The Temple of Aphaia
Photo: José Barbosa / Pexels
The Verdict
A fifth-century temple standing on its own on a pine hillside above the sea — the best ancient site within reach of Athens, and empty before ten.
Why go
The temple of Aphaia was built around 500 BC on a pine-covered hill with the sea on three sides, and it stands more or less alone: no turnstiles, no coach park, no fence beyond a low rope. The pedimental sculptures went to Munich in 1813, but the structure survives well enough to walk around, and the view across to Attica and the other Saronic islands is as much the reason to come as the stone. Buses run up from Aegina Town in season; otherwise it is a short taxi ride.
Understand the place
The Doric temple of Aphaia on its hill above the northeast coast of Aegina, one of the best-preserved temples in Greece.
Nearby
Related
More ancient sites in Greece
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