Temple of Poseidon Day Trip from Athens
Are you wondering how to take a Temple of Poseidon day trip from Athens, Greece?
Read on for everything you need to know about visiting this incredible ancient site.
The Temple of Poseidon is, in my opinion, one of the most striking ancient ruins in Greece.
Sure, the Acropolis in Athens is incredible, but many tourists don’t realize that there’s another amazing ruin you can easily visit on a day trip from Athens — the clifftop Temple of Poseidon, overlooking the sea.
This temple’s location is fitting since it’s dedicated to Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
Constructed around 700 BC, the Temple of Poseidon bears a strong resemblance to the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, so if you think it looks familiar after spending time in Athens, that’s probably why.
Aside from the impressive nature of the temple itself, it’s also a worthwhile day trip to get out of the city, enjoy the scenery of Cape Sounion, and spend some time at one of the great beaches nearby.
You can easily visit the Temple of Poseidon on a day trip from Athens — here’s how!
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Getting to the Temple of Poseidon by Bus
If you want to visit the Temple of Poseidon independently, there is one bus that goes there.
The bus company is called Ktel Attikis and you can find information about the latest timetables and prices on their website. This is definitely the most cost-effective option for getting to the Temple of Poseidon.
However, it also takes the longest. The bus journey from Athens to the Temple of Poseidon is at least 2 hours because of stops along the way. But it’s only €12.50 round-trip, so it’s quite affordable.
Just keep in mind that depending on the bus schedule, you might not be able to stay at the temple long enough for sunset. So if that’s important to you, you should rent a car or take a sunset tour instead.
Getting to the Temple of Poseidon by Car
You can also drive yourself to the Temple of Poseidon.
Depending on traffic, it takes about an hour and ten minutes to an hour and thirty minutes to get to the Temple of Poseidon from Athens. Driving in Greece is not as bad as driving in some other European countries, where drivers are extremely crazy. Rental cars can be quite affordable (around $40 for a full day.)
There’s plenty of free parking available near the entrance to the temple.
You can check prices for rental cars in Athens using DiscoverCars.
If you want to visit the Temple of Poseidon with the most flexbility, this is the best way to do it, because you won’t be limited by the bus timetable or a tour schedule and can spend as long as you want there.
Getting to the Temple of Poseidon by Group Tour
If you don’t want to rent a car and drive yourself or deal with taking the bus, an organized tour is your best bet for visiting the Temple of Poseidon, as well as other destinations on beautiful Cape Sounion.
For example, this group tour looks perfect to me — it includes hotel pickup and dropoff, time at a gorgeous beach on Cape Sounion, a visit to a picturesque lake, and time at the Temple of Poseidon.
This tour just goes to the Temple of Poseidon, but you get to see it at sunset, which other tours don’t offer. As you can probably imagine, the Temple of Poseidon is an amazing spot to watch the sunset.
If you’re looking for an affordable group tour, the sunset tour is also your best bet. It doesn’t include hotel pickup and dropoff, but it does have a central meeting point in Athens. Plus, it’s pretty cheap.
Getting to the Temple of Poseidon by Private Tour
You can also visit the Temple of Poseidon on a private tour.
This is what I did, although full disclosure, it’s because I was traveling with one of my friends, and her parents were doing this tour and they paid for it and invited us along. Normally, I would have done something cheaper like one of the group tours I linked above rather than doing a private tour like this.
Obviously, a private tour is the most expensive way to visit the Temple of Poseidon. But it may be worth it to you if you’re splitting the cost with others, or you just want a more comfortable experience.
The private tour we took was with George’s Taxi, which is very popular with tourists in Athens. The tour we did included Marathon, Vravrona, and Cape Sounion (the Temple of Poseidon was the last stop.)
Here’s the link to that tour if you’re interested. Although personally, I would highly recommend doing a shared group tour instead (so much cheaper) or just renting a car and going by yourself.
Temple of Poseidon Hours and Information
Now that I’ve covered all the different ways you can get to the Temple of Poseidon from Athens, here’s some important info about visiting the historic site that you should know before you go.
The temple is open every day from 9:30 AM until sunset.
Tickets are €10 for adults and €5 for visitors aged 25 and under. Note that even if you are visiting the Temple of Poseidon on a tour, you will still likely have to purchase your own entry ticket.
There’s a cafe, souvenir shop, and free restrooms located at the entrance of the site.
If you want to spend some time at the beach, Paralia Souniou is the closest beach. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the temple down a steep path. If you have a car, there’s also free parking at the beach.
You can find more restaurant options down by the beach.
Is the Temple of Poseidon Worth It?
I really think that the Temple of Poseidon was worth it. I didn’t know what to expect because I honestly hadn’t done much research before visiting. But I ended up being completely blown away by this ruin!
Mainly because of the incredible clifftop location overlooking the sea.
It’s a truly spectacular ruin and a worthwhile day trip from Athens, especially if you combine a visit to the Temple of Poseidon with some beach time at one of Cape Sounion’s stunning beaches.
My recommendation would be this group tour which is the perfect way to see the Temple of Poseidon. You can also spend some time at the beach and visit a scenic lake, all on an easy half-day trip from Athens.
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