the Birthplace of Theatre 

In Epidaure you will feel the vibration of a living ancient theatre and visit the famous Asclepius of the Antiquity. This lush green landscape, with its numerous thermal springs, was the perfect location in which to build the Asclepion of Epidaurus – the headquarters of antiquity’s god-physician and one of the most important healing centres of the ancient Greek and Roman world. Its fame travelled beyond the borders of the Argolid and its monuments have become renowned masterpieces of ancient Greek art. From the upper tier, peace and tranquillity reign over the horizon and you understand immediately why the Asclepion was built there.  

Then walk up to the Theatre, take a deep breath and look at the grandstand and the stage down below, from which you can hear the proverbial pin drop. Here you are in the most beautiful open-air, ancient theatre in the world, the birthplace of Psychagogia, meaning entertainment in Greek. The theatre of Epidaurus was built as a place for patients of the Asclepion to have therapeutic fun and has become renowned for its extraordinary acoustics. Now an Unesco World Heritage Site, it is still a therapy for body and soul. And best of all, it is an ancient theatre that is still alive today. Since 1955, performances of ancient tragedies have found their natural home here, nowadays during the annual Athens and Epidaurus Festival. 

OPTIONAL VISITS: visit the village of Old Epidaurus by the sea, Lygourio, Kotsiomitis Museum, lunch stop at a typical taverna.