Athens 3-day itinerary
Greece
Where to go and what to see in Athens to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer John Malathronas.
Bucket list experience:
Lavrio, Central Greece, Greece
Sounion or Sounio (the Sacred Cape of the Athenians according to Homer) lies at the southernmost tip of the Attic peninsula. Marked by the partly-renovated temple of Poseidon set on a steep, 200-ft high precipice, Sounion is evidence that the Ancient Greeks chose the locations of their temples with immaculate taste.
The temple crowns the summit of an ancient fortified settlement, with six-foot walls, erected by the city-state of Athens for strategic purposes. It occupies around ten acres in total; a port was located at the sandy cove to the north of the fortress.
This is the spot where – according to myth – King Aegeas awaited the return of his son Thissias, who had been dispatched to kill the Minotaur. When he saw his ship bearing black sails – his son had forgotten to swap them – he committed suicide by falling into the sea, thus naming the Aegean.
The legend, the temple, plus the unfettered pelagic views all come together in one of Greece’s most renowned sunsets – an experience not to be missed.
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Greece
Where to go and what to see in Athens to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer John Malathronas.
Greece
Where to go and what to see in Athens to get the most from your trip – a 5-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer John Malathronas.
KTEL Buses to Sounion leave from the terminal at Mavromateon St (Alexandras Avenue end), but in winter they only run during weekends and often they leave the suite before the sunset, which defeats the purpose.
The Athens-Sounion ride along the Attica coast is one of the most scenic routes in Greece. Organised tours pick you up from your hotel but tend to take the fast modern highway inland past the international airport. If you go independently, drive also along the coast on the way there and come back the quick way inland. If you want to stay overnight, head for Sounion (there’s good swimming nearby).
Allow at least one hour to see the site itself. You can get an information booklet and a map at the ticket booth.
The archaeological site is open throughout the year and closes just after sunset. Most people watch it from just outside.
The site is accessible all year round, seven days a week. It closes just after sunset.
Any time of year will do – in fact a stormy, wintry Cape might be said to be more inspiring – but July and August draw massive crowds at sunset. Winter is absolutely fine for sunsets except that they occur earlier (5pm instead of 8pm).
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Athens, Central Greece, Greece[28.2 miles]
One of the most glamorous resorts on the Athens Riviera, this hotel occupies a pine-clad peninsula with its own private beach and promenade.
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Athens, Central Greece, Greece[43.5 miles]
A centrally-located, minimalist hotel that caters for all budgets, housed in an elegant former Embassy building.
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Athens, Central Greece, Greece[43.8 miles]
An informal, welcoming hotel with a home-from-home feel and wonderful Acropolis views from the leafy roof terrace.
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Athens, Central Greece, Greece[43.8 miles]
A modern, five-star hotel in a hip neighbourhood, within walking distance of all the capital’s most impressive sights.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Central Greece, Greece
Antiquities galore, contemporary culture, scintillating nightlife and fantastic food: there’s something for everyone in Greece’s cosmopolitan capital that’s continuously reinventing itself.