During our 2024 trip through the Peloponnese in Greece, we visited many sites from different eras of history including the medieval ruins of Mystras. Although this fortress was not as old, or as ancient as many of the other spots we explored, it was really a fun site to investigate. Make sure you bring good walking or hiking shoes for exploring this area. Also bring plenty of water as there is no place to purchase any.
Location
Mystras is located in the Peloponnese area of mainland Greece. Just west of Sparta.
History
The city of Mystras, is a ruined fortified town with a castle on an acropolis on the hillside of Mt. Taygetus, overlooking Ancient Sparta. Built in 1249, Mystras was ruled by the Prince of the Frankish Principality of Achaea until 1262 when the Byzantines captured it. Morea was the name of the Peloponnese at this time. Due to the art, beauty, and location, Mystras was referred to as “the wonder of Morea”.
As a Byzantine town, it was quite powerful. First as a military base, and by 1348 it became the most important town in the State of Morea. The city, ruled by a Despot who had absolute authority, truly prospered during this time. Being a center of Byzantine learning and having a renaissance-type culture, Mystras drew artists and archaeologists from all over. Soon, Mystras was known for its beautiful churches with frescoes, architectural buildings, philosophical writings, and wise intellectuals.
In 1460, once again, Mystras fell. This time they were conquered by the Turks. Next came the Venetians who occupied Mystras from 1687 until 1715 when once again the Ottomans ruled. In 1770, the city, raided by Albanian Ottomans, suffered greatly as many Greeks were killed, and children sold into slavery. After this, Mystras was in ruins and never regained its glory. In 1825, during the Greek War of Independence, the Egyptians, under the rule of Ibrahim Pasha, massacred many of the local people and damaged much of what was left of Mystras. In 1989, Mystras became another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Greece.
Mystras
As our car climbed the road towards Mystras, we could see the the beauty of this area of Greece. Although it did look like rain, it had been so hot out the thought of a few sprinkles raining down on us as we climbed to the top of the castle was welcomed, although we didn’t want to get poured on! The parking area for Mystras was easy to find. There were few cars there, perhaps due to the chance of rain. It is easy to find the entrance, just follow the path.
Upper Gate
The first site we encountered was the front gate. It is also the entrance where we bought our tickets. Fortresses of this era had a limited amount of gates, or entryways for protection as this is the most likely way for an intruder to enter the castle. The gate entrance is narrow so only a couple of soldiers could pass at a time, this was for security. This front gate is within a tower for added protection. With the tower above the gate, soldiers could stand on the space inside the top of the tower and use it for weaponry, such as a catgut, ballitsa, or even to pour hot liquids down on their would be invaders.
Up to the Castle
After the Upper Gate you can go walk down towards the upper and lower town or up towards the fortified castle. Since it looked like rain, we decided to trek up to the castle as this is what we wanted to explore the most. The path is cobblestone steps and although we were walking up hill, it was not difficult. There were a few sites to see and the views were beautiful. All in all, it was a pleasant jaunt although it seemed we were gaining a bit of altitude. We passed through lots of greenery, arches, ruins, and lots of stairs.
It took us about 10 minutes before we were able to view the castle from the path, the walk was all uphill. In another 5 minutes we entered the fortress.
Inside the Castle
We walked through the entryway, not sure what lie in front of us. The path now had many loose rocks and the fortress itself is in disrepair, the views were magnificent.
We spent about 40 minutes wandering through the ruins of the fortress. It was very careful stepping and definitely checking the stability of any stones we stepped on. Fortunately the rain was holding off. I did not want to find out if the rocky path would be slick if it rained.
The Castle Keep
The Castle Keep is at the highest and most secure part of the acropolis. It is the last line of defense during attack. This is where headquarters are and is very secure. Also there would be guards who are able to view the entire area, to see any threat before it arrives. The Keep also would have a good supply of water from cisterns as well as food in case of a long siege.
Down the Path
We returned back the way we came and right before the main gate, we took the path to the Upper Town. Again, this was a lovely walk down to the Upper Town. The path is well maintained and you will pass by some unmarked ruins.
The Church of Hagia Sophia
This Byzantine church, built in the 14th century in the Upper Town of Mystras by the first Despot of Morea and served as the palace church. Originally part of a Monastery dedicated to Christ the Giver of Life it later became Hagia Sophia which means Wisdom of God. While the Ottoman ruled, this church became a mosque. After the War of Greek Independence it once again was converted back to a church.
The church features many faded and fragmented frescos that you can see which date back to 1348. You can go into the church, although some areas are off limits. We only shot photos from the doorway, as our shorts and tees did not meet clothing protocol for Greek Churches.
The Despot Palace
We took this photo from Upper Town looking down as the stairway to descend to this level was roped off. It appears they have been doing some work here as other areas were also roped off. There is a nice view of the Despot Palace from above. This palace is where official offices and governing business were held. It was also where the Despot lived. Beginning with the Franks and ending with the Venetians, the palace was built in 4 stages between the 13th and 15th century. The palace complex is quite large and well preserved with some areas having just one storey while other areas have up to four storeys.
Other Buildings
Well the rain could only hold off for so long, as it began to rain we made our way back to our car. There were more buildings and ruins which we saw but were not able to identify. Our original plan had been to wander down to the Lower Town and see the sites there as I heard great things about the area. But the truth of the matter is, we are fair weather site seers! We did not relish the thought of driving soaking wet to our next destination. So we high-tailed it back to the car pretty quickly when the first sprinkles turned to a light rain and we beat the drenching rain!
Conclusion
Mystras, Greece is an absolutely stunning archaeological site with so much history. The amazing views makes one imagine the days of medieval knights in shinning armor and damsels in distress! After Mystras we drove down to Monemvasia, another amazing place in Greece, where we stayed the night and hiked to the top the next morning.
Planning
All good trips take some planning. I have found many Youtube shows, online information, tour books, and maps that help with my trip planning. For the Peloponnese I recommend the following:
Rick Steve’s guide to Athens and the Peloponnese which you can click here to view on Amazon.
My tried and true tour guides for just about everywhere is the DK Eyewitness Guides. If you follow my posts, you will see I have recommended these for everywhere we go, from the USA to Europe. I love the way these books are broke down in sections for top 10 of each area, type of tours, places of interest and even places to eat. You can can click here to view the DK Eyewitness Guide for Mainland and Peloponnese
National Geographic Map. Even though GPS is great, it is always a good idea to have a map on hand and I love the Nationanal Geographic Maps for their durability. I have one from everyplace we travel and have never regretted it. You can click here to view on Amazon.
I really love Robert Polasek’s videos of Greece and in his Peloponnese video, he visited Mystras. The video’s are nice to watch and show so many places of each area. You can click here to watch his video on Peloponnese.
Greek.com is an online site that has a plethora of information on Greece including Mystras. You can click here to view the Peloponnese information.
Books About the Peloponnese
I love to read and I read many books about Greece. The following helped spike my interest in the Peloponnese area of Greece for many different reasons.
- Greek Letters (Greek Quartet Series) by Suzi Stembridge This captivating series follows an Englishman and his family and their connection to Greece. The series starts in 1827 as the Englishman, on his journey to Greece, finds himself in the middle of Greece fighting for its freedom. The 4 volumes follow the rich history of Greece as it overcomes the Ottoman rule and beyond. I really learned a lot about this time period of Greek history from reading these books. I also found the history of this era of the Peloponnese to be fascinating.
- A Boy Growing Up Under the Nazi Boot and the Greek Civil War by George C. Kradikas. This book is a true account of the early years of Mr Kakridas as his family endures hardships beyond compare while growing up near Sparta during occupation years. A poignant story told with the emotion and memories as only someone living through this period can retell.
- Mycenae from Myth to History This extraordinary book not only goes in-depth to the history and archeological study of ancient Mycenae, it also features photography by Robert McCabe. Actually that is why I purchased this book. Robert McCabe’s black and white photographs of the Greece we do not see are beautiful.
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Click on the links below to also follow my 2024 Greek Travels:
Exploring Ancient Sparta-August 2024
Anthemion Suites and Villas, Greece-August 2024
A Bit of Charm in Nafplio, Greece-August 2024
Acronauplia Fortress-August 2024
Argos Theatre and Also Agora-August 2024
Exploring the Larissa Castle of Argos,Greece-August 2024
Snorkeling the Sunken City of Epidaurus. August 2024
Ancient Epidaurus: Birthplace of Modern Medicne August 2024
Mycenaean Bridge and Acropolis of Kazarma-August 2024
Ancient Nemea Greece-August 2024
Ancient Mycenae Greece-August 2024
2 Weeks in Greece-Delphi, Meteora, Corfu, Santorini, and Also Athens, Sept 2022
14 Days in Greece-Crete,Naxos, Santorini Sept 2021
10 Day Greece Itinerary-Crete, Santorini, Athens, September 2019
8 Day Greece Itinerary-Athens, Milos, Santorini, September/October 2018
The Gen-X Travels recommendations for hotels, restaurants, activities or tour companies are based on our own experiences unless noted. We are not sponsored by any business or company and all trips are at our expense. All photos are by myself or my husband unless otherwise noted. We are affiliates of some companies such as Amazon,Viator, and others which we do receive a small commission from, at no cost to you if you buy or book through one of our links.
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A stunning site to visit Lori, both for the history and the views. Seeing it on a cloudy day looks like a bonus, rather than climbing in the heat of a day. Thanks for sharing. Hope your weekend is going well. Allan
It was nice to have some clouds in the hot summer. Have a fantastic weekend! We are driving to Chicagonto see the neeeat grandbaby so it is a great weekend for us!
Looks like a fantastic site. I love the old frescoes in Hagia Sofia. I’ll keep it in mind for future trips. Maggie
It is a good one!
Gorgeous! Love the ruins and the paintings in the church (although it’s a shame you couldn’t fully enter). It’s places like these which are underrated, yet lovely all the same. Thanks for sharing Mystras!
I always love a beautiful fresco. Usually I have a shawl or wrap with to enter trips but didn’t think of bringing one this time. Thanks for reading.
WoW !!! Absolutely Beautiful Pictures.
Thank you!
What an amazing place!
It was a lot of fun!
Bummer about the rain, but hey, at least you managed to avoid the worst of it. Sounds like you made it back to your car just in time. The moody clouds look cool in your pictures among the ruins. Sounds like a neat place to explore.
We did miss the brunt of the rain! It is such a fun place to explore and I hope to return and explore more of Mystras some day!
Looks like an interesting site to visit and the view from it is incredible 😍.
It is an amazing view! I bet it is really awesome on a clear sunshine day!
I just read of a big discovery in Pompeii of spacious baths. It gave me an idea that this ancient culture valued sharing through leisure time that modern society could practice more as well.
That sounds like a good read! I could use more leisure time!
thank you for sharing these beautiful photos in your posts! it looks like you had a lot of fun exploring Greece! Mike
Thanks for your kind comment! We do enjoy traveling to Greece! Lori