Itinerary

1. Explore the Highlights of Mystras and Sparta

   • Meet the professional driver, who will pick you up from your accommodation, and enjoy this amazing tour that will give you an excellent discovery of the history of Laconia, combining Ancient Greek and (the lesser-known) Medieval Greek history.
   • Drive along the coast. On the way, you pass some seaside villages and the heroic Salamis Island (where the historical naval battle took place between the Athenians and the Persians).
   • Make the first stop at the Corinth Canal. Operating since 1892 and dividing the Peloponnese Peninsula from the rest of Greece while connecting the Saronic Gulf to the Corinthian Sea. Walking across the pedestrian bridge, you will be in awe of what has been accomplished here. If you are up for a game, on some days, bungee jumping is an option.
   • Then you will head towards Mystras, driving through the mountainous landscape of the Greek countryside. 
   • Reaching Mystras, you will automatically understand why this location stands so unique within the Greek sites. Known as the ghost city, fortified on a citadel, it is one of the two locations in Greece that preserves not only medieval churches but also ordinary houses, mansions and palaces of the Byzantine Empire in combination with Frankish elements, of course, protected by UNESCO.
   • Walking into the site on the upper point, you will reach the citadel and enjoy a magnificent view of the surrounding areas; while walking downhill, you will meet the palaces and the royal courtyards. Although known as a ghost city, most of the monasteries are still in use, and the monks will gladly show you around their small society.
   • Before you exit, you will come across the Chapel of St. Demetrios; on its floor survives a plaque depicting a two-head eagle (the symbol of Byzantium).
   • Following, you will spend the rest of your time in Sparta, known as the eternal rival city of the Athenian Democracy. 
     • Sparta revolved around a different Cosmo theory for the ancient Greek standards. Initially known as the birthplace of Helen of Troy and the Kingdom of Menelaus, Sparta was organized as a purely military society in the ancient Greek period. It was the city of the two Kings where a few aristocrats ruled and, of course, the city where Leonidas and his 300 Spartans marched from to face the Persian army in Thermopylae in 480 BCE.
   • Visit the ancient citadel of Sparta, where you will have a view of the ancient theatre being revealed gradually in front of your eyes.
   • Pass in front of the stadium where the statue of King Leonidas stands, marking the ending point of the Spartathlon race (Athens – Sparta 245,3 km).
   • Lastly, you will visit the Archaeological Museum of Sparta, and before departing for Athens, you will also visit the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil. 
   • Drop off at your location.