Philippi
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Archaeological Site Of Philippi (2016) The City Of Philip II, The Battlefield Of 42 BC, And Where Paul Is Said To Have Founded The First Church In Europe · Filippoi, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
Philippi, about 15 km north-west of Kavala in Eastern Macedonia, is the ruin of a city founded by Philip II of Macedon in the fourth century BC on the site of an older settlement, taken over by Rome and built into a colony on the Via Egnatia. Two events made it famous. In 42 BC, on the plain below, Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius, the assassins of Julius Caesar, in the battle that ended the Roman Republic's last stand. Around AD 49-50 the apostle Paul came here, and according to the Book of Acts baptised a merchant woman named Lydia by the river, which Christians regard as the founding of the first church in Europe. What you see is mostly Roman and early Christian: a forum, huge basilicas, an octagonal church, a theatre and a cistern traditionally called Paul's prison. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. The honest caveats: it needs about two hours, it is hot and shadeless in summer, the main road cuts it in two, and it suits history lovers and pilgrims more than casual sightseers.
Archaeological Site of Philippi on the Kavala-Drama road, about 15 km north-west of Kavala; the road runs through the middle of the site, Filippoi, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece
State archaeological site of the Ministry of Culture. In summer (roughly April to October) it opens daily from about 08:00 to 19:00 or 20:00; in winter it closes much earlier, often around 15:00-17:00. Closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25-26 December, with shorter hours on some other holidays - confirm current hours. The Kavala-Drama road splits the site into a northern part (theatre, museum, Basilica A) and a southern part (forum, Basilica B, Octagon), with an entrance on each side; one ticket has covered both - confirm. Reach it by car or taxi from Kavala (about 20 minutes) or the Kavala-Drama bus; buy tickets on the official Hellenic Heritage e-ticket system or at the gate. Evening theatre performances need a separate ticket.