Hippocrates walked here.

Three terraces climb a wooded hill above the town, looking out over the sea to the Turkish coast. This was the sanctuary of Asklepios, god of healing: a temple, a hospital and a school of medicine in one, and the place where Hippocrates is said to have taught.

The ruins date from the 4th century BC. They were rediscovered in 1902 by the German archaeologist Rudolf Herzog and the Koan historian Iakovos Zaraftis. Go in the late afternoon, when the light turns gold and the coach groups have left.

The museum sits on Eleftherias Square in a 1935 building from the Italian period. Its atrium holds a Roman floor mosaic, and the northern hall the 4th-century BC statue believed to be Hippocrates himself.

Small enough for an hour, and a good place to escape the midday heat before lunch in the square.

A 2nd-century AD auditorium for music contests that also served as the meeting place of the town council. Fourteen rows of marble seats survive, several of them restored.

It still hosts concerts and performances in summer. Ask us what is on during your stay.