By air
Athens (ATH), ~2.5 h by road
Europe · Greece
Delphi, Greece
The ancient oracle on Mount Parnassus
Getting there
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October — mild
Don't miss
The Temple of Apollo
The Tholos
The Delphi Museum
The ancient theatre
Things to do
The sanctuary of Apollo
The museum
The Tholos at dusk
Where to eat
What to pack
Walking shoes, water
A quieter corner
Arachova, a mountain village nearby
Questions travellers ask
How far is Delphi from Athens?
About 2.5 hours by road from Athens (ATH).
What is there to see at Delphi?
The Temple of Apollo, the ancient theatre and the Delphi Museum. Save the Tholos for dusk.
What's the best season for Delphi?
April to June or September to October, when it's mild. Bring walking shoes and water.
What should I eat around Delphi?
Mountain cheeses and lamb. For a change of scene, Arachova is a mountain village nearby.
About Delphi
- Mountains
Where it is
Delphi lies on the south-western slopes of Mount Parnassus in Phocis, central Greece, high above the valley of the Pleistos river, with a sea of olive groves running down towards the Gulf of Corinth.
History
Delphi's sanctuary of Apollo was the seat of the Pythia, the oracle consulted on important decisions across the ancient Greek world, and from 586 BC it hosted the Pythian Games every four years. The oracle was shut down in the late 4th century AD, and from the 1890s French archaeologists uncovered the site, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
People
The people of Delphi and the villages around it speak Greek and live from olive growing and from the visitors drawn by the ruins; the modern village was built on a new site when the old village of Kastri was moved for the excavations. Nearby Arachova is known for its weaving and its winter ski season on Parnassus.
Known for
- The Temple of Apollo and the Sacred Way
- The bronze Charioteer of Delphi
- The Tholos of Athena Pronaia
- The ancient theatre and stadium
- Views over the olive groves
Did you know?
The ancient Greeks believed Delphi was the centre of the world: in myth Zeus released two eagles from the ends of the earth and their paths crossed here, a spot marked by the omphalos, the navel stone.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.