Frequently asked questions

Your hourly slot is reserved before you arrive, so you walk straight to the site gate instead of queuing at the Philippi ticket office. On busy days that queue can take a while as tour groups and cruise coaches arrive from Kavala and Thessaloniki, so coming with your ticket already in hand saves the wait in the sun.

You choose the date and an hourly time slot, and your ticket is valid for a single entry during that hour on that day. Just arrive within your slot window and show your mobile ticket at the gate; last entry is about 30 minutes before closing.

Full admission to the Philippi archaeological site — the theatre, the Roman forum, the paved Via Egnatia, the early Christian basilicas and the octagon church, the Roman baths and the cistern traditionally revered as the Prison of St Paul — together with the on-site Archaeological Museum of Philippi. It is entry to the archaeological site itself; the separate Baptistery of St Lydia nearby is not part of this ticket.

Yes. The Archaeological Museum of Philippi stands on the grounds of the archaeological site and is included in your entry ticket. It holds sculpture, inscriptions, mosaics, coins and everyday finds recovered from the Macedonian, Roman and early Christian city, and makes a natural indoor complement to the open-air ruins.

Philippi is remembered as the site of the first Christian community founded on European soil. The Apostle Paul came here in the first century AD, and, according to the Acts of the Apostles, baptised Lydia, a seller of purple, as his first European convert. Paul was later imprisoned in the city — a Roman cistern on the site is traditionally revered as the Prison of St Paul — and the grand early Christian basilicas that rose here in later centuries reflect the city's lasting importance to Christianity.

We send your ticket to your email as a mobile ticket once your booking is confirmed — there's nothing to print, just show it on your phone at the gate. You'll also receive a short 5-minute audio history to listen to before you go.

Philippi is about 15 km northwest of Kavala, beside the village of Krinides. From Kavala, KTEL regional buses toward Drama pass close to the site, and a taxi takes about twenty minutes. From Thessaloniki it is roughly 160 km, about two hours by car or intercity bus to Kavala and then a local connection. Kavala International Airport is around 30 km away.

In 42 BC the plain west of the city was the setting for the Battle of Philippi, in which Mark Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius, the leading assassins of Julius Caesar. The victory avenged Caesar and effectively ended the Roman Republic, paving the way for the age of the emperors. After the battle Philippi was refounded as a Roman colony astride the Via Egnatia.

Book the first hourly slot after opening, or one of the last slots before closing, and travel outside the July–August peak if you can. The ground is largely unshaded, so the middle of a summer day is both the hottest and the busiest stretch, when day-trip coaches and cruise groups overlap. An early or late slot gives cooler air and a calmer walk among the ruins.

Most visitors spend about 1.5 to 2 hours on site, taking in the theatre, the forum, the basilicas and octagon, and the museum. Add more time if you want to linger over the museum's collection, walk up toward the acropolis towers, or visit the nearby Baptistery of St Lydia, which is a separate site.

No. The standard entry ticket is not personalised and needs no passport or name — just show your mobile ticket at the gate. (Reduced and free-entry categories set by the operator may require ID at the gate; our ticket is standard full admission.)

Partly. Philippi is an open archaeological site with gravel paths, ancient paving, steps and uneven ground, though the central forum and basilica area and the museum are reachable with care. Visitors with limited mobility can see a good deal of the site but should allow extra time and expect rough or stepped surfaces in places, and the theatre seating is steep.

Yes — the site is open daily, year-round. Only the daily hours change with the season: longer in summer (roughly 08:00–20:00) and shorter in winter, with timed entry by the hour and last entry about 30 minutes before closing. Hours can change on public holidays, so confirm on the day.

Changes are allowed up to 2 hours before your visit, with a maximum of 2 changes per ticket, provided your preferred new slot is still open. If your plans shift, contact our team and we'll help where the operator's rules allow. See our terms for the full policy.

All bookings are final once confirmed; we only issue a refund in the rare event the operator cannot honour a validly issued ticket. Timed-entry tickets are non-refundable, but you can change your slot up to 2 hours before your visit within the operator's rules. See our terms for details.

No. We're an independent concierge service for international visitors. We buy genuine tickets on your behalf from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture's official ticketing service and handle the booking in your own language, and our service fee is included in the price shown. You can always buy directly from the operator if you prefer.

The price you see is the price you pay — we show it in your local currency where we can and charge exactly that amount, with no surprise fees at checkout. Payment is by card on a secure page.

Two reasons: you skip the on-the-day queue by reserving your hourly slot in advance, and you get it all handled with 24/7 human support and a pre-visit audio history. Our service fee is included in the price — there are no extras at checkout.