The temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion makes a perfect day trip from Athens. Sounion is located 69 km southeast of Athens, at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula.
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How to get from Athens to the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion
You can get to Cape Sounio from Athens either by Ktel ( public bus), by an organized tour, a private taxi or by car. If you want to get by public transport (Ktel) to Sounio you should get the bus from KTEL Attika Buses station located in Pedion Areos. For more info call +30 210 8 80 80 81. The journey lasts approximately 2 hours and a one-way ticket costs 7€.
If you are looking for guided tours. I suggest the following:
The half-day sunset tour to Sounio lasts around 4 hours and you get to see the temple of Poseidon the best time of the day, during the sunset.
The story behind the Temple of Poseidon
According to mythology, the king of Athens Aegeus leaped to his death of the cliff in Sounio, giving his name to the Aegean sea because he thought that his son Theseus was dead. Every year the Athenians had to send to King Minos in Crete seven men and seven women as a tribune.
They were placed in a Labyrinth and they were eaten by a creature that was half-human, half-bull called Minotaur. That year Theseus volunteered to go to Crete in order to kill Minotaur. He said to his father that if he won on the way back his ship will have white sails if he was dead it would have black sails. Although he killed Minotaur he forgot to change the color of the sails to white letting his father believe he was dead.
Archaeological finds on the site date back from 700 BC. The latter temple of Poseidon that you can see today was built around 440 BC. As Greece was a country surrounded by sea and with great naval force, Poseidon the god of sea had a high position in the Gods hierarchy.
Cape Sounion’s location was of a great strategical importance thus it was fortified by a big wall and was constantly guarded in order to keep the shipping lanes clear.
Opening Hours & Tickets for the Temple of Poseidon
Once you arrive at the archaeological site there is a cafe-restaurant on-site as well as a souvenir shop. It is better to visit the temple as early as possible during the summer months to avoid the heat. The view from the temple is breathtaking. From Sounio you can also enjoy one of the most incredible sunsets in Greece.
Tickets for the Temple of Poseidon
Full: €10, Reduced: €5
Free Admission Days for the Temple of Poseidon
6 March
18 April
18 May
The last weekend of September annually
28 October
Every first Sunday of the month from November 1st to March 31st
Opening Hours
Winter:
9:30 am – sunset
Summer:
9:30 am – sunset
Last entry: 20 min before the sunset
Closed / Reduced Hours
1 January: closed
25 March: closed
Orthodox Good Friday: 12.00-18.00
Orthodox Holy Saturday: 08.00-17.00
Orthodox Easter Sunday: closed
1 May: closed
25 December: closed
26 December: closed
During the summer months, after visiting the temple of Poseidon you can relax on the organized beach of Aegeon hotel underneath the temple. The sea has crystal clear waters and is considered one of the best in Attica.
At the edge of the beach, there is a traditional Greek taverna with great seafood if you want to have lunch or dinner.
If you have a couple of days to spend in Athens the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion makes the perfect day excursion. During the summer you can spend the whole day there visiting the Archaeological Site, swimming on the beach and having a meal at a seaside tavern.
If your time is limited, or if you visit from November to April when the sea is cold I recommend a sunset tour,
If you just want to visit the temple of Poseidon I recommend the following sunset tour.
Book the half-day sunset tour to Sounio that lasts approx 4 hours.
You might be interested in the top things to do in Athens.
Have you ever been to Sounio?
Does it sound like a good day trip for you?
A beautiful and informative post. I am a sucker for Greek history and you always inspire me to want to see more.
Thank you very much Mike for the kind words! I am a fan of history and Greek mythology and Greece is full of them!
Loved this place when we went to Greece <3
It’s one of my favorites as well! I keep coming back every year.
I used to teach Ancient History and Greece was one of the students favourite topics. Enjoyed reading this and seeing the great photos
That is nice to hear! Thanks a lot!
I hope to visit during my trip next week. Thank you for sharing your lovely photos!
You are welcome! Make sure you won’t miss Sounio!
I really like history and all of these posts about Greece I’ve been reading here as of lately, just make want to visit even more!
Thanks I hope you can make it here soon!
I always loved Greek mythology. Loving your Greek posts it’s like a fun real life version of my history classes!
I am happy you enjoy them!
That spectacular blue sky was a perfect backdrop to the architecture of the temple, you couldn’t have got a better day for it. That seafood lunch looks pretty darn good too 🙂
Thanks it was a great day!
The kids and I have been learning about the minotaur and some greek mythology this week so we really enjoyed this post, especially the photo from the ocean and the temple in the mountain. Going to check out more of your stories I’m sure we will find more great stories to read with the kids.
Thanks very much! I am happy you enjoyed reading my post! All kids like greek mythology! So interesting!
This is great! I didn’t know that this was so near Athens! So stunning. Hoping that I could go back to Greece soon!
Greece looks like so much fun.. but I’ve been suffering from ‘temple fatigue’ after all the sites I visited in Asia and Central America. I think I’ll need some time before I get excited about any more of them.
You’re photos do look great though, it appears there was nobody around; it wasn’t too crowded?
I can’t believe the ticket is only 4 euro to visit the temple! I’m fascinated by places that date to BC – the fact that they still remain is incredible! Definitely a place I’ll add to my list!
I Visited all this pleases and swam all the way to the rock, ran at the old Olympia stadium and brot back a peace of history from Olympia 10 years ago cant wait to go again
That sounds great! I hope you can make it back soon!
Hi
I have about two days in Athens. The first day, i would reach my hotel by 3pm. Do you think it would be a good idea to see the temple of Poseidon then?
I was planning to see the Syntagma Square, House of Parliment, Memorial to the Unk Soldier, Hadrian’s Arch and the temple of Olympian Zeus on the second day.
Hello Anishka,
I am afraid that in order for you to go to Sounio with public transport you need at least 2 hours. The only way I can see that you can do it the firts day is by a half day sunset tour. This one strats around 5pm https://www.getyourguide.com/athens-l91/half-day-sunset-tour-cape-sounio-t102461/?partner_id=%200RM6CMA&cmp=halfdaysounio
The Syntagma square, Hadrian’s Arch and the temple won’t take you more than 2 hours. Acropolis and the museum is also a must and very close to Handrian’s Arch too.
Hello! so glad I ran into your blogs! They have been truly a blessing to use on our travels. We are doing 3 days in Athens Feb 24-27 and was wondering if doing the hop off hop on is a good idea for a full day touring (My 3 lazy boys think its a good idea LOL)then go to Sounio the following day for a half day?
I believe you can see everything on foot. All the attractions are very close to each other. The half-day Sounio tour is highly recommended.