A craggy headland looking out over the Aegean Sea, Cape Sounion is capped by the white-marble Temple of Poseidon. With private transport from your Athens hotel and an expert guide to explain the history and significance of the site, you’ll get a good understanding of Greek myths and legends as well as building techniques of the time on this private, five-hour tour. Your guide will help you understand how and why the site was chosen, its spiritual and logistical importance and how the ancient Greeks used this grand temple surrounded on three sides by water.
Your private driver will pick you up from your Athens hotel at the start of the tour and take you to Cape Sounion at the tip of the Attic Peninsula, a drive of an hour to an hour and a half.
You’ll drive south along the coast to the town of Cape Sounion, where the stately Doric columns of the ancient Temple of Poseidon look out onto the sea.
Here, you’ll meet your private guide to tour the temple, which is dedicated to the god of the sea. Your guide will reveal the history of the structure, which is built in marble and dates to the 5th-century BC, as well as relaying the importance of the Doric style.
You’ll hear how the temple features in Greek mythology, what it meant to ancient mariners, and the impression it left on British romantic poet Lord Byron.
The temple towers above the sea and offers panoramic, far-reaching views across the Saronic Bay. Your guide will point out the islands in the bay as well as the isle of Kea and the Peloponnese visible in the distance.
After touring the temple, your driver will pick you up and take you down to the nearby beachfront. There’s a traditional taverna where you can enjoy lunch with a view out over the sea and up toward the temple.
After lunch, your driver will take you back to Athens.
Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Greece specialists
These activities are designed to give you the most authentic experiences around where you're staying. We work with local guides, who use their knowledge and often a resident's eye to show you the main sights and more out-of-the-way attractions. Our specialists can suggest tours and activities that will introduce you to the local ways of life.
Ancient Athens and the Acropolis Museum
On this half-day privately guided tour, you’ll uncover the history, significance and function of the Athens Acropolis and its crowning glory, the Parthenon. Your time includes a trip to the Acropolis Museum, where the most highly prized sculptures are on display.
Ancient Delphi and Arachova
An expert guide will lead you around the ruins of ancient Delphi on this full-day tour of one of Greece’s most prestigious archaeological sites. The day ends with a trip to Arachova, a mountain town known for its textiles and cheese.
Athens food lover's walking tour
Sample fresh pies, succulent olives, traditional souvlaki and sweet desserts on a guided half-day walking tour of central Athens with a local guide. You’ll get an introduction to Greek cuisine and culinary techniques as you visit the city’s finest markets, delis and bakeries.
Athens street art tour
Discover Athens’ powerful street art on a guided tour that throws light on everything from the Greek economic crisis to the power of art to force social change. This half-day tour takes in Athens’ lesser-known districts and most impressive murals.
You can enjoy this activity as part of the suggested tours below, or we can weave it into a trip shaped entirely around you.
