A visit to the theater and archaeological site of Epidaurus

John KarkalatosOctober 8, 2025

Epidaurus means ancient theater but there are many other interesting things that are not as well known, so read in this article everything I saw on my tour of Epidaurus.

What does the visit include

1. Ancient theater
2. Archaeological museum
3. Archaeological site

Entrance / ticket

• it costs €20
• up to 25 years old admission is free
• over 65 it costs €10

Book it online at https://hhticket.gr and the personnel print it for you at the entrance.

Ancient Theater

The tour begins at the most well-known and best preserved theater of the ancient world whose fame alone acts as a magnet to attract visitors. It owes its excellent condition to the fact that it was covered with soil and remained unseen for many centuries. It is beyond impressive and worth visiting once in your life.

Whenever I visit it I want to walk from end to end, see it and photograph it from all angles. The view from the stands is amazing to the point where you can see in every detail what is happening in the orchestra. Even the most distant stands have this amazing view.

Read more: Epidaurus, a destination for sea and culture

Of course it is also well - known for its acoustics which the audience tests with clapping, shouting, whispering, and believe me you can hear every little thing not only from the orchestra but also from the stands. And this is amazing because the theater is so large in size that it barely fits in the camera lens.

But the truth is that a visit is not enough, you also need to see it during a theatrical performance as it was built for this purpose. The performances are very different from a simple visit because you see the theater in action, at night, lit up and full of people. The acoustics are no different from being in a modern theater with microphones and speakers.

If you are in the area during the summer you can go to the performances of the Epidaurus festival. There are plenty of seats and there is no chance of a sold out! But only go if you are interested in ancient works because I have been twice and I didn't understand a thing!

Its capacity is 13,000 - 14,000 spectators and it was built in two phases in the 4th and 2nd centuries BC. Climbing and walking around it requires at least a little effort because it is large.

Archaeological museum

It is admittedly very small but the exhibits are very interesting, it is certainly the smallest museum I have ever visited. It exhibits inscriptions and statues of Asclepius, other gods and roman officials. The all-white statues are copies found in the temple of Asclepius, the originals are in the archaeological museum of Athens.

A part of the temple of Asclepius has been reconstructed inside the museum using original materials.

Archaeological site

The most important monuments are the temple of Asclepius, the Avaton and the Tholos which are related to the worship of the god. Let's take a look at them one by one.

Through the details of the archaeological site we understand the importance of water for medicine as it was essential for cleanliness, healing and ritual purifications. There were baths, fountains, wells and a statue - fountain of Asclepius from which water was poured from a bottle held by the god. Besides you will also see several grooves in the ground that transported the water from the mountainside to the places of worship of the god. It came from a thermal spring of the adjacent Kynortio mountain.

1. Restaurant Complex the largest building of the sanctuary. Ritual meals related to the cult of Asclepius were taking place here. It dates back to 300 BC and its entrance has been restored
   
2. Temple of Asclepius here was the chryselephantine statue of the god, a work of the parian sculptor Thrasymides. It was built around 375 BC by the architect Theodotus and burned in the 4th century AD. At the point where the statue stood there is a pit, probably those who dug it were looking for some treasure
   
3. Avaton - Enkoimeterion this is where the healing of the patient took place through contact with Asclepius during the process of sleeping. The healing was a mystery and the stoa was inaccessible, meaning that only those who had prepared themselves for the meeting with the god could enter. There the patients were sleeping and in the sleep that symbolized the death of the sick body, Asclepius was visiting them. There is the sacred well of Asclepius as water was a factor in healing
   
4. Tholos the name was saved by the traveler Pausanias in the 2nd century AD. The inscriptions found from the 4th century BC call it Thymeli. The architect was Polycleitus from Argos and today it is in the process of partial restoration. The most likely use was a monument of the chthonic cult of Asclepius as he had descended to Hades after being struck by lightning by Zeus. The labyrinthine underground is something that refers to Hades. Thymeli is related to Avaton as the sleeping of the sick was symbolizing death and the descent to the Underworld
   
5. Stadium here the athletic games of the Great Asclepian Games were held every four years, as well as rhapsody, music and drama games, probably in the theater, in honor of Asclepius. As in all the great sanctuaries the holding of the Games attracted a large number of visitors
   

Map

Here is a map with the attractions I mention.

• Subscribe
• Check your inbox to confirm your registration
• Please enter a valid e-mail