Excursions
1-day tour to Sounio

1-day tour to Sounio

1-day tour to Sounio

 

If you are looking close-to-Athens destinations, choose 1-day tour to Sounio. I guarantee to you that the colorful stunning sunset against the backdrop of the vastness of the Aegean Sea and the powdery beach will compensate you. However, before that … you will be able to enjoy the whole Athenian Riviera, since the route is following areas by the sea, like Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmeni, Varkiza, Lagonisi, Saronida, Anavyssos and Legraina beach.

eSea from the temple of Poseidon in Sounio - Travel advice from a Greek

Getting there

Starting the 1-day tour to Sounio, you can choose between 5 ways to reach your destination.

  • You can take the bus (KTEL Attikis Public Buses) from Pedion tou Areos/ Syntagma/ Syggrou/ or Poseidonos avenue.
  • If you want a guide with you, you can choose a guided tour, like the one that DNAtravel has in here
  • You could take the Blue Hop-on-Hop-off Bus from Syntagma square.
  • Either rent a car by your own or
  • Or you could take a taxi or a tour-car hiring by your hotel.

 

And then…decide what do you wanna do. Do you want to spend the whole day at the idyllic beaches around the Temple of Poseidon? Or do you want to divide your time at the whole Athens Riviera? Here, I will talk to you only about Sounion.

 

The Temple of Poseidon

The cape of Sounio is the southern end of Attica. At the craggy rocky cliff there are 2 temples. One is dedicated to god Poseidon and the other one is dedicated to goddess Athena. However, the magnificent one is Poseidon’s. The temple was built at the 5th century b.C. with marbles from the local mines of Lavrio. Moreover, every 4 years the citizens performed naval races around the cape to honor Poseidon. Try to be there again during the sunset. It is truly magnificent seeing the infinite sea under all these colors.

Outside the archaeological site there is a coffee place to cool yourselves with a frappé or a cold beer.

PS: If you want to admire the 3 colossal kouros that had been set up to the temple, you have to go to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Temple of Poseidon in Sounio with Travel advice from a Greek

Mythology

The king of Athens Aegeas lost the war by king of Crete Minos. He forced to pay a servitude tax consisting of 7 young men and 7 young women to Crete to feed the mythical monster Minotaur. Aegeas’ son, Theseus wanted to exempt the Athenians from tax and began to slaughter the Minotaur. He killed the beast, but he forgot to change ship’s sails from black into white. Aegeas saw the black sails from the edge of the hill. He thought that his son was eaten by Minotaur and fell into the sea, which from then on named Aegean Sea. Onto this edge Athenians built the Temple of Poseidon, god of the sea.

The forest park

After this small educational tour to Poseidon’s altar head to the smallest national park in Greece. This park was founded in 1971 and inside it you can see the old mines and the ancient road transporting the marbles to cape of Sounio. Furthermore, inside the mines there is the Chaos. Chaos is a crater from the end of 18th century that has a heart shape.

 

Beach time

From the 1-day tour to Sounio cannot be missing a dive in the blue waters. In other words, now is the time to go to the sandy beach under the temple. Therefore, grab your swimsuit and cool yourselves.

 

Lunch time

Still hungry yet? That is to say, at the beach you will find 2 taverns to enjoy fresh fish, grilled squid, stuffed kalamari and grilled octopus. Otherwise, you could head to the village of Lavrio to eat steak/ribs or refresh yourselves with an ice cream at the square adjacent to the port. And don’t forget…#tzatzikigoeswitheverything.

 

I hope that you will enjoy the 1-day tour to Sounio as much as I did. Above all, it is really close to Athens. In other words, it is just a small excursion ‘outside’ the city. Athens has many thing to see, so check my article why choose Athens as a city break and not just a stopover here

 

Tip

The entrance fee to the Temple of Poseidon is 5euros until 31st of March, but after that it is 10euros. The archaeological space is closed on 1st of January, 25th of March, Easter Sunday, on Christmas day and on 26th of December. Only 5days during the year. Ticket at the temple of Poseidon in Sounio - Travel adcvice from a Greek

Fact

In 1762, the English poet William Falconer (1732-1769), traveling from Venice to Alexandria, was sunk in this naval area, under the temple of Poseidon. And then he wrote his experience in a poetic trilogy entitled “The shipwreck“. 

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