Athens Day Trips: Temples, Theaters and Islands Within a Day’s Reach

The best day trips from Athens are Cape Sounion for a sea-cliff temple at sunset, Delphi for the ancient world at its grandest, the Peloponnese for Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio, and a Saronic Gulf cruise for a taste of the islands. Sounion fits into half a day, and the others fill a long one. Each works by rental car or on a guided tour, so choose by what you want to see and how many hours you're happy to spend on the road.

Which day trips are closest to Athens?

Cape Sounion

This is the easiest escape from the city. The road follows the Athenian Riviera for about an hour to an hour and a half, with the sea on one side and small coastal towns slipping past. At the end, the Temple of Poseidon stands on a cliff above the water. It was built from 444 to 440 BCE, while Pericles was also rebuilding the Parthenon. In myth, King Aegeus kept watch here for his son Theseus, who was to hoist white sails if he survived the Minotaur. Theseus forgot, Aegeus saw black sails on the horizon and threw himself into the sea that now bears his name, the Aegean. Lord Byron is said to have left his mark on one of the stones at Sounion, and if you bring binoculars or a strong zoom lens, hunting for his carved name is a fun little game.

Bring a swimsuit if the weather's warm. There's a beach below the temple (watch for sea urchins), and tavernas on the water serve lunch or dinner with the temple rising overhead. Stay for sunset if you can, since few places near Athens do it better. Half-day tours run four to five hours.

Ancient Corinth and the Canal

About an hour from Athens, Corinth makes an easy half day. Tours take about five hours. The old national road (EO8) crosses the Corinth Canal on a bridge where you can leave the car at one end and stroll out for a wonderful view of the water far below, with a boat gliding under you now and then. Among the ruins you'll find a temple of Apollo, a museum with finds from prehistoric to Roman times, and the Acrocorinth citadel looming over it all. St. Paul spent roughly eighteen months in Corinth, and the two letters he wrote to its Christian community ended up in the Bible. Opinions on the ruins vary, and some visitors find the canal alone worth the stop.

Evia and Eretria

The town has a tiny, lovely museum, the ruins of a temple of Apollo and an ancient gymnasium, and a front street of shops selling handmade jewelry and contemporary Greek ceramics. Stamatoukos, right across from the ferry terminal, serves outstanding souvlaki. Beaches line both the gulf side and, farther out, the Aegean side.

With an early start, drive home the longer way through Chalkida. Stroll its wide promenade and watch the currents in the narrow Evripus strait, which reverse direction about four times a day, and up to 14 times at certain points in the lunar cycle.

Which ancient sites can you see on a day trip from Athens?

Delphi

Delphi clings to a mountainside, and kings and generals once traveled here to consult the Pythia, Apollo's prophetess, before big decisions. You'll walk past the Temple of Apollo, the Athenian Treasury, the ancient theater and stadium, and the round Tholos of Athena. The museum is a must, with the Naxian Sphinx and the eerily watchful Charioteer.

Leave early and you'll have plenty of time at the site, plus a meal in nearby Arachova, a pretty mountain town.

Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio

Tours to this part of the Peloponnese often bundle several stops into one long day. Mycenae, roughly 75 miles from Athens, is the Bronze Age citadel of King Agamemnon. Walk through the Lion Gate, set in the famous cyclopean walls, and look for the Linear B tablets in the museum, some of the oldest writing in the world.

Epidaurus was a healing sanctuary of Asclepius, and its 4th-century BC theater, with about 14,000 seats, is so well preserved that it still stages plays. Stand at center stage, speak normally, and people in the top rows can hear you. On many nights there are ancient Greek and other plays with English subtitles, so check the Athens and Epidavros Festival schedule. The stone seats are hard, so bring a cushion.

Nafplio, the first capital of modern Greece, makes a gentle end to the day. Its old town is all textured walls and bougainvillea, with tavernas and small shops selling jewelry and komboloi, the Greek worry beads. Three castles watch over it: Palamidi, up more than 1,000 steps, Acronafplia, and the little Bourtzi out in the harbor. Nafplio also makes a lovely day trip on its own from Athens.

Nemea

Nemea is about a 20-minute drive from Mycenae and roughly 90 minutes from Athens, so the two pair easily. Here you'll find a temple of Zeus and the stadium of the Nemean Games, entered through a long stone tunnel where athletes carved their names while they waited. You can walk through it and run a lap yourself. Nemea is famous for its wine, so finish the day with dinner and a glass of the local red.

Can you see Greek islands on a day trip from Athens?

Yes. Boats leave from Piraeus, an easy ride from central Athens on Metro Line 1, and the day lasts 11 to 12 hours. Hydra is usually the highlight, a car-free harbor town of stone houses.

To linger on one island, take the regular ferry from Piraeus to Hydra, about 1.5 to 2 hours, or to Aegina, about 40 minutes. Smaller cruises head to Aegina and Agistri for a slower pace.

Is Meteora worth it as a day trip from Athens?

It's worth it if you won't get another chance to see it. Meteora's monasteries sit on top of towering rock pillars, a landscape unlike anything else in Greece, but the trip runs about four hours each way, and tours by train or minibus last around 15 hours. Two days there lets you enjoy it far more.

Should you rent a car or take a tour from Athens?

Driving in Greece is manageable, though the roads aren't the best. Rent a small car, since streets are much narrower than at home. Hertz, Avis and Enterprise have offices at Athens Airport, and you can also pick up cars downtown.

Tours work well for Delphi, the Peloponnese and Meteora. For Delphi, letting someone else drive also means you can watch the scenery.

When are Greek archaeological sites closed?

All archaeological sites, monuments and museums close on Easter Sunday and May Day. On Good Friday they open from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and on Holy Saturday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. If your trip falls near Greek Easter, schedule the ruins on other days, and check ferry timetables before any island trip.