Sparta Tours & Tickets

Sparta was an ancient military superpower that famously rejected luxury and excess, with citizens eating communal meals and using iron currency to discourage wealth accumulation.

The city's legendary 300 Spartans held off a Persian army of thousands at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, a pivotal moment in ancient Greek history.

Modern Sparta sits just 5 km from the ruins of ancient Sparta, which was deliberately left largely unexcavated to preserve the archaeological site.

Spartan women enjoyed unprecedented freedom and education compared to other ancient Greek city-states, including physical training and inheritance rights.

The word 'laconic' comes from Laconia, Sparta's region, because Spartans were famously brief and witty in their speech.