Sparta

Sparta (or Sparti) in the Peloponnese of Greece was one of the most important city-states of ancient Greece and has some archaeological remains at Ancient Sparta.

View of Sparta from MystrasView of Sparta from Mystras

Photo used under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Sparta in the Peloponnese isn’t on most people’s list of must-see places in Greece, but it has a distinguished history and an archaeological site which makes it worth visiting for a day or two. See our list of the Top Archaeological Sites in the Peloponnese.

Sparta City Center and Town HallSparta City Center and Town Hall

The History of Sparta

The long and remarkable history of Sparta has filled many books, so we won’t try to emulate those here. The city is thought to have been founded in about the 9th century BC, and by 650 BC was the greatest military power in ancient Greece. It fought and defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War of 431 to 404 BC, though began to go into decline after the Romans conquered Greece in 146 BC. Today it is the capital of the Greek region of Laconia, and has a population of under 40,000.

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What to Do in Sparta

Ancient Sparta

The site of Ancient Sparta is just a few minutes’ drive north of the city centre, where housing gives way to agriculture. If you leave the city on the main road to the site you will first come across the Statue of Leonidas. Leonidas was one of Sparta’s prominent kings, and his tomb can be found at the site of Ancient Sparta.

As well as the tomb of Leonidas, at Ancient Sparta you will also find the remains of a theatre, the acropolis, ancient walls, a temple, and a 10th-century monastic church.

Archaeological Museum

Sparta Archaeological MuseumSparta Archaeological Museum

 Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Sparta’s Archaeological Museum naturally has the rich finds from the site of Ancient Sparta. It’s one of the oldest archaeological museums in Greece and was the first outside Athens when it opened in 1876. It’s now a listed building and also contains Roman remains, Roman mosaics, and finds from the wider region of Laconia.

Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil

On the very southwestern edge of the city is this absolutely fascinating museum which explores everything about the olive and olive oil, both central to the Greek economy. You’ll see fossilised olive leaves that are 60,000 year old, learn about the history of the olive tree from prehistoric times, the harvesting of olives, the many uses of olive oil, and see examples of olive presses throughout history as well as working miniature models of olive presses.

Getting to Sparta

Google map showing location of Sparta in the Peloponnese of GreeceMap (c) Google Maps

Sparta is in the centre of the southern half of the Peloponnese. It’s to the east of Mount Taygetos in the Evrotas River valley.

Sparta is about an hour’s drive east of Kalamata if you take the much longer but much quicker route via Gefyra, and about 90 minutes if you take the straight route due east through the mountains. It’s almost a two-hour drive southwest from Nafplion, and three-to-four hours from Patras.

If you’re flying, the nearest international airport is in Kalamata, with a wide range of seasonal flights from throughout Europe. The other alternative is to fly to Athens and rent a car. It’s a two-to-three-hour drive to Sparta if going direct from Athens International Airport.


Other Peloponnese Pages

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  • The top archaeological sites in the Peloponnese in Greece include Epidavros, Olympia, Mycenae, Mystras, Tiryns, and Argos.

    Top Archaeological Sites in the Peloponnese

    The top archaeological sites in the Peloponnese in Greece include Epidavros, Olympia, Mycenae, Mystras, Tiryns, and Argos.

  • The Greece Travel Secrets guide to the ancient archaeological site of Tiryns, near Mycenae, in the Peloponnese of Greece, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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  • Patras, or Patra, in the Peloponnese is Greece's third-largest city, home to Greece's largest Carnival, with many Roman and Greek remains, museums and churches.

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  • Nafplion in the Peloponnese was the Greek capital before Athens and today is a charming waterfront town with good restaurants, museums, shopping, beaches, old fortresses and a delightful atmosphere.

    Nafplion

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  • The ruined Byzantine city of Mystras sits on the top and the slopes of a hill that juts out from the plain and is one of the most remarkable places in Greece.

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  • Monemvasia in the Peloponnese is the Greek Rock of Gibraltar and is a huge offshore rock which conceals a tiny town connected to the mainland by a single road.

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  • The Mani in the south of the Peloponnese is the most southerly part of the Greek mainland and famous for its rugged landscape, feuds, and tower houses.

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  • Kalamata in the Peloponnese is the area's second-biggest city and is world-famous for the quality of its olives and for the nearby site of Ancient Messene.

    Kalamata

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  • The ancient theatre at Epidavros is one of Greece's greatest attractions, ranking alongside the Acropolis and the Palace at Knossos in Crete, and it is easily the finest theatre in Greece.

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  • Argos is one of the top archaeological sites in the Peloponnese, one of the oldest cities in Europe, and with museums and a theatre bigger than Epidavros.

    Argos

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  • Travel guide to Ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese of mainland Greece, home to the original Olympic Games.

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  • The Bradt Guide to the Peloponnese is the best book on the Greek region which includes attractions like Mycenae, Epidavros, Olympia, Monemvasia and Nafplion.

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    Monemvasia Book Review

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