Last Updated on March 31, 2023 by Adrienne
When you think of ancient Greek archaeological sites, your mind probably jumps to the Parthenon and the other buildings on the Acropolis in Athens. But those are far from the only ancient sites to explore in Greece. As I mentioned, we spent only one full day in Athens, so that we could devote a day to traveling to Delphi, Greece, the place the Ancient Greeks considered the center of the world and which is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This was a great decision. I enjoyed visiting Delphi far more than the Acropolis. For one thing, the archaeological sites here aren’t under construction, and so there are no cranes and scaffolding to remind you that you’re actually in the present and not 600 BC. I’m also a sucker for mountain scenery, so ancient cities against a mountainous backdrop are going to beat plain old ancient cities any day of the week in my book.
There are multiple operators that run day trips to Delphi from Athens. We went with Greece Taxi. Delphi is a little over a two hour drive from Athens. The first part of the trip was nothing special scenery-wise, but we enjoyed hearing our driver talk about life in Greece. I always enjoy getting the local perspective when traveling, even if it’s from someone who works in the tourism industry.
Once we got into the mountainous regions, we stopped in the cute little town of Arachova. I was so charmed by this town and so surprised to see something like this in Greece; it wouldn’t have been out of place in Switzerland. I really wish we’d had more time here to explore (I liked our tour in general, but wasn’t thrilled about the pacing – it was a private tour so I thought it should have been more customized).
Once we got to Delphi, I forgot all about Arachova, however. Delphi is located on the side of Mount Parnassus and the views are incredible.
We saw the Treasury of the Athenians, built to commemorate the Athenians victory in a battle…
…and the remains of the Temple of Apollo, where people sought advice from the oracle…
…and the ancient theater, which could hold a crowd of 5,000.
My favorite (and the most photographed) structure in Delphi was the beautiful Tholos at the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia.
There is a museum in Delphi too. It’s smaller in scale and less impressive than the Acropolis Museum, but still worth a visit.
On the way home we stopped in Livadia, a lovely little mountain town with a river running through it, for lunch. We had a very Greek meal of pita, chicken kabobs and french fries and a not-so-Greek meal of chicken in some sort of (mild) curry sauce.
I really enjoyed this excursion, and highly recommend a day trip to Delphi if you’re in Athens. In addition to all the ruins, which are certainly worth a visit in and of themselves, it was fun to get out of the city and see some more of mainland Greece before we headed out to the islands.
You’ll want to devote the better part of a day to this day trip, since it takes about two hours each way to get to Delphi from Athens, and then several hours to see the ruins and have lunch. That means if you want a day to explore the Acropolis, you’ll need two full days in Athens. Two days is what we did, and it seemed like the perfect amount of time.
Looks like an amazing time! I, as well, had such an amazing experience being somewhere that happened years ago. Hearing the tales of Delphi is quite intriguing.
I’m glad to hear you had a great experience there as well, Kristina! It’s a very special place.