I-Heart-Mykonos-tank-top.jpg
Greek-flag-socks.jpg
Santorini-luggage-tag.jpg
save-water-drink-ouzo-t-shirt.jpg

Vravrona
(or Brauron)

The archaeological site of Vravrona or Brauron is in Attica near Athens Airport and has the Sanctuary of Artemis, the Sacred House, and an excellent little Archaeological Museum.

Unusually, the ancient site of Vravrona is located at the foot of a hill rather than on top of one, as many sites are. On the crown of the small hill here is a pretty little Byzantine chapel dedicated to St George: Agios Giorgios.

The village and site are in a valley surrounded by agricultural land, an attractive area with abundant wildlife. The people are welcoming as they aren't over-run with visitors and they appreciate anyone who makes the effort to visit the site.

Vravrona, Attica GreeceVravrona

The Story of Vravrona

The story of Vravrona is a fascinating one. Its main focus is the mysterious Sanctuary of Artemis, of which only the foundations remain today. Artemis is the Greek equivalent of the Roman goddess Diana, is the daughter of Zeus, and the twin sister of Apollo. She was the moon goddess as well as the goddess of childbirth, the harvest, hunting, and wildlife. 

Every four years a festival would take place at Vravrona in which young girls would dress as bears and dance. Aristophanes refers to the dance in his play Lysistrata, but like the one that centered on the site at Eleusis, to the west of Athens, we don't know exactly what took place at Vravrona or why.

Iphigenia

In his play Iphigenia at Tauris, Euripides relates events at Vravrona. Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, was held responsible for a strong wind that prevented the Greek ships from sailing to Troy, prior to the Trojan War. The wind was sent in retribution for the killing of one of the wild animals that Artemis protected, probably a bear. Agamemnon agreed to the sacrifice of his daughter on the altar of Artemis at Vravrona so that the ships could set sail.

According to Euripedes, the goddess spared Iphigenia because she would not allow her altar to be stained by human blood, and substituted a deer for the sacrifice instead. Iphigenia went on to found the sanctuary here, dedicated to Artemis.

In other versions of the story Iphigenia was indeed sacrificed. Her alleged grave was discovered here, south of the stoa (a colonnaded building) and next to the remains of the Sacred House, where the priestess of the Artemis cult stayed during the festivals.

Excavating Vravrona

By the 4th century BC, the area here had flooded and the communities that had arisen all disappeared. The village of Vravrona eventually reestablished itself, but it was not until 1946 that work began on uncovering the site of ancient Vravrona, work that continued until 1963. It revealed the remains of a 5th-century BC temple and, next to it, a stoa that may be even older. Inscriptions describe it as 'the Parthenon of the Bears'.

Beside the stoa are the remains of one of the oldest stone bridges you will see anywhere in the world. The structure dates back to the 5th century BC. Other evidence from the site points to the existence here of stables, a gymnasium, and other buildings, but these have not yet been roperly uncovered.

The Archaeological site of Ancient Vravrona or Brauron in Attica, GreeceVravrona

Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum is a few minutes' drive south of the site, towards Porto Rafti. It displays finds from the site and elsewhere, and is intriguing despite its comparatively small size. It includes a scale model of the temple that gives a vivid impression of how the site would have looked in its prime. It's worth finding the time to visit the museum.

Among the more important exhibits is a decorated stirrup jar from about 1200-1000 BC that was found in the late-Mycenaean cemetery at Perati, a 5-minute drive south of Vravrona. Also notable is a beautifully-detailed statue that has been dated to the fourth century BC, depicting a young girl holding a rabbit. Several other statues and busts date from the same period, and there is a fascinating collection of pottery and jewellery. 

A votive relief of Artemis, from Vravrona itself, also dates from the 4th century BC. It shows the goddess seated and welcoming pilgrims of all ages.

Athens Airport to Vravrona mapVravrona in Relation to Athens International Airport
(c)Google Maps

Getting to Vravrona

There is a bus service which stops outside the ancient site, if anyone wants to visit. It comes from Loutsa, which is about 5.5 miles (9 kms) north of Vravrona, so you could also walk if the bus times aren't convenient.  There are buses to Loutsa from Athens, and the journey takes about 90 minutes.

The easiest way to get to Vravrona is obviously by rental car, and the journey from central Athens should take about 45 minutes.

Alternatively, you could rent a car at Athens airport, from where it's only a 20-minute drive to Vravrona. It's even close enough to take a taxi, if you can negotiate a fixed price with the driver to take you to the site and to the museum, and return you to the airport.

Other Attica pages

  • Attica is the region of Greece which surrounds and includes Athens, with attractions like Marathon, Vravrona, Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon.

    Attica

    Attica is the region of Greece which surrounds and includes Athens, with attractions like Marathon, Vravrona, Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon.

  • This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.

    A Drive around Attica

    This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.

  • The beach resorts of Athens are easily reached from the city and also close are Cape Sounion with the Temple of Poseidon, ancient Marathon and Rafina's port.

    Cape Sounion and the East Coast

    The beach resorts of Athens are easily reached from the city and also close are Cape Sounion with the Temple of Poseidon, ancient Marathon and Rafina's port.

  • The classical archaeological site of Ancient Rhamnous or Rhamnus is in a remote part of Attica and best reached from Athens by renting a car.

    Rhamnous

    The classical archaeological site of Ancient Rhamnous or Rhamnus is in a remote part of Attica and best reached from Athens by renting a car.

  • The ancient site of Marathon and the site of the Battle of Marathon are in Attica and naturally about 26 miles or 42 kilometres from the centre of Athens.

    Marathon

    The ancient site of Marathon and the site of the Battle of Marathon are in Attica and naturally about 26 miles or 42 kilometres from the centre of Athens.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Latest Posts

  1. Greece Welcomes Parthenon Fragments Returned by the Vatican

    Greece welcomed three sculpture fragments from the Parthenon, which were returned following an intervention by Pope Francis by the Vatican Museums, during a reunification ceremony in Athens. The fragm…

    Read More

  2. PM: Greece to Hold General Elections on May 21

    Greeks will be going to the polls on May 21 after the country’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, announced the news on Tuesday.

    Read More

  3. Transavia to Fly Direct to Kefalonia from Paris in Summer 2023

    Low-cost Dutch airline Transavia, part of the Air France-KLM group, this summer will operate direct flights between Paris and the Greek island of Kefalonia two times per week, according to the Greek N…

    Read More

  4. Greece Among Europe’s Top 10 Most Desired Destinations for Easter

    Greece is among the 10 most searched for destinations in Europe, according to travel intelligence provider ForwardKeys, as intra-European air seat capacity is set to recoup pre-pandemic levels this Ea…

    Read More

  5. Elefsina’s Archaeological Museum Reopens After Refurbishment

    The Archaeological Museum of Elefsina, one of the first archaeological museums in Greece, has reopened its doors to the public after completing maintenance and improvement works. The upgrade focused o…

    Read More

  6. Athens’ Iconic Lykavittos Theater to Reopen in Fall

    The historic Lykavittos open-air theater atop Lycabettus Hill in central Athens, will be reopening to the public following a complete revamp, announced Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis this week. The po…

    Read More

  7. Passengers Rank Thessaloniki ‘Makedonia’ Airport Among Best in Europe

    Thessaloniki “Makedonia” Airport has been named one of the top in Europe at the 2022 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards by the Airports Council International (ACI) World and travel technology compan…

    Read More

  8. Greece on Top 20 List of Best Countries for Entrepreneurs and Startups

    Greece is among the top 20 countries for entrepreneurs and startups, according to a recent study conducted by Compare the Market, a UK-based insurance comparison website.

    Read More

  9. Travelers from Poland Already Booking Greek Summer Holidays

    Demand from Poland is growing with 30 percent of Polish travelers having already booked their holidays to Greece, according to feedback collected by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) duri…

    Read More

  10. Europe’s Highest Growth in February Airbnb Demand was in Greece

    Demand for Airbnb-style rentals in Greece was the strongest in Europe last month despite historically being the least busy period of the year, marking a 60 percent increase compared to 2022, said anal…

    Read More