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What to see at Pergamon & Bergama
- Jul 3
- 10 min read
Updated: 19 hours ago
Contents
The main places of interest in Bergama are the Pergamon Acropolis, Pergamon Asklepion, the Red Basilica and the Bergama archaeological museum. Unfortunately the Red Basilica has been closed for renovations since May 2025. It's meant to reopen in 2026 but was still closed in July 2026.
We stayed 2 nights in Bergama and had a full day exploring Bergama's wonderful sites. If the Red Basilica had been open we would have had enough time to visit it. It's also enjoyable spending an hour or so wandering around the town which fortunately isn't affected by tourism.
Bergama deserves more than a fleeting visit and a full day is required to see the main sites. Most visitors don't walk down to the lower Acropolis and miss out on the excellent mosaics in Building Z and the largest gymnasium from the Hellenestic period.
Inflation is so high in Turkey that prices to the archaeological sites are posted in Euros but are payable in Turkish lira. I have stated the Euro equivalent of all the costs shown in my blog so that the current Turkish lira equivalent can be determined.
1. Brief History of Pergamon
Pergamon was founded in the 3rd century BC as the capital of the Attalid dynasty. Located at a crossroads between Europe and the Middle East it became an important cultural, scientific and political centre.
After the city passed to the Romans in 133 BC, Pergamon became a metropolis and was the capital of the Roman Province of Asia. The Romans maintained the existing structures of the Hellenistic Period.
During the Roman Period many important structures were built or further developed. These include the Asclepion Sanctuary, the Roman Theatre, a great aqueduct; the Trajan Temple and the Serapeum (Red Basilica).
During the Byzantine period Pergamon was transformed from a major Hellenistic and Roman centre into a middle-sized town.
2. Best time of year & day to visit Pergamon
The Pergamon Acropolis and Asklepion are both very exposed to the sun. It's therefore best to avoid visiting during the hottest months of July and August if possible. June and September can also be hot. We visited in mid June and were fortunate that it was cloudy and heat wasn't an issue.
I recommend visiting the Pergamon Acropolis as soon as it opens at 08.30. This should enable you to avoid tour groups that might start appearing from 09.30 onwards. This is also the coolest part of the day. We spent the whole morning at the Pergamon Acropolis since we explored both the upper and lower sections.
Unfortunately many hotels in Turkey serve breakfast late and our hotel in Bergama only served breakfast from 08.30. That's far too late for sightseeing so we skipped breakfast and had a snack in our room instead. Luckily there was a coffee maker in our room. In my opinion avoiding tour groups and the heat is more important than a fancy breakfast.
The Pergamon Asklepion is in a different part of Bergama to the Acropolis. The Asklepion is open up to 20.00 although the last entry is at 19.15. Therefore you can avoid tour groups and heat by visiting the Asklepion in the late afternoon or early evening.
The Bergama museum is open from 08.30 to 19.30 in summer. It can be visited during the heat of the day as it's in a well air conditioned building. It takes very little time to see the exhibits.
The Red Basilica used to close at 19.30 before the site shut for renovations in May 2025. I think it would be popular with tour groups as there is a large coach parking lot very nearby plus several carpet shops opposite it. Once the Red Basilica reopens you should be able to avoid the tour groups by visiting after 16.00. The Pergamon Asklepion could be visited afterwards.
We visited Bergama on a Sunday and went to the Pergamon Asklepion at 15.00. There weren't any tour groups but there were more Turkish visitors than I expected. Probably because Izmir is nearby and it was the weekend.
3. Pergamon Acropolis & Archaeological site
The Pergamon Acropolis was built into the top slope of the 336 metre high Kale Hill in the 2nd and 3rd century BC. The city developed on the lower slopes of Kale Hill during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods
There are several ways to reach the upper section of the Pergamon Acropolis:
There is a cable car that costs TRY 1,000 (EUR 20) return and TRY 600 (EUR 12) one way. It's expensive and it doesn't operate if it's too windy.
You can drive up and park for TRY 150 (EUR 3) although some people have reported that it took time to find a parking place. However, driving is only a good option if you only want to visit the upper acropolis. If you also visit the lower acropolis, which I highly recommend, this entails walking down to the base of Kale hill. You would then have to get back to the top of the hill to fetch your car!
A taxi to the entrance of the upper acropolis costs about TRY 450 (EUR 9). We took a taxi, even though we had a rental car, as we wanted to see the entire acropolis. Our hotel arranged the taxi and it came early. The taxi driver started driving us to the top of the acropolis at 08.15 but we were soon stopped by a gate across the road. The gate was promptly unlocked at 08.30 and we reached the entrance to the acropolis 5 to 10 minutes later.
You could walk but I don't recommend it.
It costs EUR 15 (in Turkish lira) to enter the Pergamon acropolis and credit cards are accepted. The acropolis is open from 08.30 to 20.00 with the last entry at 19.15.
There is a shop and good toilets by the entrance at the upper acropolis. After the entrance there is a sign pointing down to the left to the Great Altar of Zeus. It's best to ignore this sign and continue straight on to the theatre.
Only a mound is left of the Great Altar of Zeus as most of the alter is in a Berlin Museum. If you are only visiting the upper acropolis the alter isn't worth seeing. If you are going to walk down to the lower acropolis you will see it on the way down.
We first went to the very impressive theatre which is accessed through a tunnel. The theatre was built into the steep hillside in the 3rd century BC and seated 10,000 people. We found that the best view of the theatre for photographs was from near the Temple of Trajan.
From the theatre we walked to the Temple of Trajan through the interesting sub structure. The temple was constructed in the 2nd century AD. The Temple of Trajan and the theatre are the must see sites in the upper acropolis.
After viewing the Temple of Trajan we did a circular walk around the top of the acropolis and there is a board walk around at least part of it. The route passes the remains of the arsenals and there is a good view of the Kestel Dam Lake on the other side of the acropolis.
We spent 1.5 hours comprehensively viewing the upper acropolis but it could be viewed in an hour. We had the upper acropolis to ourselves until 09.30 when one tour group arrived. Online reviews indicate that not too many groups visit the acropolis. Certainly nothing like at Ephesus!
We then began the walk down to the lower acropolis via the Great Altar of Zeus. At the beginning there was nothing to see and I wondered if we were wasting our time. I changed my opinion when we reached Building Z which is a small version of the Terraced Houses at Ephesus.
Building Z is a grand house dating back to the 2nd century BC. It was lived in until 178 AD. when the house was abandoned due to an earthquake. Building Z contains some excellent mosaics and frescoes.
We descended from Building Z to the expansive Gymnasium area. It's the largest known gymnasium from the Hellenistic period and dates back to 170 BC. The gymnasium is spread over 3 levels with the upper level being for adults, the middle level for youths and the lower level for children. The upper level of the gymnasium is particularly impressive.
After the Gymnasium there is only the House of Attalos which has a mosaic and fresco. Unfortunately it's very hard to see into the building and therefore not worth bothering with.
There is an unmanned turnstile at the bottom of the fenced site for exiting. We were relieved it was operational as we didn't want to walk back up! From there we descended down several lanes until we reached our hotel near the Red Basilica.
We spent 1.5 hours walking through Pergamon's lower acropolis. It was thoroughly worthwhile and the best sites were Building Z and the huge Gymnasium area. We only saw one other person which made the experience even better.
4. The Asklepion of Pergamon
The Asklepion of Pergamon was a healing centre built in honour of the Greek god of healing Asklepius. Established in the 4th century BC, it was renowned for its use of various treatments such as hot, cold and mud baths, medicinal herbs, as well as treatments based on sports and music.
The highlights of the Asklepion of Pergamon are the:
Ancient theatre
Sacred Way (Via Tecta)
North Gallery of the Temple of Zeus Asclepius with its reconstructed columns
2 storey circular treatment structure
Underground passages
There is parking at the Asklepion of Permagon which costs TRY 150 (EUR 3). The Asklepion is open from 08.30 to 20.00 and the last entry is at 19.15. There is an entrance fee EUR 13 which is payable in Turkish lira.
We spent an hour and a quarter viewing the Asklepion. The entrance is at the east of the site and the Asklepion is reached by walking along the Via Tecta (Sacred Way) which used to connect the Permagon Acropolis to the Asklepion. The Via Tecta was constructed in the 2nd century AD.
The theatre was constructed in the 2nd century AD and had a capacity of 3,500 people.
The gallery of the Temple of Zeus Asclepius was built in the 2nd century BC. The North Gallery is the most complete one as many of the columns have been reconstructed.
The fascinating 2 storey circular treatment area was built in the 2nd century AD and is well preserved. It was connected to the sanctuary's pool and sacred spring by a 70 metre tunnel. The spring can still be seen at the Asklepion.
5. The Bergama Museum
The entrance fee is EUR 3 and the equivalent in Turkish Lira must be paid in cash as credit cards aren't accepted. The museum is in a nice building but it doesn't take long to see the exhibits. We only spent 20 minutes at the museum.
The English narratives on the information boards are poorly written and uninteresting. I wouldn't recommend visiting the museum unless you need something to do or are a museum buff. That's my personal opinion but there are quite a few positive reviews of the museum on the internet.
6. The Red Basilica at Bergama
The Red Basilica of Pergamon, also known as Red Hall, is one of the largest remaining Roman structures in the ancient Greek world. The building was constructed of red brick, which was very unusual for large buildings in Asia Minor at the time.
The temple was built in the 2nd century AD on the orders of Emperor Hadrian, who was a supporter of the Egyptian gods, to whom it was initially dedicated. Although the temple itself was huge, it was part of a much bigger complex of sacred buildings, little of which remains standing today.
In the 5th century AD the temple was converted into a Christian basilica. It was destroyed by Arab forces in the early 8th century during their unsuccessful campaign to conquer the Byzantine capitol of Constantinople. The city of Pergamon fell into Ottoman hands in the 14th century and the building was converted into a mosque.
The Red Basilica is a very impressive structure but it has unfortunately been shut for renovations since May 2025. It's meant to reopen in 2026 but as at July 2026 it was still closed and there were was no sign that it would reopen soon.
Prior to the renovation visitors reported that they spent less than an hour visiting the Red Basilica.
7. Where to stay and eat in Bergama
We stayed at the Attalos Suites Hotel which has the best accommodation in Bergama. The hotel is a short walk away from both the Red Basilica and the lower cable car station for the Pergamon Acropolis.
We had an excellent lunch at the Sarmasik Lokantasi restaurant which is a 5 minute walk into Bergama from the Red Basilica. They prepare numerous trays of traditional Turkish food and close when they are finished. The dishes aren't replenished during the day so I don't recommend having dinner there.
Akasya Park restaurant receives good reviews but we didn't eat there. It was very close to our hotel. The food at our hotel was fairly good although the portions weren't that generous.
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