Mykines and the bronze age citadel above it

Mykines sits below Mycenae’s stone citadel and Lion Gate, where bronze-age walls rise above the Peloponnese.

Mykines sits below Mycenae, the Bronze Age citadel that gave its name to Mycenaean civilisation. The village and the ruins share one hill-side setting in the Argolid, with stone walls, tombs and terraces above low fields.

Mycenae above the village of Mykines

Mycenae is a prehistoric Greek city in the Peloponnese and a chief Late Bronze Age site in mainland Greece. Its modern Greek name is Mykínes, and the site lies near the village of Mykines in the north-eastern Peloponnese.Late Bronze Age site

The hill carries massive limestone walls that belong to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries BC. The best-known entrance is the Lion Gate, a stone gateway with a relief of two lions above the lintel.Lion Gate

Walls, graves and the royal hilltop

Inside the citadel are palace remains, terraces and burial grounds. Grave Circle A lies just inside the gate, and the surrounding slopes hold tholos tombs such as the Treasury of Atreus.

The place is closely tied to Homeric legend and to Agamemnon, the ruler named in epic tradition. Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations helped make Mycenae one of the key names in Greek archaeology.Heinrich Schliemann

Mykines as the settlement below the site

The present village of Mykines lies at the foot of the archaeological hill in the municipality of Argos-Mykines. Roads link it with Argos and the wider Argolid, so the landscape opens from village houses to the citadel above.

The Archaeological Museum of Mycenae stands near the base of the site and brings together finds from the acropolis and its surrounding area. The museum adds a further layer to the place, with objects from domestic, funerary and palace contexts.Archaeological Museum

Visiting Mykines: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Mykines lies in the Argolid region of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The archaeological site of Mycenae stands above the village on a rocky hill.
• The citadel includes stone walls, uneven paths and steps across terraces. Comfortable footwear matters on the surface inside the ruins.
• The official language is Greek and the currency is the euro.
• The museum stands near the base of the hill, so the village and the ruins form one compact setting.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Mykines

Where is Mykines?

Mykines is in the Argolid region of the north-eastern Peloponnese in Greece. The archaeological site of Mycenae rises above the village on a rocky hill.

What does a visit involve?

The site combines a village below with an archaeological landscape above. Visitors encounter fortification walls, the Lion Gate, tombs and the museum near the foot of the hill.

What makes Mykines distinctive?

Its identity lies in the link between the modern settlement and the Bronze Age citadel beside it. The name Mykines is tied to Mycenae, one of the central places of Greek prehistory.