Mycenae with kids: all you need to know to visit this stunning archaeological site as a family
Mycenae with kids: family-friendly accommodation in Mycenae, how to visit the archaeological site with kids, tips for a family visit.
The ancient city of Mycenae is one of Greece’s most ancient and fascinating historical sites.
Perched on a hill in the Peloponnese peninsula, Mycenae was the main center of the mighty Mycenaean civilization, among the most ancient and influential in Greece in the late Bronze Age (1600-1100 BC) and a place with an impressive pedigree it comes to appearances in art and literature.
The Iliad remembers Mycenae as the land of the mythical King Agamemnon, and many of the tragedies from classical times revolve around stories of this king and his family: Ifigenia, Clitemestra, Orestes: all their stories are set in Mycenae!
I love Ancient Greece’s history and mythology and devoted my university eats to studying them as part of my degree in classical studies.
Therefore, you can imagine I was keen on getting myself and my kids to Mycenae when we planned our Peloponnese family itinerary!
My kids are good travelers and enjoy exploring archaeological sites. However, I know that pulling them away from a beach to show them a scorching, hot, ancient city may need some convincing.
So, when I looked into visiting Mycenae with the kids, I made sure to do so in such a way they would think of it as a highlight. I am happy to report I managed!
Our stop in Mycenae was one of the most successful in our also very successful trip to Greece!
This is how we visited, what worked and how I recommend you go about visiting Mycenae with kids.
Why visit a client Mycenae with kids
- You want to visit one of the older and most significant archaeological sites in continental Greece
- You want to experience a part of Greece that is other than a beach and has a more isolated, rural feel
- Your kids love mythology and want to epeirenc ethyl place where some of the heroes are aid to have roamed
Why not visit Mycelane with kids
- You want a site with Classical Greek temples: Mycenae is much older than classical Greece so yo don’t have architecture such as the parthenon or Olympia
- You have no special interest in archaeological sites.
While some archaeological sites are of interest also to people with little passion for archaeology and history (the Colosseum in Rome, the Parthenon in Athens are so visually impressive, they tend to conquer the hearts of all visitors!) Mycenae is very much a place for archaeology lovers.
While beautiful, the site comes to life if you tap into how ancient more than into what you see as most ruins are low in height.
- You are here in summer but struggle with the heat: Mycenae is arid and very hot!
Visiting ancient Mycenae with kids
Mycenae is not on the main tourist track therefore we had no issue getting tickets on the spot.
The ticket office is right at the entrance of the site and they have prices listed outside. Discounts are available for EU citizens and children: bring your ID/ passport if you want to avail of those.
- At the time of our visit, the entrance to Mycenae (and museum) was: Full: €12, Reduced: €6
Good to know: at the ticket kiosk you can also purchase a combined ticket to include entrance to Mycenae (the Archaeological Site, the Museum and the Treasure of Atreus), Tiryns, Asini, Palamidi, Museum of Nafplio and Byzantine Museum of Argos and has a validity of 3 days from the moment of purchase.
The ancient town of Mycenae is a citadel on top of a steep hill.
The position was strategic to protect the citadel and control the surrounding area; however, it poses some difficulties to the visitors as getting up here requires walking up quite a steep incline!
You can cover most of the way to the citadel by car, which you can leave at the big parking area at the entrance.
Then you visit the site on for, following the well-marked paths uphill.
Access is relatively easy per se, yet you want to be prepared, especially if visiting in summer as the sun is intense. Make sure you have decent walking sandals (or runners), light clothing, a sun hat and water.
As you walk up the way to Mycenae, the first thing you see is a beautiful old tree, and stunning views over the countryside attune you. It is immediately obvious why the place was chosen strategically, as the view here is expansive!
very quickly, you reach the most impressive spot in the citadel, the Lions Gate
. The Lions Gate is an ancient, massive gate with sculptures of lions on both sides. The gate is one of the few things that remains intact in Mycenae, and its antiquity and beauty are breathtaking. Everyone stops to take a photo here, and we code’ resist doing the same!
The rest of the remains on Mycenae are less impressive than the gate but still significant and enjoyable as they allow you to imagine how life would have been in the palace.
For IDs, it is easy to enjoy it here as they can roam around and explore – toddlers and little ones will need supervision as there are some deer drops, but kids of primary school ages can explore freely as long as they sit on the paths; there is no risk.
As well as low-rise remains, the citadel has a beautiful museum worth seeing. Here are some artifacts from the site: most are replicas, as the original arena in Athens, yet they are still very impressive, and there is something very powerful about seeing artifacts right when they come from (if you are going to Athens, we hight recommend to see the originals. in the archaeological museums – we felt it was one of the best places to visit in Athens with kids!)
The treasury of Atreus with kids
The treasury of Atreus is an impressive tomb said to belong to mythological King Atreus, father of Agamemnon.
The tomb is one of the nine tholos tombs in Mycenae and is an evocative, exciting place to visit.
Escavated in the side of the hill, immediately outside of Mycenae, the tomb is made of a colossal entrance gate, an entry corridor and a large round burial chamber, with a rounded celing.
The tomb is now empty yet it is impressive to visit for its size and the incredible state of conservation, if you think the tomb dates from between 1300 / 1250 BC!
The Treasury is immediately outside the main area of Mycenae and we reached it with less than a minute drive from the main parking lot.
Spaces for cars are available just in front and the visit doesn’t take more than a few minutes.
Where to stay in Mycenae with kids
Mycenae is perched on the top of a hill in the center of Peloponnese, in an arid area with beautiful hills and olive trees.
The landscape here is beautiful and rural, yet very hot.
Therefore, we decided the best way to tackle it was to identify a farm stay that would allow us to enjoy the land yet also offer a pool to get relief from the sun.
We found the perfect one: Le Petite Planet (click to book direct and get the best price).
Le Petite Planete is a small farm and guesthouse only a few minutes’ drive from the ancient city of Mycenae.
Here, we found simple family rooms, a lovely pool (with other kids!), and the most gracious hosts you can ever imagine.
You know, when you go to a hotel, but you don’t feel like you are in a hotel, you feel like you are in someone’s home?
That’s how we felt here!
The family running this please was super welcoming, warm, chatty, yet not overbearing.
They made lovely food for us, let the kids play with the cats and the gods, and made us feel as if we were the most precious guests.All of this for a very reasonable price!
It was a perfect place and we all declared that it was simply perfect: if luxury was based on welcome and food, this place would deserve ten stars!
