Following a pickup from your Kalamata hotel or the cruise port, take a seat in your comfortable vehicle and relax on route through the olive and orange groves to Palace of Nestor. Along the way, listen as your private guide shares a few of the myths and traditions surrounding this beautiful corner of Greece.
With a brand-new construction of the new protective shelter (made in June 2016) the Palace of Nestor permits the visitors to experience the Mycenaean past of Messenia. This palace was the administrative seat of the kingdom of Pylos, and Messenia was governed from here during the 13th century B.C. It is the best-preserved Mycenaean palace in all mainland Greece and the second most important center of the Mycenaean world after Mycenae itself. It is a complex of various buildings. It consists of 105 ground floor apartments. It has four main buildings (central ones, wine store) and some smaller ones. The most important compartments of the palace are the big rectangular "throne room" with its circular hearth, the room with the clay bath tub and the stores with their numerous storage vessels. The walls of the palace were decorated with fine wall paintings.
Very close to the palace, we will see the most impressive, largest excavated Mycenaean vaulted tomb of the area. It was built in c.1550-1500 BC and it is estimated that it received at least 17 burials. The excavations brought to light interesting pottery and valuable small items now on display in the archaeological museum of Chora.
Afterward, head onward to the beach at Voidokilia — widely considered the prettiest in the region. Enjoy free time to swim in the sea or soak up the rays on the golden sand. Perhaps stop for lunch in the nearby village of Yalova (own expense). Then, return in comfort to your starting point in Kalamata.