Galaxidi, the captains' village on the Gulf of Corinth.

Galaxidi is the village you come to when you go down from Delphi to the sea: a small peninsula on the Gulf of Corinth with two natural harbours, coloured neoclassical houses and a pine wood that reaches the water. In the 19th century it had one of the great sailing fleets of Greece, and its shipowners' money built the mansions that today make it one of the prettiest villages on the coast. It is half an hour from Delphi and two and a half hours from Athens, and it is the place to sleep after the sanctuary if you prefer the sea to the mountains.

How do you get there from Athens?

By car, about two and a half hours for some 215 km: motorway towards Lamia as far as the Livadia exit, the mountain road through Arachova and Delphi, and the descent among the Amfissa olive trees to Itea, where you carry on along the coast. The natural thing is to stop at Delphi on the way.

By bus, KTEL buses link Galaxidi with Athens in about two and a half to three hours, with connections at Livadia and Itea.

From Spain, you fly to Athens. With a hire car from the airport, Galaxidi is the last stop on a two-day route through Osios Loukas, Arachova and Delphi.

What is there to see in Galaxidi?

First, the walk between the two harbours: Agora, the big one, with the terraces and the boats, and Chirolakas, quieter, linked by stone streets between the captains' houses, such as the Tsalangyra, which is now the town hall. At the very top, the church of St Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, with its carved iconostasis.

The Nautical and Historical Museum explains all this: founded in 1928, it has the largest collection of ship paintings in Greece, figureheads and the Chronicle of Galaxidi. It costs €3 and opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00.

East of the harbour begins the pine wood by the sea, with coves for swimming; Trekking Hellas leads a guided walk from March to November, taking in the village's last shipyard and the ancient walls. And if you go in February or March, on Clean Monday, the village celebrates the alevromoutzouroma, a flour war with coloured flour and soot at the harbour.

Where to sleep?

In the centre, the Hotel Ganimede, a 19th-century captain's house with a garden courtyard, home-made breakfast and suites with a kitchen and fireplace. At the entrance to the village, facing the sea, Porto Lourbas, with a pool, olive grove and a restaurant serving home cooking: the one that suits children in summer. And 70 metres from the harbour, the Hotel Galaxidi, simple and renovated, with a balcony in every room, free parking at the door and breakfast from the garden.

Where to eat?

On the terraces of the harbour, with fish and fish meze, and for dessert ravani, the semolina cake in syrup that is eaten here. At Pera Panta, the opposite shore, Maritsa occupies a former captains' café by the water: local mussels, seafood pasta and sea bass carpaccio, every day from 12:00 to 23:00. On the quay, next to Mama square, Taverna Porto is the family taverna of grilled fish and home-style stews, with a fireplace in winter; it publishes hours from Friday to Sunday. If you sleep at Porto Lourbas, its restaurant serves home cooking for guests. Out of season, some tavernas close: call ahead.

A day trip or with a night?

From Athens, as a day trip, Galaxidi only fits alongside Delphi: sanctuary in the morning, lunch at the harbour and back. With a night, you really enjoy the village: sunset at the harbour, the morning in the pine wood and the museum. You have both organised in the getaway to Delphi and Galaxidi and on the Delphi page.