In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion is €20 and opens 09:30 until sunset, every day of the year, so a late visit ends with the sun going down over the Aegean. It is 68 km from Athens: about 65 minutes by car, or about 2 hours on the KTEL coastal bus from Aigyptou Square at Pedion tou Areos. Or book a tour: Athens: Cape Sounion & Poseidon Temple Sunset Half-Day Tripad is from €28 for 5.5 hours and leaves the €20 entry out; Cape Sounion & Temple of Poseidon: Small Group Tourad is from €35.50 with hotel pick-up (GetYourGuide).
Getting there
| Option | Time | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Car | About 65 minutes | The site is at the 68th km of the Athens-Sounion highway, with parking |
| KTEL intercity bus | About 2 hours | Leaves from Aigyptou Square at Pedion tou Areos; KTEL Attikis runs the coastal service, so check its timetable for the day and for the last bus back |
| Half-day tour | 4 to 6 hours | Pick-up in central Athens or a metro meeting point; most leave in the afternoon to arrive before sunset |
Hellenic Heritage, which operates the site for the Ministry of Culture, gives the bus and car times on its Sounion page. The site closes at sunset, so the last bus back has to be checked against the month.
Tickets and hours
| Detail | Rule |
|---|---|
| Full price | €20 |
| Reduced | €10 |
| Hours | 09:30 until sunset, all year |
| Last admission | 20 minutes before closing |
| Closed | 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 25 and 26 December |
| Free | 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March |
Tickets are on the Hellenic Heritage ticket shop. The ticket is for a date and time (the shop marks it “timed entry required”): changes are allowed up to 2 hours before the visit, twice at most, and tickets are non-refundable. Large luggage, food and professional filming are not allowed. Under-18s are free. Free entry for under-25s is for EU citizens only, so visitors from the UK, US, Canada and Australia aged 18 to 25 pay in full.
Sunset in Athens falls at about 20:45 in late June and about 17:10 in December, and that sets the closing time. Tour departures move with it.
Tours from Athens
Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult. Listings sell the entry as an option, so check what the option you pick includes.
| Tour | Length | From | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens: Cape Sounion & Poseidon Temple Sunset Half-Day Tripad (10,278 reviews) | 5.5 hours | €28 | Ammon Express; meets outside Metaxourghio metro station; the €20 entry is not included |
| Athens: Cape Sounion & Temple of Poseidon Sunset Experiencead (1,965 reviews) | 4 hours | €19.04 | Key Tours; meets at its office 3 minutes from Acropolis metro station; more than an hour at the site; departures from 14:30 in winter to 18:00 in June and July |
| Athens: Cape Sounio & Poseidon Temple Trip with Audio Guidead (5,605 reviews) | 5 hours | €19.04 | Gray Line; departs from Omonoia Square, the Old Parliament and Plaka; audio guide in 6 languages; entry is an option |
| From Athens: Temple of Poseidon & Cape Sounion Half-Day Tourad (1,260 reviews) | 4 hours | €19.04 | A half-day tour; check whether the option includes entry |
| Cape Sounion & Temple of Poseidon: Small Group Tourad (2,250 reviews) | 5 hours | €35.50 | Getaways Greece; hotel pick-up in central Athens; the €20 entry is not included |
| Athens:Sounio Poseidon Temple &Athens Riviera Trip, Swimmingad (623 reviews) | 6 hours | €78 | Adds a swim stop on the Athens Riviera |
| Athens Riviera: Poseidon Temple & Lake Vouliagmeni Day Tourad (205 reviews) | 8 hours | €95 | The temple plus Lake Vouliagmeni |
A tour fixes the return, which is the part of the bus trip that depends on the month. On your own, the cost is the bus fare plus the €20 entry.
What to see
Allow about an hour on the site; the Key Tours itinerary gives just over an hour inside.
The Temple of Poseidon
Doric · mid 5th century BC · the highest point of the cape
The temple stands on the ruins of an earlier one that the Persians destroyed while it was still being built. Its frieze showed the Centauromachy and the Gigantomachy; some of the slabs are now in the Archaeological Museum of Lavrion, not on the site. Sailors used the columns as a landmark, and the cape’s Byzantine name was Kavokolones, the Cape of Columns.
The Temple of Poseidon on the top of the cape, seen from the path below. Photo: Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The wall, the harbour and the Temple of Athena
Included in the ticket · the rest of the headland
The sanctuary was enclosed by a wall on the landward side, and a defensive wall secured the approach. At the entrance to the north harbour stood the naval base from which triremes could put to sea. On the opposite hill are the foundations of the Temple of Athena. Sounion was fortified because it watched the shipping into Piraeus and guarded the silver mines of the Lavreotiki hinterland behind it.
The bay to the north-west of the cape, from the site. Photo: Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Sunset
The site closes at sunset
Hellenic Heritage calls the landscape at sunset breathtaking and names Lord Byron among the visitors who have watched it. The Acropolis closes before sunset in every season; Sounion’s hours run to it. Free hills inside the city are on the best views in Athens page.
The Temple of Poseidon at sunset, with the sun over the Aegean. Photo: Oleksandr Troitskyi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Planning the day
- Pick the month first. Sunset sets the closing time, from about 17:10 in December to 20:45 in June.
- Bus or tour. The bus needs the timetable checked for the last return; a tour fixes the return.
- Buy the entry once. Where a tour listing leaves it out, buy the €20 ticket on the Hellenic Heritage shop.
- Know the facilities. The site has a shop, toilets and parking.
- Free days. On 28 October and the first and third Sundays from 1 November to 31 March the entry is free for everyone.
Sounion is one of the day trips from Athens. Delphi is the longer ancient site by bus, and the Saronic islands day cruise is the sea alternative. What to book before you go to Athens lists the city tickets, Athens airport to the city and Athens public transport cover the first and last day, and where to stay in Athens compares the areas.
Common questions
How much does Cape Sounion cost?
The Temple of Poseidon site is €20, or €10 reduced, all year. Entry is free on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March.
What time does Cape Sounion close?
At sunset, every day of the year. The site opens at 09:30 and last admission is 20 minutes before closing. It is closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, and 25 and 26 December.
How do you get to Cape Sounion from Athens?
By KTEL intercity bus from Aigyptou Square at Pedion tou Areos, about 2 hours according to Hellenic Heritage, which operates the site. By car it is about 65 minutes along the coast road. Tours take 4 to 6 hours door to door.
Is the Sounion entry fee included in the sunset tours?
Not in all of them. The listings for the 212919 half-day trip and the 102461 small-group tour both say the €20 entry is not included. Check which option a listing includes before you pay.
Do visitors from the UK, US, Canada and Australia get in free?
Only under 18s. Free entry for under-25s is for EU citizens, so visitors aged 18 to 25 from the UK, US, Canada and Australia pay the full €20.
