Hotels near Valley of the Temples (Agrigento)

The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is the most complete surviving Doric temple complex outside mainland Greece - and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Eight temples line a 1.5 km ridge above the Mediterranean, built in the 5th century BC when the Greek colony of Akragas was the fourth largest city in the Hellenic world. The Temple of Concordia, finished around 440 BC, is the best-preserved of all - it survived because early Christians converted it into a basilica.

The site stretches from the Temple of Juno at the eastern entrance (Porta V) downhill past the Temple of Concordia, the giant ruined Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Temple of Castor and Pollux. The on-site Museo Archeologico Pietro Griffo holds the original sculpture and the famously intact 8 m telamon statue from the Zeus temple. Combined park and museum entry costs around 17 EUR; the park alone is 13.50 EUR. Plan three to four hours minimum to walk the full ridge in the heat.

Pro Tip: Enter from the Porta V (eastern) gate near the Temple of Juno and walk downhill to the Tempio di Vulcano exit - it saves a brutal uphill return on hot afternoons. Visit at sunset when the temples turn golden against the sea, or during the late-evening summer openings (8:30 PM-11:00 PM, July-August).