Cape Sounio, Temple of Poseidon, Athenian Riviera Private Tour from Athens
Description
The lacy coastal road that begins in the Athenian suburb of Glyfada and winds its way through Vouliagmeni and Lagonisi to reach Cape Sounio is one of Attica’s most sublime routes. Small beaches with their sandy shores or rocky stretches, crystal-clear sparkling water and a perfectly blue sky accompany you along the way and delight the senses, mind, and soul of anyone taking this gorgeous route to get to one of Greece’s most idyllic spots, Cape Sounio. From a distance, your gaze is captivated by the ruins of the temple of Poseidon, commanding, stunning, a characteristic example of classical architecture of the 5th century BC. This is the spot that the ancient Athenians chose to honor their god Poseidon, within a fortress constructed to protect their coastline. Millions of visitors from around the globe also come here to gaze upon the sun setting into the arms of the Saronic Gulf. A memory that stays with them for a lifetime...
Tour Options
Itinerary
Pick up from your hotel, apartment, Airbnb, Athens airport, or Piraeus port. We need about 1,5 hours to get to Sounio.
Glyfada is a suburb in South Athens located in the Athens Riviera. It is situated in the southern parts of Athens' urban area. The area stretches from the foot of the Hymettus mountain to the Saronic Gulf. It is the largest of Athens' southern suburbs.
Voula is a southern suburb of Athens.
Vouliagmeni is a seaside suburb and former municipality 20 km south of Athens city center.
Varkiza, also Alianthos, is a suburb of greater Athens forming part of the municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni in southern Attica
Anavyssos is a town and a former municipality in East Attica.
Cape Sounion is the promontory at the southernmost tip of the Attic peninsula, 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) south of the town of Lavrio (ancient Thoricus), and 70 kilometers (43 mi) southeast of Athens. It is part of Lavreotiki municipality, East Attica. It is 59.6 km away from Athens. Cape Sounion is noted for its Temple of Poseidon, one of the major monuments of the Golden Age of Athens. Its remains are perched on the headland, surrounded on three sides by the sea.
The ancient Greek temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, built during 444–440 BC, is one of the major monuments of the Golden Age of Athens. A Doric temple, overlooks the sea at the end of Cape Sounion, at a height of almost 60 meters (200 ft).
During our return to the city of Athens, we will stop at one of the most idyllic places for photos. Vouliagmeni Lake, in the heart of the Athenian Riviera, is the hidden treasure of Attica's nature. Lake Vouliagmeni ("Sunken Lake") is a small brackish-water lake fed by underground currents seeping through the mass of Mount Hymettus located to the south of Vouliagmeni.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
This private tour is exclusively for your group, ensuring a personalized and flexible experience. Pickup time can be adjusted upon request. Your driver can pick you up and drop you off either at the same location or at different locations of your choice within Athens. * Hotel pickups: Your driver will be waiting in the hotel lobby. * Apartment pickups: Your driver will be waiting outside the building entrance. * Cruise port pickups: Your driver will meet you at the disembarkation gate, holding a sign with your name for easy identification.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- 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.
- The Temple of Poseidon at Sounio is closing 30 minutes before sunset. The sunset from November to April is around 17:00.
- Third party activities and especially extreme sports are not allowed during the tour. This can be a cause for immediate cancellation of the tour.
- Airport pick-up and drop-off upon request (Additional cost)
Reviews(130)
We had an absolutely wonderful experience with My Athens Transfers for our trip from Athens to the Temple of Poseidon. Communication from the very beginning was easy, quick, and efficient, and arranging the transfer was completely hassle-free. The car was excellent and very comfortable, but what truly made the experience special was our driver, Notis. Notis was incredibly polite, kind, and such a pleasant person to spend the journey with. He went far beyond simply driving us to the temple — along the way, he shared so much of his knowledge about Greece, its history, culture, and many other aspects of the country. We were genuinely impressed by how knowledgeable he was, and our conversations with him made us appreciate Greek history and culture even more. The drive itself became one of the memorable experiences of our time in Greece. We highly recommend My Athens Transfers, and if you have the opportunity to travel with Notis, even better! Thank you, Notis, for making our visit to the Temple of Poseidon even more special.
Thank you so much for your incredibly thoughtful and detailed review! We’re delighted to hear that your experience with My Athens Transfers was smooth from the very beginning and that you enjoyed the comfortable vehicle and easy communication. We’re especially happy to hear that Notis made your journey to the Temple of Poseidon so memorable. His kindness, professionalism, and passion for Greek history and culture are exactly what we hope our guests experience, and it’s wonderful to know that your conversations with him added so much to your visit. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with Notis—he will be thrilled to hear how much you appreciated his company and knowledge. Thank you for recommending us, and we hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Greece again in the future!
Our experience was spectacular!! Our guide/driver, Michael was fantastic. He was not only extremely professional, nice, and personable but also knowledgeable about so many wonderful places in Greece. It was so evident that he has such passion and pride for the country.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you had such a spectacular experience with Michael. His professionalism, warmth, and knowledge are exactly what we strive for, and we’re especially happy that his passion and pride for Greece came through during your tour. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with Michael — they will mean a lot to him. Thank you for choosing us, and we hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Greece again in the future!
Great tour! Dimitris was very knowledgeable and a great guide. Would recommend.
Thank you for your kind review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your Cape Sounio and Athenian Riviera tour. Dimitris will be happy to know that his knowledge and friendly service made your experience memorable. Thank you for your recommendation—we truly appreciate it and hope to welcome you back to Greece for another private tour soon!
Our guide, Alex was exceptional! Alex speaks fantastic English and shared his wealth of history knowledge with us in a very entertaining way and made the journey really fun. We had a great evening and enjoyed the tour immensely.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that you had such a great experience with Alex. His passion for Greek history, engaging storytelling, and friendly personality truly make every tour special, and we're glad he made your journey along the Athenian Riviera both enjoyable and memorable. We're also happy to know you enjoyed your visit to Cape Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon. Thank you for choosing us, and we hope to welcome you back to Athens for another unforgettable experience in the future!
We had a nice and informative tour to the Temple of Poseidon. Our guide was very informative and flexible and provided a good view of the areas, from a local’s perspective.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are truly delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable experience with us. Your kind words are greatly appreciated and serve as a wonderful motivation for our entire team to continue delivering exceptional service. It was our pleasure to be part of your visit to Greece, and we sincerely hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again on a future trip. We wish you all the best and hope to see you again soon!
Dimitri was a great host and driver. We really enjoyed out evening with him to see the temple of Poseidon. He always made sure we were comfortable and had great ideas for stops, and had an amazing recommendation for a restaurant near the ruins that was perfect! He was able to get us a nice table right on the water for the sunset. I would recommend Dimitri and this tour as a nice option to see the ruins and the beautiful sunset.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are truly delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable experience with us. Your kind words are greatly appreciated and serve as a wonderful motivation for our entire team to continue delivering exceptional service. It was our pleasure to be part of your visit to Greece, and we sincerely hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again on a future trip. We wish you all the best and hope to see you again soon!
Mike Did an awesome job during the drive explaining Greece ,Athens and making a few stops along the way for photos and shopping. Poseidon was a great site and there are some steps. Awesome photos of the surrounding bays. Well worth the money for the private tour and Mike did an excellent job. Highly recommended
Thank you very much for your wonderful review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us. Your kind words truly mean a lot to our team and motivate us to continue providing the best possible service to our guests. It was our pleasure to be part of your trip to Greece, and we hope to welcome you again in the future! Thank you once again for choosing us.
Angelo arrived early and immediately made us feel welcome with his calm, friendly demeanor. He was an excellent driver, demonstrating great patience while navigating Athens’ heavy traffic. Throughout the tour, he was very informative and shared insights about the city’s history, Greek mythology, and local culture. All of the points of interest were exactly as described.. We learned a lot while also enjoying the beautiful scenic views of the coastline. I recommend this tour toanyone looking to see a different perspective while in the great city of Athens.
Thank you very much for your wonderful review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us. Your kind words truly mean a lot to our team and motivate us to continue providing the best possible service to our guests. It was our pleasure to be part of your trip to Greece, and we hope to welcome you again in the future! Thank you once again for choosing us.
This was such a wonderful “all day” experience. We had a wonderful driver and guide, Themos, who really catered our tour to us. We stopped at a few more places than expected and had the most wonderful time seeing the coast and exploring the Temple of Poseidon. Definitely a must do!
Thank you very much for your wonderful review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us. Your kind words truly mean a lot to our team and motivate us to continue providing the best possible service to our guests. It was our pleasure to be part of your trip to Greece, and we hope to welcome you again in the future! Thank you once again for choosing us.
Had a wonderful tour with Mike. He was right on time picking us up, told us a lot about Greece, and most importantly, he wanted to ensure we were having a good time and having our expectations met. He went out of his way to provide a memorable experience.
Thank you very much for your wonderful review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us. Your kind words truly mean a lot to our team and motivate us to continue providing the best possible service to our guests. It was our pleasure to be part of your trip to Greece, and we hope to welcome you again in the future! Thank you once again for choosing us.
