Guided tour: Mystras – Sparta – Gytheion

Mystras or Mistras known as Myzithras in the Chronicle of the Morea, is a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Situated on Mt. Taygetos, near ancient Sparta, it served as the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries, experiencing a period of prosperity and cultural flowering. The site remained inhabited throughout the Ottoman period, when it was mistaken by Western travellers for ancient Sparta. In the 1830s, it was abandoned and the new town of Sparti was built, approximately eight kilometres to the east. Visit of the archaeological site (from the top to the bottom) + museum.

Duration of visit: almost 2,5  hours

Admission: €12 (archaeological site + museum), reduced $6 (visitors over 65 years old), free entrance for children coming from the EU (check with our guide and at the ticket office if coming from other countries).

Water, hat and sunglasses, loose clothing and comfortable shoes needed.

Optional

Next we will visit the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil, in Sparta, that transports you to the culture, history and technology of the olive and olive oil production in the Greek realm, from prehistoric times to the early 20th century.

The Museum’s objective is to highlight the ineffable relation of the olive with the identity of our country and, more generally, the Mediterranean basin. The olive and olive oil are presented here from different optical angles: the economy, nutrition and the olive’s uses, religious worship, art and technology.

Opening hours

From March 1st through to October 15th:
Daily (except Tuesdays) 10 am – 6 pm.
From October 16th through to February 28th:
Daily (except Tuesdays) 10 am – 5 pm.

Closed on: Tuesdays, January 1st, Good Friday (until 12 noon), (Greek Orthodox) Easter Sunday, May 1st, September 14th (local patronal feast), August 15th, December 25th and 26th.

Admission

Standard entrance fee: €4,00
Concessionary ticket: €2,00
Days of free admission:
May 18th (International Museum Day)
June 5th (World Environment Day)
Last weekend in September (European Heritage Days)

Gytheio (or Gythio, also the ancient Gythium or Gytheion), is a town on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula, and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. It was the seaport of Sparta, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north. Gytheio is the site of ancient Cranae, a tiny island where according to legend Paris of Troy and Helen from Sparta spent their first night together before departing for Troy, thus igniting the Trojan War.

Gytheio used to be an important port until it was destroyed in 4th century AD, possibly by an earthquake. Even thereafter its strategic location gave Gytheio a significant role in Maniot history. Today it is the largest and most important town in Mani. It is also the seat of the municipality of East Mani.