Archaeological Site of Philippi visitor guide — everything you need to know before visiting

At a glance

Address

Krinides, Philippi 640 03, Kavala, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece

Hours

Open daily; summer (approx. Apr–Oct) ~08:00–20:00, winter shorter (~08:30–17:00); timed hourly entry, last entry −30 min. Confirm seasonally.

Founded

356 BC by Philip II of Macedon, on the earlier settlement of Krinides

Battle of Philippi

42 BC; Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius, avenging Julius Caesar

Key monuments

Theatre, Roman forum, Via Egnatia, early Christian basilicas and octagon, Roman baths; on-site museum included

Getting there

About 15 km northwest of Kavala, beside Krinides; bus or taxi from Kavala, ~2 hrs from Thessaloniki

Ticket validity

Timed entry — reserved for the date and hourly slot you choose

The city of Philip II, Rome and the Via Egnatia

Philippi began as Krinides, a settlement founded by colonists from the island of Thasos, drawn by the gold and silver of the surrounding hills and the fertile plain. In 356 BC King Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, seized the town, fortified it and gave it his own name — Philippoi, the city of Philip. The gold of its mines helped fund Macedonian power, and the city guarded the land route between the Aegean coast and the interior of Thrace. For three centuries it was a Macedonian city, until the Roman conquest of Greece drew it into a wider world.

The turning point came in 42 BC, when the plain of Philippi became the battlefield on which the future of Rome was decided. Here Mark Antony and Octavian, the heirs of the murdered Julius Caesar, defeated the armies of Brutus and Cassius, the leaders of the conspiracy against him; the defeated commanders took their own lives, and the Roman Republic effectively died with them. In the aftermath Philippi was refounded as a Roman colony, settled with veterans, and rebuilt along Roman lines astride the Via Egnatia, the great paved highway that ran from the Adriatic across the Balkans to Byzantium. Prosperous and strategically placed, the Roman city acquired a forum, temples, baths and a remodelled theatre, and much of what you walk through today belongs to this Roman Philippi, laid out over the older Macedonian foundations.

The theatre

Set into the lower slope of the acropolis hill, overlooking the city and the plain beyond, the theatre of Philippi is one of the most striking monuments on the site. It was first built in the 4th century BC, in the time of Philip II, as part of the original Macedonian city, and would have staged drama and civic gatherings for the citizens of the young town. Its position, carved into the natural hillside in the Greek manner, gave the audience sweeping views out over the settlement and the fertile plain where the great battle would later be fought.

Under the Romans the theatre was substantially remodelled and enlarged, adapted for the spectacles of the imperial age, including gladiatorial and wild-animal shows, for which parts of the lower seating and the orchestra were reworked. What survives today is a blend of these phases, its tiers of stone seating rising in a great curve against the hill. The theatre has found new life in modern times as the principal venue of the Philippi Festival, when performances of ancient drama and music are staged among the ruins on summer evenings. For visitors it is one of the best places to pause and take in the scale and setting of the whole site, with the ancient city spread out below and the towers of the acropolis on the ridge above.

The Roman forum and the Via Egnatia

At the heart of Roman Philippi lay the forum, the civic and commercial centre of the colony, a broad rectangular square laid out in monumental form in the 2nd century AD. Ringed by temples, administrative buildings, porticoes and a paved public space, the forum was where the business, politics and religious life of the Roman city were conducted, and its foundations, column bases and paving still map out the plan clearly on the ground. Walking across it, you get a strong sense of the ambition of the Roman colony that grew up on the plain, and of how a provincial city was organised around its central square.

Along the northern edge of the forum ran the Via Egnatia, the great Roman road that linked the Adriatic ports to Byzantium and passed directly through Philippi, making the city an important station on one of the busiest arteries of the empire. Stretches of the ancient paved road are still visible, worn by centuries of traffic, and it was along this highway that travellers, soldiers, traders — and the Apostle Paul — came and went. Around the forum lie the remains of the market, shops and public buildings, and the monumental Roman baths, whose heated rooms and pools served the daily life of the colony. Because the forum is broad and largely unshaded, it is at its most atmospheric — and most comfortable — in the softer light of early morning or late afternoon.

The early Christian basilicas and the octagon

Philippi holds one of the richest concentrations of early Christian architecture in Greece, a direct legacy of its place at the very beginning of Christianity in Europe. As the faith spread and won imperial favour, the city became an important bishopric, and from the 4th to the 6th centuries AD its citizens raised a series of great churches whose ruins are among the highlights of the site. Basilica A, on the slope near the theatre, and Basilica B, whose tall brick-and-stone arches still rise dramatically above the ruins, were ambitious buildings on a grand scale; Basilica B in particular, an audacious domed design, partly collapsed during construction, leaving the soaring fragments that so impress visitors today.

The most remarkable of all is the octagon, a large octagonal church that formed the heart of the episcopal complex, complete with a baptistery, a bishop's palace and fine mosaic floors. Built over an earlier shrine and rebuilt on a magnificent scale, the octagon was the cathedral of Philippi and reflects the wealth and prestige the city drew from its Christian associations. Walking among these ruins — the standing arches of Basilica B, the mosaic pavements of the octagon, the columns and apses scattered across the site — you sense how completely the Roman city was transformed into a great Christian centre. Together they make Philippi not only a Macedonian and Roman city but one of the essential sites of early Christian Europe.

The Apostle Paul, Lydia and the Prison of St Paul

Philippi occupies a unique place in Christian history as the site of the first Christian community founded on European soil. According to the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostle Paul came to Philippi in around AD 49 or 50, during his second missionary journey, and by the river outside the city met a group of women at prayer. Among them was Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from Thyatira, who listened to Paul, believed, and was baptised with her household — remembered as the first European convert to Christianity. The traditional site of her baptism, by the river a short distance from the ruins, is today marked by the modern Baptistery of St Lydia, a separate site from the archaeological area.

Paul's stay in Philippi was not without conflict. The Acts recount that he and his companion Silas were seized, beaten and imprisoned in the city, only to be freed, the narrative says, by an earthquake in the night. On the archaeological site, a Roman cistern cut into the rock near the forum is traditionally revered as the Prison of St Paul, and became a place of Christian veneration, later decorated with wall paintings. Whatever its original function, the spot draws many visitors interested in the biblical story, and it connects the standing ruins directly to the events described in the New Testament. The letter Paul later wrote to the community here, the Epistle to the Philippians, remains one of the most cherished books of the Christian scriptures, and gives Philippi an enduring significance for pilgrims and historians alike.

The Archaeological Museum of Philippi

The Archaeological Museum of Philippi stands within the archaeological site itself, and entry is included in your ticket — a genuine bonus, since it lets you move straight from the ruins to the objects found in them without a second admission. The museum gathers the finds from more than a century of excavation across the city and its plain, and its galleries trace the long life of Philippi from the prehistoric and Macedonian periods, through its Roman heyday, to its flowering as an early Christian centre and its later Byzantine phases.

Inside you can see sculpture and inscriptions, coins, pottery and everyday objects, architectural fragments and capitals from the great buildings, and above all the mosaics and marble work that decorated the Roman city and its churches. Displays illuminate the city's economy — its gold, its farming and its place on the Via Egnatia — as well as the religious life of the colony and the rise of Christianity. Because the museum is indoors, it makes an ideal counterpoint to the open ruins and a natural place to escape the midday sun. Our concierge recommendation is to walk the theatre, forum and basilicas first while the light is soft and the ground cool, then finish in the museum, where the objects give detail and context to the great city you have just explored.

Getting there and visiting

Philippi lies about fifteen kilometres northwest of the port city of Kavala, beside the modern village of Krinides on the plain of Philippi, which makes it an easy day-trip from Kavala and a popular excursion from Thessaloniki, roughly 160 kilometres to the west. The most straightforward option without a car is a KTEL regional bus from Kavala toward Drama, which passes close to the site; a taxi from Kavala reaches the ruins in around twenty minutes. If you drive, the site is a short run from Kavala or about two hours from Thessaloniki on good roads, and there is parking near the entrance. The nearest airport is Kavala International Airport, Alexander the Great, about thirty kilometres away.

Philippi is an open-air archaeological site spread across a plain and the lower slope of the acropolis hill, and it repays a little preparation. The ground is a mix of gravel paths, ancient paving, steps and uneven surfaces, and there is limited natural shade across the forum and the ruins, so sturdy closed shoes, a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water are strongly advised, especially in the hot Macedonian summer. Entry is now by timed hourly slot, so arrive within the hour shown on your ticket, and allow about one and a half to two hours for the ruins and the on-site museum. If you have more time, you can walk up toward the medieval towers on the acropolis ridge for the view, or visit the nearby Baptistery of St Lydia by the river, a separate site. As one of the great sights of northern Greece, Philippi is busiest in the middle of the day; an early or late slot gives you the coolest air and the calmest walk among the monuments.

Read the full guide: How to Get to Philippi →

Frequently asked questions