Day trips from Athens
Sounion for half a day, Delphi for a whole day, an island for one — and Marathon for those who have already seen everything else.
- Sounion
- The cape with the Temple of Poseidon
- Delphi
- About three hours each way
- Marathon and Rhamnous
- For those who have seen everything else
Athens has three ways out: south to the sea, north to Delphi, and onto the water to the Saronic islands. Each needs its own day; try to squeeze two into one and you mostly see the bus.
Sounion — the sunset, and nothing else
The Temple of Poseidon stands on a cape some seventy kilometres south of Athens, above the sea on three sides. The bus leaves from Pedion tou Areos or the coast road, ninety minutes. Time it to arrive an hour before sunset; by day it is a ruin in the wind, in the evening the sun drops into the sea right between the columns. You come back on the last bus.
Delphi — a full day, and the best of the three
About three hours by bus to the north-west, up to the slopes of Mount Parnassus. This was the oracle the whole ancient Greek world consulted, and the site climbs the slope — temple, theatre, stadium at the top. The museum is small and holds the bronze Charioteer, which is worth the trip on its own. With a guide it is better than without: unexplained, it is stones on a hillside.
Islands from Piraeus — Aegina, Hydra, Poros
Aegina is the closest, with the Temple of Aphaia on its hill and the pistachios it is known for. Hydra has no cars — none, not even taxis — and that is the whole point: donkeys, stone stairs and a harbour. Poros sits between them. For a day trip Aegina is the safest choice and Hydra the finest.
Corfu
Corfu lies in the Ionian Sea and is not a trip from Athens: the island has its own airport, so it is not reached through the city. The town and its fortresses come first, then the beaches of the west and north; May, June and September are the months outside the crowds.
How long each takes
None of them combine — one trip = one day
Who should skip them
- Sounion in bad weather. Without the sunset it is ninety minutes each way to a fence around a ruin.
- Delphi in July and August. The site climbs an unshaded slope.
- Hydra in one day. Four hours afloat for four hours ashore — better to stay the night.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Delphi or an island, if I only have one day for a trip?
Delphi, if antiquity interests you, and with a guide. If not — Aegina by boat from Piraeus, because the crossing is part of the trip.
Can I do Sounion and Delphi in the same day?
No. They are opposite directions and take half a day and a full day respectively. Listings that offer both combine them on paper only.
Do the island boats run off season?
They do, less often and with fewer departures. In winter the sea can cancel a sailing without notice, so do not book a flight for the next morning.
Ready for Athens?
Where to next
Where to stay in Athens
→Koukaki sleeps quietly right below the rock, Plaka sleeps in its shadow at a higher price, Monastiraki sleeps…
Nafplio · 93 km
→An Old Town below Acronafplia, Palamidi fortress on the hill and Bourtzi on an islet in the harbour — all on foot, with a second day left for Epidaurus or Mycenae.
How well does Athens suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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