We spent an action packed long weekend road tripping through Athens and the Peloponnese peninsula. We explored ancient cities, ate delicious food and bought far too many souvenirs.
We flew in to the Athens Airport and then set off, starting our journey in Sparta. From there we visited Mystras, Olympia, Corinth and ended back in Athens. It was a lot of driving and some very long days, but well worth pushing ourselves to see everything we could in three short days.
Going in March was great because the weather was warm, but not too hot and there were very few tourists anywhere outside Athens. We always love traveling in the off season when possible because it gives us a chance to really see places at our own pace and without worrying about lines.
What to do in Sparta:
Archaeological Museum of Sparta
-This museum was small, but full of statues and artifacts found in the ancient city of Sparta as well as stories about how they lived in the days of Sparta.
-Located in the downtown area next to lots of shops and restaurants, this is a great stop before lunch and exploring the ancient city ruins. Parking here was honestly questionable. We found a “parking garage” nearby and paid a man 3 euro to park for two hours. Our car was safe, but it was a bit shady.
Statue of Leonidas
-The statue is located at the end of the main road, a bit out of the main shopping and food area. It is only about a 5-10 min walk from here to the ancient city and theater so this was where we parked while we explored that area.
-Leonidas was the King of Sparta and leader of the military when Sparta fought the famous battle of Thermopylae. Thanks to Hollywood most of us know the (perhaps slightly dramatized) story of his legacy and death, but he was a great example of the strength and tenacity of the Spartan people.
Acropolis and Ancient Theater
-The ruins of the ancient city are small and easy to walk around for anyone. Though it’s not a huge city full of giant temples and monuments we really enjoyed walking around and seeing where this remarkable civilization lived.
-This ancient civilization rose to power by revolving itself around their military. The boys were extensively trained from a very young age and known for their phalanx formation while fighting. The women were just as formidable as the men. They had more power and freedom than their counterparts in other parts of Ancient Greece as well as a formal education. We found a plaque in the museum that read “graves were only for men who died in battle and women who died during childbirth”.
Mystras:
-Up the hill from Sparta, these ruins and buildings offer more than just a great view. It was built in 1249 around the fortress at the top of the hill and abandoned in 1832. The medieval ruins still stand as an awe inspiring reminder of the city where the last Byzantine emperor was crowned.
-Our daughter walked up, down and all around Mystras enjoying the flowers, cats and beautiful weather.
-There is a monastery about half way up the hill and a fortress at the top. Unfortunately, we came an hour before closing and only made it to the monastery, but you could spend hours walking around here. Or drive to the top and enter at the fortress gate if you’re not up for a hike.
-We found conflicting information on the hours of Mystras, but the day we were there they closed at 4:00pm.
Things to do in Olympia:
Archaeological Site
-This area is home to the Archaeological Choros Temples including the Temples of Zeus and Hera. The ancient city of Olympia was made the center for worshipping Zeus and has been inhabited since prehistoric times.
-The Olympic Games were founded in the 8th century. They served as many things including a way to measure the passing years and a way to bring the ancient civilizations of Greece together. Olympic athletes were treated like heroes and benefitted from the 3 month Sacred Truce.
Olympic Stadium
-We had a great time pretending we were olympians and seeing where the very first Olympics were held. He won all the races, but it helped that his big sister was fast asleep.
Archaeological Museum of Olympia
-Full of statues and artifacts from the ancient city. This museum is definitely worth your time. All of the sites in Olympia can we seen with purchase of a 6 Euro combo ticket.
Archimedes Museum
-This museum is very small, but right downtown and a good stop for the kids to have a little hands-on fun. The museum is free and has demonstrations and puzzles to entertain people of any age.
Corinth:
-We arrived in this charming town late in the day. Unfortunately the ancient city and temple of Zeus were closed, but the ancient theater is unfenced and always open. We let the kids run around, pick flowers and explore the ruins before doing a little shopping and getting some dinner.
-We stayed in the ancient Corinth area of town at the Vasillios. It was just a short walk from the ancient city and theater as well as the downtown shopping and food area. We ate at a delicious greek restaurant called Gemelos Tavern. The owner was very friendly and talked with our little chatterboxes the whole night.
Acrocorinth
-This old fortress sits above the ancient city of Corinth. We only had time for a quick picture, but it was open to visitors.
What to do in Athens:
-Dominating the skyline of Athens, the Acropolis sits high on a hill as a monument to the goddess of wisdom, Athena. It has been inhabited since Prehistoric times and has been the used for many things. Once the home of kings, mythical gods, a center for religion and now a major tourist attraction this area is rich with history.
-The Parthenon is the focal point of the area. Built from limestone and marble sometime in the 400s BC there is a lot we still do not know about this building. It was built as a dedication to the goddess Athena Pallas and its main purpose was to shelter the statue of Athena.
-Temple of Athena Nike was historically a place to worship the deities of wars. It has been rebuilt many times throughout history due to wars and, more recently, structural issues.
-Theater of Dionysus is the oldest theater in Greece and was the prototype that all of theaters in Greece were built from.
-The Acropolis Museum was just finished in 2007. It is home to the sculptures and monuments for in the buildings of the Acropolis complex as well as artifacts from every day life for ancient Athenians.
Arch of Hadrian and Temple of Olympian Zeus
-Down the hill from the Acropolis this Temple stands in the middle of a large field and a great spot to let your kids run free.
-If you’ve ever dreamed of having your own custom fit greek sandals you need to stop here! You pick the style of sandal that you want and they custom fit it to your foot right then. If you want a custom color of leather you should go early in the day and then come back later for the fitting and pickup. It was a once in a lifetime experience and a souvenir that I will treasure forever.
Things to know before you go:
- Dogs run free all over Greece so if you or your children have any phobias be aware of this. They are, for the most part friendly or just leave people alone, but I think it’s worth saying because some people had real fears.
- Renting a car in Greece was great, but it will be manual transmission and you want a confident driver at the wheel.
- Toilet paper does not go in the toilet in the areas of Greece, it goes in the waste bin next to the toilet. I’m not sure about the islands as we have only visited them as stops on a cruise, but almost everywhere had a sign posted in the bathroom.
- The highway has tolls. They’re not expensive, only about 2-3 euros per toll booth. Our whole road trip cost us one tank of gas and about 30 euros in tolls.
- The terrain at the acropolis and even some of the streets in downtown Athens are made up of polished stone and are very slippery. I was wearing flat bottom sneakers and slipping all over the place so choose your shoes wisely!
For a few Greek words and phrases to learn before you go click here.
We hope you have enjoyed our journey back to the ancient world of Greece as much a we did and are inspired to see it for yourselves!
