Athens
Athens
+ Athens
Excursions
+ Excursions
Sights
* Aígina (Aegina)
* Ákra Soúnio (Cape Sounion)
* Dáfní (Daphni)
* Delfoí (Delphi)
* Elefsína (Eleusis)
* Epídavros (Epidavros)
* Kaisarianí
* Kifisiá (Kifissia)
* Kórinthos (Corinth)
* Marathónas (Marathon)
* Mykínes (Mycenae)
* Náfplio
* Peiraías (Piraeus)
* Póros
* Rafína
* Rámnoús
* Salamína (Salamis)
* Spétses
* Vravróna (Brauron)
* ýdra (Hydra)
Walk/Drive
Food&Drink
In The Know
Did You Know?
( Do not miss )
The most dramatic way to see Cape Sounion for the first time is from the Athens coastal road: turn a bend and suddenly, in the distance, the magnificent white ruins of the Temple of Poseidon can be seen standing proudly at the tip of the cape on top of the 60m high headland. In actuality, when you get close, you see that the marble is grey (it was mined only 5km away at Agrileza).
It is easy to get to and from the Cape by bus from central Athens, and a popular time to make the journey is in the late afternoon or early evening, in order to be there for the sunset. A spectacular sunset is not guaranteed, but they are frequent and there can be few more splendid sights than to watch the temple turning into a silhouette against the red sky over the Aegean. The large island due west is Aegina, and beyond that is the east coast of the Peloponnese. To the east is Kea, the closest of the Cycladic Islands.
The temple was built in 444 BC on the foundations of another building which has been dated back to 490 BC. The temple originally had 34 columns, but only 15 remain standing today. One of these bears the scratched initials of the English poet and Grecophile, Lord Byron, who visited here in 1810, though the temple is now roped off to help preserve it from any modern-day attempts at adding graffiti.
Address: 0292-39363
Open: Daily 10-sunset. Closed public holidays
Restaurant: Restaurants near by (Moderately priced)
Bus: Sounion bus, no number, leaves from Mavromateon terminal
Accessible: None
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