01 Delphi and the mountain road north
11 compared from €26 typically 10h 4.63 average
Two and a half hours through the mountains to the oracle site on the slope of Parnassus, and the museum next to it holds the bronze Charioteer. From €26 for a coach day with an audio guide, €90 for a small group with a guide and lunch. Ten to twelve hours. The trips that add Thermopylae and the Corycian cave rate highest and take the longest; the ski town of Arachova on the way back is the lunch stop nobody expects to like.
02 The Peloponnese, Mycenae, Epidaurus and Corinth
16 compared from €27 typically 9h 4.86 average
Four sites in one loop across the canal: the Corinth isthmus, the Lion Gate at Mycenae, the theatre at Epidaurus where a coin dropped on stage is audible in the back row, and the Venetian town of Nafplio for lunch. From €27 on a coach, €150 for the private versions that hold the highest ratings here. Ten hours. The St Paul itineraries follow the same road with a different commentary and rate just as well.
03 Saronic island cruises to Aegina, Hydra and Agistri
15 compared from €95 typically 10h 4.80 average
The highest review counts on this page and ratings near 4.95. From €95, median €135, and the price includes lunch, drinks and eight to ten hours on the water, which is what makes it good value rather than expensive. Three islands is the standard run: a swim stop at Moni, pistachios on Aegina, no cars on Hydra. The small catamarans rate above the large day-cruise boats by a clear margin.
04 Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon
6 compared from €30 typically 5h 4.67 average
The best half day in Attica and the cheapest real trip out of the city, from €30 for five hours. Median €110. A drive along the coast road to a fifth-century temple on a headland where Byron carved his name into a column. Book the departure that arrives for sunset, which is the whole reason the site is famous, and expect the last hour to be busy.
05 Meteora and the private days out of Athens
11 compared from €78 typically 13h 4.72 average
Meteora is four and a half hours each way and a fourteen-hour day, from €78, for six monasteries built on sandstone pillars. It rates well and the reviews are honest that the drive dominates; the overnight version exists for a reason. The private Athens days in this group, from €130, are priced per vehicle and only make sense for a family or four people travelling together.
