Empuries

Greeks from Phocaea founded Emporion here around 575 BC as a trading post, and it is the only place on the Iberian peninsula where Greek remains are visible in situ; a Roman city was later built on the higher ground beside it after Scipio landed here in 218 BC at the start of the campaign against Carthage. The two are visible together: the Greek town with its agora, stoa, temples, cisterns and a mole in the water, and the Roman city with houses, mosaic floors, a forum and an amphitheatre outside the walls. A statue of Asclepius, a copy of the one found here, stands in the Greek sanctuary. The site runs down to a beach, and the coastal path continues to L'Escala and Sant Marti d'Empuries.

What you actually see

• The Greek town - agora, temples and cisterns of the sixth-century BC port.
• The Roman city - houses with mosaic floors, forum and amphitheatre.
• The Asclepius statue - a copy standing in the Greek sanctuary.
• The beach setting - ruins running down to the shore of the gulf.

When to go

April to June and September to October; the site is open with little shade and summer is hot. Combining it with a swim at the adjacent beach is the usual approach. It closes earlier in winter.

Honest expectations

There is almost no shade and the site is large. Much of the Roman city remains unexcavated under fields. The museum on site is small and the main finds are in Barcelona.

Nearby

Sant Marti d'Empuries and L'Escala are alongside; the Aiguamolls wetland lies north.