Delphi private tour: Navel of Earth, Apollo Temple, Oracle

Embark on a private full-day excursion from Athens to Delphi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore the ancient ruins, the Temple of Apollo, and the Delphi Archaeological Museum.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Athens - You will get picked up from your hotel, apartment, Airbnb, Athens airport, or Piraeus port.
  • Delphi - Arrival at Delphi after a 2,5 hours trip.

Free time for a walk at:

  • sanctuaries of Apollo and Athena Pronaia
  • ancient stadium and theater
  • Livadia - Livadeia is a town in central Greece. It is the capital of the Boeotia regional district.
    The area around Livadeia is mountainous, with farming activities mainly confined to the valleys. The area has traditionally been associated with the production and processing of cotton and tobacco, as well as the cultivation of cereal crops and the raising of livestock. The city is also known for having participated in the War of Troy in allegiance with Mycenae.
  • Mount Parnassus - Mount Parnassus is a mountain in central Greece that towers above Delphi, north of the Gulf of Corinth.
    Mount Parnassus offers many advantages to the population of Greece. In peace, it possesses scenic views of the countryside and features olive groves and rolling hills. The mountain is also the location of historically, archaeologically, and culturally significant places of interest (such as Delphi). Recreationally, the slopes of Parnassus provide a medium for hiking (in the three warm seasons) and are skied in winter. Its melting snows provide water to the surrounding communities, reaching out as far as Athens. The mountain is composed of limestone, and its rock contains bauxite, ore that is rich in aluminum. In war, Parnassus has been a center of resistance if need be, providing cover and refuge to partisans.
  • Arachova - Arachova is a mountain town and a former municipality in the western part of Boeotia, Greece, originally called Karyai (also spelled Caryae). Its name is of South Slavic origin and denotes a place with walnut trees. It is a tourist destination due to its location in the mountains, its traditions, and its proximity to the town of Delphi.
    Arachova has a panoramic view, uphill small houses, and the cobbled streets show a picturesque architecture. The town center includes a huge and steep cliff, the Bell Tower, covered with dense ivy. At the top of the tower is a large 10m height clock. Arachova is famous for its black wine, its “brusque”, the colorful textiles, carpets and rugs, handicrafts, and woodcut creations as well.
  • Delphi Archaeological Museum - Delphi Archaeological Museum is one of the principal museums of Greece and one of the most visited. It is operated by the Greek Ministry of Culture. Founded in 1903, it has been rearranged several times and houses the discoveries made at the Panhellenic sanctuary of Delphi, which dates from the Late Helladic (Mycenean) period to the early Byzantine era.
    Organized in fourteen rooms on two levels, the museum mainly displays statues, including the famous Charioteer of Delphi, architectural elements, like the frieze of the Siphnian Treasury, and ex-votos dedicated to the sanctuary of Pythian Apollo, like the Sphinx of Naxos. The exhibition floor space is more than 2270m2, while the storage and conservation rooms (mosaics, ceramics, and metals) take up 558m2.
  • Temple of Apollo - The Temple of Apollo, god of music, harmony, light, healing, and oracles occupied the most important and prominent position in the Delphic Panhellenic Sanctuary. The edifice with the partially restored colonnade visible today dates to the 4th century BC; it is the third temple built at the same place. The famous oracle, the Pythia, operated inside the temple, the location chosen, according to one tradition, due to a sacred chasm beneath the site emitting vapors, which were inhaled by the Pythia. Some ancient writers state that the Pythia then entered a state of delirium and uttering inarticulate cries, which were then turned into equivocal oracles by the priests. This interpretation is controversial, and has been challenged by scholars such as Joseph Fontenrose and Lisa Maurizio, who argue that the ancient sources uniformly represent the Pythia speaking intelligibly, and giving prophecies in her own voice.
  • Delphi - Free time for lunch at a traditional Greek tavern with your friends and family or shopping.
  • Arachova - Free time for a coffee before we start our trip back to Athens.
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Bottled water
  • On-board WiFi
  • Professional drivers with deep knowledge of history (not licensed to accompany you in any site)
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Hotel/ airport/ port pickup and drop-off
What's Not Included
  • Licensed tour guide (upon request and depending on availability)
  • Entry or admission fees for archaeological sites
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Experience the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Delphi, the location of the renowned 4th-century-BC Apollo Temple, on a private day trip from Athens. You’ll be transported in a private, climate-controlled vehicle and explore all the attractions your group wishes to see in the vast mountainous archaeological site before comfortably returning to Athens.

  • Visit Delphi’s ruins, Apollo’s Temple, and Delphi’s Archaeological Museum
  • Explore the sacred areas of Apollo and Athena Pronaia, ancient arenas, and amphitheatres
  • Our drivers are not official tour guides, but they are knowledgeable and can provide fascinating commentary in fluent English. Although they will not enter the archaeological sites with you, they can answer all of your questions about the places you visit with this tour.
  • Third party activities and especially extreme sports are not allowed during the tour. This can be a cause for immediate cancellation of the tour.
Location
Athens
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(36 Ratings)
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Dream620645
May 3, 2024
Great private day trip to Delphi! - Fabulous private tour with MyAthensTranfers. Our guide, Fotis, was amazing! So knowledgeable and fun to be with. What a great way to learn Greek history!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yogid646
Apr 12, 2024
Delphi: a must visit! - Must do trip! Delphi is an amazing place to visit: beautiful, peaceful, mythical. My driver Spyros is amazing. He went out of his way to provide the best experience for us. Clean and luxury car. Provided bottle of water. He took us to an mamzing restaurant with beautiful setting and location and great food. Stop for us for great photo spot. Worked with our slow pace. Recommend to leave Athens first thing in the morning to have a peaceful visit. A must do trip when you visit Athens.
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862mart
Mar 28, 2024
Awesome! - One of the best tours I have made, the views, the ancient places, the ruins, all was amazing, is my first day in Greece and it has worth every minute , we had the fortune to have the best guidance with Fotis, he is very kind, friendly and knows a lot about Greece history and culture. Totally recommended 🤗
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532kb523
Oct 5, 2022
Delphi Day Trip - My wife and I just returned from our honeymoon in Greece. We could not recommend this tour more! The sights were breathtaking and the food was amazing (with the BEST view). Our driver, Takis, was so nice, knowledgeable, and accommodating. He made an already great day absolutely perfect. My Athens Transfers thought of everything so we didn’t have to (food, water, private transportation, etc). Definitely visit Delphi if you like to hike- the views are worth it!
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Judyr399
Sep 25, 2022
So interesting - Such an interesting day! We enjoyed seeing the countryside outside of Athens. Vassili was great about explaining things and answering our questions. We enjoyed Delphi - the Sanctuary of Apollo, the village, and lunch at a local taverna set up by our guide.
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Gandt4me
Sep 17, 2022
5 out of 5 experience - Our driver, Anthony, was very professional, knowledgeable and keen to assist us in any way he could. The vehicle provided was of the highest quality and perfectly suitable for our group of 8. A guide (Georgia) was arranged as part of the tour, which worked seamlessly and we would thoroughly recommend asking for this as part of the tour.
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Stevewz6668ju
Sep 11, 2022
A pleasant drive to the Oracle - Our driver Takis was extremely professional and we had a totally relaxing days at our own pace. The sights were amazing and the restaurant he chose,based on a challenging food restriction with one of our group, was outstanding! Van was also very clean, driven professionally and stocked with cold waters!
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Matthieu
Sep 9, 2022
Amazing visit and organization - Had a wonderful day largely due to my driver Michael, he was very friendly, professional and helpful with an attention to small details.
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Bryanc73725161
Aug 31, 2022
The perfect day! - Our driver, Panos, was wonderful. Very friendly and had a great depth of historical knowledge. Took us on several extra stops along the way giving us a very rich experience. Lunch was amazing, delicious food with a fabulous view of the sea and olive trees orchards. Highly recommend, would use them again.
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Hannahwalker1992
Aug 31, 2022
Beautiful site - excellent tour guide - An excellent and well organised tour hosted by Panos. Panos arrived at our hotel before the departure time and was waiting for us in our hotel lobby. The vehicle was large, air conditioned and comfy for the long drive. Panos made the drive very enjoyable by sharing lots of information about the areas we were driving through and information about Delphi so we had a greater understanding of the history of the site before arriving. Panos also chatted to us about our lives and showed a great interest in all the topics discussed, he was an excellent, informative and entertaining guide. We took a short stop en-route at a small service station recommended by Panos, which was very modern with lots of food and drink and excellent toilet facilities. The road to Delphi and through the mountains can make nervous passengers uncomfortable, but I mentioned this to Panos while driving and he took excellent care of us and kept us distracted from the road and even drove more slowly. For a nervous passenger Panos was both an excellent driver and a excellent distraction. We were taken firstly to a small temple beside Delphi that Panos recommended as peaceful. The site was beautiful and the views are amazing. Delphi itself is not the be missed, a truly unique site with an incredible history. The ruins are beautifully maintained and there are information cards around the site that explain what you’re looking at. There is limited shade and the walk to the stadium can be gruelling in the heat, but the trade off is some of the most amazing views and some awe inspiring sites, we left blown away by how such a site could be created here. There is also a museum on the site which houses pieces found in Delphi, this was also very modern and had lots of information and some truly incredible work. Panos was not rigid in our schedule and we spent a little longer on the site than anticipated or than the average tour group. This was a great trade off for us, while tour groups operated with large groups are cheaper, having the flexibility to explore at our own pace made the additional cost worth every penny. Panos met us at the exit and drove us to a beautiful local restaurant with stunning views out over olive groves and the sea. The food was traditional and exquisite, it did not feel like a ‘tourist trap’ with buses full of tourists and mediocre food, it felt truly peaceful and authentic. After lunch Panos took us to the beautiful village of Arachova, we had overrun slightly in the main site so we had less time than we might of otherwise had, but Panos did not make us feel rushed at all and we had a short stroll through the town (enjoyed a quick ice cream) and admired the view! The drive home was also great, Panos chatted away with us on all matters from Greek history, stereotypes and conspiracy theories! He made a long drive after a long day very enjoyable and he made us feel welcome. Panos appears to truly enjoy his job and we felt like friends on an adventure, not paying clients. Panos also provided us with a recommendation for a restaurant to try in Athens in the evening, which was also delicious. All in all we would highly rate this trip. The trip itself is well organised and allowed us the flexibility, personalisation and peace that you can not get from a large tour group. The transportation and stops were all of excellent quality. Panos himself is a superb driver and tour guide, he has an obvious passion for his job and for people which made our trip even better. Comparative to tour buses, this trip will cost you more, however the service you receive will be worth any additional cost. We would recommend this trip to anyone visiting Greece and, if we return to Athens we will book another trip with this company and request Panos as our guide.
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