Myth itinerary: Mycenae and the Argolid

Few regions in the world have such a density of myths as the Argolid, the plain of the north-eastern Peloponnese between Corinth and the Gulf of Nafplio. Here, the Greeks said, Perseus founded Mycenae, Heracles performed his first labours against the Nemean lion and the Lernaean Hydra, and the cursed house of Atreus played out its tragedies: Agamemnon left for Troy and on his return was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra, later avenged by his son Orestes. And here, unlike many other mythical places, the stones really exist: the Lion Gate of Mycenae, the Cyclopean walls of Tiryns, the Treasury of Atreus, the theatre of Epidaurus.

This six-day itinerary starts in Athens and is based in Nafplio, the most elegant town in the Peloponnese, from which to explore all the places of myth on short day trips. Distances are small, roads are good and every evening you return to the sea, among Venetian fortresses and tavernas. It is a perfect trip for archaeology lovers, families with children studying the epics and anyone who wants to see a Greece different from the islands.

The myths of the Argolid

According to myth, the hero Perseus, son of Zeus and of Danaë, princess of Argos, after killing Medusa founded Mycenae with the help of the Cyclopes, the only beings able to lift such huge blocks. From his line came Heracles, whom King Eurystheus, from Tiryns or Mycenae, sent to perform the twelve labours: the first two, the Nemean lion and the Lernaean Hydra, took place right on this plain. Then came the house of Atreus: Atreus, Agamemnon and Menelaus, the kings who led the Greeks against Troy, and the chain of crimes told by Aeschylus in the Oresteia. For more see our pages on the twelve labours of Heracles, Perseus and Medusa and the Trojan War.

Day 1: from Athens to Nafplio

Pick up the car in Athens or at the airport and take the motorway to the Peloponnese. After an hour, make the first stop at the Corinth Canal, the cut through the rock over six kilometres long opened in 1893, with sheer walls dozens of metres high: from the bridge you watch ships squeeze through as if along a corridor. With time to spare, go up to Ancient Corinth, with the Temple of Apollo and the citadel of Acrocorinth.

Continue to Nemea (about half an hour), where Heracles' first task was to kill the invulnerable lion that terrorised the valley. The sanctuary of Zeus, with some temple columns standing again, hosted Panhellenic games like those at Olympia, and the stadium preserves the tunnel through which the athletes entered, with their graffiti on the walls. Nemea is also one of Greece's most important wine regions, home of the red agiorgitiko: a winery tasting is a perfect stop. In the evening drive on to Nafplio (about 40 minutes).

Where to stay: in Nafplio, for five nights.

Day 2: Mycenae

UNESCO-listed Mycenae is half an hour from Nafplio. You enter through the famous Lion Gate, built around 1250 BC, with two lions carved above the lintel, the oldest large monumental relief in Europe. Just inside, on the right, is Grave Circle A, where in 1876 Heinrich Schliemann found gold masks and treasures, convinced he had discovered the tomb of Agamemnon. Climb to the remains of the palace at the top of the hill, with a view that explains why the Mycenaean kings chose this spot to control the plain.

Don't skip the site museum, with copies of the gold masks (the originals are in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens), and above all the Treasury of Atreus, a little further down the road: a perfect stone beehive tomb, with a lintel weighing over a hundred tonnes. Stepping inside, in the silence and the cool, is unforgettable.

In the afternoon visit the Argive Heraion, the sanctuary of the goddess Hera, rarely crowded, on a terrace with views across the plain to the sea.

Day 3: Tiryns, Argos and Lerna

In the morning visit Tiryns, five minutes from Nafplio, where the Cyclopean walls, made of limestone blocks as big as cars, are so imposing that Homer already called it "Tiryns of the great walls". Walk through the covered gallery with its pointed vault, polished by flocks of sheep over the centuries. According to myth, Heracles grew up here.

Then go to Argos, one of the longest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, with a large theatre cut into the hillside and the castle of Larissa on top. In the afternoon go down to Lerna, where the marsh and springs were the lair of the many-headed Hydra, Heracles' second labour. Today the archaeological site protects the House of the Tiles, a large building over four thousand years old. In the evening, a fish dinner on the Nafplio waterfront.

Day 4: Nafplio

The day belongs to Nafplio, which from 1829 to 1834 was the first capital of modern Greece. Climb to the Venetian fortress of Palamidi, by the staircase of almost a thousand steps (tradition says 999) or by car via the back road, for a spectacular view over the gulf. In the centre, stroll among neoclassical houses with iron balconies and bougainvillea, visit the church of St Spyridon, whose door still bears the mark of the bullet that killed Ioannis Kapodistrias, Greece's first head of state, in 1831, and the archaeological museum, with a rare Mycenaean bronze suit of armour. At sunset walk the clifftop path around Akronafplia, or take the little boat to the Bourtzi, the castle on the islet in the harbour.

If you want the sea, Karathona beach is a few minutes away, or the village of Tolo.

Day 5: Epidaurus

The sanctuary of Epidaurus, half an hour away, was the most famous healing centre of the ancient world, dedicated to Asclepius, god of medicine. The sick came from all over Greece, slept in the sanctuary and waited for a dream that would reveal the cure. But the marvel is the theatre, from the 4th century BC, with some fourteen thousand seats and acoustics so perfect that from the back rows you can hear a coin drop on the stage: try it, it's true. It is the best-preserved ancient theatre in the world and, with the sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In summer, on weekends in July and August, the theatre hosts the Epidaurus Festival, with ancient tragedies and comedies performed at sunset: watching a play by Aeschylus or Sophocles here, where the Greeks watched them, is one of the most moving moments of any trip to Greece. Tickets are sold online; shuttles run from Nafplio and Athens. If you are not going to the theatre, head down to the little harbour of Palea Epidavros, with a small ancient theatre by the sea and sunken ruins to explore with mask and snorkel.

Day 6: back to Athens

From Nafplio to Athens is about two hours. On the way you can detour to Lake Stymphalia, in the mountains, where Heracles drove away the bronze-feathered birds, his sixth labour: a landscape of reed beds, mountains and the ruins of a Cistercian monastery, almost always deserted.

How much it costs

To save money: in winter, from November to March, many archaeological sites have reduced tickets, and on some days entry is free for everyone. EU citizens under 25 enter state sites free with ID.

Practical information

• Opening times: in summer sites open early; visit Mycenae and Epidaurus at 8 am, before the heat and the coaches. In winter they close in the early afternoon.
• Heat: in July and August temperatures often exceed 35°C; bring water, a hat and closed shoes, as the sites have little shade.
• Tickets: can also be bought online on the official Greek archaeological sites portal; at Mycenae the ticket includes the museum and the Treasury of Atreus.
• Epidaurus Festival: performances are in Greek, often with English surtitles; bring a cushion, the stone is hard.
• Documents: EU citizens only need a valid identity card. See also getting to Greece.

Variations

• Corinth and Sicyon: an extra day for Ancient Corinth, Acrocorinth and the Sicyon museum.
• Further south: from Nafplio continue to Sparta, Mystras and Monemvasia; see our page on the Peloponnese.
• With the islands: from Nafplio or Porto Heli, ferries reach Hydra and Spetses; see the Saronic and Argolic islands.

What to read before you go

The ideal companion is Aeschylus's Oresteia, the trilogy of the house of Atreus, best read the evening before Mycenae; then Homer's Iliad and a good collection of myths, such as Robert Graves's The Greek Myths. See also our pages on Mycenaean civilisation and Greek mythology.

Final tips

• Pace: one major site in the morning, the sea or a walk in the afternoon: the right rhythm for the Greek climate.
• Combinations: this itinerary links well with the oracles and sanctuaries itinerary, with Olympia and Delphi.
• A tip: enter the Treasury of Atreus alone, waiting for the group ahead to leave, and stay a few minutes in silence beneath the dome: it is where the myth of the house of Atreus still seems alive.

See also our other itineraries in Greece.

Nafplio on the map

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