Day Trip to Delphi

From Nea Makri drive through Marathon town. At the end of the one-way system go straight ahead then follow the signs for Marathon Lake and the National Road.

Keep straight on until you get to Agios Stephanos. Around 500 metres after the railway station, turn sharp right at the ‘T’ junction. After around 1.5 km turn onto the National Road towards Lamia.

After around 55 km you can either turn off the National Road to drive directly to Livadia and Delphi, or continue to Thermopylae, the site of the famous ancient battle. Taking the longer route has several advantages:

• You’re not driving to Delphi and back on the same road
• there’s very little to see at Thermopylae but you can imagine how the narrow pass might have looked in 480 BC when the Spartans held back the Persians (since then the sea has receded a long way)
• it’s a very scenic drive over the mountains past Amfissa to Delphi.
• after maybe stopping for lunch in Delphi village, many of the tourist coaches will be leaving the archaeological site and museum by the time you get there so it should be much less crowded.

If you take the longer route and if you haven’t already stopped for refreshments, Kamena Vourla is a very nice seaside village around 20 km before you reach Thermopylae.

From Thermopylae continue towards Lamia for around 3 km then turn left towards Amfissa and Delphi. Even if you’re not ready to eat, you should stop towards the end of the one-way system in Delphi village because there’s a very good three-dimensional model of how Delphi would have looked in ancient times. It’s now inside a municipal building on your left side.

After visiting the archaeological site, continue on the same road towards Arachova, a very pretty mountain village.

Around 13 km towards Athens from Arachova, you might want to take a small diversion to the Osios Loukas monastery. It has more than 1,000 years of history and some spectacular mosaics high up in the main chapel. More information at:

https://www.gtp.gr/TDirectoryDetails.asp?ID=14852.

Turn right towards Distomo then turn left at the ‘T’ junction. Keep straight on for around 8 km to Osios Loukas.

It’s best to return via Distomo to get back on the main road towards Athens.

To get back to Nea Makri, you have three options:

• turn off the National Road at Agios Stephanos and return the way you went
• (the most direct way) turn off at the next exit, Varibombi, turn left at the first junction, go straight until you get to a ‘T’ junction, turn left then take the right fork after around 3 km, signposted Dionysos and Nea Makri
• continue to the Attiki Odos, turn towards the airport, then take the Rafina exit, at the end turn left, then right at the lights into Marathonas Avenue.