Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion

At the southern tip of Attica, the columns of the Temple of Poseidon stand on a cliff high above the sea, as they have since the 5th century BC. Sailors leaving Athens saw it as their last sight of home, and Lord Byron carved his name on one of its columns.

The drive there follows the coast road along the Athens Riviera, past beaches and seaside towns. At the site, walk around the temple and look out across the Aegean to the islands.

Sunset is the time to come, when the marble glows gold. Sounion is about an hour and a half from central Athens, and we combine it with a swim stop or dinner by the sea on the way back.