The Palace of Nestor at Ano Englianos is the best-preserved Bronze Age palace on the Greek mainland — more complete even than Mycenae or Tiryns, and one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Named after the wise king who features prominently in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the palace was destroyed by fire around 1180 BC, which paradoxically preserved the clay tablets of the Linear B script that have transformed our understanding of Mycenaean civilisation. A private tour from Kalamata or Costa Navarino can be combined with the nearby Bay of Pylos and Voidokoilia Beach for a perfect day in western Messinia.
In terms of architectural preservation, the Palace of Nestor is superior — the floor plan is more complete and you can walk through the actual rooms of the palace. Mycenae is more dramatic in scale and setting, with its massive cyclopean walls and the iconic Lion Gate. For a visitor who can only choose one Mycenaean site and is staying in western Messinia, the Palace of Nestor combined with the Chora Museum is the richer experience. For a visitor who can make two days of it, both are essential.
Linear B is the earliest known form of written Greek, used by the Mycenaean civilisation between approximately 1450 and 1200 BC. The tablets found at the Palace of Nestor were clay administrative records — palace accounts, lists of offerings and inventories — that were accidentally preserved when the fire that destroyed the palace baked them hard. They were deciphered in 1952 by the architect Michael Ventris and proved that Greek was spoken in the Peloponnese more than 3,000 years ago.
Yes, very easily. The Palace is only 20 km from Voidokoilia — one of the most beautiful beaches in Greece, with its distinctive omega-shaped lagoon visible from the hillside above. We recommend combining the Palace in the morning with lunch in Pylos and swimming at Voidokoilia in the afternoon. See our dedicated Pylos & Voidokoilia tour for this itinerary.
