In this guide
💡 The Short Version: There is no train to Mycenae, Epidaurus or Nafplio: Hellenic Train’s suburban line from Athens stops at Kiato. Mycenae is about 1½ hours by road and Epidaurus about 30 minutes from Nafplio, so the day is a tour, a car or a taxi. Mycenae and Epidaurus are €20 each and Palamidi fortress in Nafplio is €20. Or book a tour: Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio Tour from Athensad is from €23.97 for 11 hours and Mycenae, Epidaurus & Nafplio - Journey into Greek Legendsad from €24 for 10 hours. The listings sell the entries as options, so the tour price is the transport and the guide (GetYourGuide).
Getting there
| Option | Time | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Car or taxi | About 1½ hours to Mycenae | Via the Corinth-Tripoli motorway; free car parks at Mycenae and Epidaurus |
| Suburban railway | 68 minutes to Corinth | The line runs through Corinth and ends at Kiato; it does not reach the Argolid |
| Full-day tour | 10 to 11 hours | Pick-up in central Athens; Mycenae, Epidaurus and a stop in Nafplio |
Mycenae is 24 km (25 minutes) from Nafplio and 12 km from Argos; Epidaurus is 28 to 35 km (30 to 40 minutes) from Nafplio. The Ephorate of Antiquities of Argolis gives road times from Athens of about 1½ hours to Mycenae and 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours to Epidaurus. Ancient Corinth and the canal can be reached by train and are covered on the day trips page.
Tours from Athens
Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult. The entries are options on the main listings; the tour price is the transport and the guide. If you choose a “without tickets” option, buy the tickets on the Hellenic Heritage shop for the slots the tour gives.
| Tour | Length | From | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio Tour from Athensad (3,529 reviews) | 11 hours | €23.97 | Gray Line; minibus; virtual reality headset and audio guide in 10 languages; free time in Nafplio for coffee or lunch; entry is an option |
| Mycenae, Epidaurus & Nafplio - Journey into Greek Legendsad (3,223 reviews) | 10 hours | €24 | Key Tours; a walking tour of Nafplio; entries and a three-course lunch are options; if you buy tickets yourself, the listing asks for 11:00 to 12:00 at Mycenae and 15:00 to 16:00 at Epidaurus |
| From Athens: Mycenae, Nafplion and Epidaurus Day Tripad (322 reviews) | 10 hours | €24 | The same three stops |
| From Athens: Small-Group Mycenae, Epidaurus & Nafplio Tripad (3,098 reviews) | 10 hours | €39.10 | Ammon Express; small group; the listing puts Mycenae and Epidaurus together at €40 on top |
| From Athens: Mycenae, Nafplio and Epidaurus Small Group Tourad (262 reviews) | 9 hours | €90 | Small group |
| From Athens: Mycenae, Epidaurus, Corinth & Nafplio Tourad (7 reviews) | 11 hours | €216 | Adds Corinth |
| From Athens: Mycenae, Epidaurus & Nafplion Private Tourad (87 reviews) | 1 day | €385 | Private |
At the gate the two big sites cost €40 between them, and Palamidi is €20 more.
Tickets and hours
| Site | Full | Reduced | What the ticket covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mycenae | €20 | €10 | The site, the museum and the Treasury of Atreus |
| Epidaurus | €20 | €10 | The site, with the theatre and the Sanctuary of Asclepius, and the museum |
| Palamidi fortress, Nafplio | €20 | €10 | The fortress |
| Tiryns | €10 | €5 | The site |
| Dates | Mycenae | Epidaurus | Palamidi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 30 April | 08:00 to 19:00 | 08:00 to 19:00 | 08:00 to 19:00 |
| 1 May to 31 August | 08:00 to 20:00 | 08:00 to 20:00 | 08:00 to 20:00 |
| 1 to 15 September | 08:00 to 19:30 | 08:00 to 19:30 | 08:00 to 19:30 |
| 16 to 30 September | 08:00 to 19:00 | 08:00 to 19:00 | 08:00 to 19:00 |
| 1 to 15 October | 08:00 to 18:30 | 08:00 to 18:30 | 08:00 to 18:30 |
| 16 to 31 October | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| 1 November to 31 March | 08:30 to 15:30 | 08:00 to 17:00, and to 18:00 in March | 08:30 to 15:30 |
Last admission is 20 minutes before closing. All are closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, and 25 and 26 December. Tiryns is open 08:30 to 15:30 all year. Entry is free on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March.
Tickets are sold by Hellenic Heritage: Mycenae, Epidaurus and Palamidi. Under-18s are free. Free entry for under-25s is for EU citizens only, so visitors from the UK, US, Canada and Australia aged 18 to 25 pay in full. The Mycenae, Epidaurus and Palamidi tickets are each for a date and time (“timed entry required” on the shop): changes are allowed up to 2 hours before the visit, twice at most, and tickets are non-refundable. Large luggage, food and professional filming are not allowed at Mycenae.
What to see
Mycenae
€20 · allow 2 to 3 hours · the site, the museum and the Treasury of Atreus
Mycenae is the Bronze Age citadel of the legend of Agamemnon. The Ephorate’s list is the Lion Gate, the Cyclopean walls, Grave Circle A, the palace ruins, the cistern, the museum and the Treasury of Atreus, the tomb known as the Tomb of Agamemnon, a few minutes from the entrance. In winter the site shuts at 15:30.
The Lion Gate at Mycenae, with the two carved lions above the doorway. Photo: Zde, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Epidaurus
€20 · allow 1½ to 2 hours, or 2½ to 3 with the museum
The ancient theatre is the reason for the trip, with the Sanctuary of Asclepius and the museum on the same ticket. In summer the theatre is a venue for the Athens Epidaurus Festival. The museum adds about an hour.
The ancient theatre at Epidaurus, seen from the top rows. Photo: Zde, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Nafplio and Palamidi
Palamidi €20 · 10 minutes by car from the old town · about an hour on foot
Nafplio is the lunch stop on the tours, with free time. The Palamidi fortress stands above the old town: Hellenic Heritage gives 10 minutes by car and about an hour on foot from Syntagma Square in the old town. Tiryns, a Bronze Age fortress, is 10 minutes by car from Nafplio.
The Palamidi fortress above Nafplio, from the gulf. Photo: George E. Koronaios, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Planning the day
- Choose by transport. No train reaches the sites, so decide between a tour, a car and a taxi first.
- Start at Mycenae at 08:00, then Nafplio for lunch and Epidaurus in the afternoon.
- Add up the entries. Mycenae and Epidaurus are €40, and Palamidi €20 more if you climb it.
- Winter. From 1 November Mycenae closes at 15:30, so the full circuit is tight.
- Free days. On 28 October and the first and third Sundays from 1 November to 31 March, the state sites are free for everyone.
The Argolid is one of the day trips from Athens. Delphi is the other full ancient-sites day, Meteora the longest, and the Saronic islands the sea option. What to book before you go to Athens lists the city tickets, Athens public transport covers the way to the pick-up points, and where to stay in Athens compares the areas. The finds from Mycenae are in the National Archaeological Museum.
Common questions
Can you get to Mycenae and Epidaurus by public transport from Athens?
Not in a day. Hellenic Train's suburban line from Athens ends at Kiato, short of the Peloponnese sites. The sensible ways to see Mycenae and Epidaurus in one day are a tour, a car or a taxi.
How much are Mycenae and Epidaurus?
€20 each at the gate, €10 reduced, so €40 for both. The Mycenae ticket covers the site, the museum and the Treasury of Atreus, and the Epidaurus ticket covers the site, with the theatre and the Sanctuary of Asclepius, and the museum. Palamidi fortress in Nafplio is another €20.
Is the entry included in the Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio tours?
Not unless you pick the option. The Key Tours and Ammon Express listings sell the entries as an option; Ammon Express puts the two sites at €40 together. Check the option you choose.
How long does Mycenae take?
The Ephorate of Antiquities of Argolis says about 2 to 3 hours for the site, the museum and the Treasury of Atreus. Epidaurus takes 1½ to 2 hours for the basic visit and 2½ to 3 hours with the museum.
What are the opening hours of Mycenae and Epidaurus?
Both open 08:00 and close at 19:00 in April and 20:00 from May to 31 August, then earlier through September and October to 18:00. From 1 November to 31 March Mycenae is open 08:30 to 15:30 and Epidaurus 08:00 to 17:00 (18:00 in March). Last admission is 20 minutes before closing.
