Mycenae

120km from Athens

Mycenae

The fortified citadel of ancient Mycenae, the seat of the mythical and mighty King Agamemnon. An impressive and well-preserved site, the city of Mycenae gave its name to an entire civilization. Admire sites such as the Tomb of Clytemnestra, the infamous Lion’s Gate, the Cyclopean walls and learn of their blood-stained past. In the second millennium BC, Mycenae was one of the major centres of Greek civilization, a military stronghold which dominated much of southern Greece, Crete, the Cyclades, and parts of southwest Anatolia. The period of Greek history from about 1600 BC to about 1100 BC is called Mycenaean in reference to Mycenae. At its peak in 1350 BC, the citadel and lower town had a population of 30,000 and an area of 32 hectares.

Available Tours to Mycenae

Archaeological site of Mycenae

The archaeological site of Mycenae comprises the fortified acropolis and surrounding funerary and habitation sites, which are located mainly to its west and southwest. Most of the visible monuments date to the centre's great floruit, from 1350 to 1200 BC. Great Cyclopean walls surround the almost triangular acropolis, which is accessed from the northwest through the famous Lion Gate, the symbol of the Mycenaean rulers' power. The gate was named after the two opposing lions carved in relief and set into the relieving triangle, a typical feature of Mycenaean architecture, over the door.

Lion Gate

The Lion Gate was the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae, southern Greece. It was erected during the 13th century BC, around 1250 BC, in the northwest side of the acropolis and is named after the relief sculpture of two lionesses or lions in a heraldic pose that stands above the entrance. The Lion Gate is the sole surviving monumental piece of Mycenaean sculpture, as well as the largest sculpture in the prehistoric Aegean. It is the only monument of Bronze Age Greece to bear an iconographic motif that survived without being buried underground, and the only relief image which was described in the literature of classical antiquity, such that it was well known prior to modern archaeology.

Archaeological Museum of Mycenae

The Archaeological Museum of Mycenae is found at the entrance of the ancient site, just a few steps before the Lion Gate.

Treasury of Atreus

The Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon is a large tholos or beehive tomb on Panagitsa Hill at Mycenae constructed during the Bronze Age around 1250 BC. The stone lintel above the doorway weighs 120 tons, with approximate dimensions 8.3 x 5.2 x 1.2m, the largest in the world. The tomb was used for an unknown period. Mentioned by the Roman geographer Pausanias in the 2nd century AD, it was still visible in 1879 when the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered the shaft graves under the "agora" in the Acropolis at Mycenae.

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Trip Advisor Reviews

A fabulous day out in the mountains! Our driver, Panos and guide George were informative and entertaining. The monastery, Temple of Apollo, and museum were fabulous. Lunch was included in a wonderful Cafe with a view. We ordered whatever we wanted. A stroll through a small picturesque village was a perfect ending. A great escape to country life in Greece.

Lori F

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10/05/2022

A fantastic day seeing Arachova, Delphi and Galaxidi! Notis was great, very friendly, he kept us well hydrated and gave us plenty of time in each location so we never felt rushed. He also brought us to a delicious lunch spot with a great view. We definitely recommend this tour!

Kaitlin S

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26/07/2022

We booked on TripAdvisor and communicated ahead of time about where we would meet our driver. Everything went very smoothly with the pickup and Dimitri was very friendly. He shared interesting information about his life, how he grew up, Greek history, mythology and more. He has a very nice Mercedes taxi, and it was a very smooth comfortable ride. We stopped at the Corinth Canal and then had about an hour and 15 minutes at the Mycenae site. He recommended a popular souvlaki place when we returned to Athens and overall, it was a great half day trip!

Chris A

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09/09/2022

My husband and I were on a full day tour with Panos. He picked us up at the port and gave us a detailed description of what we would be doing that day. My favorite thing about Panos is his ability to make you immediately feel like you’re his best friend in town on holiday. He gives great cultural explanations and I feel like I learned so much more than I did on my previous tour of Athens where I just received a basic historical tour. I really appreciate Panos’ ability to be flexible and adjust the tour when we were feeling tired. As someone who has health issues and never knows quite how they will feel each day, I appreciate his kindness. We would wholeheartedly recommend this tour!

Morgan W

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15/07/2022

We were a group of four. This was our post cruise extension in Athens. We specifically wanted to visit ancient Corinth, to follow the footsteps of the Apostle Paul in the Bible. I worked with the manager Aris prior to departure, on the details of pick up/drop off, and to obtain a licensed tour guide (additional cost) with biblical knowledge of Corinth. Aris was very responsive and communicated well and timely. Our pickup by driver George at port Piraeus was prompt and smooth. George was a gentleman, friendly, courteous, safe driver, always ready to get to the doors and came prepared with cold water bottles in the trunk. We had nice chats with George enroute to Corinth canal, about the local area and especially enjoyed learning about olive farming from him.

Jen J

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11/09/2022

We had Tom as our driver and had a very enjoyable day. We saw everything as described and it was amazing. Tom was good about helping my mother with walking disabilities get around and still see everything. We had as much time as we needed to see everything and still have lunch by the water. Thanks for a wonderful day!

CherylIndiana

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11/10/2021

This was the most fun I’ve had in a tour ever. For the first time in all my years of traveling, I had the same tour guide in two separate tours. I happened to have THE MAN Notis as my tour guide again. With that being said, we were already very well acquainted from the first tour I had with him earlier that week; so I just asked a couple of questions for my notes and then we spent the rest of the way talking about so many different topics. Highly recommend this tour for solo travelers, couples, or small groups.

Saúl Navarro

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16/11/2022

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