Athens is one of the most breathtaking, historical places on the planet, and is somewhere I recommend anyone visit at least once. However, there are also a ton of ancient sites, islands, and towns to see right outside of Athens.

If you really want to maximize your experience in this region, I highly recommend taking a proper day tour with professional guides that know the best landmarks and hidden gems to share with you.

I’ve gone ahead and detailed the 5 top Athens day trips out there that are well worth your time and money, so you know that you’re spending your trip wisely.

They each offer something a little bit different so don’t feel like you only have to select one of the following activities! Let’s jump right in!

Best Athens Day Trips

	Meteora Monasteries Full Day Trip from Athens with Optional Lunch	Delphi English Day Trip from Athens with Tickets	Corinth Half-Day Trip from Athens with Entrance Tickets
Location:	St. Larissis, Athens 104 37	Hotel pickup and drop-off included	Hotel pickup and drop-off included
Start:	7:30 AM	8:30 AM	8:30 AM
Duration:	14 hours	10 hours	6 hours
Includes:	Roundtrip transfer from Athens to Meteora, expert English-speaking guide, monasteries audio tour, free map, bottle of water, traditional Greek lunch (if option is selected)	Professional guide all day, air-conditioned vehicle, roundtrip transport, free wifi on coach, entrance fees to Delphi site and museum	Air-conditioned vehicle, Professional guide, Free Wifi on the coach, Entrance ticket to Ancient Corinth arch. site and museum
	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking

Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated Athens Day Tours For 2024

1. Meteora Monasteries Full Day Trip from Athens with Optional Lunch
2. Delphi English Day Trip from Athens with Tickets
3. Corinth Half-Day Trip from Athens with Entrance Tickets
4. Mycenae and Epidaurus Day Trip from Athens with Entrance Tickets
5. Private Day Trip from Athens to Meteora

Athens Day Trip Reviews

1. Meteora Monasteries Full Day Trip from Athens with Optional Lunch

While Meteora is an exquisite destination definitely worth visiting, it’s a nice alternative if you’re looking for a little respite from the massive tourist crowds that Athens attracts.

The Meteora Monasteries Full Day Trip from Athens with Optional Lunch is a full-day, comprehensive deep dive into the beautiful history, culture, and architecture of this fabled area. Whether you’re a photographer, a history buff, or simply someone who appreciates beauty, I can’t recommend this option enough!

The architecture and other manmade sites are certainly captivating, but the natural landscapes are a thing of wonder – looking like something from another planet!

You’ll get to explore it all on this tour, focusing largely on the local monasteries which date all the way back to 1344, when a monk from Mount Athos brought some of his followers to the area. Your expert local guide is there to fill you and your group in on the background, bringing it to life with captivating and passionate tales.

While you could certainly rent a car and drive out there on your own or use public transportation, this is actually the most cost-effective and convenient way of doing things.

On this tour, you’ll travel by bus through the stunning countryside to arrive first in Kalambaka, wasting no time and heading straight to the medieval monastery complex on top of the towering sandstone cliffs. You’ll spend around 5 hours that seem to fly by, venturing through a couple of UNESCO-listed monasteries, along with the hermit caves of Badovas at our leisure.

We never felt rushed and the pacing was perfect, with our guide becoming more of an incredibly knowledgeable friend than just someone to lead the way. We then ended up back in Kalambaka to enjoy some local food, reminiscing over our newly-made memories and relaxing before our travels back to Athens.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

2. Delphi English Day Trip from Athens with Tickets

If you’re a history buff like I am, there’s no way you can visit Athens and miss the opportunity to catch the religious sanctuary that is Delphi! The Delphi English Day Trip from Athens with Tickets is a great way to do so, taking you into the depths of its renowned archeological ruins and connection to Greek mythology.

Much like Meteora, aside from the incredible manmade sites, the picturesque natural landscape is simply breathtaking. If you’re having a hard time deciding whether you should go to Meteora or Delphi, well, I’d recommend both.

However, if you don’t have time, I’d say that Delphi is much more of the “classic” Greece that may have originally captivated you, and the museum only adds to that. Not to mention, as it’s a bit closer to Athens, you do have some more time on-site at one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in the ancient world.

You’ll be picked up in the morning at your hotel by an air-conditioned coach compete with big windows, plenty of legroom, and onboard wifi so you can watch movies, listen to music, or simply send photos and videos in real-time.

Upon arrival, take time for a guided tour around the Temple of Apollo and many other ruins before heading to the Delphi Archaeological Museum, which is incredible!

It was such a great resource to have our guide there to help navigate the museum, taking us to some of the most iconic sites, including sculptures like the lifesize Charioteer of Delphi. At the the time of booking you can opt for lunch, which I highly recommend, complete with local dishes and amazing mountain views!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

3. Corinth Half-Day Trip from Athens with Entrance Tickets

Corinth is a bit more off the beaten path than the other cities we’ve covered so far, which is great if you’re someone who isn’t much of a fan of crowds.

You’ll see less tourists here, but by no means does it mean that it’s less interesting – rather, you’ll find more visitors who are more specifically interested in Greek history and mythology. If that’s the case for you, do yourself a favor and check out the Corinth Half-Day Trip from Athens with Entrance Tickets!

You’ll also notice that this tour is significantly shorter than any other on this guide, which is perfect if you have plans in the evening but still want to explore outside of Athens.

With roundtrip transportation, you don’t have to worry about the logistics at all! You’ll be picked up in the morning by your guide right at your hotel, cruising along on a comfortable, air-conditioned coach stacked with free wifi so you’ll never be without service.

The journey there was incredibly beautiful, with coastal views and charming seaside towns as our guide shared fun anecdotes, along with cultural and historical commentary as we drove along.

Our first stop was at the Corinth Canal, and we learned all about why the manmade shipping canal originally conceived in 602 BC was so significant in establishing Piraeus as a major trading port. After that we finally arrived at the archaeological site of Corinth, checking out all kinds of forums, theaters, bathhouses, and temples.

We had plenty of time to take photos and walk around at our leisure, with a great pacing that never felt like we were lulling nor rushing through things. On our way back, we made a little stop in the charming town of Kehreai where we had time to walk around and explore.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

4. Mycenae and Epidaurus Day Trip from Athens with Entrance Tickets

While Athens is certainly impressive, the Mycenae and Epidaurus Day Trip from Athens with Entrance Tickets is your chance to step right into the center of classical Greek civilization.

If you’d like to explore more of the Peloponnese region of Greece, you’re in for a treat, complete with an expert local guide who manages to bring the array of sites to life with their immense knowledge. If you’d like to see and learn more than you would from a simple history class, look no further than this one.

Your day starts off with a convenient hotel pickup in the morning, where you’ll head out by air-conditioned coach as your guide introduces themselves, setting the stage for what you can expect from your day of adventure.

The trip out wasn’t that long and the scenery of the coastline along the way out to Mycenae was beautiful, so the time really did fly by. When we finally arrived to Mycenae, we went straight into a proper walking tour of the ruins, learning about the legendary kingdom of Agamemnon.

The iconic Lion Gate welcomed us right into this ancient world, exploring the ruins of the palace accompanied by stories that practically brought the stories of warriors and royal drama to life.

It’s kind of hard to wrap your head around the fact that you’re standing in a place where civilization thrived over 3,000 years ago, and where Homer’s heroes once walked. One the way to Epidaurus, we stopped in the charming seaport of Nauplia where we spent around half an hour taking photos and walking around.

Finally, we arrive to Epidaurus, learning all about its history of healing, and checking out the impressive theater! It’s crazy to see it in such great condition and to hear its acoustics in person, especially considering that it was built in the 4th-century BC!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

5. Private Day Trip from Athens to Meteora

Yes, this is another tour that takes you to Meteora, but it’s different enough from the other that I felt it was worth mentioning. The Private Day Trip from Athens to Meteora is intimate yet thrilling, diving headfirst into one of the country’s most breathtaking landscapes.

With natural beauty this surreal, it would feel wrong to be rushed, so the fact that this one is completely private is certainly something special to consider. Known for its soaring, otherworldly rock formations, I highly recommend you visit Meteora during your time in Athens, even if the drive is notably long.

The good news is that you won’t have to drive yourself – you have a professional local guide there to do it for you while telling you interesting personal stories and historical accounts along the way! We were in a private vehicle instead of a coach, which felt more like we had a good friend taking us around – no need to deal with crowds!

Our first stop was actually Thermopylae where we got to see where the famous battle occurred between Greek city-states led by the infamous King Leonidas of Sparta and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I!

This was the only tour I’ve been on that covered this stop and it was really cool as all of us in our group had seen and loved the film, Sparta! Next up, we finally arrived in Meteora which definitely lives up to its name in being a massive rock formation.

The towering cliffs are home to ancient monasteries that create an image that looks like some kind of painting or postcard! It was surreal to learn about the monks who built them, along with the resilience and devotion that fueled them.

Mix that with the sweeping vistas of the valley below, and you’re guaranteed a peaceful atmosphere full of sightseeing and learning! This is one place I’ll never get tired of visiting and one that I undoubtedly learn something new about every time I go.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience