Considered one of the best preserved castles within the Peloponnese, the Chlemoutsi Castle (also known as the Clermont or Tomese castle) was built sometime around 1220.
It boasts amazing views of nature and the Ionian Sea, offering visitors a chance to understand what this magical place was like centuries ago.
Chlemoutsi was built on the top of a hill by prince Geoffrey of Villehardouin, representing the most powerful fort of the Franc princedom of Achaia. After the Frankish era it was used continuously by the Greeks, Venetians and Ottomans, with minor alterations made to it during the Ottoman era. Overall, Chlemoutsi preserves the main Frankish architecture and is an excellent example of castles from that era.
The castle is surrounded by two sets of walls. The inner one, where the house of the prince was located, contained a chapel and lodgings for the guards. It is built on the highest part of the hill with a hexagonal ground plan, featuring a series of vaulted chambers around a grand central yard. Within the outer wall, there are water tanks, ruins of buildings, water tanks and even an Ottoman mosque. The castle itself features western architectural elements, such as lowered crossbows in the openings and vaults in the chambers.