7 Day Trips from Athens: Solo Female Traveler’s Ultimate Guide
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Athens is probably one of my most favorite cities in Greece. I am not sure if it’s the ancient temples, the people, the food, or the endless things to do in and around Athens, but regardless, it’s a great city to make as your homebase, if you are looking to explore Athens in the surrounding areas. As a solo female traveler, one of my favorite things to do is escape the busy city and explore some of the cities outside of the city and see more of the countryside. In this guide, I will be diving into some of my recommendations for the best day trips from Athens, along with things to do, safety tips, and hacks that I have learned along the way.
Introduction: Day Trips From Athens
One of my favorite things to do in Athens, or any large city really, is take some fun day trips from the city. The best part of these, is you don’t have to pack up and relocate, and you can experience things like cultural sites, beaches, islands, the countryside, really just about anything. In this guide, I am sharing some of my favorite day trips from Athens to help give you some ideas on what there is to see and do outside of the city. Now, let’s dive in!
1. Delphi
Delphi is probably one of my favorite day trips from Athens to take. Logistically, it’s best to take a guided tour, because it’s about 3 hours from the city, and a hotel pick up, drop-off, and commentary for this site, was value add in my opinion.
When I visit anything educational, cultural, or something I want to learn about, I prefer getting a guide, because I feel like it just enhances my experience, and I feel like I learn way more versus navigating these things on my own.
If you are into archeology, incredible countryside and mountain scenery, and are into all things Greek mythology, then you absolutely need to add a day trip to Delphi to your Athens itinerary.
2. Saronic Islands
If you are looking to escape the city of Athens via boat, then a Saronic Islands cruise is something you absolutely may want to add to your itinerary. This is such a fun and easy escape to do from Athens, and it’s very quick and easy to get to different islands, do some swim/snorkel stops, and just explore some of the cute harbors.
The boats to depart most days, but you will want to check the schedule ahead of time and plan appropriately. Also, this is a full day, so you want to make sure you leave early and have plenty of time to see what you want to see and return back to Athens timely.
3. Cape Sounion
If you are looking for a shorter escape, then I recommend a day trip to Cape Sounion. The best part of this day trip, or at least one of them, is the incredible coastal drive you get to take just to get there. Here I was able to explore temple ruins, situated up on a cliff, and see the most incredible sunset over the Aegean, which literally made the sky look like it was on fire.
If you want to turn this into a full day, then spend the other half of your day at the beach and enjoy a nice lunch away from the city. The drive is no more than 90 mins and is a great trip to do whether you do a half day or full day.
4. Nafplio, Mycenae & Epidaurus
If you are looking for a cute small Greek town to visit, then you will want to Nafplio to your Athens itinerary. This cute town has ruins to explore, an ancient theater, and lots of cute places to enjoy lunch.
To visit this area, you can either take a group day tour from Athens, or you can rent a car and explore on your own, which will give you some additional flexibility.
5. Meteora
Another great day trip to add to your itinerary is to visit Meteora. Perched on sandstone pillars are monasteries that are an incredible site to see. Now this day trip can be turn out to be a very long day, so you may actually want to do an overnight here, since the journey is about 4 hours each way.
I opted for a tour from Athens because I didn’t want to rent a car, I knew I wanted to keep this as a day trip, and honestly, the tours are much more informative in my opinion, versus doing this myself without a guide.
6. Corinth & Ancient Corinth
If you want a nice half-day day trip, then a visit to Ancient Corinth is perfect. Here you can visit some ancient ruins, have a nice lunch along the water, and walk around admiring the area before your trip back to Athens.
7. Lake Vouliagmeni, Cape Sounion swims, or Nemea
Sometimes you don’t need ancient ruins for a great day: Lake Vouliagmeni’s thermal waters felt restorative after city walking, and a short winery trip to Nemea gives you Tavel-like grape tastings without island transit. These options are mellow, easy to combine, and ideal when you want relaxation more than sightseeing.
Conclusion: Day Trips from Athens
Athens is a great city, full of culture, history, amazing food, and lots of incredibly monuments, but sometimes you want to visit the areas outside of the city. Athens is a great homebase for several amazing day trips from half-days to full days, and even some overnights if you’d like. Between visiting ancient ruins, monasteries, lakes, and some charming cities, there is no shortage of day trips from Athens that are all incredible to take. I hope this guide has inspired you to explore out of the city and has allowed you to add some amazing day trips from Athens to your itinerary.