Mycenae, despite its fame, somehow escaped my attention for many years. This spring we finally decided it was time to go.
And, of course, it wouldn’t be us if we didn’t try to combine the visit with a hike through the beautiful surroundings of the site.
In the end, we explored the archaeological site, hiked to the top of Mount Charvati at 807 metres, and spent the rest of the day discovering the many tholos tombs tucked away in the surrounding orchards – enjoying a day filled with both history and nature at its spring best.
How to get there
The 130‑kilometre drive from the centre of Athens to the archaeological site of Mycenae took us about 1.5 hours and was very easy to navigate.
From Athens, we followed the highway toward Corinth and continued in the direction of Tripoli / Kalamata. We took the exit for EO Corinthou–Argous, signposted for Argos / Mykines (Mycenae).
After leaving the motorway, we continued along the EO Corinthou–Argous regional road through the village of Dervenakia and later through a pretty countryside of olive orchards and low hills.
Towards the end of our drive, we passed the modern town of Mykines, not the prettiest of places but offering a few taverns and cafes.
From there, it was only a short drive to the archaeological site. We parked in the large parking area right next to the entrance and continued on foot.
For driving directions on Google Maps, click HERE.
Signposting & difficulty
At 12 kilometres in length and 600 metres of elevation gain, this hike seemed too hard initially. In reality, it was quite challenging.
First of all, exploring the archaeological site of Mycenae added at least another 2-3 kilometres to the total length.
Secondly, the last section of the trail before the summit was steep and rocky, and the path was almost non-existent.
Finally, the trail was unmarked except for two short sections near the archaeological site, so we had to pay close attention to our Wikiloc (see our recording HERE).
For the most part, we followed a combination of dirt roads and a small asphalt road, with the exception of the final 600 meters, where we joined a faint trail.
There was no shade anywhere along the hike as well, which wasn’t an issue in early spring but would make it almost impossible to complete during the hot season.
Overall, late winter and early spring are the best times to visit, in my opinion. At the beginning of March, the countryside was fresh and green, and the meadows and orchard were bursting with an array of colourful wildflowers.
Another advantage of visiting the site during the winter period is the free entrance every first and third Sunday of the month. Considering the standard price of the ticket is 20 euros, this can lead to significant savings.
Always check for up-to-date info about the free entrance beforehand because these details can change.
The archeological site of Mycenae
The archaeological site of Mycenae is one of the most important ancient sites in Greece and a must on any Greek bucket list.
It spreads across a low hill overlooking the Argive Plain, bordered by a sea of mountain ridges of the northeastern Peloponnese.
Founded in the Early Bronze Age and flourishing between 1600 and 1100 BCE, Mycenae became the political and cultural centre of the Mycenaean world.
This was the era of legendary kings, including Agamemnon, who, according to Greek mythology, led the Greek forces in the Trojan War.
Its most striking remains include the monumental Lion Gate, the massive Cyclopean walls, and several impressive tholos tombs, such as the so-called Treasury of Atreus.
We spent an hour exploring the site at a leisurely pace, but we skipped the museum and the nearby tholos tomb. Including them, we could easily spend 2-3 hours here.
But with the rocky peak of Mount Charvati tempting us from above, we decided to leave that for another visit and embarked on our hike.
Hiking to the Mount Charvati summit
We started our hike at the entrance of the archaeological site and followed a dirt road leading to the museum. We passed the museum and continued towards the mountain until we reached a gate.
It was open at the time of our visit due to the free entrance, but I’m not sure how this section works when the site is closed or when an entrance fee applies.
We continued uphill until we reached a crossroad, where we turned right at a sign for the ancient Mycenae road. For the next kilometre or so, we followed the road uphill through olive orchards and lush meadows.
We spotted some red markings along this part of the hike, but we only followed them until another crossroad next to an ancient bridge. Here, we left the Mycenae road, turned left, and continued uphill towards the mountain.
The road became steeper and steeper, and after another 2 kilometres, we finally reached its end. From here, we joined a faint, rocky trail—unmarked except for a few small rock cairns—climbing up the rocky slopes.
The final half‑kilometre was the hardest, yet also the most beautiful section of the trail, thanks to the many wildflowers dotting the grass and the stunning views towards the Argive Plain and the surrounding mountains opening up all around us.
The summit was one of the most picturesque mountaintops I’ve visited, thanks to the charming little stone church of Profitis Ilias perched on the rocks.
We settled here for a lunch break, enjoying the amazing views across the mountainous scenery of northeastern Peloponnese and the Argolic Gulf.
The tombs of Mycenae
After our lunch we descended back towards Mycenae the same way. However, at the last crossroad before the archaeological site, we turned right onto a narrow asphalt road leading down into the valley.
For the next 1.5 kilometres, we walked downhill among olive and orange orchards, with the archaeological site clearly visible on our left.
As soon as the road began to climb again, we spotted a small red sign and turned right into the orchard, fully trusting our Wikiloc recording. After some 15 metres, we found ourselves standing at the rim of an ancient tholos tomb tucked away among the trees.
And even though it was smaller than some of the more famous tombs at the archaeological site, its unassuming location in the middle of the orchard made us feel like Indiana Jones discovering an eighth wonder of the world.
For the next kilometre, we continued discovering more tombs tucked away among the orchards, making only short detours from the main road.
Once we reached the top of the hill and, after exploring the last two tombs to the right, we turned left and, after about 300 metres, arrived at the car park of the archaeological site.
Even if you’re not up for the whole (strenuous) hike, I would recommend a short walk through this final section of the trail.
Searching for the tombs among the trees felt like a fun scavenger hunt that brought us closer to the ancient inhabitants of this beautiful corner of Greece than the perfectly coiffured archaeological site ever could.
