7 Ancient Ruins Day Trips in Athens for Your Spare Day

1.Cape Sounion & Poseidon Temple Sunset Half-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 8,241 reviews · 5h 30m · from $23Our pick

Travel from Metaxourghio to Cape Sounion by air-conditioned coach, following the Athenian Riviera to Poseidon’s Temple. Your English-speaking guide, often guides such as Angelina, Lydia, or Dimitra, shares Greek myths and local history. You get about 1.5 to 2 hours at the site for views, photos, and sunset.

“The trip was amazing, and our guide, Lydia, was brilliant. She told us loads of facts and stories on the way there and back. The temple is beautiful and there is a cafe at the bottom for food and drinks. The tour doesnt include the 20€ entry to the temple, which makes the whole trip very expensive. You can see the sunset from lower down, but the temple is really the whole point.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Ancient Corinth Day Trip with Canal & VR Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,073 reviews · 6 hours · from $41

Travel from central Athens by air-conditioned minibus to the Corinth Canal, Ancient Corinth, and the old port of Kechries. You get free time at each stop, plus a VR app and audio guide for the archaeological site. English-speaking hosts such as Angela, Stefanos, Dido, and Christopher have led recent departures, with lunch and the €15 Corinth entry ticket paid separately.

“Very interesting and beautiful places, a comfirtable journey and a knowledgeable guide”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Ancient Corinth & Nafplio Full Day Trip with Swim

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 531 reviews

Join an English-speaking guide such as Dimitra, Vivian, Theo, or Chryssa for a 10-hour trip from Halandri to Ancient Corinth and Nafplio. Expect ruins, a museum, local food, free time, and a summer swim at Arvanitia Beach. Transport, Wi-Fi, and an archaeologist guide are included.

“We love love loved the activity. Our guide Katerina was amazing, thanks to her degree in history and amazing storytelling skill, we enjoyed our time a lot. Napflio was absolutely beautiful and the sea was heaven-like. We absolutely recommend this tour.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Sounio Poseidon Temple and Athenian Riviera Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 173 reviews · from $84Top rated

Travel from Athens along the Athenian Riviera with a maximum of six people, stopping at Vouliagmeni Lake, a local bakery, a summer beach, and Cape Sounio. Your English-speaking guide, often Konstantinos, Kosta, or Fotis, adds Greek history, mythology, food, and local stories before a sunset visit to the Temple of Poseidon.

“Fotis was the perfect guide for our family (including a nine & ten year old). We learnt a greater appreciation for Greek culture, history & food as well as seeing the Temple. Fotis brought us to a secluded beach where we had a beautiful swim and we saw his home town too. Our kids were so engaged over a six hour trip, and know this will have been the highlight of our holiday for them both. Would highly recommend.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Cape Sounio and Temple of Poseidon Private Day Trip with Private Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 140 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $199

Spend about six hours on Athens’ southern coast with a private local host such as Fotis, Antonis, or Yorgos. You’ll ride in an air-conditioned vehicle to the Temple of Poseidon, stop for Greek coffee and a snack, swim at Poseidon Beach, and hear about Greek culture along the way. Your guide does not enter the archaeological site with you.

“We had an amazing journey with Fotis as our guide. He took us along the Athens Riviera to the Temple of Poseidon and the views were incredible. We had coffee and a snack at the beginning of our trip and later stopped at a local seaside cafe for a delicious lunch. He shared a lot of information along the way, not just about the history of the places we visited but also about Hellenic culture, tradition and lifestyle. It was a real view into life in Greece.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Half Day Trip To Cape Sounio/Poseidon Temple Semi Private

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 131 reviews · 6 to 7 hours (approx.)

Leave central Athens for a six to seven-hour coastal outing with a group of no more than six. Swim at Kape Beach, pause at Vouliagmeni lagoon, explore the Temple of Poseidon, and finish in Lavrio. Guides such as Niko and Nikolas add Greek mythology, local food advice, and easygoing company. Lunch and the €20 temple admission cost extra.

“We had an impeccable time with Cathenian Adventures touring about the Greece coast to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon. We selected this tour because we wanted a small group experience and that is what we got! We had a full group at 6 travelers plus our guide, Niko. Niko was great - he effortlessly shared stories of Greek mythology as we approached the Temple of Poseidon, weaving what I had only known as disparate tales, connecting numerous mythological characters together into one cohesive story. It was brilliant! Before we ventured there, we started our tour with a nice vista of Lake Voulougmeni and a stop at a coffee…”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Temple of Apollo and Oracle Delphi Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 51 reviews · 10 hours · from $140

Travel from Athens through Thebes, Levadia, and Arachova to ancient Delphi. Your guide leads you past the Temple of Apollo, Treasury of the Athenians, and the bronze Charioteer in the museum. Estela has earned special praise for her lively explanations. Transport, entrance fees, and optional lunch are included.

“escursione bellissima. il posto è fantastico e la guida è stata esaustiva e gentile. cinsigliatissimo”

Check availability →Read our full review