Tiryns

Argolis


The unfairly underrated Mycenaean acropolis, 4km north of Nafplio, is the apogee of Mycenaean architectural achievement. Legend has it that its massive walls, 7m thick in parts, were built by a Cyclops. You can stroll around the immense stonework and explore the Upper and Lower Citadels. Look out for the vaulted passageways, secret stairway and impressive gallery, though ongoing restoration means that parts of the ruins may be off limits.

Any Nafplio–Argos bus can drop you here. A return taxi from Nafplio with waiting time is €30.

The site was occupied from the third millennium onwards and the fortifications built in the 14th and 13th centuries BC. This World Heritage site was, in its heyday, second only to Mycenae in terms of regional importance. The layout of some of the ruins is easy to make out, and there are few crowds, though the site has little in the way of signs or descriptions.

In the centre of the upper citadel, you can clearly see the megaron (principal room of the palace) with its column bases. The walls down the middle of it are from a new megaron built after the destruction of the Mycenaean palace.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Argolis attractions

1. Bourtzi

2.17 MILES

Odyssey Cruises runs boat excursions to this island fortress. Built in 1473, it lies about 600m west of the town's port and has served variously as a…

3. War Museum

2.36 MILES

In a handsome stone building, this collection of paintings, uniforms, sketches, assorted weaponry and photographs traces Greece’s role in various battles,…

4. Archaeological Museum

2.36 MILES

Inside a splendid Venetian building, this museum traces the social development of Argolis, from the hunter-gatherers of the Franchthi Cave to the…

5. National Gallery – Nafplio Annex

2.36 MILES

This arm of the Athens National Gallery is housed in a stunningly restored neoclassical building (don't be deterred; the front door looks to be closed)…

6. Town Hall

2.38 MILES

Nafplio's Town Hall since the 1990s, this neoclassical building was constructed in the mid-19th century to house a middle school, one of the first in…

7. Komboloi Museum

2.4 MILES

Whether or not you wish to buy Greece's most popular souvenir item – komboloï (worry beads) – at the gift shop, it's worth popping into the incense…

8. Church of Agios Spyridon

2.42 MILES

This small 18th-century church was the site of an assassination of great political significance. On 9 October 1831 Ioannis Kapodistrias, elected the first…

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