History, along with the practicalities of the road network in this part of Greece, makes it very likely that you'll at least pass through the outskirts of Tripoli when you're in the area. In the days of the Ottoman Empire, this crossroads was the capital of the Turkish pasha of the Peloponnese, and during the War of Independence it was the first target of Greek revolutionaries. They captured it in 1821 after a six-month siege, but the town went back and forth between the warring sides until 1827, when Ibrahim Pasha's retreating troops burned it to the ground.
Tripoli is a workaday town with few attractions to keep you here, although if you do hang around, you'll get an eyeful of Greek life. Its most attractive feature is the mountain scenery, with attendant hillside villages, that surrounds it; you will soon understand why this region is nicknamed "the Switzerland of Greece." Unless you run out of daylight, you'll probably want to move on from Tripoli quickly, but for those taking the bus in particular, there's usually a couple of hours to kill between connections and it's worth a wander into town, where the mid-19th-century marble cathedral of St. Basil (Agios Vasillos) catches the eye. By night, Platia Petrinou is a lively spot for drinks, but the impossibly vast Areos Square is the best place to people-watch.
