The best day trips from Athens are Delphi, Nafplio and one Saronic island, each a full day you can do without a car. Cape Sounion needs only an afternoon, and Meteora is the hard one: 4 hours each way, so sleep in Kalambaka or accept a 14-hour tour.
| Destination | Travel time | Transport | Self-guided | Tour | Time needed | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 AeginaTemple of Aphaia and harbour | 40 min | Ferry | € 34 | € 135 | 5–7 h | Worth a full day |
 Ancient CorinthRoman forum, Temple of Apollo | 1 h 05 | Suburban train + taxi | € 28.60–48.60 | € 76 | 2–3 h | Worth half a day |
 HydraCar-free harbour town | 1 h 10 | High-speed ferry | € 70–84 | € 99 | 5–8 h | Worth a full day |
 Saronic IslandsHydra, Poros and Aegina | 1 h 30 | High-speed ferry | € 24–84 | € 99 | 5–8 h | Worth a full day |
 Mycenae and EpidaurusBronze Age citadel, ancient theatre | 1 h 30 | Tour coach or car | – | € 87.50 | 3–5 h | Only with a tour |
 Cape SounionTemple of Poseidon at sunset | 2 h | KTEL bus | – | € 28 | 1–2 h | Worth half a day |
 NafplioOld town and Palamidi fortress | 2 h 10 | KTEL bus | € 49 | € 87.50 | 5–7 h | Worth a full day |
 DelphiSanctuary of Apollo and museum | 3 h | KTEL bus | € 50.20 | € 24 | 3–4 h | Worth a full day |
 Ancient OlympiaBirthplace of the Olympic Games | 3 h 30 | Car or KTEL bus | – | – | 3–5 h | Better to sleep there |
 MeteoraSix monasteries on rock pillars | 4 h | Tour coach | – | € 84 | 4–6 h | Better to sleep there |
No destination from Athens matches this filter.
Last checked: · Bus times from KTEL Fokidas, KTEL Argolida and KTEL Korinthias; opening days and ticket prices from Hellenic Heritage (hh.gr), the Greek culture ministry's ticket service.
Three ways to use your free days, from the single trip we would pick to a full set.
With one free day, go to Delphi. One € 20 ticket covers a mountain sanctuary and a strong museum. Take the 08:30 KTEL from Liosion, climb to the stadium first, then see the museum and eat in the village before the 16:00 bus. The warning: only the 08:30 works, and return seats are limited, so buy the way back as soon as you arrive.
Do Delphi first, while you still have energy for 6 hours on a coach. Keep the second day slow: the 08:00 high-speed boat from Piraeus puts you on Hydra by 09:30, with time to walk the coast path, swim off the rocks and eat a long lunch. From November to April swap Hydra for Nafplio, which does not depend on the sea. The warning for Hydra: book both sailings ahead, because summer boats sell out and a missed return means a night on the island.
Put a rest between the two long coach days. Start with Delphi on the 08:30 bus from Liosion. Spend day two on Hydra, by the 08:00 boat from Piraeus. On day three take the 08:00 KTEL from Kifissos to Nafplio, climb to Palamidi before lunch and come back on the 17:00. If ancient sites matter more to you than a harbour town, replace Nafplio with the Mycenae and Epidaurus coach. The warning: the three trips leave from three different terminals, so check each address the night before.
What the weather does, how full it gets and which trips work best in each season.
Works bestHydraAeginaCape SounionSaronic Islands
Works bestDelphiNafplioHydraAncient Olympia
Works bestNafplioAncient CorinthCape Sounion
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°C) | 13.6 | 14.1 | 15.9 | 19.6 | 24.4 | 29.2 | 32.2 | 32.2 | 28.3 | 23.4 | 18.8 | 15.1 |
| Average low (°C) | 7 | 7.1 | 8.5 | 11.5 | 15.8 | 20.3 | 23 | 23.1 | 19.6 | 15.7 | 12 | 8.8 |
| Rainy days | 12.9 | 11.4 | 11.3 | 9.3 | 6.4 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 4.7 | 8.6 | 10.9 | 13.5 |
Climate averages: Hellenic National Meteorological Service, Elliniko station normals 1955-2010 (via Wikipedia, Athens)
Entry tickets are the expensive part. Delphi, Sounion, Mycenae, Epidaurus and Palamidi each charge € 20, so two sites in a day add up fast. State sites are free on the first Sunday of the month from November to March, on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, 28 October and the last weekend of September. EU citizens under 25 enter free with ID. The tour is cheaper for Delphi (from € 24 against € 30.20 by KTEL). Aegina is the low-cost island at € 12 each way.
On Hydra and Aegina eat fish by the water: grilled octopus, fried small fish and sea bream sold by weight. Aegina grows pistachios, sold roasted or as spoon sweets at the port. Hydra's bakeries make amygdalota, soft almond sweets. At Delphi the village serves mountain food such as lamb, wild greens and formaela cheese from Arachova. Nafplio is known for ice cream and Nemea red wine. Pack lunch for Mycenae, Ancient Corinth and Sounion, where choice at the gate is thin.
The same destinations, sorted by what you want from the day.
Worth a full dayThe closest Saronic island to Athens, with a 5th-century BC temple on a pine hill, 40 minutes to 1 h 10 by ferry from Piraeus.
Worth half a dayThe excavated Greek and Roman city with its museum, 10 minutes by car from modern Corinth and about an hour from Athens by suburban train.
Worth a full dayA Saronic island with no cars, a stone harbour town and a coast path, 1 h 10 to 1 h 30 from Piraeus by high-speed ferry.
Worth a full dayThree islands in the Saronic Gulf, seen together on an 11-hour cruise or singly by ferry from Piraeus, 1 h 10 to 1 h 55 away.
Only with a tourThe citadel of Mycenae and the theatre of Epidaurus, two sites in the Argolid, 1 h 30 from Athens by road and 30 minutes either side of Nafplio.
Worth half a dayA 5th-century BC temple of Poseidon on the southern tip of Attica, 2 hours from Athens by public bus or 65 minutes by car.
Worth a full dayA harbour town in the Argolid with a Venetian fortress on the hill above it, 2 h 10 from Athens by direct KTEL bus.
Worth a full dayThe ancient oracle site on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, with a museum next door, about 3 hours north-west of Athens by coach.
Better to sleep thereThe sanctuary of Zeus and the original Olympic stadium in the western Peloponnese, with two museums, about 3.5 hours from Athens by car.
Better to sleep thereSix working Orthodox monasteries built on sandstone pillars above Kalambaka in Thessaly, roughly 4 hours north of Athens by coach.
