Leave behind the bustling city of Athens on a one or two day trip to Delphi! The area is famous for its ancient oracle, which influenced kings and countries and is interlinked with Greek mythology and history.
The trip through the Greek countryside is incredibly beautiful, and visiting Delphi feels like stepping back in time to a strange and mystical place. Your tour guide will show you around and tell you its detailed history. You’ll also have plenty of time to explore on your own.
One of the best Athens day trips, Delphi can be experienced in a few different ways. We’ve listed the different tours and their pros and cons so that you can find the perfect tour for you and your family!
Know before you book:
- Bring walking shoes and sunscreen
- Not wheelchair accessible
- There are no shops at the ruins, so bring snacks and water
Highlights:
- Visit the ancient Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi
- Explore the ruins on a guided tour
- Enjoy pictureque views over the Greek countryside
The ancient Greeks considered the oracle of Delphi to be the very center of the world. Hugely influential, the oracle made the area rich, as people came from across the classical world to consult the oracle.
Visit this millennia-old site, sitting on the slope of Mount Parnassus with a gorgeous view over Greece. It’s an amazing opportunity to immerse yourself in history and culture, at one of the most important historic monuments in the world!
You can tour Delphi in one day, with ample time to explore the site on your own after the guided tour. Our favorite option, however, is a two-day tour that includes a trip to Meteora and the uniquely positioned monastery there. On this tour you’ll sleep at a nearby village, and get a greater feel for the beautiful place and culture.
Athens to Delphi Tour Prices 2021
The cost of the tours starts at about USD $80 for a single day tour. This excludes lunch, but you can request it for a small additional fee, or pack your own. Two-day trips from Athens to Delphi and Meteora start at USD $170 and include hotel accommodation and meals!
Compare prices across the ticket providers below:
Athens to Delphi Times
The ruins of Delphi are open to visitors all day. The trip from Athens takes approximately 2 hours, so most Delphi tours leave the city at around 8:30. You’ll arrive back in Athens in the evening, both for the one-day tour and the two-day tour.
Monday – Friday: 7am – 7pm
Saturday – Sunday: 7am – 7pm
Best time to go
The best time to visit Delphi is in spring. The combination of spring flowers and snow on the mountains makes the incredible location even more picturesque, and the summer crowds are gone. Of course, summer is also a lovely time to visit if you don’t mind the crowds.
The Oracle Delphi
Once dedicated to Gaia, the mythology of the oracle says that Apollo took over the shrine when he killed Gaia’s offspring and oracle protectors, and claimed it as his own.
The myth states that once this was accomplished Apollo lept onto a Cretan ship in the form of a dolphin, initiating his first priests. Young virginal women were eventually chosen as the liaison with the gods, and spoke in cryptic messages after going into a trance. Known as the Navel of the world, it was considered to be the center of all things.
The Oracle stood for centuries as an important part of the classical world, and influenced many decisions which shaped history. It has stood for millennia, and despite its ruinous state, it is a very impressive thing to see.
Day Trips from Athens
If you are particularly interested in the Delphic oracle, the one-day trip is perfect, and includes everything you’ll want to see! If you’re keen to see more of the Greek countryside and other historical locations, the two-day tour is an amazing opportunity.
Day Trip to Delphi from Athens
Stand in the footsteps of ancient heroes and seekers of wisdom. On this Delphi day trip from Athens, you’ll enjoy a guided tour of the ruins, with lots of history, mythology and fun facts from your guide.
You will also visit a picturesque mountain town and explore the museum and the crafts. This is a great opportunity to experience rural life in Greece and the influences of history on modern culture.
- Transport
- Guided tour
- Lunch (optional)
- Leisure time
- Entrance fees
- Gratuity (optional)
- Drinks and snacks
The tour starts out at a central location in Athens, or at your hotel. After a two-hour luxury bus trip, you’ll arrive in Delphi and have time to stretch your legs and relax before embarking on your tour! When booking, you can request lunch, or pack a picnic to enjoy with a panoramic view of the mountains and the coast.
Each of the single-day tours offers different additional services, like a three-course meal and a visit to the museum. So before you book, make sure you’re picking the best one for you!
Check Price & bookTwo-day Tours – Athens to Delphi Greece
The two-day tour includes the same experience as the single day tour on day one. After that, you’ll sleep in a lovely little hotel in the nearby village of Kalaba.
On day two you will visit the extraordinary rock formations of Meteora, where monasteries were built centuries ago. This is one of the largest monastery complexes in the world! You’ll find the structures balancing on top of multiple mountainous rock formations.
Built to be hard to reach, these monasteries require some uphill walking, and are unfortunately not wheelchair accessible. They are, however, incredibly picturesque and unique, and well worth a visit if you are able.
- Guided tour
- Transport
- Entrance fees to Delphi and Meteora
- Hotel accommodation
- Meals (if specified)
- Free time
- Drinks
- Meals (if specified)
- Gratuity
Specification: Athens To Delphi Tour
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Photos: Athens To Delphi Tour
Anonymous –
This tour was very nice. There is a lot, a lot of walking but the guide make it very interesting and fun.The food at the end of the tour was very nice. I really recommend it to anyone interested in ancient history of Greece.
Anonymous –
The trip was great. The location, the history, the view, the air! Magnificent.However I am not sure that taking this as a group trip on the bus was the right idea. All tour operators run this trip on the same schedule. And they all stop on the same rest area. That was terrible: we talking about 10 different buses from the different agencies (Gate1, etc.) arrived to that small cafestore at the same time. Line in the restroom, line for the coffee and snacks, line for gifts. No fun.Also there are a lot of places that I would stop just to admire the view and snap a picture that bus is just passes by. Tour guide was nice but on the way back he was not even talking.Included meal option is a joke: we got 3 salads to share between 6 people, a little bit of pasta, 2 peaces of chicken and some sweets. Water, beer, wine were extra. For the money we spend upfront we could have a great dinner there on our own. So I would definitely advise against this food option.Another thing with the group approach – you actually don’t have enough time to go through the historical site and enjoy it. After the tour guide finished his portion of the tour we had to pretty much run to the top of the area and back if we wanted to see everything…About the bus (this is just for the information and not a complain): it was nice and clean but it did not have any power outlets to charge phones, etc. Also it would be nice if they provided water. The bus driver turned on heater pretty high so the air in the bus was very dry. Overall it was an OK trip. Again, the nature, the view, the historical site are GREAT. This is definitely a place you have to visit when in Greece. But doing this as a part of the big group – BIG “?”.
Anonymous –
In addition to the amazing sites and the comfortable ride through the beauty that is Greece’s mountains, Marianna Tsigardou, our guide, was thoroughly knowledgeable about the places and their histories. She had a friendly and clear way about her leading the way. I am so glad I took this tour.
Anonymous –
Sirs Two of us recently took a trip to Delphi using your service. I was a bit skeptical at first about doing a long bus trip but the guide (Marianna Tsigaridou) did an outstanding job. She has an immense knowledge of the historical sights and she kept us well informed throughout the trip both on the bus going up and back as well as being a first rate guide of the historical ruins and the museum. Even though it was a 2-3 hour bus ride up and back, she had stops planned for bathroom breaks and was such a good narrator of historical details that you were always entertained. She has a great speaking style and very clear pronunciation of the the English language so it was very easy to understand everything she was telling us. Again, this was a great bus trip to see the historic Delphi ruins and in large part was due to Marianna and I would certainly recommend this trip again. Wm Kessler