Pergamon
Pergamon's acropolis crowns a steep hill above Bergama — ancient theater, temple ruins and the vanished altar of a great Hellenistic kingdom.
Also part of The Seven Churches of RevelationUNESCO World Heritage in Türkiye
Climbing the ancient approach to Pergamon's acropolis, you pass remnants of monumental gates and colonnades that once announced the wealth of a kingdom. At the summit, the scale of the site reveals itself: a steep theatre carved into the hillside, the foundations of the great altar, and columned terraces overlooking the Küçük Menderes valley below. Pergamon flourished under the Attalid dynasty in the third and second centuries BCE, becoming one of the ancient world's most sophisticated cities.
The Theatre and the Acropolis
The theatre here was built into one of the steepest natural slopes in antiquity, its cavea dropping dramatically toward the valley. It seated around ten thousand spectators, and the acoustic engineering allowed performances to carry clearly across the space. Walking the uneven stone paths between the theatre, the temple foundations, and the stoas, you move through layers of civic and religious life spanning Hellenistic and Roman periods. Pergamon also developed a significant library here, reportedly second only to Alexandria in its collection of scrolls, and the city is associated with the development of parchment as a writing material.
The Asclepion Below
Below the citadel lies the Asclepion, a healing sanctuary dedicated to the god of medicine. Ancient patients came here seeking cures through dream incubation, bathing, and other treatments. The site includes a sacred spring, a round Temple of Asclepius, and the remains of treatment buildings. The great physician Galen studied and taught here, and Hippocrates is said to have visited.
The Altar Now in Berlin
The monumental altar that once dominated the acropolis — its sculptural frieze depicting the battle between gods and giants — was excavated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The structure now stands in Berlin's Pergamon Museum. What remains on the hillside is the physical setting: the platform, parts of the stairway approach, and the layout of the sacred precinct. The ruins still convey the ambition of the Attalid kings who built them, and the acropolis itself retains its dramatic presence over the surrounding plain.
Visiting the Site
Pergamon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated inland from the Aegean coast near the modern town of Bergama. The terrain is uneven and steep in places, with limited shade in summer. Comfortable walking shoes and water are advisable. The site rewards attentive wandering — its layout reveals itself gradually as you move through the different quarters.
Find it on the map
- Pergamon Ancient site
Tours that visit Pergamon
No tours visit this place just yet — tell us where you want to go and we'll build one. See all tours
Before you book you should know
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Is this trip right for you?
Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that.
Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in.
Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month.
How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above.
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Rooms, and travelling on your own
Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three:
- Twin share — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender.
- Travelling as a couple — one double room.
- Individual room — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book.
Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard.
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Accommodation
The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip.
Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking.
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Passports, visas and insurance
Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight.
Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport.
We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well.
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Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change
Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around.
What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions.
