Delphi Greece Travel Guide A Vagabond Life
Delphi Greece Travel Guide
Delphi Greece sits on the slopes of Mount Parnassus above the Gulf of Corinth. Delphi is one of the most famous sites in Greece, known throughout the ancient Greek world as the sanctuary of Apollo and the shrine of his oracle.
Delphi is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most important sites of the classical period of Greece along with the Acropolis in Athens, Olympia, and the island of Delos.
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Delphi Greece
How To Get To Delphi Greece
Car
Delphi is about 2.5 hour one way trip from Athens along toll roads.
Bus
Buses travel daily from Athens to Delphi.
If you are travellling from a different area of Greece to Delphi make you way to the nearby town of Itea and then catch the Delphi shuttle from there.
Things To See & Do In Delphi Greece
The Sanctuary of Athena Pronea and Tholos
The Sanctuary of Athena Pronea and Tholos
I think this was my favourite section of Delphi and probably the one with the least amount of tourists. It sits across the road and about 1.5 km from the rest of the site. The Temple of Athena Pronaia most famous monument is the Tholos a circular temple. Tholos despite it’s popularity no one really knows its purpose. The shrine is dedicated to the Goddess Athena, whose duty it was to protect the sacred precinct of her half-brother Apollo.
Apollos Temple
Apollos Temple
The Temple of Apollo was once the the most important building in the Sanctuary of Apollo, today all that remains are the foundations. Over the years it has been re-built three times on the same location.
The present Temple of Apollo was built in the fourth century BC and preserved the layout of the earlier sixth-century-BC Archaic temple. It is here, in the inner shrine that the Pythia (priestess) would sit and utter the words of the Oracle, sent to her by Apollo and interpreted by the priests.
The Sacred Way
The Sacred Way
The Sacred Way leads from the gateway up hill about 200 meters to the Temple of Apollo. It is the main route through the Sanctuary of Apollo, back in the day it was lined with monuments and treasuries belonging to different Greek cities. Today you can still see many of the ancient bases from the monuments.
Polygonal Wall
Polygonal Wall
The Sanctuary of Apollo sits behind the temple of Apollo. Hailing from the sixth-century-BC the Polygonal Wall, supports the platform on which the Temple of Apollo stands. The polygonal shaped stones within the wall are carved with ancient inscriptions.
Athenian Treasury
Athenian Treasury
The Athenian Treasury was built by the Athenians to house its offerings to Apollo. The entire treasury, including its sculptural elements, is built of Parian marble from the Island of Paros. No one is absolutely sure of when it was built however the strongest school of thought dates it ranging from 510 to 480 BCE. The structure is still visible in situ, although the metopes are reproductions; the originals are kept in the museum of Delphi.
Amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
Continue up the hill to the theatre which overlooks the rest of the sanctuary and valley beyond. The Delphi theatre was built in the 4th c. B.C. from local Parnassus limestone and has been remodeled several times since. Consisting of 35 rows the theatre can seat about five thousand spectators. The lower tiers of seats were built during the Hellenistic and Roman periods
Delphi Stadium
Delphi Greece Stadium
At the very top of the Delphi Sanctuary is the stadium which was built to host the Pythian Games, staged at Delphi from 590 BC onwards. The stone seats could seat around 6500 spectators, and it was used extensively during the Pythian and Panhellenic games for athletic events and for music festivals. Its track is 177.55 m long (about 550 ft.), and 25.50 m wide
The Archaeological Museum of Delphi
The Archaeological Museum of Delphi
Houses extensive artefacts unearthed during excavations at the Delphi oracle and its vicinity. It is located adjacent to the archaeological site, and it is one of the top must-see museums in Greece, mainly because of the breadth and quality of artefacts it includes. The permanent exhibition covers over a thousand years, from the Mycenaean era to the Greco-Roman times.
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