Athens is the perfect base for exploring the wider glories of Greece. Within a short drive or ferry you can watch the sun set behind the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, consult the ghost of the oracle at mountain-top Delphi, walk the Bronze-Age citadel of Mycenae, sail to car-free Hydra, or marvel at the cliff-top monasteries of Meteora. Here are 6 of the best day trips, with distances, durations and how to get there.
Cape Sounion & Temple of Poseidon
Area
Attica coast
Distance
70 km SE
“Time it for sunset — the marble temple on the headland glowing over the Aegean is the classic Athens excursion.”
Delphi
Area
Mount Parnassus
Distance
180 km NW
“Don't skip the museum and the lower Tholos of Athena Pronaia — and wear proper shoes for the steep site.”
Nafplio, Mycenae & Epidaurus
Area
Argolis (Peloponnese)
Distance
130 km SW
“Combine all three: the Bronze-Age citadel, the acoustically perfect theatre, and lunch in gorgeous Nafplio.”
Hydra Island
Area
Saronic islands
Distance
Saronic Gulf
“There are no cars on Hydra — just donkeys, water taxis and footpaths; wear good shoes and swim off the rocks.”
Meteora
Area
Thessaly
Distance
360 km NW
“It's a long way — the train to Kalambaka or an overnight stay beats a rushed day trip; dress modestly for the monasteries.”
Corinth Canal & Ancient Corinth
Area
Corinthia (Peloponnese)
Distance
80 km W
“Pair the dramatic canal photo-stop with the ruins of Ancient Corinth and the mighty Acrocorinth fortress above.”
Day trips from Athens in detail
1.Cape Sounion & Temple of Poseidon
Cape Sounion, at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula about 70 kilometres from Athens, is the city's classic and most romantic half-day trip. On a rocky headland plunging into the sea stand the columns of the Temple of Poseidon, built around 440 BC in gleaming local marble to honour the god of the sea, who ancient sailors prayed to as they left and returned to Athens. Its position is sublime — perched above sheer cliffs with the Aegean stretching out on three sides — and it's the sunset that makes it legendary: as the sun sinks into the sea the marble turns gold then pink, in one of the most beautiful spectacles in Greece. (Look, too, for the spot where Lord Byron is said to have carved his name into a column.) The drive down the coastal road along the Athenian Riviera is scenic in itself. You can reach it independently by KTEL bus along the coast, by taxi, or on one of the many organised sunset tours that time the visit perfectly. Bring water, arrive well before sundown to claim a good position, and stay for the show. It's an unmissable, magical excursion.
Hours
Site daily ~09:30 to sunset; €10 entry
Price
Entry €10; bus a few euros each way
Getting there
KTEL coastal bus from central Athens (~1.5–2h), organised tour, or taxi
Insider tip: Time it for sunset — the marble temple on the headland glowing over the Aegean is the classic Athens excursion.
2.Delphi
Delphi, dramatically terraced into the slopes of Mount Parnassus some three hours north-west of Athens, was the spiritual centre of the ancient Greek world — the place the Greeks believed to be the navel (omphalos) of the earth, where pilgrims came for centuries to consult the famous Oracle of Apollo, whose cryptic prophecies swayed kings and cities. A UNESCO World Heritage Site of extraordinary atmosphere, it unfolds up the hillside along the Sacred Way, past the ruins of treasuries (the reconstructed Athenian Treasury is a highlight), the great Temple of Apollo, a beautifully preserved theatre and, higher still, a stadium, all set against a breathtaking backdrop of mountains and a sea of olive groves running down to the Gulf of Corinth. The superb on-site museum houses masterpieces including the bronze Charioteer of Delphi and the twin kouroi. Below the main site lies the picture-perfect circular Tholos in the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia. It's a long day from Athens but hugely rewarding, best done on an organised tour or with an early start; wear sturdy shoes for the steep terrain and allow time for both ruins and museum. Unforgettable.
Hours
Site & museum daily ~08:00–20:00 summer, shorter winter; ~€12
Price
Combined site + museum ~€12; tours vary
Getting there
Organised day tour, KTEL bus (~3h each way), or self-drive (~2.5h)
Insider tip: Don't skip the museum and the lower Tholos of Athena Pronaia — and wear proper shoes for the steep site.
3.Nafplio, Mycenae & Epidaurus
The Argolis region of the north-eastern Peloponnese, around two hours from Athens, packs three superb attractions into one classic full-day trip, usually done as a single organised tour or self-drive. First comes Mycenae, the fortified citadel of the Bronze-Age civilization that dominated Greece around 1600–1100 BC and gave Homer his golden kingdom of Agamemnon; you enter through the monumental Lion Gate, walk among the ruins of the palace and royal shaft graves (where the 'Mask of Agamemnon' was found), and duck into the vast beehive-shaped Treasury of Atreus tomb. Next, the ancient theatre of Epidaurus, part of a great healing sanctuary, is a wonder of engineering — a perfectly proportioned amphitheatre seating 14,000 with acoustics so flawless that a coin dropped on the stage can be heard in the back row (guides love to demonstrate). Between or after them lies Nafplio, arguably Greece's prettiest town and its first modern capital: an elegant Venetian-Ottoman harbour of neoclassical mansions, waterfront cafés and a hilltop fortress, ideal for a relaxed lunch and stroll. History and beauty combined — a wonderful, varied day out.
Hours
Sites daily (Mycenae & Epidaurus ~08:00–20:00 summer); ~€12 each
Price
Site entries ~€12 each; combined tours from ~€90
Getting there
Organised day tour (easiest), self-drive (~2h to Nafplio), or KTEL bus
Insider tip: Combine all three: the Bronze-Age citadel, the acoustically perfect theatre, and lunch in gorgeous Nafplio.
4.Hydra Island
Of all the islands within day-trip reach of Athens, Hydra is the most captivating. A fast ferry from Piraeus (around 90 minutes to two hours) delivers you to a scene of pure Greek-island romance: a horseshoe harbour ringed by grand grey-stone sea captains' mansions rising up the bare hillside, cafés and tavernas lining the quay, and — most distinctively — no cars or scooters anywhere on the island, which has banned motor vehicles for decades. Transport is by donkey, water taxi or your own two feet, giving Hydra a uniquely peaceful, timeless atmosphere that long ago made it a haunt of artists, writers (Leonard Cohen famously lived here) and the jet set. There are no sandy beaches to speak of; instead you swim off rocks and little lidos in gloriously clear water, wander the stone lanes and chapels, hike the coastal paths to quieter spots, and browse the galleries and boutiques. Many visitors come on a popular one-day cruise that also takes in Poros and Aegina, though going independently by fast ferry gives you far more time on the island. For beauty, character and calm, Hydra is the standout Saronic escape.
Hours
N/A (island); ferries daily
Price
Fast ferry ~€30–40 each way; day cruises vary
Getting there
Fast ferry from Piraeus (~1.5–2h), or a one-day three-island cruise
Insider tip: There are no cars on Hydra — just donkeys, water taxis and footpaths; wear good shoes and swim off the rocks.
5.Meteora
Meteora, in the plains of Thessaly in central Greece, is one of the most jaw-dropping landscapes in the country — a cluster of gigantic, sheer sandstone pillars soaring hundreds of metres from the valley floor, with medieval Eastern Orthodox monasteries built impossibly on their summits. The name means 'suspended in the air', and that's exactly how the monasteries look, clinging to the pinnacles where monks first sought isolation from the fourteenth century, originally reaching them by ropes, nets and removable ladders. Six of the once-24 monasteries remain active and open to visitors, each reached now by steps carved into the rock, and each offering frescoed churches, small museums and dizzying views over the surrounding valleys and the neighbouring pillars. A UNESCO World Heritage Site for both its natural drama and spiritual heritage, it's also superb for hiking and rock climbing. The catch is distance: it's a long way from Athens (four to five hours by train or road), so while day tours and a long-day train trip exist, Meteora genuinely rewards an overnight stay in the base town of Kalambaka to see it at sunrise and sunset. Dress modestly (covered shoulders and knees) to enter the monasteries. Truly unforgettable.
Hours
Monasteries open on varying days ~09:00–17:00; €3 each; modest dress required
Price
Monastery entry €3 each; train/tour fares vary
Getting there
Train from Athens to Kalambaka (~4–5h), organised tour, or self-drive (~4.5h)
Insider tip: It's a long way — the train to Kalambaka or an overnight stay beats a rushed day trip; dress modestly for the monasteries.
6.Corinth Canal & Ancient Corinth
The Corinth area, about an hour west of Athens at the neck of the Peloponnese, makes an accessible and varied half- or full-day trip. The first stop is the Corinth Canal, an astonishing feat of nineteenth-century engineering that slices a dead-straight, six-kilometre channel through solid rock to connect the Aegean and Ionian seas, its sheer walls dropping some 80 metres to a narrow ribbon of water far below — a genuinely dramatic photo stop, sometimes enlivened by bungee jumpers. Nearby lies Ancient Corinth, once one of the richest and most powerful city-states of the classical and Roman worlds, and a place of biblical fame as the community St Paul addressed in his Epistles. Its extensive ruins include the imposing Doric Temple of Apollo, the marble-paved forum, fountains and shops, with a good museum on site. Looming above is Acrocorinth, a colossal, multi-layered fortress crowning a steep hill, its Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman walls enclosing sweeping views over two gulfs — a rewarding, free climb for those with the energy. Easily reached by the fast suburban railway, by tour or by car, Corinth combines engineering spectacle, ancient history and a formidable castle in one convenient outing.
Hours
Canal viewable anytime; Ancient Corinth site & museum ~08:00–20:00 summer, ~€8
Price
Ancient Corinth ~€8; Acrocorinth free
Getting there
Suburban rail/bus to Corinth (~1h), organised tour, or self-drive (~1h)
Insider tip: Pair the dramatic canal photo-stop with the ruins of Ancient Corinth and the mighty Acrocorinth fortress above.