Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece often referred to as the historical capital of Europe because of the long history dating from its first settlement in the Neolithic age between 7000 BC to 5000BC. Athens Stands as one of the best cities in Europe to visit –Its archeological history, many museums, architectural designs ranging from Greco-Roman to Neoclassical styles, music and art are some attractions your Athens day trip holds for you.
On your visit to Athens, this article will offer you the adequate information you need to make the most of your Athens day trips, giving you full details on the best attractions sites around the country. If you are considering having the best of times on your Athens tour, then outlined below are some must-visit locations for you.
Overview
Consider taking a day trip from Athens to ones of the most important archeological site of ancient Greece called Delphi. It stands as the seat of Pythia the high priestess of the oracle of Apollo found in the south-western slope of Mount Parnassus. Delphi has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site as a result of its influence in the ancient world. Your Athens day trip to this ancient town holds a lot of amazing experiences for you, its many historical monuments, museums, and beautiful traditional villages are some of the reason you must visit Delphi.
Start exploring Delphi on your Athens day trip from the historical temple of Apollo the seat of the high priestess to see its various compartments including the temple’s deepest chamber that was only accessed by Pythia and the priests. Head up the Sacred Way to a small temple-like building to discover the mind-blowing treasury of Athens – the entire structure was constructed from marble with inscriptions that give valuable information about the festival and customs of ancient Greece. Proceed to the Theatre and stadium of Delphi to explore the ancient stadium that hosted the Pythia games – the stadium is capable of hosting a crowd of about 5000.
Your Athens day trip to Delphi is just that topnotch experience that you need to have the best day trip from Athens, more places to visit are; the Archeological Museum and Delphic Festival Museum to explore more on the history of human existence. Other places to visit; Corycian Cave, the town of Galaxidi, the scenic village of Arachova, the traditional village of Chrisso and tholos of Delphi.
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Duration: 10 hours
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Duration: 10 hours
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Duration: 11 hours
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Overview
Mycenae, 90 kilometres from Athens is another must-visit place on your Athens day trip. This archeological site of Peloponnese in the south-west of Athens is built upon a hill rising above 900 feet above sea level. Mycenae played a key role in Greek civilization especially in the second Millennium BC – that is why the period of Greek history from 1600 BC to about 1100 is called Mycenaean to reference Mycenae.
You can get to Mycenae by car or bus tour, considering the various car renting options in Athens will allow you explore different locations at your leisure without having to inconvenient yourself struggling for bus tickets – you can also take a bus especially the ones that offer coaching tour guide that helps explore Mycenae.
Your day trip from Athens to Mycenae holds lots of experiences for you exploring this archeology site that was a major tourist destination during the Roman Empire. Some of the places to visit is The Lion Gate that stands as the most iconic symbol of this archeological site, the gate measuring 3 metre by 3 metres was built in 1250 BC with an illustration of two giant lions at the entrance up to about 3 metre tall. You also have the chance to explore the Treasury of Atreus that houses the tomb of the Mycenae Royal family, you can also explore the Crave Circle with six circular tomb that was discovered at the south of Lions Gate.
Reviews: 4.5 (93 reviews)
Duration: 10 hours
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Duration: 10 hours
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Duration: 10 hours
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Duration: 1 day
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Overview
Corinth, the capital of Corinthia is a must visit destination if you hope for the best of experiences on your Athens day trip. Apart from the medieval structures that characterized this location, the wonderful atmosphere will make you fall in love with this ancient town. This ancient town is located on the picturesque part of the country and it attracts a good amount of tourist annually.
There are quite a lot you can do on your Athens day trip to Corinth, the first place to discover as you drive by is the Corinth Canal – this beautiful small canal separates the mainland Greece from the Peloponnese Peninsula, the sight of this beautiful canal just want to make you want to take pictures. Visit to Museum of Stymphilia holds amazing experiences for you, its luxurious garden gives that wonderful and serene atmosphere that welcomes visitors –its main attractions are a mosaic floor, Corinth pottery, ceramics, and marble headless status.
Explore the best of an ancient village on foot and discover the Temple of Apollo and other structures – to make the most of your tour, you should consider taking a guided tour so as to cover more ground. Explore the Acrocorinth and learn more about the fortified hilltop that stands about 575 metres high, also discover the Temple of Aphrodite that was converted to a mosque in the 16th century.
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Duration: 4 hours
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Overview
The beautiful town of Cape Sounion is another place you should consider visiting on your day trip from Athens. It is about 70 kilometres from Athens so you can travel in your personal car or consider one of the various car renting options in the country. There are some attractions unique to this destination that makes a tourist visit.
The temple of Poseidon is one that comes to people’s mind when Sounion is mentioned. It was built between 444 – 440 BC and stands as the major monument of the town that represents the Golden Age of Athens, its ruins are still standing today on the headland around the sea at height of about 200 feet – your visit also gives you that panoramic view of the Aegean sea. The sunset of Cape Sounion is one of the most breathtaking sunsets in Athens that provides you that beautiful background for taking pictures.
The beautiful beach of Aegean offers you the perfect environment for swimming, surfing and deep sea diving for a stunning view of the aquatic underwater. Cape Sounion Grecotel Exclusive Resort offers some amazing services including sailing on a yacht, beach barbeque, national park trekking, full moon party, and golf clubs that will help you enjoy this beautiful town better.
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Duration: 4 hours
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Duration: 6 hours
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Duration: 4 hours
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Overview
The Meteora is one of the places that hold amazing experiences for you on your day trip from Athens. This beautifully formed rock of Meteora is home to Greece’s Orthodox monastery. Meteora is characterized by a unique landscape that stands as UNESCO world heritage site that attracts many tourists every year. Meteora is not just a place of worship by the resident monks, nature lovers also come in to enjoy the wonderful natural ambience in the town of Kalambaka.
Kalambaka is a fun-filled town that you can explore on your day trip from Athens, you can take an impactful stroll along the cobbled stone streets to discover the charming churches dating back to Byzantine period – there are also quite a number of cuisines, cafés and bars here where you can sample some of Greek’s delicious dishes, gifts shop are also available to buy traditional items including embroidered fabrics and leather sandals. Your day trip from Athens Meteora gives you the chance to hike the various trails for a panoramic view of the monasteries – the hiking routes at St. Stephan is about 900 feet above Kalambaka that will give you the best view of the town and the monasteries.
The beautiful sunset gives a stunning view of the sun dip down behind the magnificent forest – this also provides a beautiful background for taking pictures. Rock climbing is one of the major sports associated with this area, you can climb on the rocks to discover the amazing rock formation but do that with a guide especially if it’s for the first time – go on a guided mountain bike tour along the trail that leads to the stone forest to discover the monastery of Ypapanti.
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Duration: 12 hours
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Duration: 14 hours
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Duration: 14 hours
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Hydra Island is one of the Islands located in the Aegean Sea between the Saronic Gulf and the Argolic Gulf. It is renowned for its charming architectural structures amazing nightlife and stands as the best location to consider for a day trip from Athens. A visit to this amazing island holds lots of experiences for you as you explore this magical island that stands as the most breathtaking harbor of Greek Island.
The Harried Hydra horse gives you the chance to enjoy the lovely scenery of riding on the back a horse, their services run for different times starting from 45 minutes to a whole day – these services are available in different categories ranging from children to adults. Because of the many beaches, Scuba diving is definitely one of the best activities to explore the underwater reefs, caves, and other nice sites around the Island – different diving centers offer boats and other diving equipment.
Explore the beautiful Hydra’s architecture including the Stone mansion, cobblestone streets and the monasteries that have been in existence since the 18th century – these structures have spacey rooms, high ceilings and beautifully painted walls with awe-inspiring garlands and drawings on the walls. There are many churches that you will also want to explore, the famous among all is the main cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Church and the chapel of Saint Kyprianos. Museum of Hydra Island is also there for you to explore to the best of art and history of this island.
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Duration: 11 hours
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Duration: 11 hours
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Duration: 12 hours
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Duration: 11 hours
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Overview
The beautiful Athenian Riviera is on the southern end of Athens. It is a major attraction of the city and the best location to consider for the best Athens day trip experiences. The beautiful coastline is lined with palm trees that provide shades where you can relax and soak up the cool Mediterranean ambience. There are many night clubs in Riviera that contributes to night vibes that make Athens one of the liveliest cities in Europe.
The Apollo Coast has many beautiful beaches both private and public owned that lined its 48km stretched coastline. The privately operated beach venue have sunbeds, and some beach-sport venues like volleyball and beach soccer courts – access into these beaches attract a fee. You can visit the town of Sounion on your day trip to explore the Temple of Poseidon, the temple dedicated to the goddess of the sea – the astonishing view of Aegean Sea from this temple is breathtaking.
You can hope for the best shopping experiences when you visit the Glyfada, a perfect shopping hub that is lined with boutiques and stores, there are also cafés eateries and bars where you can relax and have a sumptuous meal. You can sail the coast of Riviera on a yacht to explore the fascinating coves and islets and also visit Battleship of Averof to explore the naval history.
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Duration: 3 hours
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The Temple of Artemis is another location that you can visit on your Athens day trip. It is located on the eastern side of Attica and stands as one of the most relevant sacred sites in ancient times – your day trip gives you the chance see the remains of the sanctuary of Iphigeneia, the gymnasium and many other buildings and explore the surrounding natural environment including the stream that runs across the site.
The temple of Artemis is not the only attraction in Attica, you can hope for the best of experience on your day trip from Athens as you explore the beautiful towns and beaches in this region. Marathon is one of the most historical places in Attica just about 40 km from Athens, it is popularly known for its 490 BC Battle of Marathon – one of the main attractions in this location is the nature and lakes that gives a good relaxing ambience. A visit to the town of Lavrio will give you the chance to explore the archeological Museum of Lavrio, the Island of Makronisos and the biggest silver mine in Greece.
The Small Port in Piraeus holds an amazing experience for you, there are bars, cafés located next to the sea that gives a romantic atmosphere for couples especially in the evenings – you can also go for fishing using one of the small boats at the seashore. Your day trip from Athens gives you the chance to explore the beautiful beaches in the town of Salamis that includes Kaki Vigla and Aianteio. You can visit Eleusis one of the five Sacred Cities in Greece known for its Eleusinian mysteries and explore the birthplace of Aeschylus and place of worship of goddess Demeter.
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Duration: 5 hours
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Duration: 8 hours
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The archeological site of Nemea is worth visiting on your day trip from Athens, this site of archeological ruins sits a beautiful garden today that is maintained to give it a natural environment. Your day trip gives you the chance to explore the sanctuary that hosted the Nemea Pan-Hellenic Festivals and learn more on Nemean Zeus glory that gave rise to these traditional festivals.
To have an exciting time in Nemea, you should make efforts to visit the temple of the Nemean Zeus as this is really a sight to behold. You can walk on the ruins and I can assure you of a breath-taking experience. For many tourists that visit Nemea during their day trip from Athens, the Nemean games are always an interesting part of the trip. The museum in this location has lots of information about the games to help you know more about it. You are sure to find lots of elements in the museum from times past.
Expect an impactful Athens day trip as you explore the remains of the ancient Nemea Stadium that hosted the Nemea games, the stadium has ten columns 100m long track with its starting lines still preserved. This stadium stands as one of Nemea’s most evocative structures and serves as a great source of attraction.
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Duration: 10 hours
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Consider taking a day trip from Athens for an awesome experience at ancient Greece most iconic attraction site called Acropolis. It stands as the symbol of the former glory and history of Athens that dates back to 2000 years ago. There are so many monuments to explore on your Athens day trip that will give you that experience that will make your outing an inspiring one.
The Acropolis is one of the most important ancient sites in the western world, this monument and sanctuaries are built with white Pentelic marble that shines in the midday and reflects light that can be seen from all parts of the city at night. A visit to the Parthenon will help you explore the temple dedicated to Athena Parthenon, the goddess embodying the power and prestige of the city – this temple stands as one largest temple ever completed in Greece.
The Theatre of the Dionysos holds an amazing experience on your Athens day trip as you explore the world’s first theatre that hosted the festival of the great Dionysia as far back as 6th century BC. A visit to the Propylaia also promises an impactful experience, this great medieval architecture was built as far back as 432 BC – it consists of a central hall with two wings that its walls and ceilings are designed with marble panel. Explore the best of art at the National Museum of Contemporary Art that was opened in 1015 – it exhibits international arts in all media, from painting to video to experimental architecture.
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Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes
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