Royal Tombs Hike

The Greek Royal Family, a branch of the House of Glücksburg from Denmark, owned a 10,000 acre summer estate which is now today part of the Parnitha National Park.   The family’s property was seized  by the Greek government in 1973.  King Constantine went to the European Court of Human Rights to get his property back, and won, but he was only able to receive monetary compensation, less than one percent of its true value.   So today the estate grounds are accessible to all citizens and it is one of the most popular nature retreats in Athens.

The family’s Tatoi Palace and outbuildings are considered the most important historical monument in Parnitha.    The highlight of the palace grounds and the focus of this walking tour is the mausoleum and twenty Royal Tombs.  The stroll from one tomb to the next takes places in a beautiful tranquil setting because the tombs are scattered through the dense forest.  The graves include early family members, such as, Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark who died in October 21, 1880, to the most recent death, Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark, October 2, 2007.

Before visiting the Royal Tombs, the tour first stops at a vaulted Mycenae tomb in Acharnes that is over 3,000 years old.   Known as the Menidi Tomb, it was also a family tomb belonging to the king and local lord governor of the region, which was the center of a Mycenean settlement.   The tomb was excavated in 1879 just three years after the headline-news discoveries of Heinrich Schliemann at Mycenae in the Peloponnese. The tomb was filled with terracotta horses, shields and vessels, such as jars, jugs, tubs and perfume bottles.  Most of the Menidi Tomb findings are exhibited at the National Archaeology Museum.

At the Royal Family grounds, the tour stops at what is believed to be the ancestral tomb of Greece’s great tragedy playwright and poet, Sophocles, who was buried there in 405 BC.   During the excavations in 1958, a gnarled wooden stick was found in the graves which they say belonged to the Sophocles.    By the age of sixteen, Sophocles was already a budding star when he was chosen to lead a choir of boys at a celebration of the victory of the Battle of Salamis.

ITINERARY

The tour meeting point is at Syntagma Square at 09:00 for transfer to first tour stop.   The tour ends at 16:00 at Syntagma Square.  Click open Google map

• 09:00 Departure from Syntagma Square
• Visit the Mycenaean tomb known as Menidi tomb, over 3,000 years old
• Visit Sophocles tomb in Tatoi
• Visit Royal Family estate, Kings Residence, Royal Tombs
• Visit Beletsi Lake, strolling, feeding birds, observing deers and other wildlife.
• Lunch at an outdoor family run taverna
• 16:00 Return to Syntagma

Casual walking with frequent stops roughly 5 kilometers

PARNITHA POINTS OF INTEREST

Click to open in Google Maps