not work anymore but there is another lighthouse on the other side of the hill.

The open theatre hosts a lot of performances, music and dance festivals, concerts and other things. 

In the nearby town, Astros, 3km from Paralio Astros, there is the archaeological museum with important exhibits and statues from the area. Unfortunately it is closed because of some damage from the earthquake in January 2008. Today a lot of effort is being made to open its gates to the public.

The area has got a lot of places of interest such as Moustos lake, the picturesque mountain villages of North Kinouria like Agiannis, St Petros, Kastri, Prastos, Kastanitsa and many others. The monasteries of Loukou, Paliopanagia and Malevi. Beautiful long beaches and nice fish villages. So Paralio Astros can be a starting point for everything!!

Beach Portes