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Delphi - the center of the Earth. In ancient Greek legend, Zeus released two eagles from the East and West. Their flights crossed at Delphi (previously called Pythos). This spot was marked by the stone monument known as the omphalos - in English: “navel."
Delphi is where the Pythia - the oracle of Apollo - delivered prophecies. Pilgrims ventured from all reaches of the ancient world to witness.
Now, Delphi exists as a two-street town a short bus ride north of Athens into the heart of the mountains. Most people explore the town as an easy day trip from the capital; there is no shortage of tours to pick from. The free walking tour I did in Athens recommended this tour as being one of the cheapest in the best.
However, by my third day in Athens, I was drained by the hustle and bustle of the big city. I love a bright metropolis as much as the next traveler, but in my core, I yearn for the small towns in hidden nooks and crannies.
Searching for ways to get to Delphi yields hundreds of day trips, but that was not what I was searching for. There had to be a way to get to Delphi one-way, right? But Google was still yielding round trips with a guide no matter how hard I searched. I was surprised at how difficult it was to find a way to go independently.
Thankfully, the hostel gods blessed me once again. After all, the best way to get travel information is from other travelers.
Here is all about how to get to Delphi one-way, budget accommodation, and how to explore the ruins!
At the end, there is a full budget breakdown.
There is a KTEL bus that runs a few times a day from Athens to Delphi at Bus Station Liosia. A one-way ticket costs about 15 Euros and takes 2.5 hours.
You can find the route information and tickets here. You might have to print the paper out. For this route, they did not accept an electronic ticket.
The ride out of Athens was pleasant; it was refreshing to watch the cityscape fade into the countryside. After two hours, the bus drops you off directly in front of Delphi Station - which is really just a signpost.
Right in front, there were friendly locals giving information to the passengers about all the restaurants in the town (there are not many). They also saw me looking lost with my suitcase and took me right to my hotel about 100-meters away.
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There are a few different hotels in Delphi. I chose to stay at Sibylla Rooms for about 25 Euros a night for a private room. The room was cozy with basic amenities and no fuss. The owner was friendly and had an open-door policy. Sometimes I would come back to find a group of cats wandering around in the lobby.
Note - the hotel does not have air conditioning. In the summer, you can use a ceiling fan and open the windows. The evenings were pleasant with the balcony doors open.
Delphi was somewhere I enjoyed staying, and I do not regret it! But, a part of me wishes that I had stayed in the next town over in Arachova - a popular ski resort town in the winter. According to other travelers, the city has a much more authentically Greek atmosphere with picturesque views. Busses go to Delphi three times a day.
There are a few restaurants around Delphi, and most all of them serve similar Greek cuisine. I treated myself to an evening out on the terrace steps of a lovely restaurant on my first evening there. I had a filling meal and a beer for 15 Euro and it was enough to keep me full for lunch the next day.
At one point it was only me on the terrace steps - besides the cat who decided to keep me company the entire meal. Delphi is full of friendly stray cats. All of them looked well-groomed and well-fed. They loved the attention.
In the mornings, I walked across the street to the best (only?) cafe in town to grab my much-needed Freddo espresso and pastry for breakfast. All of this usually cost about 3.5 Euro.
There are also a few small supermarkets with basic amenities. I stocked up on a couple of meals worth of food there, but after breaking down how much each meal cost it worked out to be about the same amount as eating out would have cost.
Delphi is heralded as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walking through the ancient ruins you can feel the power that the land once held. You walk in the footsteps of prophecy-seekers, worshippers, and powerful figures.
The complex is a five-minute walk from the town center situated next to the Delphi Archaeological Museum. Admission for the museum and complex is 12 Euro for regular tickets, and 6 Euros for discounted.
The archaeological complex is open from 8 am-8 pm, but the museum runs on much shorter hours. Most days it is only open from 9 am-3:30 pm. Make sure you plan accordingly so you do not miss out!
The museum was small and intimate. I went at 10 am just before most day-trippers arrived and there were no crowds. At times, I was the only person in the exhibition room.
The museum is situated about 300 meters from the ruins; however, I do not recommend going to the ruins before 6:00 pm. Why?
If you go after 6:00 pm you will be there after all the day-trippers have returned to Athens and have the complex mostly to yourself to watch the sunset. I went in August - the height of the Greek tourist season - and was able to walk the paths of the ancient temples almost entirely by myself. This was something I never would have been able to experience had I gone with a tour group.
The next day I had the entire Tholos of Athena Pronaia to myself.
Note: There are restrictions on what photography equipment you can and cannot use at archaeological sites in Greece. You can find the rules here.
Delphi was one of the more affordable places I have visited. I was living on a 50 Euro budget a day. Here is how everything breaks down.
Accommodation: Sybilla inn 76 Euro for 3 nights
Food: 37.65 - including one splurge meal out for 15.3 Euro
Tourism: 12 Euros
Bus ticket: 15.1 Euros
Total for 3 days = 140.95 euro/47 per day.
Could I have gone cheaper by cutting out the meal out? Sure! But it would have been the difference of 10 Euros over three days, which for me was worth indulging in.
Many people regard Delphi as an easy stop-over trip from Athens, but for me, three days was not long enough. I could have easily stayed longer to do some of the hiking trails in the mountains.
Bright and early at 6 am the next day, I trudged through the empty streets before sunrise and hopped on my bus to Meteora.
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