PeloPonneseL A K O N I APeloPonneseSLEEPING& EATINGPeloPonneseM
Y S Tr A S4 Sleeping & Eating
The closest campgrounds are 2km from cen-
tral Sparta, near Mystras village.
Hotel Lakonia HOTEL €
(%27310 28951; http://www.lakoniahotel.gr; Palaeologou
89; s/d incl breakfast €40/55; aW) The rooms
at the Lakonia are not hugely memorable,
but far from spartan nonetheless. Boons
include a supercental location and double-
glazed windows that cut out street noise,
and the service is friendly and helpful.
Hotel Maniatis HOTEL €
(%27310 22665; http://www.maniatishotel.gr; Paleolo-
gou 72-76; s/d incl breakfast €44/60; aW) Light
and pleasant rooms with firm beds and
more designer shapes than an NYC con-
temporary-design exhibition. The service is
efficient and the upmarket Zeys restaurant
(mains €8 to €17) is attached.
Kápari MEDITErrANEAN €€
(%27313 00520; http://www.kaparirestaurant.gr; Gort-
soglou 77; mains €8-15; hnoon-11pm) This
homey, friendly restaurant is a cut above
Sparta’s largely uninspiring taverna scene.
Greek standards are present and correct,
but there are also lovely salads, pastas and
an extensive seafood menu; shrimp sagana-
ki (prawns in a savoury tomato sauce with
cheese) stands out.
Dionysos Garden GrEEK €€
(%27310 25050; mains €7-18; hlunch daily, din-
ner Tue-Sat; p) Around 1.2km on the road
to Mystras, this tranquil restaurant is ap-
propriately festooned with greenery. There
may be a shortage of frolicking nymphs and
satyrs, but you will find a large selection of
well-executed Greek standards.
8 Information
National Bank of Greece (cnr Paleologou &
Dioskouron)
Police (%27310 89580; Episkopou
Vresthenis 18)
Post office (Archidamou 10; h7. 3 0 a m -2 p m
Mon-fri)
Revanche Internet Cafe (Gortsologou 51; per
hr €2; h9am-late)
Sparta Tourism (%27310 28166; http://www.sparti.
gr; Evangelistrias 83-91; h8am-3pm Mon-fri)
8 Getting There & Away
Sparta’s KTEL Lakonia bus station (% 27310
26441; http://www.ktel-lakonias.gr; cnr Lykourgou
& Thivronos) has buses to Athens (€19.50, 3¼
hours, seven to nine daily) via Corinth (two
hours), and buses to Gythio (€4.30, one hour, six
daily), Neapoli (€14.20, three hours, three daily),
Tripoli (€5.40, one hour, nine daily) and Monem-
vasia (€10, two hours, four daily).
Buses run to Mystras (€1.60, 15 minutes, three
daily) from the stop next to the OTE building on
Lykourgou; a taxi costs around €10.
Travelling to Kalamata (€3.20, one hour, one
to two daily) involves changing buses at Artemi-
sia (€3.20, 40 minutes) on the Messinian side of
the Langada Pass.
Departures to the Mani peninsula include
buses to Gerolimenas (€10.30, 2¼ hours, three
daily), Areopoli (€6.90, two hours, three daily)
and a 9am service to the Diros Caves (€8); the
return times change.Mystras Μυστράς
The captivating ruins of churches, libraries,
strongholds and palaces in the fortress town
of Mystras (miss-trahss), a World Heritage–
listed site, spill from a spur of the Taÿgetos
Mountains 7km west of Sparta. It’s among
the most important historical sites in the
Peloponnese. This is where the Byzantine
Empire’s richly artistic and intellectual cul-
ture made its last stand before an invading
Ottoman army, almost 1000 years after its
foundation.
Traveller facilities are split between Mys-
tras village, 1km or so below the main gate
of ancient Mystras, and Pikoulianika village,
800m from Mystras’ fortress gate.History
The Frankish leader Guillaume de Ville-
hardouin built the fortress in 1249. When
the Byzantines won back the Morea from
the Franks, Emperor Michael VIII Palae-
ologos made Mystras its capital and seat of
government. Settlers from the surrounding
plains began to move here, seeking refuge
from the invading Slavs. From this time
until Dimitrios surrendered to the Turks in
1460, a despot of Morea (usually a son or
brother of the ruling Byzantine emperor)
lived and reigned at Mystras.
While the empire plunged into decline
elsewhere, Mystras enjoyed a renaissance.
Gemistos Plethon (1355–1452) founded a
school of humanistic philosophy here and
his enlightened ideas, including the revival
of the teachings of Plato and Pythagoras, at-
tracted intellectuals from all corners of Byz-
antium. Art and architecture also flourished,
as seen in the town’s splendid buildings and
frescoes.