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In this post we tell you all our experience and from it how to visit and what to see in Mycenae ancient city of Greece. If this is just what you're looking for, stick around and read on!
Mycenae is one of the main stops on our almost month-long family road trip through Greece in a campervan, which you can read about in full on our blog. It's a must-see destination that we added to our itinerary because of the important role this city played in ancient Greece.
History and importance of Mycenae
Mycenae was the city of the famous King Agamemnon, one of the protagonists of Homer's Iliad. One of the great characters of the Trojan War. It is believed that Agamemnon, son of Atreus, was not only king of Mycenae but of all the Achaean Greeks and that he led the expedition to Troy to return Helen to her husband.
Mycenae was one of the most powerful polis, Greek city-states of the so-called Mycenaean civilization, which included cities such as Sparta or Argos. It is called Mycenaean civilization precisely because of the great importance of Mycenae above the other cities.
The Mycenaean civilization controlled the entire Peloponnese and the Aegean Sea and one of the first civilizations with a powerful culture and organization in Europe. They are in part the fathers of all later Greek culture.
Our arrival in Mycenae city
We arrived in Mycenae and went straight to Camping Atreus. There, the first thing we discovered is that the town isn't really a town, but rather a small village. And the village that houses ancient Mycenae is actually called Mykines.
Thus, when we arrived in Mykines with our motorhome, we entered the town. In the first place, we see that apart from being very small, it is almost like a desert and abandoned. Despite being late June and early everything is closed, that surprises us. There are many tourist establishments, but all closed, dirty with dust and as if the Covid had also devastated this beautiful town.
Camping Atreus, our accommodation in Mycenae city, Mykines
As we already have the experience that in all the archaeological sites it is forbidden to spend the night freely in a motorhome or camper, we are no longer beating around the bush and we go directly to the campsite at the entrance, Camping Atreus. It's hot and we've seen that it has a pool and good shade. It only has plots, they do not have bungalows and it looks like a very familiar and quiet campsite.
Upon arrival at the campsite, the owners are super friendly with us. They are fruit farmers and camping is one more of their life. You can tell that they love talking to foreigners. We park in a plot well shaded by pine trees and we are ready to take a dip in the camping pool.
It is a very basic campsite in terms of services. A little dated, but ultra clean and with a PRO level of friendliness and hospitality from the family that owns it.
Our visit to the Mycenae ancient city
Later in the afternoon, as the sun was setting, we decided to move on to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of ancient Mycenae in Greece.
Access the ancient city of Mycenae
From Mykines, it is about a 10-15 minute walk to the archaeological site of Ancient Mycenae. The way is along the road and it is still quite hot. Nor do we feel like moving the motorhome that already has everything disassembled for camping. So we tell the camping family if they know any taxi drivers in town. They help us right away and call us a taxi that takes us up to the entrance of ancient Mycenae for 4 euros.
At the entrance to the site there is a good paved car park, very accessible both by the road, which is good, and by the width of the car park.
As usual on this trip, we go up by taxi, but we go down on foot. It's only 15 minutes or less down the road, very little traffic. Certainly the descent from ancient Mycenae to Mykines was done very well.
How to visit Mycenae and what to see in Mycenae essential city of ancient Greece
Once at the site, we bought the tickets and started the visit. Mycenae has 3 different areas to visit:
- the archaeological museum
- The main site of the ancient city of Mycenae
- And the treasure of Atreus
What to see in Mycenae city: 1 The Archaeological Museum of Mycenae
On our visit, once we bought our tickets and went through the ticket booth, we decided to start our visit at the archaeological museum . The air conditioning at 18 pm was a plus.
The museum is not very big, but it houses very interesting pieces. Although the most interesting, it must be said, are replicas. The originals were taken by the British.
What to see in Mycenae city: 2 The main site of the polis of Mycenae in Greece
We continued our visit by exiting through the same door we entered the museum. We then began walking through the main archaeological site . First, outside the walls of the polis, we found some "tholoi," burial sites located outside the city walls. Next, we entered through the famous Lion Gate of Mycenae, perhaps the most photographed and famous feature of this ancient Greek city. Once inside, we followed the path through the ancient ruins, situated on a small hill, which we ascended before descending again.
What to see in Mycenae city: 3 The Treasure of Atreus
Finally, after going down the road for 5 minutes, we access the third visitor area, the Treasure of Atreus.
Conclusions of our visit to the ancient city of Mycenae
Perhaps because of the expectations we had, Micenas did not surprise us. We are not saying that it is a beautiful place, but we did think that there would be more better preserved or restored elements. What surprised us most was the treasure of Atreus, in terms of its conservation.
Of all the archaeological sites we visited on our 21-day trip through Greece, this wouldn't be in the top 3. I'd rather go back to Delphi or Corinth, but it's certainly a unique and incredible place that you can easily see in a couple of hours.
Furthermore, we must tell you that Camping Atreus stole our hearts, despite being quite old and basic. We spent some wonderful moments there with the campsite family and had one of the best dinners of the trip, in the company of the campsite family and other campers. That day felt like being at home with family. Without a doubt, it's the most welcoming and friendly campsite we visited in Greece. Having dinner in their taverna, being around their animals, and feeling like part of the family made us all very happy.
