One of the best experiences of a trip to Greece is reading a myth in the place where it happened. Many of these places are now archaeological sites; others are landscapes, caves or rivers the ancients saw as doors to the divine.
The great sanctuaries
Delphi, on the slopes of Parnassus, was to the Greeks the navel of the world: Zeus had two eagles fly from opposite ends of the earth and they met here. Here Apollo killed the serpent Python and founded his oracle, where the Pythia answered kings and cities.
Olympia, in the Peloponnese, was the sanctuary of Zeus and home of the Olympic Games: one tradition says Heracles founded them. Phidias's gold-and-ivory statue of Zeus was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Delos, at the heart of the Cyclades, is the island where Hera could not reach Leto: here Apollo and Artemis were born. It was so sacred that no one was allowed to be born or die there.
Eleusis, near Athens, hosted the Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone, secret rites that promised initiates a better afterlife.
Cities of heroes
| Place | Myth | What you see today |
|---|---|---|
| Mycenae | Palace of Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks at Troy | Lion Gate, tholos tombs, Cyclopean walls |
| Tiryns | Home of Heracles in some versions | Cyclopean walls, UNESCO site |
| Knossos | Palace of Minos and the Minotaur's labyrinth | The great Minoan palace |
| Thebes | Oedipus, Cadmus, Antigone | Archaeological museum, remains of the Cadmea |
| Athens | Athena and Poseidon's contest; Theseus | Acropolis, Parthenon, Erechtheion with Athena's olive |
| Ithaca | Odysseus's homeland | Landscapes, small museum, theories about the palace |
| Pylos | Palace of Nestor | Palace of Nestor, with its "bathtub" |
| Sparta | Helen and Menelaus | Menelaion, ancient remains, museum |
Mountains, caves, rivers
- Mount Olympus (2,918 m), between Thessaly and Macedonia: home of the twelve gods. Today a national park with trails and refuges.
- Dictaean Cave and Idaean Cave in Crete: where, in myth, Zeus was born and raised.
- Mount Pelion, in Thessaly: home of the centaurs and wise Chiron, teacher of Achilles and Jason, who sailed from nearby Iolcus (Volos).
- River Acheron, in Epirus: one of the rivers of the underworld; on its banks you can visit the Necromanteion, oracle of the dead.
- Cape Tainaron, at the tip of the Peloponnese: believed to be an entrance to Hades, where Heracles dragged out Cerberus.
- Cape Sounion: from this headland King Aegeus threw himself into the sea, believing his son Theseus dead, giving his name to the Aegean; the temple of Poseidon stands here.
- Lerna, in Argolis: the marshes of the Hydra killed by Heracles.
Islands
Santorini is linked to the Atlantis myth; Naxos is where Theseus left Ariadne and Dionysus married her; Lemnos was sacred to Hephaestus, who fell there from the sky; Kythira and Cyprus were said to be where Aphrodite, born of the foam, came ashore; Lesbos received the head of Orpheus.
See also Greek mythology and myths for schools.