The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion
Sounion
The ruins at Sounion were inspiring enough to Lord Byron that he composed some verse to praise its appearance. While I didn’t find it quite that impressive, its beautiful setting does make it worth visiting.
A solo traveler can drive to Sounion. However, we chose to take a tour because we had no desire to drive in Greek traffic. Thus, we took advantage of Key Tours’ half day excursion. It turned out to be a very comfortable way to get to the site and back to Athens. The tour left us about an hour to see the location, which was plenty of time.
Our bus driver let us off in a parking lot about half way up the backside of the cliff. That meant that a short, but moderately steep hike was in front of us. We walked past the restaurant and gift shop to the ticket booth. Our guide paid for our tickets and we continued up the path. After one switchback, we arrived at the temple.
Our guide gave us a short history on the temple. She also added detail as to which islands we were seeing and the types of flora that were around the site. She then let us wander around to explore the ruins. While one can’t get into the ruined temple itself, one can walk around it and the few other ruins that are there.
It wasn’t hard to appreciate the temple’s magnificence on architectural level. The stark white columns are a powerful compliment to the deep blue of the Aegean Sea at the base of the cliffs. But, what made the trip for me were the incredible views that one gets from the temple. Seven other islands can be seen from the site. Almost all of them look close enough to touch. Additionally, sunsets seem even a little more magnificent when seen from the temple’s grounds. These nature views are definitely what make Sounion a special place.
I wouldn’t put Sounion as a must-see attraction. Outside of the temple itself, there isn’t much in the way of other ruins to explore. However, if one has a little time in the itinerary and is getting stir crazy looking at the concrete boxes of Athens, then Sounion should be visited. The visitor will get a better appreciation for the tremendous natural beauty that Greece possesses.
The temple is open from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. The cost to enter is 2,000 drachma.
The temple in silhouette. My attempt at being artsy. Sounion, Greece.
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