Half Day Cape Sounio & Athens Riviera Private Tour
Just 10 km from the center of Athens, one of the most beautiful urban shorelines in the Mediterranean begins. An island on the mainland, the Athens Riviera stretches across the city’s southern suburbs all the way to Cape Sounio, the southernmost point of the Attica peninsula and site of the remains of the ancient Poseidon Temple. There on a rock rising 60 meters above sea level, surrounded on three sides by water, the ancient Athenians chose to build a temple to Poseidon, the mighty God of the Sea.
This 60km route runs along the seashore and passes through the suburbs of Faliro, Alimos, Elliniko, Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza. Here you will find elegant and luxurious hotels, blue flag beaches, plenty of restaurants and bars and of course breathtaking views of the Saronic Gulf.
After passing by the unique Vouliagmeni Lake a spectacular natural attraction where it’s brackish waters are continuously replenished both by the sea and the underground thermal springs,the winding coastal road will lure you to keep going, and with good reason. As you continue, with the beautiful seascape unfolding before your eyes, you will pass more beautiful resorts, such as Lagonissi, where larger-than-life mansions and luxuriant 5-star hotels embrace the seashore, or Saronida, where the azure waters beg you to stop for a quick swim. But just as cunning Odysseus never succumbed to the signing of the Sirens and finally reached Ithaca, you too are destined to arrive at your final destination Cape Sounio.
According to legend, this is the spot where Aegeus, King of Athens, plunged to his death in the sea, because of a misunderstanding that led him to believe that his son, Theseus, was dead. The sea was named the Aegean in honour of the dead King. This magnificent site, which is considered to be the second-most photographed monument of the antiquity after the Acropolis, will definitely reward you if you be there when the sun drops into the sea and everything is painted a magnificent mauve.
When you’ll find Lord Byron’s name carved into the base of one of the columns of the Temple, remember his words: “Place me on Sunium’s marbled steep, Where nothing, save the waves and I, May hear our mutual murmurs sweep…”.
