Sanctuary of the Great Gods

The Sanctuary of the Great Gods was one of the most important religious sites in the ancient world — home to the Samothracian Mysteries, secret initiation rites that drew worshippers (reportedly including Philip II of Macedon) from across the Greek and later Roman world for nearly a thousand years.

The surviving ruins include the Rotunda of Arsinoe, the Hieron temple, and the Andron banquet hall, set into a dramatic wooded ravine that still gives a sense of why the ancients thought this ground was sacred. The site is also where the Winged Victory of Samothrace — now one of the most famous sculptures in the Louvre — was discovered in 1863.

It's a short drive from the ferry port at Kamariotissa, making it an easy first stop on a day trip to the island.