Archaeological Site of Mystras

At Mystras, you can still see ladies and knights wandering around…
The Byzantine castle-town of the Peloponnese, untouched by time, captivates with the irresistible atmosphere created by its magnificent monuments: the “Palaces of the Palaiologos,” the residences of the nobility (Laskaris, Fragkopoulos), the imposing churches (St. Demetrius, Pantanassa), and the monasteries (Perivleptos, Vrontochiou), forming a scene of grandeur from past eras.

A visit to Mystras, located six kilometers northwest of Sparta, will transport you to another dimension — the time of the Byzantine Empire.

Wander through the neighborhoods of Mystras, the Castle, Mesochora, and Exo Chora, and you’ll feel like you’re in a fairytale: Byzantine princes, noblewomen, and ladies-in-waiting with their entourage emerging from the grand aristocratic homes, foreign delegations heading to the palaces to pay their respects to the ruler of the realm, and the people flocking to the streets — a dreamlike image straight out of the Byzantine past.

After all, Mystras served as the capital of the Despotate of the same name for two centuries, the final glimmer of the Byzantine Empire.

A stroll through the impressive museum, a two-story stone building from 1754, completes the experience in one of the world’s most beautiful archaeological sites — the castle-town of Mystras.