Athens: Cape Sounio & Temple of Poseidon Private Day Trip

Temple of Poseidon & Blue Aegean: A Half-Day Escape South

You get picked up from your hotel, driven to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio with a private guide who knows the history, time to explore the ruins and swim if you want, and lunch with fresh seafood on the water. The return is included, so you don't arrange transport or worry about timing. Just show up at your hotel ready to go.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Temple of Poseidon and coast

• Travel to Cape Sounio
• Explore Temple of Poseidon ruins
• See fort protecting Attica coast
• Drive along south coast of Attica

The experience

Your guide picks you up from your Athens hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle and heads south along the Attica coast. The drive itself is part of it. You pass through Vouliagmeni and the developed shoreline before the landscape opens up and the road narrows toward the peninsula. About an hour out, the Temple of Poseidon appears on the cliff edge, white columns against the blue water, and you understand why ancient sailors carved their names into the stone here. Your guide knows the history (which ships passed this point, why Poseidon mattered to them, what the fort was protecting), and lets you walk the ruins at your own pace.

The temple sits at the southernmost point of Attica, and the view down the coast is the kind of thing you don't forget. There's a small taverna nearby where lunch happens: fresh fish, local wine, the kind of meal that tastes different when you're sitting on the water looking back at where you came from. Your guide can point you toward the best spot or let you find your own table. Before heading back to Athens, you get Greek coffee and a local snack, which sounds small until you're sitting there with the Aegean in front of you and realize you've had the whole day without arranging transport, timing the sites yourself, or negotiating with a taxi driver.

The drive back gives you time to sit with it. The route follows the coast again, and if your guide knows a quieter beach or a viewpoint the tour buses miss, that's the kind of thing a private trip lets happen. You're back in Athens by evening, and the whole thing (pickup, the temple, lunch, the drive) was one fixed price with no surprises.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off in Athens, private local guide for the full day, air-conditioned vehicle, Greek coffee and a local snack. Lunch at a coastal taverna is available but not included in the base price.

Information

Lasts 6h, runs every day, 14 start times, from € 165 per person, with a live guide in English and Greek, as a private tour and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery day14 departure times: 09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00 and 15:30Another time? ›

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Greek

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Book up to1d before

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Withlocals

Is this one for you?Right for travelers based in Athens who want the Temple of Poseidon and the Attica coast without renting a car or timing public transport. The drive is about two hours round-trip, which is what lets you spend real time at the ruins and on the water without rushing.

Traveler reviews

4.92★★★★★★★★★★

142 verified traveler reviews

5 ★138

4 ★0

3 ★2

2 ★0

1 ★2

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Greek.

How long is the drive from Athens to Cape Sounio?

About one hour each way, depending on traffic leaving the city.

Is lunch included in the price?

Lunch is not explicitly included, but the tour stops at a taverna on the coast where you can eat. Greek coffee and a local snack are included.

What if I'm not fit enough for walking ruins?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. You can walk the temple grounds at your own pace and rest as needed.

Is the guide included?

Yes, a private local guide is included for the full day.

What's the vehicle like?

Air-conditioned vehicle with pickup and drop-off at your hotel.

Are there other stops besides the temple?

The route may include stops along the Attica coast depending on your guide's chosen itinerary. Vouliagmeni is a likely stop.