Athens to Delphi Sept 13

I plan to do a similar day trip in October. Who did you hire? Does anyone have suggestions for a guide for a day trip from Athens to Delphi?

Diana, see my response to your other query. Also, this person has not yet been to Greece or to Delphi. I'm guessing that the reason he/she is looking to share the car/driver is that it's quite expensive ... I'm guessing at least €200 ... after all, it's not just the distance and fuel, it's because one's taking up a full day of possible revenue for short Athens rides. in addition, unless you are a classics buff who's well-read, well-informed, and bringing a guide book or a downloaded audio guide, it's challenging to understand the import of the ruins & rellcs on y our own. A car driver is not a govt-licensed guide (a category that requires intensive study & dificult exams), so he would not be able to escort a passenger into ruins sites or museums, to explain things. There are licensed guide available in Delphi who will meet clients at the site. Because of the intensive training & high level of expertise, the going rate is (or was, 3 years ago) about €60 per hour, with a 2-hour minimum.

Without advanced background prep or deep pockets, there aren't easy answers to the Delphi Dllemma. There are group bus tours at much lower cost (??€70? €90) but, espeically between May - October can be frustrating even infuriating. They take time even getting out of Athens (pickups at many hotels), take 3+ hours, at 10:30 as many as 8 busses arrive at once, with crowds pouring onto ruins. Then hundreds are herded into Museum jampacking the place ... then without seeing rest of the site are rushed back onto busses for mandated group lunches (that YOU pay for) and unwanted stops at souvenir shops (do we smell kickbacks?) The busses arrive back in athens at height of rush hour.

I learned this lesson the hard way at end of my first Greece trip. Years later (and much wiser thru reading & university study), I took the excellent intercity KTEL bus to Delphi with a friend in mid afternoon. At 6 pm we enjoyed a nearly-empty museum, had a sunset dinner looking down mountains to the sea, and next AM at 8 explored the ruins, aided by maps, guidebooks & knowledge, all before arrival of tour-bus hordes. Another solution, not for everyone, but provided unforgettable memories for us, at a bargain.

Hi Janet,

I appreciate your response to Diana. I hired the Driver and Car for the very reasons you cited regarding the buses. I would love to have spent the night to see the ruins in the morning, but I don’t have the luxury of time. It is expensive when compared to a bus trip, but it’s a completely different experience.

The plan is to arrive before the buses and the crowds. I mainly want the company – it’s more fun to share it with somebody!
Best regards,
Jacqueline

Hi Diana,
I can let you know after September 13 - and, as far as the pricing, it’s double the amount Janet mentioned.

Hope you have a wonderful time when you go!
Jacqueline

We hired this driver-Dimitris Roussos of drpremiumtaxi.com for our day trip from Athens to Delphi last summer. It was a wonderful day. He is a driver, not a guide, but it was a pleasure to spend the day with him. We watched the hour long BBC video “Delphi Why It Matters” (was free on uTube) before our trip and took Rick Steve’s guide and map to both the site and museum with us. We had a lovely lunch on the terrace of a restaurant with a killer view before heading back to Athens. Yes it was an expensive day (just under $500 including the lunch for 3 adults) but we felt it was money well spent. It could not have been a nicer day.