Day trips from Athens: Delphi, Hydra, Sounion

From Athens, the choice is first between the sea and antiquity, and only then between places. For an island day you leave from Piraeus; for the classical sites you face long roads, as trains play no part in any of these trips. The short answer: Delphi is the strongest if you have only one big day, Aegina the easiest island day, Hydra the prettier one, Sounion the short evening by the sea, and Mycenae with Nafplio is a day for anyone with a car or a seat in one.

Day trips from Athens at a glance

Ferry times come from Hellenic Seaways and the City of Athens tourism site, and the Delphi bus time from the Greek National Tourism Organisation. Road times are pure driving, so allow about a third more. Add the trip to Piraeus to the ferry times.

Base map: Natural Earth

Delphi: the big day

How to get there: intercity KTEL buses run from Athens to Delphi in about 2.5 hours according to the Greek tourism organisation; Discover Greece gives about 3 hours and names the Liosia bus station as the start. By car it's 176 km and 2 hours 47 of pure driving, so hardly any quicker. If you'd rather not depend on a bus timetable, take a tour: Delphi tours from Athens^* can be compared on Viator.

What to see: the ancient world saw Delphi as the navel of the earth, and it was Greece's most important oracle, where the Pythia spoke for Apollo. The site lies on the slopes of Mount Parnassus with wide views over the olive groves of Amfissa. Walk up the Sacred Way to the Temple of Apollo and allow time for the museum. A little apart stands the Tholos in the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia.

The trade-off: five to six hours of travel in a day. It's doable, but a night in the small town of Delphi or in Arachova is far more relaxed and lets you get there before the day visitors. In summer many day visitors arrive, and the climb has no shade.

Best for: anyone who wants to understand ancient Greece and has only one big day outside Athens.

Aegina: the easy island day

How to get there: several companies sail from Piraeus several times a day. The small fast ferries take 40 minutes and the larger ships about 75. You can compare them at the port, and tickets are also on the ferry companies' sites.

What to see: Aegina Town on the harbour, the Temple of Aphaia on a hill and the pistachios the island is known for, which carry protected-origin status. The Temple of Aphaia forms the so-called Sacred Triangle with the Parthenon and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion.

Best for: a day with little planning, families, and anyone who wants more of the sea. For the Temple of Aphaia you'll need a bus or taxi from the harbour, as it isn't walkable from town.

Hydra: the car-free island

How to get there: Hellenic Seaways sails from Piraeus and gives from 1 hour 30 for the route, departing from Gate E8. Check your return at the same time, since the last ferry sets the limit on your day.

What to see: the harbour of Hydra Town with its old captains' houses and bastions, Kiafa, the oldest quarter, and the Red House in Kaminia, an 1786 home of Admiral Miaoulis and now a gallery. You can swim off the rocks at Spilia and Hydroneta. Hydra has no cars, so you walk.

Aegina or Hydra? If you want an easy day, Aegina. If you'll get up earlier for a prettier harbour town and walks, Hydra.

Sounion: the temple on the cape

How to get there: by car it's 68 km and 1 hour 16 of pure driving. KTEL Attica buses also run, but we couldn't confirm a duration with the operator, so check the timetable first. With a rental car in Greece^* you can choose the coast road for the trip.

What to see: the Temple of Poseidon, from the 5th century BC, at the southern tip of Attica, for 2,500 years the first landmark anyone arriving by sea would see. Plus the view of the Aegean and, depending on the time of day, plenty of people who want the same thing.

When: sunset is the favourite time and also the busiest. Come earlier if you want more room. The return in the dark then argues for a car or a tour.

Best for: a free afternoon when you don't want to leave Athens entirely.

Mycenae and Nafplio: the Peloponnese in a day

How to get there: by car, Mycenae is 121 km and 1 hour 45 of pure driving, and Nafplio 140 km and 2 hours 5. On the way south you pass the Corinth Canal, 1 hour 6 from Athens. KTEL buses leave Kifissos bus station for Nafplio, in about 2 hours according to Discover Greece, but Mycenae and Nafplio together are hard without a car.

What to see: at Mycenae, the Lion Gate and the citadel walls; the site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Tiryns. Nafplio is a lovely harbour town below the Palamidi fortress. The theatre at Epidaurus is close by, 2 hours 25 from Athens, but as a third stop it's too much for one day.

Which order: go to Mycenae first in the morning to avoid the heat and the tour groups, then lunch and an afternoon in Nafplio, and drive back in the evening. Better still, stay the night in Nafplio and see Epidaurus the next day.

How many day trips fit into an Athens stay?

For the Acropolis, Plaka and the Agora, two days are enough, as our article on how many days to spend in Athens shows. With three days, an evening at Sounion fits, and with four, an island day. With five days or more, add Delphi. For your arrival, see Athens airport to the city centre, and if you're moving on to the islands, look at our Cyclades island-hopping route.

The season matters: in high summer, Delphi and Mycenae are very hot and ferries are full. The best time to visit Greece gives an overview.

How YesTrip helps you plan

YesTrip has a ready-made plan for Athens. Copy it into the app, add your hotel and put the island day or Delphi on the right date. The app shows the weather for your travel days, which makes a difference for ferries and hot archaeological sites, and with the offline package you have the map on the island without a signal. You book ferries and tours with the provider; YesTrip itself doesn't book anything and is free.

Athens trip planDay by day, with map and tips

* Ad – Partner link: if you book there, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same.