Delos

Surface

3,43 km²

Airport

No

Faster connection

Ferry

Connections

Ferry

Healthcare

Hospital

Tourist presence

Nightlife under 30

Nightlife over 30

Beaches

Sand

Beach services

Free

Beaches for children

No

Equipped campsite

No

Naturism

No

Points of interest

UNESCO site

Greece is full of places to discover, rich in history and fascinating elements. One of the pearls of Greece is the small island of Delos. The island of Delos is one of the Cycladic islands in the Aegean Sea. It is a small island now uninhabited , but it is one of the most famous polis in the history of Greece ancient, and for this reason since 1990, it is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is an immense open-air archaeological site , which has long attracted tourists and history and archeology enthusiasts from all over the world.

The island of Delos is also located near the famous and very popular with lovers of the nightlife island of Mykonos. Just over three nautical miles separate it from this, while an arm of the sea extended about a mile divides the two islands, connected by a line of boats.

What to see in Delos

What is more interesting than the small island of Delos, is its wealth of monuments and testimonies of art, which make the Cycladic island one of the Greek pearls . These are mainly the archaeological remains of the ancient island of Ortigia , the sanctuary and the shrine that surrounded it. The ruins of classical civilization began to come to light with the beginning of excavations by the French Archaeological School, which began in 1842 and is still ongoing today. It is an excavation covering a very large area. Of particular interest is the western area, where the sacred port of the small island was located.

It is one of the oldest piers, and dates back to the seventh century. Composed of blocks of local granite, it extends for 100 meters. To the west are the Propylaea and the Agora of the Compitalists or Hermesiasts. Where we met to honor the Lares Compitales, divinity of the crosses. Immediately after, the Via Sacra with the bases of the ex voto. Then the large Stoà (portico) by Filippo, dating back to 210 BC

On the opposite side, the South Portico, from the 2nd century, and the Agorà dei Delii. In this area was the temple of Apollo , part of a group of three, one of which known as the Athenian temple. Nearby is the Casa dei Nassi (mid 6th century BC) and next to it the temple of Artemis , built in the 2nd century on the ruins of a previous temple. Then there is the monument of the bull and the altar of Zeus protector of the sailors and the temple of Dionisio, god of wine (early III century) and the portico.

There is then the Ekklesiasterion , meeting place of the Bulè, city council and of the Demos of the Deli, and the Tesmoforion, of the fifth century, connected to the cult of Demeter, goddess of the harvest.

Also worth seeing the Agorà of Theophrastus , the sanctuary of the twelve gods of Olympus, the temple of Latona and the Agorà called by the Italians. From the temple of Latona, a road led to the famous Via dei Leoni, a vow of the inhabitants of the island of Naxos of the seventh century BC. Of the 9 marble lions, 5 remain.

A sixth is located at the entrance to the Great Gate of the Arsenale of Venice, plundered by the Island of Delos by Admiral Morosini in 1687. A little further down was the sacred lake where, in ancient times, swans sacred to Apollo swam, covered in 1926 after an epidemic.

Northwest of Via dei Leoni was the seat of the Poseidoniasts of Beirut, a center of traders who worshiped the god of the sea Poseidon, the Gymnasium and the Stadium.

Then there is the Theater district, from the 2nd century, with a capacity of around 5500 seats. Here, there are many houses from the Hellenistic and Roman age decorated with mosaics. House of the Dolphins, House of the Masks, House of the Trident, House of Dionysius. The museum builds the finds. We also find in Monte Cinto the remains of the sanctuary of Zeus and that of Athena.