Must-see attractions in Lakonia

  • Top Choice
    Mystras

    Spread over a steep mountainside and surrounded by verdant olive and orange trees, this former Byzantine capital and fortified city is the single most…

  • Top Choice
    Kastro – Medieval Village

    Almost wholly surrounded by ocean, Monemvasia's fortified medieval village is divided into the lower town, bisected by a main cobbled street lined with…

  • Top Choice
    Kastania Cave

    The extraordinary Kastania Cave, located at the end of a spectacularly winding 13km route northeast of Neapoli, contains some of the best examples of rare…

  • Top Choice
    Museum of the Olive & Greek Olive Oil

    This beautifully designed museum initiates you into the mysteries of the olive from its initial appearance in the Mediterranean in 60,000 BC to the…

  • Ancient Sparta

    Though few buildings are standing that date back to the height of Sparta's greatness, it's an atmospheric stroll around this hillside, where the acropolis…

  • King Leonidas Statue

    The King Leonidas statue stands belligerently in front of a football stadium. When the Persians attacked at Thermopylae and told the Spartans and their…

  • Archaeological Museum

    In a park, this likeable old-style archaeological museum hosts artefacts from Sparta’s illustrious past. Look for the votive sickles of the kind that…

  • Monemvasia Archaeological Collection

    This small museum housed in a former temple, Agios Andreas (596 AD), displays finds unearthed in the course of old town excavations, such as pottery from…

  • Folkloric Museum

    It may be compact, but this museum does a wonderful job of bringing to life the past residents of Gythio and the surrounding Mani. Themed rooms exhibit…

  • Shadow Theatre Museum

    This beautiful little studio-museum-shop is run by personable local artist Giorgos Hassanakos. The small upstairs gallery pays homage to traditional…

  • Petrified Forest

    Amateur geologists will appreciated the petrified forest, an expanse of trees fossilised several million years ago. It's located on the coast around 16km…

  • Agia Sofia

    In a spectacular clifftop position in the upper town, this foursquare Byzantine church was built in the 12th century. Its interior is richly decorated…

  • Koumantarios Gallery of Sparta

    Part of the National Art Gallery, the quaint Koumantarios holds a rotating permanent collection plus wonderful temporary exhibitions. It's definitely…

  • Marathonisi Islet

    According to mythology, tranquil, pine-shaded Marathonisi, connected to Gythio by a thin causeway, is ancient Cranae, where Paris (prince of Troy) and…