Best way to see Delphi and Meteora without renting a car?

What you want can't be done, because distances are too great. Those KEY/CHAT tours must rush you away from Delphi in order to drive all the way to the Meteora area by late afternoon. And that "perfect world" does not exist by public transportation ... From Delphi to Meteora it's a difficult trip requiring 3 busses, from Dawn until at least 2 pm. No can do.

Your alternative would be a DIY one-day trip to Delphi & back, and then take the one-day train tour to Meteora. Or you could give up the unrealistic goal, and settle for a very satisfying 2 day visit to Delphi. I have detailed instructions for each Delphi option which I an cut and paste, but not in one RS reply, because of the length limit. If either of these interests you, please indicate.

Janet is right, there is no way with public transportation. Certainly not in your timeframe.

You could do it by renting a car, but you don't seem interested in doing that. You might find a guided group that does both on the dates you need, but that is a long shot.

If Delphi is your primary interest, that is easily done by bus on your own. The station is in Athens and you may have to wait until the next morning, the 8th. Return on the 9th. For sure I'd suggest being in Athens the evening of the 9th since you fly out the next day.

Thank you for the advice! I definitely realized that it would be asking a lot to try to fit all of that in there, but I was hoping against hope that it might be possible to do on my own via public transportation.

I guess my real goal is to get the most out of my final days before I have to fly back to the USA. I'm spending 3 days in Athens on the front end of my trip, going to Astypalaia for 5 weeks, then Santorini for 3 days, then I've got that window of time on the mainland.

I've heard that Delphi and Meteora are both worth seeing, and I want to make the best use of the time I have available.

Are the guided tours that do both Delphi and Meteora too rushed to be worth it? If it will be too rushed to try to see both places in that timeframe then I can adjust my plans for sure.

Meteora by organized bus tour requires an overnight in their motel. Period. The end.

We used a bus tour for Delphi (and the nearest city, Napflio) and were satisfied. But you have unrealistic understandings of the distances involved. Three days in Athens is not very much.

FIVE WEEKS in Astypalea?? Why not knock 3 days off that, then you'll have tons of time to see both those things. If not, please enlighten us as to why Astypalea, charming as it is, requires 35 days?? Are you finishing a novel? Inquiring Minds Want to Know!

Five Weeks!!!. Was that a typo are you really staying for 5 weeks? I loved my time on Astypalea . . . it's a lovely Greek Island that doesn't get the hype or crowds like the "Big Name" Islands get. However, it's rather small and not a lot going on other than the most beautiful Chora in the Greek Isles and surrounding area. Some good beaches, a few scattered towns, no archeological sites to speak of. However, I had some of the best Greek Food anywhere in Greece in the tavernas in the town square just as you enter Chora. It's a real nice island but five weeks could be a "bit" too much unless you just want to hang out, eat, drink, beach time, wander around and lay low. Nothing wrong with that, however.

How about a couple days in Nafplio, one of Greece's loveliest and elegant of towns as an alternative to Delphi/Meteora?. You can take the bus or rent a car since it's not too far away from Athens. It's a great place to base yourself for some of the best archeological sites in Greece.

I'm participating in an archaeological field school on Astypalaia that runs 6 days a week, June 27th through August 3rd. Initially I was just going to do the school and not take any extra time off from work, but I figured if I'm already flying out to Greece I might as well make the most of it and see a few things.

This is my first time trying to plan my own international travel, so I'm just trying to find out what is and isn't possible - I don't have specific expectations - and trying to make the most of the time that I have there before and after the school, and I hoped that knowledgeable people on this forum could offer guidance on how to best utilize the time I have to see the important things.

Good for you. That explains a lot about the amount of time you have on Astypalea. I found it to be a "real" Greek Island but I was there in early October and it was very quiet, which is what I go to Greece for. Few tourists, more local interaction and a more relaxed and laid-back Greek atmosphere. I'm not sure how things will be in August but I doubt you'll find the hordes of tourists like you would on Santorini or Mykonos. I think Astypalea is a great Greek Island that will give you not only a nice experience but a learning experience. What a great combination . . . fun and learning!

In that case, knowing that you are interested in Archeology (and thus Ancient Greece, rather than Byzantine church history), why not do the 2 day thing to Delphi .... For Meteora there are some very good videos from the library for the visual part, and as for the religious part, I am not carried away by pillar monasteries as escapes from evils of the world (mainly women?) ... I kinda like the Greek priests who live with parishioners and walk to the grocery with their kiddies. Here's my Delphi D-I-Y in 2 parts:

ONE DAY D-I-Y TRIP
First KTEL (intercity) bus is 7:30 AM(2.5hrs); take 4pm or 6:50pm back. Cost pp €30.20 Rd Trip Bus, taxi from Ath hotel to/from Bus station €12 each way; DElphi Site admission €12. BUS SCHED: https://www.ktel-fokidas.gr/en/delphi
PLUSSES vs group tour - Shorter travel time, arrive 45-60mins before crowds; not forced to leave for mandatory lunch
MINUSSES - Early rising for 1-Day & must do advance prep & onsite self-guiding.
TRAVEL STRATEGY -
The 7:30 bus CAN sell out; formerly could NOT buy a ticket ahead online. Even now, unsure. Have your Hotel Call & do it for you!! If not possible, taxi to Liossion Station(20 mins) by 6:30am & you'll be OK. (Do NOT try local bus!) Terminal has coffee bars, but if planning picnic, buy stuff the night before near hotel. BUS: All seats numbered - Ask for LH side of bus (less sun). All seats reserved; Get a round-trip ticket; specify last bus back (18:15) then if you decide to go earlier, exchangein Delphi (see below). Take care of restroom needs at yr hotel (station restrooms r Grim). However Bus has brief rest stop midway. For day trip, Use a Light day-bag or backpack; you'll be carrying it the whole time.
SITE STRATEGY -
At Delphi by about 10am, bus stops right at Museum/Ruins --you have an hour of quiet before tour-bus crowds. You might do ruins first, then when throngs invade, you hit the museum before they pour in @ 12:30 and jampack it. Then with your lunch you walk 500 yards down the road to Tholos & Castalian Springs for a serene picnic; Fill your bottles with pure mountain water!! After tour crowds depart (mostly by 2 or so), you may be able to re-enter ruins site (check earlier with gate staff). Awaiting your own return bus, you needn't stay by the site; the final stop is uphill on main street, by a souvenir store (which is the ticket venue). Walk uphill along the parapet, gazing down the mountainside, there's a nice cafe terrace directly across the street for refreshment with a view (local water, in pitchers, sraight from top of Mt. Parnassus, is Nectar of the Gods!).
IF STAYING OVERNIGHT
Same bus & taxi costs staying overnight. With more time, it’s nice to take the 3 pm bus arrive 6 20, stay on til final stop. Before you go to the ancient site -- walk a few yards & check into a hotel (I recommend PAN hotel, the back rooms look DOWN the mountain to the sea, costs about €35-40 rm; reserve ahead since u are in high season). From hotel walk downhill along parapet to the museum it’s open until 8 pm u can easily see it in an hour, (Very well signaged) then have dinner. Next AM, get to ruins gate by 8 am and youll have 2-3 hours before bus tours swarm in.

MY DELPHI LINKS for ADVANCE PREP & PRINT to TAKE:

• Printable Maps! (Museum, Sacred Precinct, Wider area) – http://www.planetware.com/map/delphi-map-gr-del.htm
• Sacred Destinations - http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/delphi Ads, but good info; see menu on side
• http://www.ancient-greece.org/archaeology/delphi-archaeology.html
• Dr J's Delphi – http://people.hsc.edu/drjclassics/sites/delphi/sacredway.shtm
NOTE: click items in SIDE MENU for complete photos & explanatory text. SUPER!
• Wikipedia entry, succinct & surprisingly good --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi

Janet - how many times have you been to Greece? you seem extremely knowledgeable about the entire country.

Janet - that is some awesome info, thank you! I could not have asked for better!

On a somewhat related note, how hard (or easy) is it to drive alone in Greece if you don't read Greek? I'm a nervous driver even here in the states, which is why I was thinking public transportation would be a better option for me.

I have been to Greece 12 times from 20-27 days per time, since '99 ... probably may-june 2019, #13, will be my last hurrah. Wanted to go since I was 18, but Life Got In the Way. Once I started I didn't want to stop .... on 9 of my trips I've taken "newbies" along & they cover my airfare but that's about all. I don't go anywhere else; retiree, measly pension. I've probably been to more than 25 Islands, many of them multiple times, and a dozen or so key places on the mainland. I stay in small family pensions... and at ones where I return time after time, I see their kids grow up. It's been a wonderful experience each time.

medusa, I've only been the navigator, riding shotgun, but all my travel pals who drove have found it very rewarding ... nobody drives in the heart of Athens of course... but its so easy to drive from the Airport -- get right on the Most Modern Intercity highway in all of greece (multi-lane, center median) --- and you don't even tap the brake until after corinh canal. Out in Peloponnese or in mainland, once you get off the main highway, small roads are 1 lane each way plus shoulder. If an impatient Greek rides your tailpipe, you just move oneto shoulder & let hims roar past. As for signage -- every exit has a sign in Greek then one in English ... The thing to rmember is that Greece doesn't pander to the daydreamer ..... you get ONE notice of your exit and that's all !! and just about 1,000 yards before it's upon you. So stay alert. Otherwise can say that driving in the Argolid area around Nafpio, Tiryns, Epidaurus etc, is SO rewarding... you can d a LOT in a day, and then find a small cove to swim in, arond 4 pm.

Hi Janet, I appreciate your useful information for other travelers, especially for people like me, trying to come up with an ideal itinerary – the most efficient travel plan for our first trip to Greece in 2019 May. I would really appreciate your input for the following itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Athens in the morning. Check in and explore the center of Athens in the afternoon (we are coming from Canada).
Day 2: Full day in Athens.
Day 3: You mentioned that “driving in the Argolid area around Nafplio, Tiryns, Epidaurus etc, is SO rewarding”. We will rent a car and do the driving around in the mentioned region and arrive in Nafplio, look around in the afternoon and head to Delphi in the evening. Stay overnight in Delphi.
Day 4: Spend the day in Delphi (including visit to Hosios Loukas), head down to Athens in the evening.
Day 5: Take ferry to Santorini
Day 6 and 7: 2 full days in Santorini
Day 8 and 9: 2 full days in Naxos
Day 10: Head back to Athens

Is this itinerary doable without rushing too much?
Any advise will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Jenny

I forgot to mention that we have 10 full days in Greece.