Delphi (Δελφοί)

You plan a trip to Athens and you already know you will have some free time? Here is a possibility to fill this whole in your sight seeing list of Greece. It is just 2 and a half hours from Athens away and you don’t need to rent a car, because it is not difficult to find a number of bus tours.

It is an archaeological as well as modern town. Delphi (Δελφοί) is a nice place for nearly everybody- for those who are interested in historical backgrounds and old ruins and for those interested in modern buildings and lifestyle.
Delphi is divided in the old town consisting of old ruins and the new and modern one in the west as separate towns.

Delphi as the most archaeological site of Greece:

Dedicated to Apollo, the god of the sun, arts, healing, prophecy and oracles, Delphi was an important oracle and holy place for worshiping Apollo.
Once in the ancient times and the worship of Gaia, Greeks revered Delphi as the centre of the earth. But there was a time the popularity of the oracle increased. As a result temples and monuments were built. The wealth of the location spread out to the size, you can imagine about today. The old city of Delphi included -among other things the temple- of Apollo, the Altar of Chians, the theater, and the stadium and hippodrome in which events of the acient Pythian Games taken place. The Phythian Games were one of the four pen Hellenic games- the forbear of the Modern Olympic Games. You can also find some rests of Athletic statures. The entrance to some of the museums and exhibitions are free.

The modern Delphi:

Maybe you cannot decide which town of Delphi you prefer. No problem! The modern town offers you a wide choice of hotels, restaurants, shops, taverns and bars. The main roads are closed to each other. The city of Delphi itselfe owns a school, a church, a lyceum and additionally for tourists in the city center the Parnassus Ski Center.