Best things to do in Delphi

Delphi contain the remains of sanctuaries dedicated to the cults of Apollo and Athena, as well as several other structures presumably built for sports. Providing a glimpse into the ancient world's religious beliefs, these ruins joined the list of World Heritage sites in 1987. Tradition says Zeus determined this location as the center of Gaia, the great mother of all in Greek mythology. Apollo's sanctuary, built here in the 4th century BCE, served as the cultural and religious center of ancient Greece for many centuries. The sanctuary famously housed Apollo's oracle, a priestess capable of making prophesies by channeling the god's spirit. Check online for free admission days, and make the best of your visit by joining a guided tour of the ruins.

Delphi Archaeological Museum houses ancient artifacts discovered at the Oracle of Delphi, spanning from the shrine's founding in the 18th century BC, to its decline in Late Antiquity. The fourteen exhibit rooms feature sculptures, statues, and other objects that were offered to the Oracle, as well as fragments from the sacred building. As you explore the museum, you'll learn about the Oracle's political, religious, and artistic significance throughout the ages. The museum has plenty of benches if you want to pause and consider some of the exceptional relics. Once you've finished taking in the exhibits, recharge with a cup of coffee from the on-site cafeteria.

Walk among the World Heritage-listed remains of Temple of Apollo In Delphi, a Doric temple dedicated to the great Greek god of music, sun, and poetry. First built around the 7th century BCE, the temple was subsequently destroyed and reconstructed multiple times. Some ruins of the once-great, six-columned, fifteen-sided temple still stand and have been partially restored. Enjoy panoramic views of Mount Parnassus from here. Be sure to wear comfortable footwear; it's quite a walk to reach the temple, which is part of a greater cluster of archeological sites.

Mount Parnassus (; Greek: Παρνασσός, Parnassós) is a mountain range of central Greece that is and historically has been especially valuable to the Greek nation and the earlier Greek city-states for many reasons. In peace, it offers scenic views of the countryside, being a major international recreational site, with views of montane landscapes. Economically its rolling foothills and valleys host extensive groves of olive, a cash crop marketed world-wide since prehistory. The mountain is also the location of historical, archaeological, and other cultural sites, such as Delphi perched on the southern slopes of the mountain in a rift valley north of the Gulf of Corinth. Parnassus is laced with trails for hiking in the three warm seasons. In the winter the entire range is open to skiing, especially from the resorts of Arachova. Its melting snows are a source of municipal water to the surrounding communities. The mountain is composed of limestone, but also contains bauxite aluminum ore, which is mined and processed. In war, Parnassus has been a center of resistance if need be, providing cover and refuge to partisans.

Parnassus is mentioned in early Ancient Greek literature. Many of its ancient communities are cited in Homer's Iliad. From a linguistic point of view, it was home to states of the Dorians, such as the Phokians, who spoke a Doric dialect, Phokian. According to Greek mythology, this mountain was sacred to Dionysus and the Dionysian mysteries; it was also sacred to Apollo and the Corycian nymphs, and it was the home of the Muses.

However, there is a significant gap in the proto-history of the name, Parnassos. Mycenaean settlements were abundant to the south and east. They had good views of Parnassus, and climbed some part of it frequently, and yet the name remains unattested in what is known of their language, Mycenaean Greek, which is written in Linear B script.

Part of a World Heritage-listed complex, The Tholos of Delphi features the remains of a circular temple destroyed by a major earthquake in the 4th century BCE. The temple once stood at the center of the sanctuary dedicated to Athena Pronaia. It boasted 20 Doric columns on its exterior circle--only three of which still remain standing--and another 10 Corinthian pilasters in the interior. Pay attention to the high reliefs on the four metopes between the columns representing a women abducted by a centaur. Reaching the site requires a bit of downhill hiking.

The Rio–Antirrio Bridge (Greek: Γέφυρα Ρίου–Αντιρρίου), officially the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge, is one of the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridges and longest of the fully suspended type. It crosses the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town of Rio on the Peloponnese peninsula to Antirrio on mainland Greece by road. It opened one day before the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, on 12 August 2004, and was used to transport the Olympic flame.