Temple of Aphaia

The Temple of Aphaia is an Ancient Greek Doric temple on a 160 m peak on the eastern side of Aegina island, about 13 km east by road from the main port. It was a favourite of Neoclassical and Romantic artists such as J. M. W. Turner.

Don't miss

• The Doric temple's unusual plan with a 6 by 12 column arrangement on a 15.5 by 30.5 m platform
• The pedimental sculptures depicting the two Trojan wars, centered on Athena
• Traces of paint on buried fragments from the older Archaic temple
• The on-site museum displaying a reconstructed entablature and pediment of the older temple
• The sanctuary's location on a hilltop with views of the Saronic Gulf

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Temple of Aphaia

Cheapest way inTemple of Poseidon and Cape Sounion Sunset Tour with Audio Guide4.4★ · 644 travelers~5 hoursFree cancellationFrom$22 per personSee dates →Best full dayCape Sounion and Temple of Poseidon Half-Day Small-Group Tour from Athens4.7★ · 3,505 travelers5-6 hoursFree cancellationFrom$41 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleAegina Island St Nektarios & Temple of Athina Aphaia Private Tour5★ · 19 travelers~8 hoursFree cancellationFrom$479 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The temple is located on a hill about 13 km east by road from the main port of Aegina town.
• The temple is near Agia Marina on Aegina's eastern side, about 13 km by road from the main port.
• Agia Marina, a small harbour on the east coast, is near the temple.
• The original pedimental sculptures are in the Glyptothek of Munich; fragments are also in museums at Aegina and on the site itself.

A bit of history

The extant temple of about 500 BC was built over the remains of an earlier temple of about 570 BC, which was destroyed by fire around 510 BC. Elements of the older temple were buried in the infill for the later temple's terrace and are well preserved, with abundant traces of paint. Significant quantities of Late Bronze Age figurines have been discovered, suggesting cult activity may have been continuous from the 14th century BC. The pedimental sculptures, now in the Glyptothek of Munich, illustrate the change from Archaic to Early Classical technique.