Ancient Corinth

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

A visit to Mystras, located six kilometers northwest of Sparta, will transport you to another dimension, to the era 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 setting: 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 scene straight out of the Byzantine past.

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

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