Dion is very large archaeological site with still much to be excavated. It was the holy place of ancient Macedonians. Here Alexander the Great organized games and made sacrificies to gods before he started his campaigns against Persia. The ruins are many and the mosaics are wonderful. The mosaic in the Villa of Dionysus is one of the best mosaics of ancient Greece!
This site was highly recommended by our travel guide but turned out to be disappointing. There are many sites in Greece and elsewhere with knee-high remains and indications what these could have been. In Dion everything is not very well maintained and it seems that nature strikes back. There is supposed to be a beautiful mosaic of Dionysus but when you arrive on te spot you’ll discover that the mosaic is covered (which makes sense) but that the walkways around bring you to about 5 metres from the mosaic so there is not much to see (at least you can see the grass popping up in the mosaic). Maybe the location at the foot of Mt. Olympus makes it worthwhile to visit, we were lucky as the mountain was free of the usual cloud cover....
I think that having been in Turkey, and visiting Hieropolis and Ephesus, this place seemed a bit underwhelming. However, it was nice being able to just wander around the ruins (they're spread out in a large park) and there weren't many other people.
The ruins in this park are best interpreted for you, since otherwise they might be any number of things. If you have a guide who can do that, it's a fascinating place, and a large site which takes seem time to get round. It's located in the countryside in the foothills of Mount Olympus, and on a crisp, clear December day with the sun shining on the snowy tops of Olympus, you can quite see why the local thought that the Gods lived there.To see actual finds from the site, visit the accompanying archaeological museum in Dion.
The place is worth the visit for two things:- The incredible remains like ancient mosaics and statues- The nature surrounding the siteOn the other hand, the nature seems to take over the ruins (too much?) making the site sometimes look like an abandoned park
Long story short: Dion's ruins are dated back before 5th century BC.Later it had evolved and has been the stage of "Olympian Games of Dion" and religious centre for Macedonians. Then a city was built by the sacred sites and Dion reached its peak during the reign of Alexander the Great successors. The second heyday was in 2-3rd century AD, however in 4th and 5th century AD is suffered destruction from major earthquakes... and it's being excavated since 1928.It is amazing architectural site. Just the little details, like some skips and piles of rubble left on the scene can really spoil the visit (and composition of your photos). I read some review that said it feels a bit abandoned which feels quite right. Or not properly thought through. I thought the worst was the Hellenistic theatre - looked very promising from the distance, but very disappointing as approached, in my opinion almost completely deprived of the ancient look (if you see it, you will know what I mean - wood and metal bars added, some plastic covers, etc.). But overall it is a vast vast archaeological site and very impressive too (e.g. the great baths) and we were glad we did not missed it. It is also surrounded by amazing mountains, therefore great views to enjoy.
one of the ancient cities of greece and one of the best preserved archaological parks..in greece .one of the best with vergina in pella region and there is so interesting also to go afterwards to visit the museum also to the same village dion museum...
Really interesting museum and archaeological site! I highly recommended it! What i liked more was "idraulis", an ancient musical instrument! Its on the second floor, don't miss it!
I really enjoyed seeing the ruins and the place where the sacrifices to Zeus were made to begin Alexander's conquest. The grounds were really pretty to walk around in. It was not a "Wow!!!" kind of place (such as the Acropolis, or the Pyramids at Giza, or the Louvre) but it was a thoroughly enjoyable place to see a bit of antiquity.
Had a lovely walk around in the early morning, the statues and ruins are beauty, the area a little overgrown but bar that, a lot of work has been put into it!