# Delphi

An excursion from Athens to the sanctuary of Apollo, the theatre and the stadium, the Charioteer in the museum and the tholos. By car or KTEL bus, tickets and where to sleep.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/greece/central-greece/delphi · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Delphi was for the Greeks the centre of the world. Here the oracle of Apollo spoke, and cities came to consult it before founding a colony or declaring war. The sanctuary climbs in terraces up the slope of Parnassus, beneath two rock walls, with the Pleistos valley full of olive trees at its feet and the Gulf of Corinth in the background. It is about 180 km from Athens: you can go and come back in a day, but with one night you see it calmly and in the best light.

## How do you get there from Athens?

By car, about two and a half hours from the centre: motorway towards Lamia, exit towards Livadia and a mountain road through Arachova to Delphi. If you leave early, stop on the way out at the monastery of Osios Loukas, which closes at 15:30. There is parking at the site.

By bus, KTEL Fokidas buses leave from Liosion station in Athens, which is not the Kifisos one: the nearest metro station is Agios Nikolaos, on line 1. The journey takes about three hours, with a stop at Arachova, and there are few departures a day. It drops you on Delphi's main street, a few minutes' walk from the sanctuary.

From Spain, you fly to Athens. If you are coming to Delphi on the first day, pick up the car at the airport and save yourself crossing the city.

## What is there to see at Delphi?

The sanctuary of Apollo is the main thing: the Sacred Way zigzagging between the treasuries of the cities, the Doric temple where the Pythia spoke, the theatre with the view of the valley and, right at the top, the stadium of the Pythian games. Allow two and a half hours with the climb.

The museum is included in the ticket and holds the Charioteer, the bronze statue of a chariot driver with intact glass eyes, the Sphinx of the Naxians and the friezes of the Siphnian Treasury. An hour and a half.

Going down the road towards Arachova, ten minutes' walk away, are the Castalian Spring and the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, with the circular three-column tholos that appears in every photo.

## How much does it cost and what are the opening hours?

Admission costs €20 (reduced, €10) and is valid for the site and the museum. From April to August it opens from 8:00 to 20:00; in September and October closing time moves earlier every fortnight, to 18:00 at the end of October; from November to March, from 8:30 to 15:30. The last entry is 20 minutes before closing. It is free on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October and the first and third Sunday of each month from November to March. It closes on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25 and 26 December.

## A day trip or with a night?

A day trip is possible, especially by car: leave at 7:00, sanctuary and museum, lunch and back. You have the hour-by-hour plan in the day trip to Delphi from Athens. But it is five hours on the road, and in winter the site closes at 15:30. With a night you see the sanctuary at opening time, in the cool and without the groups that arrive mid-morning, walk down the old path among the olive trees and have dinner looking at the valley. The getaway to Delphi and Arachova organises it over two days.

## Where to eat and sleep?

Delphi is a village with one main street and two parallel ones, all on foot. To eat, the Vakhos taverna, with home cooking and open every day at lunchtime and in the evening, and Epikouros, with the dining room looking over the valley. To sleep, the Parnassos Delphi Hotel and the Fedriades are on the main street, next to the bus stop; the Amalia, at the edge of the village, has a garden, a summer pool and parking.

## What is there around?

Arachova, about 10 km away, is the stone village of Parnassus, lively in winter thanks to skiing. The monastery of Osios Loukas, about 35 km away, has 11th-century Byzantine mosaics on a gold background. If you carry on north, Meteora is about three and a half hours away: many travellers combine Delphi and Meteora in a three-day circuit from Athens.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Arachova (a 7.2 km), Galaxidi (a 15.6 km), Corinth (a 72.1 km), Nemea and its wineries (a 76.2 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Sanctuary of Apollo: the oracle, the theatre and the stadium** (2 h 30 · All ages; slopes and steps without shade · €20 with the museum · reduced €10): What it is
Delphi was for the Greeks the centre of the world, the navel of the Earth, and its oracle of Apollo was consulted before founding a city or going to war. The sanctuary rises in terraces up the slope of Parnassus, below the Phaedriades rocks: you enter at the bottom and the Sacred Way zigzags between the treasuries that cities built for their offerings, such as that of the Athenians, to the Doric temple of Apollo, where the Pythia spoke. Higher up is the theatre, with the view over the valley, and at the very top, the stadium of the Pythian Games.
Hours and tickets

1 April to 31 August: 8:00 to 20:00.
September: until 19:30 in the first half and 19:00 in the second.
October: until 18:30 in the first half and 18:00 in the second.
1 November to 31 March: 8:30 to 15:30.

Last entry is 20 minutes before closing. The ticket, €20 (reduced €10), is valid for the site and the museum. It is free on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October and, from November to March, the first and third Sunday of each month. Closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25 and 26 December. There is parking, toilets and wifi.
How to visit
From the village of Delphi you get there in 15 minutes on foot or 5 by car. Climb first thing, all the way to the stadium, and then go down to the museum, which has shade and air conditioning. In summer, starting at 8:00 makes the difference.
- **Delphi Archaeological Museum and the Charioteer** (1 h 30 · All ages; air-conditioned · Included in the €20 ticket): What it is
The sanctuary's museum, at the edge of the road between the village and the ruins, holds what was found at Delphi. The piece everyone comes to see is the Charioteer, the life-size bronze statue of a chariot driver, from about 470 BC, with the glass-paste eyes still in place. Beside it, the Sphinx of the Naxians, on its column, the friezes of the Siphnian Treasury and the reconstruction of the stone navel, the omphalos, which marked the centre of the world.
Hours and ticket
It is included in the sanctuary's €20 ticket and follows its hours; last entry is 20 minutes before closing. Museum phone: +30 22650 82312.
How to fit it in
After the ruins, in the hot hours: it is about 400 metres' walk from the sanctuary entrance. An hour and a half is enough.
- **Castalian Spring and the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia** (1 h · All ages): What it is
Going down the road from the entrance of the sanctuary of Apollo, towards Arachova, about a 10-minute walk away, you first find the Castalian Spring, in the gorge between the two Phaedriades rocks: here pilgrims washed before consulting the oracle. A little further, on a terrace below the road, is the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, the first one met by those arriving at Delphi from the east. What makes it famous is the tholos, a circular marble temple of the 4th century BC of which three columns still stand: it is the photo of Delphi.
How to visit
Walk from the sanctuary of Apollo along the road verge, carefully, or stop with the car if you come from Arachova. Confirm at the sanctuary box office the day's hours, which follow those of the site.
- **The ancient path from Delphi to Chrisso through olive groves** (1 h 30 · With good footwear; continuous descent): The route
Before the road, Delphi was reached on foot from the Gulf of Corinth. Part of that path is still there: a cobbled path that descends from the village of Delphi along the slope of the Pleistos valley to the village of Chrisso, with the Amfissa olive grove, one of the largest in Greece, stretching to the sea. You reach Chrisso in an hour and a half of descent; from there, the path continues among olive trees towards Kirra and Itea, on the coast.
How to do it
On your own, go down to Chrisso and come back by taxi or on the bus that goes up from Itea to Delphi: confirm timetables in the village. With an agency, Trekking Hellas sells a four-day self-guided trail that descends from Parnassus to Itea, with nights at Arachova and Delphi, from mid-April to 1 November.
When
It is a descent in the sun. From October to May it is pleasant at any hour; in summer set out early and carry plenty of water.
- **Arachova, the stone village on the slope of Parnassus** (2 h · All ages): What it is
Arachova hangs on the slope of Mount Parnassus, about 10 km east of Delphi on the road coming from Athens: you pass through it on arrival. It is a village of stone houses and red roofs, with stairways between streets and a clock tower at the top. In winter it fills with skiers heading for the Parnassus slopes; the rest of the year it is a quiet stop for a stroll, a drink in the square and buying local cheese and textiles.
How to fit it in
Allow twenty minutes on the way out for a coffee or on the way back for lunch. If you sleep a night in the area, Arachova is the lively alternative to Delphi, especially in winter.
- **Hosios Loukas Monastery and its mosaics** (1 h 30 · Adults and teenagers; clothing that covers shoulders and knees · €10 · reduced €5): What it is
One of the three Greek monasteries on the UNESCO World Heritage list, along with Daphni and Nea Moni on Chios. It is near Distomo, on an olive-covered slope, and has two churches side by side: that of the Virgin, built after 961, and the katholikon, the main church, from the first decades of the 11th century. Inside, marble floors and walls and, above, mosaics on a gold ground that are among the most important of their era. It was also a base of the resistance under the Ottomans and a starting point of the 1821 war in central Greece.
Hours and tickets
Open every day from 8:30 to 15:30, in summer and winter; last entry is 20 minutes before. It costs €10 (reduced €5), with the same free days as the other state-run sites. Closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25 and 26 December. Phone: +30 22670 22797.
How to fit it in
It is a detour from the Athens – Delphi road, past Distomo: better on the way out, in the morning, because it closes at 15:30.

## Dónde comer
- **Vakhos taverna** (Restaurant, Delphi, €€). Qué pedir: a stew of the day and a homemade pie to share, with a wine from the Parnassus area
- **Epikouros** (Restaurant, Delphi, €€). Qué pedir: a house dish at the window table, at midday, to see the valley

## By car: By car via Hosios Loukas and Arachova
By car you do the whole route: the Hosios Loukas monastery on the way out, Arachova for a coffee and Delphi for the afternoon and the next morning. From Athens it is about 180 km by the motorway towards Lamia and the Livadia road. It is a long day to go and come back; with a night, you enjoy it.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–120 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Amalia Hotel Delphi** (Hotel): A hotel with space on the edge of the village
The Amalia is on Apollonos Street, on the way out of Delphi towards Itea, on the slope of Parnassus. It is a large hotel, from the days of coach trips through classical Greece, renovated and with what the village centre does not have: spacious gardens, an open-air pool that opens in summer and free parking for cars and coaches. The room balconies and common areas look over the green valley that runs down to the sea and the town of Itea.
Inside
It has a ground-floor restaurant, with Mediterranean cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a view of the pool and garden; a café-bar and a lounge with a fireplace for winter nights. There are meeting rooms and events are held in the garden.
Who it is for
For anyone arriving by car who wants to park without circling, for families in summer for the pool, and for those who go up to ski on Parnassus in winter and prefer to sleep somewhere quieter than Arachova. The sanctuary is 5 minutes by car or on foot along the main street.
- **Phaedriades Delphi Hotel** (Hotel): Right on the main street
The Phaedriades is on Vasileon Pavlou kai Friderikis Street, Delphi's main street, with the bus stop, tavernas and shops a few steps away and the sanctuary a stroll. Almost all its rooms face south, to the Gulf of Corinth and the olive grove of the Pleistos valley. It is from the same family as the Parnassos Delphi Hotel and the Epikouros taverna, a few numbers down the same street.
The rooms
It has nine types: single, double and double with a panoramic view, triples, a quadruple with a hydromassage bath, connecting family rooms and a junior suite with a panoramic view and hydromassage. If you pay the difference, ask for the panoramic view: it is the reason to sleep in Delphi.
Getting there
If you come on the KTEL bus from Athens, you get off on the main street and arrive on foot. By car, park on the street, which is narrow and fills up in season. At reception they speak English, German and French.
### Servicios
- **Delphi sanctuary car park**: Beside the site entrance, on the Arachova road · toilets and wifi · 5 min by car from the village

## Car-free: On the Liosion bus, with a night in the village
Without a car, Delphi is perfectly possible if you sleep one night: the KTEL Fokidas bus takes about three hours from Athens and drops you on the main street, a few minutes from the sanctuary. A day return is possible but tight.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–100 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Phaedriades Delphi Hotel** (Hotel): Right on the main street
The Phaedriades is on Vasileon Pavlou kai Friderikis Street, Delphi's main street, with the bus stop, tavernas and shops a few steps away and the sanctuary a stroll. Almost all its rooms face south, to the Gulf of Corinth and the olive grove of the Pleistos valley. It is from the same family as the Parnassos Delphi Hotel and the Epikouros taverna, a few numbers down the same street.
The rooms
It has nine types: single, double and double with a panoramic view, triples, a quadruple with a hydromassage bath, connecting family rooms and a junior suite with a panoramic view and hydromassage. If you pay the difference, ask for the panoramic view: it is the reason to sleep in Delphi.
Getting there
If you come on the KTEL bus from Athens, you get off on the main street and arrive on foot. By car, park on the street, which is narrow and fills up in season. At reception they speak English, German and French.
- **Parnassos Delphi Hotel** (Hotel): The most practical if you arrive by bus
The Parnassos is in the centre of Delphi, on the main street, and is open all year. According to the hotel, the museum and the ruins are 300 metres away, as are the bus station and the taxi rank: you arrive from Athens on the KTEL, drop your suitcase and walk to the sanctuary.
The rooms
It has 27 rooms and 3 suites of nine types, from the economy single to triples and family rooms, connecting rooms with hydromassage and a rooftop suite, also with hydromassage. There is free wifi throughout the hotel. It is from the same family as the Phaedriades, a few numbers up.
Who it is for
For those travelling without a car, for a night between two buses, and for families who need triples or connecting rooms at a good price in the centre.
### Servicios
- **KTEL Fokidas bus from Athens to Delphi**: From Liosion station, in Athens · about 3 h · few a day; timetable at ktel-fokidas.gr

## By plane: Fly to Athens and two and a half hours to Delphi
Delphi is visited by flying to Athens, with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and other Spanish cities. From the airport it is about 180 km: a good two and a half hours by car along the Lamia motorway and the Livadia and Arachova road. Without a car, you go to central Athens, from there to the Liosion bus station, and take the KTEL Fokida, about three hours more. That is why it is worth sleeping here a night.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Amalia Hotel Delphi** (Hotel): A hotel with space on the edge of the village
The Amalia is on Apollonos Street, on the way out of Delphi towards Itea, on the slope of Parnassus. It is a large hotel, from the days of coach trips through classical Greece, renovated and with what the village centre does not have: spacious gardens, an open-air pool that opens in summer and free parking for cars and coaches. The room balconies and common areas look over the green valley that runs down to the sea and the town of Itea.
Inside
It has a ground-floor restaurant, with Mediterranean cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a view of the pool and garden; a café-bar and a lounge with a fireplace for winter nights. There are meeting rooms and events are held in the garden.
Who it is for
For anyone arriving by car who wants to park without circling, for families in summer for the pool, and for those who go up to ski on Parnassus in winter and prefer to sleep somewhere quieter than Arachova. The sanctuary is 5 minutes by car or on foot along the main street.
- **Phaedriades Delphi Hotel** (Hotel): Right on the main street
The Phaedriades is on Vasileon Pavlou kai Friderikis Street, Delphi's main street, with the bus stop, tavernas and shops a few steps away and the sanctuary a stroll. Almost all its rooms face south, to the Gulf of Corinth and the olive grove of the Pleistos valley. It is from the same family as the Parnassos Delphi Hotel and the Epikouros taverna, a few numbers down the same street.
The rooms
It has nine types: single, double and double with a panoramic view, triples, a quadruple with a hydromassage bath, connecting family rooms and a junior suite with a panoramic view and hydromassage. If you pay the difference, ask for the panoramic view: it is the reason to sleep in Delphi.
Getting there
If you come on the KTEL bus from Athens, you get off on the main street and arrive on foot. By car, park on the street, which is narrow and fills up in season. At reception they speak English, German and French.
- **Parnassos Delphi Hotel** (Hotel): The most practical if you arrive by bus
The Parnassos is in the centre of Delphi, on the main street, and is open all year. According to the hotel, the museum and the ruins are 300 metres away, as are the bus station and the taxi rank: you arrive from Athens on the KTEL, drop your suitcase and walk to the sanctuary.
The rooms
It has 27 rooms and 3 suites of nine types, from the economy single to triples and family rooms, connecting rooms with hydromassage and a rooftop suite, also with hydromassage. There is free wifi throughout the hotel. It is from the same family as the Phaedriades, a few numbers up.
Who it is for
For those travelling without a car, for a night between two buses, and for families who need triples or connecting rooms at a good price in the centre.

## As a family: An oracle, a stadium and a mountain village

Delphi tells its own story: the priestess who spoke in Apollo's name, the navel of the world, the stadium where the athletes ran. For children it works best in the morning and with the promise of reaching the very top, the stadium.

### What works best
Climbing the Sacred Way to the stadium of the Pythian Games

The Charioteer in the museum, with his glass eyes

The round tholos of Athena Pronaia, on the way to Arachova

Arachova for an ice cream and the clock tower

### Where to sleep
Amalia, with a summer pool and gardens

Parnassos or Phaedriades, with family rooms in the centre

### Eating
Vakhos, with dishes to share in the middle of the table

### Keep in mind
Many slopes and steps: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair

No shade in the sanctuary: hat and water

Under-25s from the EU usually enter free with ID

### Qué hacer as a family
- Sanctuary of Apollo: the oracle, the theatre and the stadium
- Delphi Archaeological Museum and the Charioteer
- Castalian Spring and the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia
- Arachova, the stone village on the slope of Parnassus

## With teenagers: The oracle, an ancient path and a gold monastery

For a teenager, Delphi has real history behind the myths: cities asking whether to go to war, ambiguous answers and games that rivalled those of Olympia. Add the descent along the ancient path among olive trees and you have a day with some effort.

### What works best
The stadium, at the top, after the climb

The ancient path from Delphi to Chrisso among olive trees

The gold mosaics of Hosios Loukas

### Where to sleep
Phaedriades, with a balcony over the valley

### Eating
A taverna on the main street with a view

### Keep in mind
With an EU ID and under 25 entry is usually free

The ancient path is a descent: plan the return beforehand

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Sanctuary of Apollo: the oracle, the theatre and the stadium
- Delphi Archaeological Museum and the Charioteer
- Castalian Spring and the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia
- The ancient path from Delphi to Chrisso through olive groves
- Hosios Loukas Monastery and its mosaics

## Consejos

### Go in at opening time
At 8:00 in summer or 8:30 in winter, before the groups and the sun.

### Go all the way up
The stadium, at the top, is what fewest people see and what impresses most.

### Osios Loukas on the way out
It closes at 15:30 all year.

### Check the last bus
There are few to Athens and the last one leaves early.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Athens to Delphi?
About two and a half hours by car and about three on the KTEL Fokidas bus from Liosion station.

### How much does admission to Delphi cost?
€20 with the museum included; reduced, €10.

### Can you see Delphi in a day from Athens?
Yes, by car and leaving early. By bus it is possible but tight; with a night you enjoy it much more.

### What are the opening hours in winter?
From November to March, from 8:30 to 15:30, with the last entry 20 minutes before.

### Where do you catch the bus to Delphi in Athens?
At Liosion station, not the Kifisos one. The nearest metro station is Agios Nikolaos, on line 1.

### Can it be combined with Meteora?
Yes: Meteora is about three and a half hours to the north, and many travellers do Delphi and Meteora in three days.