How to Get from Athens to Delphi: Bus, Car or Tour

Delphi is about 180 km from Athens, and there are three ways to cover it: the KTEL bus (about three hours), a car (about two and a half) or a coach tour (about three, with a stop). There is no train. For a single day, the tour is the easiest and usually leaves you the best-organised time at the site; the bus is cheapest but gives the shortest visit; a car gives the most freedom.

The most-reviewed tour is the guided day below. It leaves central Athens in the morning, gives you about 105 minutes at the site and an hour in the museum, then lunch in Arachova.

By bus: KTEL Fokidas

The public bus to Delphi is run by KTEL Fokidas and leaves from the Liosion Street terminal (Liosion 260), the KTEL station for routes north of Athens. Do not go to the Kifissos terminal, which serves the Peloponnese. The trip takes about three hours, with a handful of departures a day.

The bus is the cheapest way there, and for an overnight stay it is perfectly good. For a day trip, the timetable decides your day: unless you catch the earliest departure, you arrive around midday with the tour coaches, and the return times fix how long you can stay. In winter, when the site closes at 15:30, that is tight. Check the current timetable at ktel-fokidas.gr before you plan around it: times change by season.

To reach the terminal, take the metro to Kato Patissia on line 1 and walk about a kilometre, or take a taxi from the centre.

Can you take the train?

No. No railway reaches Delphi. The Athens to Thessaloniki line stops at Livadeia, more than 40 km short of Delphi, and you would need a taxi up the mountain road from there. It is possible, but it costs more than the bus and saves no time. If someone suggests the train, they are thinking of Meteora, where the train goes most of the way (see the Meteora day trip).

By car

Driving takes about two and a half hours each way: the A1 motorway north out of Athens, then the road through Livadeia and up through Arachova to Delphi. The motorway has tolls. The last stretch is a mountain road, winding but well surfaced, and in winter it can see snow around Arachova, which is the base for the ski area on Parnassus.

A car is the only way to be at the gate when it opens, before the coaches. It also lets you see the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia and the Castalian Spring at your own pace, stay the night in Delphi or Arachova, or carry on to the coast at Galaxidi.

If you drive and still want someone to explain the site, a guided walking tour at Delphi with the admission ticket meets you there. It covers the sanctuary in about 90 minutes, and you see the stadium and the museum on your own afterwards.

By tour

A coach tour is the bus with the problems taken out: one departure from central Athens, a guide, the site and museum in the right order, and the return built in. Most tours make a coffee stop in Livadeia on the way and end the day in Arachova. They take about ten hours, and several start from a fixed meeting point rather than your hotel.

The thing to check is the ticket. Most Delphi tours have a cheaper option without entry and a dearer one with it. Without it, you buy your own ticket for the time slot the tour gives you. With it, the guide deals with the queue.

Check dates for the Delphi day

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Find a tour that fits your schedule. Dates and cancellation terms are on each listing.

Which way suits you?

	KTEL bus	Car	Coach tour
Time each way	About 3 hours	About 2.5 hours	About 3 hours with a stop
Time at Delphi	A few hours, set by the return bus	As long as you like	About 3 hours, site and museum
Guide	None	None, unless you book one at Delphi	Yes
Hotel pickup	No	Not needed	Some tours; many meet at a central point
Best for	An overnight stay, a tight budget	An early start, freedom, a night away	A first visit in a single day

For most first-time visitors with one day to spare, the tour is the practical answer: from $29 per person in current promotion (usually $58) for the guided day on this page (checked October 2026), with the option to add the entry ticket. Small-group tours with hotel pickup, such as Getaways Greece's minivan day, cost more and pick you up at your hotel.

Before you go

Bring ID. Reduced and free tickets are checked against a passport or ID card at the gate.
Wear shoes with grip. The site is a steep climb on worn stone.
Check the hours. The site closes at 15:30 from 1 November to 31 March (Hellenic Ministry of Culture, checked October 2026); the opening hours guide has the rest.

Written 25 October 2026. Bus details are from KTEL Fokidas’ published service (times change by season; confirm at ktel-fokidas.gr). Opening hours are from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, read October 2026. Tour timings, inclusions, prices and ratings come from the GetYourGuide listings, read 25 October 2026.