Hi everybody,
We are visiting Greece this September & following R.S tour plan (with a few tweaks of our own).
My only question : is Delphi worth 2 nights?
Yes , we will tour the sights , but is there a reason to linger ? Any sense of something mystical / magical , because its Delphi ?
Or is an extra day of lingering better used elsewhere on the peninsula?
Posted by
Atlanta
3262 posts
I've been doing quite a lot of research for our upcoming trip to Greece in May. I initially planned for 3 nights in Delphi but some suggested that was too much time as the city itself isn't that interesting. One person suggested staying nearby in Galaxidi (thank you for the suggestion Douglas!) to take daytrips to Delphi and the Byzentine monestery Hosios Loukos. We've reserved a room at Ganimede Hotel. I like the idea of relaxing for a few nights in a coastal town. Hoping it works out well!
Hoping though that you'll hear from someone who has actually been to Delphi!!
Posted by
Tucson
4183 posts
We spent 2 nights in Delphi in the fall. We didn't do anything else in the area. From Athens, it is a 3 hour bus ride each way. Coming by bus from Nafplio and changing buses in Athens, we didn't arrive until almost dark the first night. The bus left about 11 the morning we went back to Athens. When we were there, the hours were somewhat limited because it was so late in the season.
We spent most of the day between the nights at the ruins and at the museum. It was easy walking distance from our little hotel. We are old and slow, so we took our time. I think you go up about 700 feet from the bottom of the ruins to the top. We happened to be there on the 1st Sunday of the month (2 November for us) when both the museum and the ruins are free.
I would say that Delphi is worth a full day so that you can explore both the museum and the ruins without rushing. If you are taking public transportation, whether you spend 1 or 2 nights will be dependent on the bus schedules.
Magical? Mystical? I guess that would depend on the individual. It was my favorite place and my favorite museum of our trip. Seeing the Charioteer (http://ancient-greece.org/art/chiarioteer.html) was a bucket list item for me. In spite of all the pictures I saw, I was not prepared for the amazing views from the ruins. We did spend some time up there just sitting and taking it all in.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
The ancient site of Delphi is pretty amazing. One of my favorite places. But the town? Very bland but with some great vistas. If like above, you arrive late, then an extra night might be necessary to spend the day at the ruins and museum and have a nice lunch. But don't stay just for the character of the town.
I was probably the one that suggested staying in Galixidi mentioned above. If you have a car, it's an easy 30 minute drive and down along the coast. And a car gives you some exploration of the nearby coastline and Hosias Loukas monastery. But if no car, there are lots of lodging options in Delphi.