Advice on Athens City Pass and Getting to Delphi for the Day

I want to spend my first full day at Delphi. I don’t want a guided
tour.

To get to Delphi, take the bus from the KTEL Fokidas station (Terminal B), located here:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/VtUp7MqRkDkffNgV6

The nearest metro station is Aghios Nikolaos on metro line 1 (green).

Bus schedules to Delphi are available here: (select itineraries and Delphi)

https://www.ktel-fokidas.gr/

The first bus leaves from Athens at 8:30 a.m. The journey takes approximately 3 hours depending on traffic.

In Delphi, the bus stop is located at the entrance to the village of Delphi, right next to the ancient site of Delphi.

Going to Delphi with a private driver costs around €400. By bus, it's €33 for the return trip.

I want to walk the ground of Plato’s Academy

Plato's Academy Archaeological Park is located here.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/adRUmEtkTzsG9Cjd7

I recommend taking a taxi. It's also possible to get there by public transportation, but it involves taking the metro, then the bus, then walking.

I am trying to fit in the National Archeological Museum

In a single day, you can go to Plato's Academy early in the morning and then the NAM. You must finish your visit to the NAM early enough to catch a taxi and leave for the airport in time to catch your 7:00 PM flight to Kavala. Allow about 2 hours to visit the NAM.

You must be at the airport 1 hour before the flight's departure time.
Allow between 40 minutes and 1.5 hours, depending on traffic, to get from the NAM to the airport by taxi.

To be on the safe side, I would leave the NAM no later than 4:00 PM.

The Athens City Pass is confusing

There's no point in buying passes, which will be useless and expensive. The passes offer combos of site and museum visits. You'll pay for all these visits, plus the commission of the third-party service selling the pass, even though you won't even see 50% of these places.

Be smart and don't get scammed by tempting expensives passes. Simply buy your tickets at the entrance to each site/museum you visit.

Thank you for this wonderful reply. Everyone discouraged me from thinking about getting tickets separately for each place I want to visit. My longest day in Athens is 8/28. Since I arrive on 8/26 and my flight lands at 2 PM, I should be at my hotel by 4 PM. The museum is open until 8 PM on that evening (Tuesday). So I may just try that. It seems to be a 30 minute walk. If I am too tired for that, a neighbor told me to get a taxi, approximately $7 (American) from my hotel very close to ruins. Alas, I cannot take your advice about getting to Delphi. I’m a senior, a woman traveling alone, so I want to travel by car. If I had the luxury of more time in Athens (to get lost) I would act on your advice for public transport.

profgarcia, your ambition is admirable, but as jo-lui notes, be realistic ... Also better advic when you're specific, I.e. Re walking to Museum, where Hotel? "Near the ruins" insufficient - give hotel name.

Coming from US with transfer in Europe, so you will be Exhausted; first night not best time for Nat Arch Museum.. If you must do a late-day "sight" , try the ACropolis museum ... ialso open until 8, and probably uncrowded at 5:30. You can buy tickets at gate, free audio tours available. Top floor has the fab display of Parthenon Sculptures and good 20min video history. Go to 2nd floor, lovely glass inclosed terrace restaurant w Parthenon view (and reasonable prices) for light meal before early night to recover from Jet Lag.

To Do Delphi on 2nd day (8/27) you CAN bus it for €33 round-trip, plus taxi to/from station. Since your screen name includes "prof" (professor?) I'm guessing you can't do $400 for private driver. I'm older than you, travel alone and did the KTEL bus at 79. Also guessing that as an American, you may be a "public transit virgin" not famliar with bus quality and usage elsewhere. Greek KTEL( intercity) busses are very modern, A/C, reserved leanback upholstered seats w footrests, used by all levels of citizenry. Takes same amt of time as car (about 3 1/2 hours). Your hotel can phone bus station the night before & reserve an 8:30 ticket and a return ticket (there's a return bus at 4pm (1600) and 6:30 but would advise the 4pm) . Ride will take until 11:30 - 11:45 to Delphi ruins...I think bus now stops right at site gate There will be absollute THRONGS of tour groups -- but fortunately around noon they are all herded into the Musuem from noon - 1:30 or so. So you could go up into ruins, then see museum around 2. A smart time-saver (and fun thing) is to buy a sandwich by your hotel in early AM, and picnic uphill on a column. I trust you'll have a Blue Guide or helpful printouts for a DIY tour... if not, I can provide links. So that's Delplhi -- if it is a true "Must."

IF you would follow Jo-Lui's excellent and straightforward advice, on 8/28 you could check out from room after breakfast, stash bags with desk, do the Plato site early, then the N.A.M. Then taxi back to hotel. Taxi or car service (flat rate is €43 to Airport from Central Athens) in ample time to be in line by 6 PM.

But wait? Where is Acropolis? And Agora? at least a walk-by of Hadrian's Arch & Temple of Zeus? UNless you plan these after Eastern Greece time, you'll have to save Delphi for your next trip....

ACROPOLIS ETC - If you've done any online research, you must be aware that in High Season these days you MUST MUST register in advance for the Acropolis. Since you go only 2 weeks from today (!!!) all the early mor ning (8:30 - 10++) slots are full. Your best bet would be to try for an entry around 5:30 at night on 8/27 when it's least a LITTLE cooler. You can use the Official website, bult then must get a ticket Online -- and if there's a glitch, time is so shortt. Insrtead, on your first nightt, before 6pm you could stop at the SOUTH entry ticket office to the Grounds (just across the promenade from the Acrop Museum) and find out what time slots are available & buy/book on the spot. You can buy Agora tickets any tme -- AND this Rick Steves website has 2 FREE downloadable Audio Tours you can put on your mobile phone, for Acropolis AND Agora. (find them on this page in L H COrner "Watch, Read, Listten"). I recommend you download & listen ahead, so you'll know how to work it.

Since Janet has already given all the best advice, I'd just add that with a flight from the US scheduled for 4 p.m. in August, allow 2.5 hours rather than 2 hours to get to your hotel.

Plus time to settle into your hotel and then head to the NAM, you won't be at the museum until 7 p.m., which is just before closing time.

The NAM is a huge museum, one of the largest in Europe. So, without making assumptions about your physical abilities, even if you arrive earlier, I'm not sure you'll be able to fully enjoy the museum under these conditions.

Thanks for the replies Ju Lui and Janet, but Jane, but Janet, you make several incorrect assumptions. First, I don’t believe I revealed my age. I’m a native New Yorker. I have taken subways in at least 5 different developing countries and in Russia and China. I don’t care how comfortable the buses are, I get motion sickness after an hour. I finished researching where I want to go in Athens and did a map before posting and it includes the Parthenon Museum. Jui Lui, thanks for alternative to “Plato” and museum. My hotel is Athens Gate; according to two sources, I can walk there in half and hour or take a 7 euro taxi ride. Correct?? I could do a 400 euro drive but I told my hotel it was too much. I don’t need a guide. This so-called 4 star got times and dates wrong in 3 e-mail exchanges. That’s why I asked for sources to book a car. Pure exploitation. I wasn’t jet lagged on arrival in Madagascar or Mongolia from US and I rarely am until the second or third day. I hope to get the Acropolis and Parthenon and whatever else I can fit in before the having to arrive at airport for flight fly to Kavala. I’m taking LoLui’s advice on tickets. Hopefully there is a sentient concierge at hotel! And if I only need to get there an an hour before flight time, that’s 8 PM, not 7 PM.

If you're staying at the Athens Gate Hotel, I think it will take you more than 30 minutes to walk to the National Archaeological Museum. An alternative would be to take a trolley bus from the Makrigianni stop, located 100 meters from your hotel:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/DDSJ2DjkM2dRbuJ77

4 Trolley lines: 2, 4, 5, and 11 pass right next to the NAM. The bus stop is Polytechneio.

If you ask me, the bus is nicer than the metro; it gives you a city tour for €1.20. It's something that always surprises me: why people want to see the city and go into these underground metro tunnels :).

If it's the metro, take it from the Acropolis station (Anthoupoli direction), which is right next to your hotel, and exit at Omonia station. From there, it's a 10-minute walk to the NAM via Patission Avenue.

As I said before, there are options for getting to Plato Park by public transportation, but it's going to be a bit complicated to explain for someone new to the area, and a taxi is probably what you need.

For the equivalent of about a 30-minute walk, expect to pay between €7 and €10 for a taxi, depending on traffic (and the driver's honesty).

Regarding the 8 PM or 7 PM times, I admit I don't remember what they refer to anymore. This will save me from making unnecessary comments. :)

Dear JouLi and Janet: You both have been very kind in replying and I thought I would send an update. The booking agency I used is looking for a less expensive driver for me for Delphi . . . We’ll see. There are shared rides. I do have a question about buying last minute tickets; as you said, this is the sensible thing to do. I can’t find info on how the tickets are timed, i.e., every 20 minutes, 30 . . . And does that matter? E-mailing the hotel reception for help is useless. Do I simply go to the gates and stand on line? I assume all card holders would go before me. Also, websites for Athens state that the ruins open at 8 AM (08:00) and the last ticket is at 7:30 or dusk (About 19:00). If I arrive at the hotel by 5 PM or 17:00 what ruin would you suggest I try for? I think you said I should leave more time for the NAM. Thank you, again!

NOthing is timed except the Acropolis, and it is on;y one that people lhave to buy tickets in Advance for... and since you are so late in planning, all lhe slots before noon every dady probably are filled anyway. No matter. Here is step-by-step, what to do:

To locate Athens Gate look at this map - https://tinyurl.com/ycd2mx83 - click & it gets big. Find Acropolis, put it in the center, and navigate using the side-slides. Athens gate is just below #21 - Temple of Zeus - on opposite (left/west) side of Street

At 4pm, check in and leave. I recommended you go to Acropolis SOUTH Entrance. To do so, walk on the widie green-checked (car-free) promenade just bellow the Acropols. The box office & entrance is #73 on map. Ask what times are still available for NEXT day 8/27. (I do not suggest asking about available entry times on 8/26 because you yourself mentioned being tired) If you have any luck there will be entrance times for Acropolis 8/27 around 5 pm. or a little later. Closing time is 8 pm, but they start herding people off the rock starting at 7:30. But 60-90 minutes should be plenty "up top" because there's no museum or exhibits up there.

After that, (Asmentioned before), by 5 pm or so on that first nght 8/26, you could go right across the pathway, 50 yards, and into the Acropolis Museum. Its glass-enclosed air-conditioned terrace cafe is a good place to stop, cooil off & get something to eat. Then you can tour the museum and its treasures, and walk back to Athens Gate & early bed, to get over Jet Lag.

For other sites, no need to get all fuss-fuss, for the few you want to enter, just walk up too ticket office & buy.. I think the Ancient Agora(9 & 22 on map) is main one worth entering if day is not burny-hot. To make sense of it you need guidebook OR (better yet) a FREE audio-guide. You can download one onto your phone (do you know how?) from RICK STEVES... just look at LH corner of this page where it says "Watch Read Listen" Click on it, then on Greece - Athens. It has THREE Free audio-guides for do-it-yourselfers ... Ancient Agora, Acropolis, and !!! "top highlights" of National Archeological Museum (#47 on map) I advise downloading & listening before trip, so you are familiar with the process. If it's new to you, get some kid to download them and show you how to work them,... you'll need earpods..

The 4 other Ancient Sites (formerly part of a 6-ticket package) are these: TEMPLE of HERA -- just some huge columns across from your hotel... viewable as a Walk-by. HADRIANS ARCH and ROMAN AGORA, ditto. The Mluselum of KERAMaikos (cemetery) is closed this year. So you will have time

OK, job done. The only way Ii could provide more help would be to fly there and lead you by the hand Have a great time!

Hi, Janet. So you can’t do that? Too bad as it would be nice to have company. My friend with whom I’m staying after flying to Kavala is 87, while in good shape (she’s a native) I couldn’t drag her through this in summer. I just did a preliminary read of your comments (I’m cleaning) and will get back to this later. If I get to Delphi, it will be on 8/27. I doubt I’d get back on time to get next-day tickets, so I’ll try when I arrive. We always booked our own trips—husband and me—but I lost him a few years ago and he always took care of details. I was the planner. Sorry to get personal but that’s why I used an agency. They advised the itinerary in Athens. Two days later (I still work), I realized I needed another day but it would have cost me over $300 to change flights and reservation. That’s why I am in a pickle. Lesson learned: no more tour agencies. This is the best forum I have ever used. Trip Advisor used to be like this but not now.

Your problems are not solvable and will not be. As my wise mother used to say, you can't pour a quart into a pint bottle.

JoLui and Janet, I’m getting a patch for motion sickness as I’m back to your original suggestions. Paying $500 to see Delphi when I can’t name the time I want to leave is ridiculous. Can you answer two quick questions I didn’t think of before:

1. It seems from the KTEL public bus schedule to and from Delphi that I can get 4 hours at the site. Is that right?

2. How easy is it to get a SIM card? Where do I buy it and do they put it in for you? I’m not sure my iPhone will take it. Any experience with this? Otherwise I’m paying AT&T 168 plus taxes.

Thank you.

Can I suggest that you just skip Delphi on this trip? Our first trip to Athens was three nights. We saw the highlights of Athens in that time. Our second trip we went to Delphi.

Now I know you may not be back to Greece. Frankly, we did not know if we would either. But sometimes you still are better off enjoying what you can see without trying to see what is difficult logistically.

1: Yes, if you take the first bus in the morning at 8:30 AM and return on the 6 PM bus.

1. Sorry, I don't have any experience with this. As Europeans, we don't need to buy a separate SIM card to travel in Europe since we don't have any additional roaming or data charges.

The main operators in Greece are Vodafone and Cosmote. They have stores in town. Vodafone also has a store at the airport, and I believe they can install and configure it in a few minutes. I've read that some travelers from the US traveling in Europe also use Airalo.

https://www.vodafone.gr/prepay-sim-card-greece/tourist

https://www.airalo.com/greece-esim

Thank you Beth for your thoughtful reply. I’m not likely to go to Greece again. I was a college teacher and taught Ancient Greek theater. Frankly, there are only half a dozen places I want to see in Athens and I’ll see what I can on my last day. I have 9 days afterward that in Kavala and it will be more relaxing.

JouLi: Thanks for the confirmation. So much better to do this and I’ll probably meet people like me. It will be an adventure. I didn’t know that about Europe. Ten years ago, I don’t remember having to do any of this but maybe that’s because my husband dealt with it!

JoLui: Sorry to be a pest, but can I book bus tickets when I arrive 8/26 for the next day? My hotel seems to have a clueless reception but I assume they can handle this.

can I book bus tickets when I arrive 8/26 for the next day?

Yes:

https://ktelbus.gr/fok/ticketweb/

Thank you! If you and Janet make it to NYC you have a home cooked Italian meal waiting for you!

For me lasagna and tiramisu with a Nebbiolo wine :)

Beware, profgarcia, I'm only a train ride away.. and I know my way around Manhattan, lived there for 36 years!