Sadly, the legendary Despina was not working there the day we visited and the alternative ticket seller was not helpful. Nevertheless, with the aid of a guide book we were able to get the most from our visit. The Cyclopean walls are amazing and the arcade simply stunning in its symmetry.As other reviewers have commented, you do not need more than about 45 minutes to visit this site but it is still worth the trip, especially as it is so close to Nafplion.
This Mycaenian citadel is brilliant example of fortified town from the early bronze age, ca 1400 BC. According to mythology, here was a birthplace of Heracles. On the top of Acropolis can be seen a large Palace, around it and around whole hill there are cyclopean walls with gates and tunnels in them. Walls were 8-10 meter high and some 6-17 meter thick. Ancient Tirynfa was destroyed by their rivals Argives in 468 BC.Ancient Tirynfa is easy to see on the right side of the modern road Nafplio-Argos. There is car-parking near the entrance, right at the Argos side of the ruin, and there is also tickets office. There is not much climbing and this walk can be done by anyone no matter of physical condition.
As previous reviewers have said, although this is even older than nearby sites such as Corinth and Epidavros, it is mainly tumbled down rocks and without a guide to help explain the context (which we had) it may not be quite as exciting as those other sites.
Not as well known as Mycenae but definitely worth a trip if you are staying in Nafplio, as it is only a few km away. Badly signposted when you get near to it but worth looking for.
The walls and the tunnels are hugely impressive, and the spring was interesting, but the ground inside was bewildering. At least, I found it bewildering. That was with a paper guide. Perhaps it'd be better with a real human one.
Worth a short visit but unfortunately not enough remains to get a vivid picture. Imagination needed! Perhaps when more of the ruins are open it'll be more dramatic. Very convenient location just outside Nafplion city limits.
Mycenae gets all the visitors, but Tiryns is on the World Heritage List too. The walls (as mentioned in the Iliad) are impressive. And we were the only visitors there. Magical!
This was the most disappointing archaeological site we visited during our week's exploration of the Peloponnese. Ancient Tiryns is located just 5 kms from Nafplion on the Argos road and is easy to reach by car or bus. There's an admission charge which includes a small printed brochure which is not particularly enlightening. The rusty signage adds nothing further. There are lots of boulders lying around and signs of attempts to restore the site. However, it is impossible to get a strong sense of what kind of a place this was in Mycenaean times. The most interesting and spectacular site was the long stone passage under the acropolis. After strolling around, we returned to the ticket office and asked where the Tiryns' beehive tomb, or tholos, was located. In broken English, they tried to explain the directions for driving there. No map was available. It is evidently some distance away. Despite searching for it that day, and the next, we never located it. Here is a website which gives more information about the "secluded and seldom visited ... spectacular tholos (beehive tomb) in Tiryns":http://www.visitnafplio.com/visitnafplio.com/Region/Entries/2010/3/15_Kyklopenes_tunge_arbeid_i_Tiryns.htmlI hope you are able to locate it. We were told our ticket would include admission to the tholos. It would have been very interesting to see it, as much of our understanding of the Mycenaean civilization comes from its burial traditions, such as the beehive shaped tombs (tholos) for royalty.If you have limited time, visit ancient Mycenae rather than Tiryns.
Tiryns is one of the big Mycenaen sites in Greece - and when all go to Mycenae there is acually more left to see in Tiryns. Big cyclopean walls where you again wonder hos did they do it.Combined with Mycenae this gives a good look on the Mycenaens
This is a short little visit priced appropiately (5 euro). Not much to see but just neat to be there and say you have seen it! You'll be done in about 15 minutes.