Athens Trip Overview
This private tour is an ideal choice for making a short and pleasant excursion very close to Athens. The tour starts by driving along a beautiful sea view of the uptown suburbs of Athens. Our first destination will be Lake Vouliagmeni that is located in the heart of Athenian Riviera. This beautiful natural lake with therapeutic properties, offers an idyllic and unique landscape with its brackish waters being continuously replenished both by the sea and the underground thermal springs. Our last destination will be the archeological site of Cape Sounio, only 68 kilometres south from Athens, where we will visit the Temple of Poseidon, dedicated to the ancient Greek God of the sea, with ample view of the Aegean Sea. The view is spectacular and one can see up to seven islands on a clear day.
Additional Info
Duration: 5 hours
Starts: Athens, Greece
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Athens Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Athens, Greece, Greece
This private tour is an ideal choice for making a short and pleasant excursion very close to Athens. The tour starts by driving along a beautiful sea view of the uptown suburbs of Athens. Our first destination will be Lake Vouliagmeni that is located in the heart of Athenian Riviera. This beautiful natural lake with therapeutic properties, offers an idyllic and unique landscape with its brackish waters being continuously replenished both by the sea and the underground thermal springs. Our last destination will be the archeological site of Cape Sounio, only 68 kilometres south from Athens, where we will visit the Temple of Poseidon, dedicated to the ancient Greek God of the sea, with ample view of the Aegean Sea. The view is spectacular and one can see up to seven islands on a clear day.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Temple of Poseidon, Cape Sounio, Sounio 195 00 Greece
Cape Sounio, located 68 kilometers south of Athens, is mainly known for the Temple of Poseidon, one of the major monuments of the Golden Age of Athens. The remains of the Temple stand on top of a cliff, 60 meters above the sea. It was constructed between 444 and 440 BC during the Golden Age of Athens with the political leadership of Pericles. The architect behind this construction is thought to be Ictinus, who built the Temple of Hephaestus in the Ancient agora in Athens. The site also contains scant remains of a propylaeum, a fortified tower, and, to the northeast, a 6th-century Temple of Athena. The total number of the slender Doric columns of the Temple of Poseidon were 36, of which 15 remain today. The marbles of the Temple were extracted from an ancient marble quarry which is located in the neighboring valley of Agrileza in Lavrio, approximately 4 km north of the Temple. The Temple of Poseidon was a sacred place for ancient Greeks and especially seafarers who offered gifts and made sacrifices in order to propitiate Poseidon, the God of the Sea. It’s ideal to visit early in the morning or head there for sunset to admire the spectacular view.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Lake Vouliagmeni, Vouliagmeni 166 71 Greece
Lake Vouliagmeni is located south of Athens and was created when part of the roof of a large underground cave collapsed about 2000 years ago due to erosion and tectonic movements, which is why there are no reports from antiquity, not even by the ancient author Pausanias, who described the Vouliagmeni peninsula. The lake is globally known for its labyrinthine underwater cave that has not been explored yet, but already stretches along 3,123 meters, with 14 tunnels and one of the tunnels has a length of 800 meters. The lake is known for its therapeutic properties due to the constant warm water temperature and the rich content of hydrogen sulfide. The lake hosts the only existing population of a species of sea anemone, Paranemonia vouliagmeniensis, and it has been declared as nature protection area of Natura 2000.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
