We have a hotel in Delphi next month but I am struggling to find an affordable way to get there and back from Athens. Public bus is an option but was hoping for a private tour without the private tour prices! Maybe money better spent on a great guide once we get there?
Any leads would be appreciated.
Why not take the bus? If you are staying overnight on your own, you probably won't find a tour group to join because they tend to either do daytrips or make the overnight hotel inclusive. If you really want a guide once there at the sites, look into hiring one or there may be some audio tours you can rent.
I'd go for the bus as well. Here are the times as of January 2013. They seem to have been pretty much the same for years so I've no reason to believe they've changed.
http://www.athensguide.com/practicalinfo/busschedulesB.htm
The bus station and drivers are well used to dealing with non-Greek speakers so it isn't a problem using the network.
It's a real advantage staying overnight and being able to get on the site and in the museum late afternoon and early morning before the tour groups from Athens have arrived.
There aren't any tours I know of that would take you from Athens to Delphi and then leave you there overnight. Most are doing this trip as a day trip. I overnighted in Delphi and was glad I did since I was able to visit before the tour buses came. In your situation I would take the public bus and then enjoy the ruins early before the buses from Athens show up. Rick recommends the local guide Penny Kolomvotsou ([email protected]) in his Greece guidebook.
