Laconia
The regional unit has 31 official bathing-water sites; of the 31 with a classification in the 2024 season, all were Excellent (EEA). At most of these beaches the average sea temperature is 22 °C or higher from June to September (NOAA, 1991–2020). In the seat of the regional unit the weather is most comfortable for walking and sightseeing in May.
- Municipalities
- 5OpenStreetMap, 6 Oct 2026
- Official bathing-water sites
- 31YPEN register, EEA
- Excellent in 2024
- 31 of 31100% of classified sites (EEA)
- Sea at 22 °C or more
- Jun–Sepat most beaches, NOAA average 1991–2020
- Nearest airport
- KLXKalamata International Airport "Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos", 35.9 km in a straight line
- Ferry ports
- 6ports with ferry terminals (OpenStreetMap)
- Natura 2000
- 11 sitesoverlap the area (YPEN)
- Wildfires 2016–2026
- 43 firesabout 18,462 hectares burnt (EFFIS)
- Zone prices 2021, per m²
- 500–1,550 €457 zones, a tax value and not a market price
When to go
This section is about Sparta, the seat of the regional unit not the whole regional unit.
- Figure: mean air temperature
- Comfortable weather for walking
The weather is most comfortable for walking and sightseeing in May (average temperature around 20 °C, little rain).
The highest average temperature, about 28.8 °C, falls in July and August.
The average temperature is 10 °C or lower in January and February, while monthly rain reaches 80 mm or more from November to January.
Day length is 9 h 37 min at the winter solstice (07:39 to 17:16) and 14 h 43 min at the summer solstice (06:10 to 20:52), Greek time.
- Mean temperature °C
- Rain (mm, right axis)
| Month | Mean temp. °C | Rain mm | Daylight h |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.0 | 98 | 9.9 |
| Feb | 9.5 | 79 | 10.8 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 55 | 11.9 |
| Apr | 15.0 | 30 | 13.1 |
| May | 20.0 | 23 | 14.1 |
| Jun | 25.5 | 21 | 14.7 |
| Jul | 28.8 | 13 | 14.5 |
| Aug | 28.6 | 8 | 13.6 |
| Sep | 24.1 | 36 | 12.5 |
| Oct | 19.2 | 55 | 11.3 |
| Nov | 14.6 | 86 | 10.2 |
| Dec | 10.4 | 100 | 9.6 |
Temperature and rain: NASA POWER (MERRA-2), period 2001–2020, model cell about 10 km away. The temperatures are monthly averages from a regional model. Daylight: calculated for the 15th of each month. These are regional model values and typical conditions, not a forecast.
Municipalities
The 5 municipalities of the regional unit, with the main town and the official bathing-water sites of each.
- Municipality of East ManiGythio, 16 beaches
- Municipality of ElafonisosElafonisos
- Municipality of EurotasSkala, 3 beaches
- Municipality of MonemvasiaMolai, 12 beaches
- Municipality of SpartaSparta
Best beaches
The 6 official sites with the most seasons of Excellent water since 2011; ties are settled by the latest classification (2024 season). It is the EU's classification by season, not a reading on the day.
| Beach | Latest class | History |
|---|---|---|
| Almyro | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Alypa | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Archangelos | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Vathi Beach | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Viandini (Vourkos) Beach | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Elia | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
Towns to know
Cities, towns and villages of the regional unit that have a page of their own, larger ones first. Population only sets the order and is never shown.
Cities and towns
- Spartacity, Sparta
- Gythiotown, East Mani
- Neapolitown, Monemvasia
- Skalatown, Eurotas
- Molaitown, Monemvasia
Villages
- Papadianikavillage, Monemvasia
- Gerakivillage, Eurotas
- Areopolivillage, East Mani
- Amyklesvillage, Sparta
- Elafonisosvillage, Elafonisos
- Afisiovillage, Sparta
- Mystrasvillage, Sparta
- Agios Georgiosvillage, Monemvasia
- Kladasvillage, Sparta
- Eliavillage, Monemvasia
- Velanidiavillage, Monemvasia
- Lachivillage, Monemvasia
- Kotronasvillage, East Mani
- Pellanavillage, Sparta
- Agios Georgiosvillage, Eurotas
- Pirgos Dirouvillage, East Mani
- Skoutarivillage, East Mani
- Oitylovillage, East Mani
- Aghios Nikolaosvillage, East Mani
- Kyparissivillage, Monemvasia
Islands
The inhabited islands of the regional unit that have a page of their own, largest first. Areas come from OpenStreetMap outlines.
- Elafonisos18 km²
- Monemvasia0.6 km²
Sights
A short selection from Wikidata, not a ranking of importance: only entries that have a Wikidata item, those with a page of their own on this site first, then those with an English label, then the oldest item. Up to 3 per kind. Coverage is uneven.
Castles
- Passavas CastleEast Mani
- Kelefa CastleEast Mani
- Castle of GerakiEurotas
Archaeological sites
- SpartaSparta
- sanctuary of Artemis OrthiaSparta
- Vaphio beehive tombSparta
Museums
Monasteries
- Pantanassa MonasterySparta
- Peribleptos MonasterySparta
- Brontochion MonasterySparta
Caves
- Diros CaveEast Mani
- Kastania CaveMonemvasia
- Alepotrypa CaveEast Mani
Lighthouses
- Kranae LighthouseEast Mani
- Cape Maleas LighthouseMonemvasia
Natura 2000 protected areas
11 Natura 2000 sites with a page of their own in the regional unit. Each page says what the site protects, from the European Environment Agency's Natura 2000 database.
- Oros Parnonas (Kai Periochi Malevis)SCI, 55,651 ha
- Oros TaygetosSCI, 53,688 ha
- Oros Taygetos - Lagkada TrypisSPA, 48,817 ha
- Ori Gidovouni, Chionovouni, Gaidourovouni, Korakia, Kalogerovouni, Koulochera Kai Periochi MonemvasiasSCI, 39,052 ha
- Thalassia Zoni Notias ManisSCI, 38,296 ha
- Ori Anatolikis LakoniasSPA, 37,788 ha
- Notia ManiSPA, 31,669 ha
- Ekvoles EvrotaSCI, 10,628 ha
- Periochi Neapolis Kai Nisos ElafonisosSCI, 5,469 ha
- Ygrotopoi Ekvolon EvrotaSPA, 2,238 ha
- Lagkada TrypisSCI, 1,693 ha
Getting there
The airports and ferry ports of the area as our sources record them. We do not copy timetables or fares, because they would go stale; where an official source exists it is linked below.
The area has no airport on the list of commercial airports. The nearest is Kalamata International Airport "Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos" (KLX), 35.9 km in a straight line from the main town, without crossing water.
| Port, at the nearest settlement | Terminals in OSM | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| Gythio | 1 | East Mani |
| Vigklafia | 1 | Monemvasia |
| Elafonisos | 1 | Elafonisos |
| Gefyra | 1 | Monemvasia |
| Neapoli | 1 | Monemvasia |
| Geraka Port | 1 | Monemvasia |
Official travel information
- KTEL Laconia: routes and timetables
- Elafonisos municipality: access and transport
- Elafonisos municipality: ferry timetables
Routes and connections can change by season. Confirm times and service directly with the operator before travelling.
How the numbers were counted
Each municipality belongs to the region and regional unit that OpenStreetMap records for it, and the figures on this page add up its municipalities. Beaches, airports, ports and sights belong to the municipality that contains them (up to 3 km outside the boundary for those on the shore).
Ports: a port is a group of ferry terminals mapped in OpenStreetMap within 1 km of each other (a harbour is mapped as many berths). The name is the nearest settlement. The number of terminals shows how closely the harbour is mapped, not how large it is or how many ferries call.
Fires: the count covers EFFIS burnt areas (roughly 30 hectares and above) whose reference point lies in a municipality of the area, with dates from 23 Mar 2016 to 12 Sept 2026. Natura 2000: each site is counted once, even when it overlaps several municipalities.
Zone prices: the lowest and highest value among the 2021 objective-system zones whose reference point lies in the area. They are tax values, not market prices.
See also
- Peloponneseregion
- All regions of Greecelist
- Greece month by monthlist
- Argolisunit of the same region
- Arcadiaunit of the same region
- Corinthiaunit of the same region
- Messeniaunit of the same region
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the sources below, with the date each was updated.
- Designated bathing waters (locations)Ministry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current bathing season register · Date:
- Bathing water quality classificationEuropean Environment Agency: WISE Bathing Water Directive database · Latest assessed season in the EEA database; every season from 2011 is kept as a per-beach history · Date:
- Monthly climate normalsNASA POWER, MERRA-2 meteorological model · 2001–2020 climatology period returned by NASA POWER · Date:
- Sea temperature (NOAA OISST)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / Physical Sciences Laboratory · OISST v2.1 monthly long-term mean climatology, 1991-2020 period · Date:
- Burnt areasEFFIS: European Forest Fire Information System (Copernicus EMS) · Rolling archive of mapped burnt areas · Date:
- Natura 2000 protected sitesMinistry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current national Natura 2000 network · Date:
- Objective property value zonesMinistry of National Economy and Finance, via data.gov.gr · 2021 revision of the objective value system · Date:
- AirportsFraport Greece; the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (ΥΠΑ/HCAA); Wikipedia (cross-checked for IATA/ICAO codes and coordinates) · Checked 24 September 2026 · Date:
- Everyday places, tourism, transport and natureOpenStreetMap contributors, via the Overpass API · Live database at the time of the query · Date:
- Wikidata landmarks: castles, monasteries, museums, archaeological sites and natural landmarksWikidata contributors · Live SPARQL query snapshot, taken 25 September 2026 · Date:
- Region, unit and municipal boundaries, settlements, seats and ferry terminalsOpenStreetMap (Geofabrik Greece extract, 24 Sep 2026), ODbL · Date:
Page updated .