kathydreams

We will be staying in Athens. We would like to see Delphi and other interesting sites along the way. We can take a bus tour but don't want to stop at silly tourist shops or places along the way. Is there a more 'history focused' bus day tour of Delphi out of Athens. Or, does anyone have another suggestion - such as study before going and take the train? Thanks!

Cyberia

A number of ways of doing the trip on here:
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http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...hi-TG-C-1.html
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travelerjan

HI Kathy!

You can't see Delphi "along the way." it is way OUT of the way ... that is why there are bus tours; it is a 3+ hour drive each way. You cannot take a train, you will need to take bus tour or a public bus. If you take the tour, you will be with 30+ people, and stand or sit in the heat while the guide explains elementary Greek mythology to them. Yawn.

If you are willing to do some homework on your own, you can avoid the crowd. (BTW it would be easier to advise if you would give more specifics of y our trip... WHEN are you going? in HOT weather? How many days do you have in Athens? we are good at ideas, but not good at mind-reading, and thus may spend effort on scenarios that may be inappropriate, which is then a waste of time for both of us)

Here are 2 options -- they both involved prepping yourself beforehand for a D-I-Y tour... I suggest the Rick Steves book "Athens & the Pelopponese"; I"m not Rick's biggest fan but I applaud this book for very useful, straightforward D-I-Y self-guides for first-time visitors to Delphi, Athens Acropolis, Athens Acropolis Museum AND Nat. Archeological Museum. For under $20 you can be your own guide at all these; a Bargain! Or, get it from a Library & photocopy pages (tho that could cost plenty unless u have access to a free copier).

(1) One day trip -- Catch first bus (7:30 am) to Delphi; 3 hours (cost: €15). TIMETABLE: http://www.athensguide.com/practical...schedulesB.htm Seats are numbered & assigned. Outbound ask for RH side, best mountain views. You can ask to be let off directly at the site entrance, which is just before road enters town. Bus tours will already be arriving at Site. I suggest you go to Museum first, because many groups start outdoors, & museum will be less-populated. Then go to site. Bring WATER; wear Hat. Also a good idea to bring along a sandwich to picnic on site... above theatre is a nice area. If you want to see the "Tholos" ruin close-up, it's on the road, downhill, but a good hike uphill coming back! Return busses at 13:30, 16:00, 18:00 (1:30, 4 , 6 pm). If you want last bus u may wish to buy ticket ahead of time to be sure of getting on, but you really will be ready to come back by 4 pm. NOTE: the early AM bus From athens is in demand so to be sure of seat in High Season u should be there by 6:30 or so. Take taxi (€10-12) to/from Plaka area, local busses are too confusing.

(2) Overnight trip -- This is really only about 28 hours, but it transforms the experience; 12 years ago I did the 1-day tour & hated it; this June i did the O'nite & loooved it!! NOTE: Athens hotels are accustomed to people being away for a day, they don't charge you for the night away; you stash your biggie rollingbag in their storage room, & just take a small o'nite bag. Catch same KTEL bus route at 1pm, but go in to Delphi bus station. Find a budget hotel (we liked PAN, rooms at back are halfway up a mountain, birds circle BELOW your balcony!).

Freshen up, buy a beverage, then stroll to site, it's open until 8 pm. We were advised to do the museum--and it was EMPTY! Wonderful. Enjoy a sunset dinner in town ... restaurants are not busy (bus tours have left) views have left. The Delphi tap water is DIVINE!!! Comes straight from top of Mt. Parnassus! Refill your bottles! In the AM, be at Site 8 am for opening, you'll be among the few exploring the ruins, with just a couple of tour groups.. by the time the day-tour crowd arrives, you'll be nearly thru. Have a relaxed lunch snack, catch the 1:30 bus, back in Athens 4:30.

ParisAmsterdam

Or rent a car. In May 2008 we left Athens just after morning rush hour, drove to Delphi and were back in town mid evening.

Driving in Greece and Athens is not the horror story so many people make it out to be. We drove via Elefsina and Thebes. The road was great... driving through hills and forests for much of the way and we saw very little traffic. Including a stop for lunch it was about 4 hours.

We were shooed out of Delphi just before 3 PM as they seem to close very early in May. We drove back to Athens by the National Road.

kathydreams

Thanks for replies and questions. Lots of info here, thank you very much. We are 4 adults, 2 twenty something and 2 fifty something. We are willing to study prior to going. We arrive in Athens Friday Sept 23, 2011 around noon, flying from Santorini. We are staying nights of 9/23, 9/24/ 9/25 and fly home to NJ on 9/26. So, we don't have a lot of time. I was thinking That all day Sunday 9/25 would be allocated to Delphi, but we were planning on staying in the Athens hotel. I looked at bus tours but they seem a bit expensive, make tourist stops along the way and since they pick people up at hotels I am concerned that over 1 hour will be spent driving around Athens collecting people.

kathydreams

Question - if we take the 'public' bus is it a 'nice' air conditioned tour bus, or like a yellow school bus?

thanks. KL

kathydreams

One website states that the drive from Athens to Delphi is 1.5 hour, and another states it is 3 hours. Has anyone done this drive and roughly how long does it take?

brennynp

Hi Kathy, I don't think you need more than 2 full days in Athens. Are you seeing the sights on the Pelopponese? Lots to see there.
As others mentioned, the driving in Greece was pretty easy. We made a very long driving loop from the Pelopponese overnighting in Olympia, overnighting in Delphi and then drove back to Athens. The drive back to Athens took us about 2 hours (give or take)and was easy.

Christina

You might want to look around a little more to find different tours or ask your hotel about perhaps even a private driver and what that would cost if you don't want to pay for a regular tour.

Because you aren't going to get there any quicker on a regular bus, they may even take longer. They take about 3 hrs, each way. So if your issue is a tour that stops at hotels, you aren't saving anything by taking a bus on your own if it spends the same amount of time due to stops or its route.

I took an organized tour and liked it a lot, I don't even recall any annoying stops on the way. We stopped once for lunch or a break or something, but that wasn't undesirable. We didn't stop anywhere else that I can recall, but it's been a long time. There was certainly enough time at Delphi, there isn't really much there.

Try to find out what a private taxi tour would cost your family in comparison to the organized tours, but you might be overestimating how much time you need at Delphi, you really don't need 6 hours there or anything like that. there isn't that much to see.

ParisAmsterdam

For 4 people renting a car is likely the least expensive and gives you the most flexibility. As Christina says, unless you're an archaeologist you don't need 6 hours at Delphi.

chepar

I also think that you should look into the cost of a private taxi tour, especially as there are 4 adults in your party. The cost for all 4 on a tour vs. hiring a private taxi may be close.

We did a private taxi tour for a day trip to Delphi - there were 4 of us and I thought it was very much worth it.

We made a few of short stops along the way (small museum, scenic areas for photos, etc.), our driver made a stop by request so we could purchase some olive oil (and helped translate for us since this was a store way out of the regular tourist area). We had lunch at a small family run tavern somewhere halfway between Athens and Dephi. That was the best meal we had our entire time in Greece.

Once at Delphi we were able to tour the ruins and museum at our own pace and then we spent some time walking around the town before returning to Athens.

I prefer to take these private type tours when possible as I don't like being confined to a preset schedule or traveling with a large group of people.

kathydreams

Thanks to all. I think we are going to rent a car. We have 2 people willing to drive, and we will pay the additional driver fee. That way we have some control over how much time we spend stopping to enjoy views and visiting Delphi. Thank you!
Kathy

ParisAmsterdam

Good move. 2 places to check for rentals:

http://www.economycarrentals.com I rented through them and the car was supplied by Avis. Zero CDW included.

http://www.budget.gr is often recommended as having good deals. Note it's .gr and not .com

A few points:

- Having an International Drivers Permit is the law. 20 bucks at AAA.

- Have a decent map... don't rely on free ones as they rarely offer enough detail.

- Don't let people scare you into going all the way out to the airport to pick up a car. A complete waste of time. Choose a city office... I picked up from the Avis office right across from the Temple of Olympian Zeus. From there is was an easy drive down Syngrou Avenue and against the flow of morning traffic. You will return in the evening so will miss rush hour then as well. Driving in Athens is no different than any other big city. It's finding parking that is a pain.

- Keep right when driving. Faster cars will expect you to put 2 wheels onto a paved shoulder to let them by on a 2 lane road.
Stay right when cresting hills or taking sharp bends...

- Rent a 'medium size' car... any smaller will be too cramped for the 4 of you and not that much less expensive.

- consider doing what I did and taking the route via Elefsina and Thebes (Thiva)... much more scenic and relaxing than taking the busy freeway that is the National Road.

Have a great time!

Rob

travelerjan

Good for you. I still think it's a good idea to go up late in the day, stay over & get to site in the early AM ... but in late September it won't be so hot. A car rental will be the most economical ... someone who says a private taxi day tour is well worth it, well certainly it perhaps is well worth it if you have the funds, but It probably would cost at least $500, and driving would be a fraction of that.

mariha2912

Public bus covers the route in 3+ hours (10 minutes brake included). Averrage driver covers the distance in 2+ to 2 and a half hours non stop. Bus tours, not sure.

cathies

Travelerjan has a great idea (as usual!) to leave Athens for Delphi on the afternoon of the 24th and stay overnight in Delphi. It's magical at night and really worth the extra effort.

rs899

Car rental is the way to go for a larger party. If you do take the bus, be SURE to get the first bus out of Athens in the AM. We missed it and on the return, I just happened to get the last seat on the last bus out of Delphi.

Ozarksbill

Been too long ago for details but we once did enjoy a bus trip booked from our hotel to include sights at Corinth, Mycenae, Epadaurus, Nauplia (late lunch in a restaurant high up). Then we took a trip just to Delphi the next day. I really got into the ancient mysteries at Delphi and wrote up a report for a class on ancient Greece we were auditing back home.

Bill in Boston