There is lots and lots of history to find in Greece. Some are definitely worth the visit, some are written up great, but quite disappointing in real. So what are the archaeological sites to see in Greece? Seeing Delphi and Ancient Olympia was great, but next on my historical Greece trip was the archaeological site Sparta as well as the Akropole Mystra and Mycenae.
Ancient Sparta
The next ancient site on the list was the archaeological site Sparta. And although the new town Sparti was 35 km away from Kalamata, on the local road, it took me 1.5 hours over the mountain to get there. (You can of course take the toll roads and stop every 20 mins and keep paying tolls but where is the adventure in that?) Luckily I stayed in Sparta for the night because I really had enough of mountain roads by then.
The Spartan ruins were nice, although, beside the big ‘Sparta’ history everyone has learned and seen in the movies, I didn’t think it was the most impressive archaeological site. On the other hand it was good to get a perspective on the official touristy sites and the ones, that are less touristy. I had trouble finding the entry as there were no official signs, but at least this one was free.
Akropole Mystra
However, Sparti is worth a stop because next to the town there is the Akropole Mystra and THAT is amazing! (Read more here).
I stumbled on this archaeological site by surprise and really enjoyed exploring the ruins, old monastery and fortress. The great thing was, you were not roped into where you could and could not go. I could therefore explore and find things for myself, rather than just go to the next romped fence and look. Not to mention that it added to my exercise for the day, walking all the way up to the top. I absolutely loved it and I totally recommend it (much better than the archaeological site Sparta). Furthermore, and as always, there is no better view than from the top!
Mycenae (Mykenon)
Next day I left Sparti early in the morning making my way to the next spot near the cities Argos and Nafplio. Although, my car started making really weird noises and I worried it was something serious. I did drive lots of mountains lately. Funnily I happened to see a Mercedes Service station and stopped. (pretty good timing considering it was the very first one I have ever seen on my trip). Luckily it was just a quick fix for 50 Euro and 30min wait. It could have been much worse so I was happy and the car was as new.
Around the Argos and Nafplio area you get different archaeological sites and I went to the Mycenae and Lion Gate. That was pretty great to see, especially the gate, the tomb and the cistern. So walk all the way down the stairs, into the darkness. It is a great spot and worth seeing. My tip: the acoustics in the tomb are great. I have never heard my laugh echoing so much! Definitely give it a go.
And if you want to read more about the history click on this UNESCO link here! My photos below should say it all otherwise.
Quick summary: So besides a rather disappointing archaeological site Sparta, the Akropole Mystra and Mycenae were worth the visit. So much history to explore in both places. And yet, this is only the beginning of Ancient Greece. There is more to come! I
And if you would like to know how I ended up in Greece read on my drive through Albania here!
