Change to 2020 Greece Itinerary: Sounion instead of Delphi

[Poohlie]

I booked this trip for August 2020 and just noticed that Day 3 is Cape Sounion instead of Delphi. My DD was pretty excited when I told her we were going to Delphi after studying Greek myths in school - whoops! Does anyone have any idea why ABD made this change? Is Delphi worth a pre-day trip? Any color would be greatly appreciated from anyone who has been to either of these places. TIA!

 

[sayhello]

I booked this trip for August 2020 and just noticed that Day 3 is Cape Sounion instead of Delphi. My DD was pretty excited when I told her we were going to Delphi after studying Greek myths in school - whoops! Does anyone have any idea why ABD made this change? Is Delphi worth a pre-day trip? Any color would be greatly appreciated from anyone who has been to either of these places. TIA!

That is really a shame! I *LOVED* Delphi! The history behind that place, and seeing just what was involved in a "visit to the oracle" was fascinating for me (it was more like a day at the fair than the religious experience I always pictured!) But it is quite a long drive to get there and back, so maybe they're trying to eliminate some long bus rides, because it seems people complain about those a lot, even if they're necessary to get to great places/activities. Cape Sounion is beautiful, and definitely much closer to Athens, but I really don't know anything about the history behind it, so I don't know if that part is as fascinating or not.

If you can manage to get to Delphi on your pre-day, I would highly recommend it. But I would see if you can go with a Guide who can explain it all to you.

Sayhello

 

[Poohlie]

That is really a shame! I *LOVED* Delphi! The history behind that place, and seeing just what was involved in a "visit to the oracle" was fascinating for me (it was more like a day at the fair than the religious experience I always pictured!) But it is quite a long drive to get there and back, so maybe they're trying to eliminate some long bus rides, because it seems people complain about those a lot, even if they're necessary to get to great places/activities. Cape Sounion is beautiful, and definitely much closer to Athens, but I really don't know anything about the history behind it, so I don't know if that part is as fascinating or not.

If you can manage to get to Delphi on your pre-day, I would highly recommend it. But I would see if you can go with a Guide who can explain it all to you.

Sayhello

Thank you for your feedback Sayhello! One of the main reasons I booked this trip was because you and others had ranked this as one of your favorite ABDs coupled with the fact that the itinerary had for the most part remained unchanged (unlike Scotland, for example). I called ABD about the rationale for the change and they said they would put in a "research request" but I bet the long bus ride will be the response.

I will definitely look into a pre-day trip. If anyone has done Delphi on their own and has any tour/guide recommendations, that would be very helpful!

 

[sayhello]

Thank you for your feedback Sayhello! One of the main reasons I booked this trip was because you and others had ranked this as one of your favorite ABDs coupled with the fact that the itinerary had for the most part remained unchanged (unlike Scotland, for example). I called ABD about the rationale for the change and they said they would put in a "research request" but I bet the long bus ride will be the response.

I will definitely look into a pre-day trip. If anyone has done Delphi on their own and has any tour/guide recommendations, that would be very helpful!

Cape Sounion









Sayhello

 

[Poohlie]

So pretty! That makes me feel a little better. Too bad we won't be there at sunset - that's a great shot!

 

[AddictedtoTravel]

We try to go a day or two early to help with jet lag and to wind down a bit and get in vacation mode. We went to Cape Sounion at sunset the day before the adventure began. It is beautiful. We really enjoyed Delphi too. My daughter loves mythology and Delphi was a particular highlight for her. I guess the bus ride was long but it's not what I remember about the day. So I kinda think it's worth it.
Actually we went on the evening of the on your own time in Athens...

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I loved Delphi and thought the bus ride was well worth it. What a bummer—hope you can do it on a pre-day.

 

[sandhya]

Agree with above and just to add the museum at Delphi has great pieces which you both appreciate. Lunch was at a cliff side restaurant which was very nice.

 

[distravel]

Sounion is pretty but very small compared to Delphi. We spent four days visiting various archeological sites in mainland Greece and Delphi was our favorite. It is definitely worth the drive and there are many group and private tours available.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I booked this trip for August 2020 and just noticed that Day 3 is Cape Sounion instead of Delphi. My DD was pretty excited when I told her we were going to Delphi after studying Greek myths in school - whoops! Does anyone have any idea why ABD made this change? Is Delphi worth a pre-day trip? Any color would be greatly appreciated from anyone who has been to either of these places. TIA!

Sounion is stunning, but I would definitely try to go to Delphi. Delphi is quite far from Athens, however. If possible, I would not try to do it in a day. There are some lovely, small hotels in Delphi and some fantastic restaurants. If you could do an overnight there, it's not as exhausting, IMHO.

 

[AquaDame]

No Delphi makes me question ever doing this one... its so famous! I'm sorry they moved it.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Thank you for your feedback Sayhello! One of the main reasons I booked this trip was because you and others had ranked this as one of your favorite ABDs coupled with the fact that the itinerary had for the most part remained unchanged (unlike Scotland, for example). I called ABD about the rationale for the change and they said they would put in a "research request" but I bet the long bus ride will be the response.

I will definitely look into a pre-day trip. If anyone has done Delphi on their own and has any tour/guide recommendations, that would be very helpful!

We traveled throughout Greece for three weeks on our own last summer and, for the mainland Greece portion of our travels, I booked all of our tours through Private Greece Tours. Nikos Loukas is the owner and he worked with me, personally, through e-mail, to put everything together. He and his staff were incredible - professional and unbelievably knowledgeable. Their prices, I thought, were also very reasonable. They offer tours to Delphi (we went there as part of a multi-day tour that I booked through them) and they would provide a car or van depending on your group size, an English-speaking driver and a private, English-speaking guide at Delphi. We did an overnight there at a lovely, small, family-owned hotel which was also reasonably priced (about $100 for a triple). There are wonderful restaurants within walking distance of the hotel as well - the views were stunning! I really can't recommend Private Greece Tours enough. Here is the page on their website that describes their Delphi tours: https://privategreecetours.com/inde...ent&view=category&layout=blog&id=16&Itemid=83

 

[DollyM]

I’ll be traveling solo on this adventure next September and will be adding a second pre-night to do a day trip to Delphi. A private tour might be too pricey for just me but thanks for the link @DisneyWishes14. It will help with my research.

 

[Poohlie]

Thanks @DisneyWishes14 - this looks amazing! And thanks to everyone who responded - sounds like this was not a change for the better and we will definitely plan an extra pre-day for Delphi!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Thanks @DisneyWishes14 - this looks amazing! And thanks to everyone who responded - sounds like this was not a change for the better and we will definitely plan an extra pre-day for Delphi!

If you have any more time (or any interest), you could even consider doing a short, multi-night tour with Private Greece Tours. We did 3 nights with them and went to Corinth, Napflion, Epidaurus, Mycenae, Olympia AND Delphi! It was amazing.

 

[Poohlie]

If you have any more time (or any interest), you could even consider doing a short, multi-night tour with Private Greece Tours. We did 3 nights with them and went to Corinth, Napflion, Epidaurus, Mycenae, Olympia AND Delphi! It was amazing.

I would love to if I can convince my DH to take a few extra days off. We could possibly do some pre-nights with them instead of the ABD hotel and come back to Athens in time for the welcome dinner. I would at least like to try to spend a pre-night night in Delphi if we can’t take more time. There’s a great article in the NY Times Travel section today on Delphi which mentioned cruise ship crowds so would love to get a jump on them! Is there any reason I should get to the ABD hotel earlier?

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would love to if I can convince my DH to take a few extra days off. We could possibly do some pre-nights with them instead of the ABD hotel and come back to Athens in time for the welcome dinner. I would at least like to try to spend a pre-night night in Delphi if we can’t take more time. There’s a great article in the NY Times Travel section today on Delphi which mentioned cruise ship crowds so would love to get a jump on them! Is there any reason I should get to the ABD hotel earlier?

When we did our night in Delphi, we arrived at the Delphi museum and site very early in the morning and definitely beat the crowds. We were done by late morning, had lunch in Arachova (amazing small town near Delphi) and were back in Athens by about 3:00/4:00 pm which was around check-in time for our hotel. You could definitely get to your hotel in time for the welcome dinner.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Am on this trip now, on the bus ride home from Delphi. I loved this day, I think cutting it is a mistake. The bus ride is fine - a little long but broken up in good ABD fashion. We all enjoyed the ruins and lunch was outstanding. It’s so central to Greek history I would definitely recommend visiting with a guild on your own.