Why this tour?
Ride to Sparta & Mystras from Athens with your private tour leader. Your visit will be very rewarding and give you a chance to see Greece without the crowds! During this 9-hour experience, you can relax on the private car ride to the Byzantine Mystras Castletown and Sparta. After drop-off, stroll around the Byzantine ruins which are a UNESCO world heritage site. You can view a Byzantine church and fortress as well as do a lot of hiking around the area.
Sparta is one of the best places in Greece for purchasing olives and/or olive oil. Not as famous as the neighbour and better marketed Kalamata (city) olives but the quality is just perfect. We will “guide” you to all the right places for authentic olive oil.
Next, enjoy a sit-down, traditional Greek lunch & drinks in a non-touristy location surrounded by locals.
In the town of Sparta, you can wander through the very modern Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil.
Let your tour leader know of any special interests you have that could determine extra stops/explorations:
From Athens: Meet your private driver in the lobby of your hotel for your early departure. Begin your drive towards the West area of Athens and make a quick stop to see the Corinth Canal.
Sparta was the ancient rival of Athens and was known for her fierce warriors.
The Mystras Byzantine ruins are one of the best archaeological sites you can see in the area. Be the knight or princess of your childhood fairy tales in the Byzantine town of Mystras. Wander around the castle city and sense through the silence the city’s sheer grandeur: the Palace of the Despots, the beautiful Cathedral of Saint Dimitrios, and the impressive Monasteries of Our Lady Pantanassa, and of Our Lady Perivleptos.
In the town of Sparta, you can visit the modern Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil. Here you can discover all there is to know about olive oil, an important staple of Greek life.
Next, enjoy a sit-down, traditional Greek afternoon lunch before returning to your vehicle and starting your drive back towards Athens or Nafplio.
OPTION: Add the Ancient Corinth archaeological site/museum and/or Acrocorinth the Acropolis of Ancient Corinth. Both sites are of significant importance and worth visiting. If you opt-in for these two sites, expect your tour to be extended by at least 1,5 hours.
The archaeological site of Corinth lies on the northern foothills of the Acrocorinth hill (Acropolis of Corinth), around the Archaic Temple of Apollo. Extended excavations have brought to light the Roman Forum, temples, fountains, porticoes, baths, latrines, & various other monuments.
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