The ruins of Aigai can be found on the eastern edge of the modern town of Vergina 50 km west of Thessaloniki. The ancient city of Aigai was the first capital of the Kingdom of Macedon in northern Greece. It was founded in the 8th century BCE, but the best-known historical legacies are from the time of King Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, in the 4th century BCE. Although the capital had been moved to the new city of Pella at least a couple of decades before Philip’s birth, there are several sites of great importance from the time of Philip and his descendants.
The most impressive above-ground structure at the site is the palace, which was built on the high ground at the southern end of the city. It is believed to have been built by Philip II, who already had a palace at Pella, his capital. It recently underwent an extensive restoration which lasted almost two decades, and it is one of the rare places in Greece where one can get an idea of what a Classical palace looked like. It is also the largest Classical building in Greece. One significant event which took place there was the official anointing of Alexander the Great as King of Macedon.
The theater is located directly in front of the palace and was built at around the same time. It was there that King Philip II was assassinated in October 336 BCE by one of his bodyguards.
Just to the north of the theater is an active excavation site where the Sanctuary of Eucleia is coming to light.
The highlight for most visitors in Vergina is the Museum of the Royal Tombs at Aigai, which is inside of a mound located 1 km north of where the palace, theater, and sanctuary are. This was the burial mound of some of the kings of Macedon, and today it is an underground museum where — once your eyes have adjusted to the darkness — you can see the facades of several magnificent Macedonian-style tombs buried there, view models of the tombs to get an idea of what lays beyond the facades (as you cannot enter the tombs themselves), and many of the artifacts found there on display.
The highlight of the visit is the facade of the tomb identified as that of Philip II and the wide variety of grave goods found within it.
The royal burial mound was part of a larger necropolis, the rest of which is now preserved in a large field east of the mound.
Tips for the Visitor
All of the sites mentioned above are separate sites in separate enclosures, but only the Museum of the Royal Tombs requires a ticket, which also includes admission to the Polycentric Museum of Aigai, a large museum just outside of town on the road to Veria. The rest have free admission, except for the Sanctuary of Eucleia, which is not open to the public.
Getting to Vergina on your own without a car is a bit tricky but doable. The most common route from Thessaloniki is to get a bus to Veria, which is also worth seeing. There are a few buses between Veria and Vergina, but not many, so be sure to check the bus schedule in advance. Also note that the buses coming back to Veria from Vergina normally originate in Alexandreia, and there won’t be a posted departure time from Vergina. Naturally, you can also get the bus to Vergina from Alexandreia, which can also be reached from Thessaloniki but is of less touristic interest than Veria.
If you don’t like the idea of navigating multiple bus routes from Thessaloniki and don’t have your own transportation, there is also the option of booking an organized tour. There are several companies that run daily tours from Thessaloniki to Vergina, and they usually combine it with visits to other nearby places like Veria and Pella.
Location Map