Day trip from Athens Delphi
The ancient oracle site on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, with a museum next door, about 3 hours north-west of Athens by coach.
Is Delphi worth a day trip from Athens?
Go. The tour coach is cheaper.
Yes, and give it the whole day. Delphi is about 3 hours from Athens each way, so you sit on a coach for 6 hours to spend 3 or 4 at the sanctuary and museum. One € 20 ticket covers both. The odd part is the price: the Civitatis coach starts at € 24, less than the € 30.20 return on the public KTEL bus, though it gives you only 2.5 hours on site. Take the 08:30 KTEL from Liosion if you want your own pace. From November to March the site shuts at 15:30, so the 10:30 bus arrives too late.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 3 h+ 15 min walk from the village · one way · KTEL Fokidas timetable
- Transport
- KTEL bus
- Self-guided cost
- € 50.20KTEL bus return (2 x € 15.10) + site and museum ticket (€ 20) · Santorini Secrets (KTEL fare, 2026)
- Tour price
- From € 24Civitatis catalogue
- Time needed
- 3–4 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- None
- Best time
- Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct; closes 15:30 Nov-MarDaytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Worth a full dayDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in Delphi
- 01
Sanctuary of Apollo
The Sacred Way zigzags uphill past the rebuilt Athenian Treasury to the six re-erected columns of the temple where the oracle sat. Allow 45 minutes to this point.
- 02
Theatre and stadium
Above the temple, a 4th-century BC theatre looks down the valley. The stadium is another 10 minutes up a steep path and held about 6,500 spectators.
- 03
Archaeological museum
Next to the site entrance and on the same ticket. Give it an hour for the bronze Charioteer, the Sphinx of Naxos and the frieze of the Siphnian Treasury.
- 04
Tholos of Athena Pronaia
The round temple with three standing columns is 10 minutes down the road from the main gate, in a separate enclosure that needs no ticket. Allow 20 minutes.
- 05
Castalian Spring
Pilgrims washed here before consulting the oracle. You pass the rock-cut basin on the roadside between the main site and the Tholos, a stop of 5 minutes.
Good forAncient sitesNature and hikingChurches and monasteries
How to spend the day
Leave the Liosion terminal at 08:30 and reach Delphi village around 11:30. Walk 15 minutes to the sanctuary and climb to the theatre and stadium first. Move to the museum next door at 13:30. Late lunch in the village at 14:45. Take the 16:00 bus and you are in Athens by 19:00. The 18:30 is the last one back.
Delphi in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustThe site sits at about 550 metres, so it is a little cooler than Athens, but the climb to the stadium is fully exposed and afternoons pass 30 °C. Do the uphill part as soon as you arrive at 11:30 and keep the air-conditioned museum for the early afternoon. Long opening hours mean the 16:00 bus is not a rush.
Winter
December to FebruaryFrom November to March the sanctuary shuts at 15:30, so the 08:30 bus is the only one that works and you get about 3.5 hours. Expect 5-10 °C, low cloud on some days and occasional snow. The museum is heated and the site is almost empty. Worth going on a clear day.
How crowded it gets
Very busy- Busiest
- Apr-Oct, 10:30-14:00, when the tour coaches arrive
- Quietest
- After 15:00, and any weekday from November to March
Coaches from Athens arrive together between 10:30 and 11:30 and walk the Sacred Way as one block. Go straight up to the stadium and work downhill, or see the museum first and enter the site after 14:00.
How do you get to Delphi from Athens?
Organized tour
- Travel time
- 10 hours door to door
- Frequency
- Daily
- Cost
- From € 24
- Departs from
- Athanasiou Diakou 26, 3 min from Akropoli metro
Departures at 07:45 (Filellinon 16) or 08:15. The € 24 option is coach plus audio guide: buy the € 20 site ticket yourself for the 13:00-14:00 slot. Guided options include tickets. You get 2.5 hours on site and 1.5 hours for lunch.
KTEL bus
- Travel time
- About 3 hours
- Frequency
- 4 a day (3 on Saturday)
- Cost
- € 15.10 each way
- Departs from
- KTEL Liosion terminal, Liosion 260
Buses leave Athens at 08:30, 10:30, 15:00 (not Saturday) and 18:00. They return from Delphi at 11:00, 16:00 and 18:30. Only the 08:30 works for a same-day visit. Buy the return leg when you arrive, seats are limited.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
Closed shoes with grip: the Sacred Way is polished marble on a slope. Carry a hat and water in summer, and a warm jacket from November to March, because the mountain is colder than Athens.
What to eat
Eat in Delphi village, 15 minutes on foot from the site, where terraces look over the olive groves towards the gulf. Order grilled lamb, wild greens or fried formaela, the cheese from nearby Arachova. Olives from Amfissa in the valley below are the local product to take home.
What you will spend
By public bus the day costs € 50.20: € 30.20 for the KTEL return and € 20 for the ticket covering site and museum. The Civitatis coach from € 24 cuts the transport cost. The Tholos, the spring and the village views are free.
How to get the most out of the day
- Sit on the left side of the bus leaving Athens for the views of Mount Parnassus on the final climb.
- There is a water fountain near the site entrance. Fill your bottle there, because nothing is sold inside the sanctuary.
- The bus stops at the far end of the village from the site. Ask the driver where the return bus leaves.
- If you buy the € 20 ticket online for the tour, pick the 13:00-14:00 slot so it matches the coach schedule.
How long do you need in Delphi?
Plan 3–4 h on site, plus 3 h of travel each way from Athens.
When is Delphi closed?
None. Best time: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct; closes 15:30 Nov-Mar.