Stand inside the mountain temple that thanked Apollo for lifting a plague

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. Because Bassae is remote and the daily window is short, we hold the slot you want so your long mountain journey ends at an open gate.

Bassae is rarely crowded — the value here is not skipping a queue but reaching a remote mountain temple without friction. We handle the operator's ticketing portal in your own language, hold your dated hourly slot within a short daily window, and send you a pre-visit audio history, so hours of driving on mountain roads end at a confirmed entry. Our service fee is included in the price shown.

Full admission to the Temple of Apollo Epicurius archaeological site at Bassae, where you walk among and around the temple within its protective shelter, set high in the Arcadian mountains. It is entry to this single mountain temple; there is no on-site museum, and the temple's famous carved frieze has been in the British Museum in London since the early 19th century.

No. Bassae is an isolated mountain temple with no museum on site. The building itself is the visit — one of the best-preserved classical temples in Greece, combining Doric, Ionic and the earliest known Corinthian capital. The sculpted marble frieze that once ran around the interior was removed in the early 19th century and is displayed in the British Museum in London.

Because it stands so high and exposed, and its fine limestone had suffered from weather and earlier interventions, the temple has been sheltered beneath a large protective tent since the late 20th century while long-term conservation continues. You visit the temple inside that shelter, its columns rising within the tent, and some scaffolding may be present. It is an unusual but memorable way to see a great classical building up close.

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 on the drive up to the temple.

Bassae is remote, high in the Arcadian mountains about 14 km south of Andritsaina. There is very little public transport, so almost everyone arrives by car or on an organised tour. From Athens it is roughly a four-hour drive; the temple is most often combined with Ancient Olympia, about an hour and a half away, or reached via Andritsaina and Megalopoli. The final stretch is a winding mountain road with wide views.

Epikourios means 'the Helper' or 'the Ally'. The people of ancient Phigaleia dedicated the temple to Apollo Epikourios in thanks for delivering them from a plague in the 5th century BC. It was built in the second half of that century and is attributed to Iktinos, the architect of the Parthenon, which is part of why so remote a temple is so architecturally sophisticated.

The temple famously combines all three classical orders in one building: a Doric colonnade outside, an Ionic order lining the interior, and the earliest known Corinthian capital in the ancient world at the end of the inner chamber. It also has an unusual north–south orientation, with a side door that may have lit the cult statue. Together these make it one of the most studied temples in Greek architecture.

The superbly carved marble Ionic frieze that ran around the inside of the chamber — showing Greeks fighting Amazons and Lapiths fighting centaurs — was removed in the early 19th century and has been in the British Museum in London since 1815. On site you see the temple's architecture rather than its sculpture; the audio history we send explains what once stood where.

Because Bassae is high and exposed rather than crowded, timing is mainly about weather, daylight and the drive. Late spring to autumn gives the most reliable mountain weather and longer opening hours; winter can bring cold, mist or even snow on the roads. Aim for a morning or midday slot so you have plenty of daylight for the mountain journey, and check conditions before you set out.

The temple itself is a focused visit of about 45 minutes to an hour — it is a single building, seen within its shelter — but the journey is the main investment, as Bassae is a long drive from anywhere. Most visitors plan it as a half or full day around the drive, often combined with Ancient Olympia or the mountain villages of Arcadia.

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. Bassae is a high-altitude mountain site with uneven ground and a short walk from the car park to the temple, which stands within a large protective shelter. Visitors with limited mobility can reach and see the temple but should expect rough, sloping surfaces and allow extra time, and dress for cool, windy conditions at altitude.

Yes — the site is open daily, year-round, but within a short daytime window and with no evening slots, and mountain weather can affect access. Hours are longer in summer (roughly 08:00–17:00) and shorter in winter, with timed entry by the hour and last entry about 30 minutes before closing. Confirm on the day, especially in winter.

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 — mountain weather sometimes forces it — 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.