Athenian Riviera. Driving along the coastal road of "Posidonos", a beauriful coastline,
you will pass by the beautiful beaches of Glyfada, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza.
The ultimate place for sailboats, yachting, sunshine and blue seas!
A splendid view of the Saronic Gulf.
Destination is Cape Sounio, the southernmost point of the European mainland.
Cape Sounio
Panoramic view of all the Aegean sea, from the top of the outstanding rock a monument to the
history of the temple of Poseidon.
Sounio was believed to be the home of the god of the sea, Poseidon.
The temple of Poseidon,
standing some 60m
above the sea at the edge
of a cliff on Cape Sounion,
is one of the most breathtaking
and deeply moving sights
in all of Greece. And Greece
has many of them.
The temple is an hour's
drive from central Athens
and both the site itself
and the route leading
to it are worth every minute
of the drive.
The road runs along
the Saronic coast and
from the window of your car
or bus you can enjoy
the endless and brilliant
blue sea. If you are travelling
by car make sure you stop
for a breath of sea scented air
and a walk on the beach.
You will also find many
coffee shops, fresh fish tavernas
and ouzeri along the way.
The mighty God of the seas -
This is the place where the ancient
Greeks worshipped their mighty
god of the seas, Poseldon. The 15
(of the original 34) columns of the
Doric order that are still standing,
belong to the temple built here
during the Golden Age of Perikles'
Athens, over the relics of an older
one. The architect is unknown, but
it is believed to be the same who
built the Theseion in Athens. The
finds in the area show that
Poseidon was worshipped here
long before the 5th century B.C.
The Temple of Goddess Athena -
It is worth walking for about 400m
from the temple of Poseidon to the
sanctuary of Athena Sounias. The
understructures of two temples can
be seen here: A bigger one, which
was built either circa 470 B.C. or
during the Peloponnesean war
(431-404 BC), and a smaller one,
about which opinions diverge.
Some archaeologists maintain that
the remains are of an older temple
also dedicated to Athena built in
600-550 B.C. Others believe that
the temple was dedicated to Artemis.
Getting there -
The Athens terminal in in Mavromataion Str.,
near Pedion tou Areos.
Tel: 210 82 30 179.
Also various tour operators organise daily tours to Sounion.
