Mystras · Lakonia · Greece

Archaeological Site of Mystras

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moderate

9/10

best: morning

mysterious, contemplative, nostalgic

A local would say...

The last Byzantine emperor was crowned here — then the empire fell. The city was never finished.

The spectacular ruins of the Byzantine Empire's last stronghold — a hillside ghost city of chapels, palaces, mansions and fortifications where Emperor Constantine XI was crowned before the fall of Constantinople. The Cathedral of Agios Dimitrios preserves a marble slab marking the exact coronation spot, surrounded by fine frescoes and a carved wooden throne. Walking through the site from the Kastro down through the Byzantine ruins to the Mitropolis is one of the great archaeological walks in Greece.