Absolutely this can be done by public transit. We just did it this past Sunday (unfortunately we had to come home to Canada on Monday!). You pick up the bus at Mavromateon square. It is close to Victoria metro station. The bus for Sounion leaves from beside the fountain under the trees. The coastal bus leaves each hour on the half hour, costs E4.60 per person and takes about 1.5 hours to get there.

To be frank there isn't much to see besides the temple. I think in NOvember it will be a bit cold to swim when you are there.

The return bus to Athens leaves from the site each hour on the hour. We were told that only the coastal bus goes to downtown Athens and this is the one leaving on the hour. Not sure if this is true as we didn't try it out!

If you want to go for the sun set then leave in good time from Athens as your bus may hit rush hour traffic. The last bus back to Athens leaves the site at 9 pm.

Enjoy your trip - we had an awesome time.

ttt

I assume the site is open year round? Any problems for late November? Is the bus run by KTEL and are there schedules online?

Thanks!

Greek bus schedules are theoretically on line, but trying to actually find them is an exercise in frustration. The best thing to do is to go to the office of the Greek Tourist Organization (which was on Filleninon Street near Plaka this last summer, though it seems to keep moving around, so check.) They have weekly print outs of current bus schedules to most places a tourist would want to go, including Sounion.

The "thing to do" is to go to Sounion at sunset when the marble pillars are lit up against the setting sun. As a result, the place is teeming with tour buses and tourists then. When I went some years ago I got there early in the morning, when it was wonderfully empty.

Just doing my last-minute research. I don't read Greek so can't decipher Ktel's website. Looks like Matrexx is right about the bus leaving on the half hour.

But it looks like there's a stop at Syntagma as well, but I wonder where the bus stops first. Maybe it's two separate buses.

Anyway, I found some posts on the Tripadvisor forum:

"You can also catch the bus off Syntagma Square (an orange post outside a Metrobank office is the only indication of the bus stop). Beware that the buses frequently go off the highway to provide local service to the towns along the way. The fare is very reasonable - just be aware that the buses are chronically late, the runs are hourly and the ride can take several hours, so you'll need to be on the 2:30 bus if you intend to get into the gates before a nasty old woman locks them up at 'sundown'...."

"Buses to sites in Attica (Cape Sounion, Marathon) leave from Aigyptou Square on Patissíon St. (tel 210-822-5148), just past the National Archaeological Museum. There’s a Sounion-bound KTEL (orange) bus-stop at central Klafthmonos Square on Stadiou St. Buses leave every hour until 6:30 p.m. to see the renowned sunset; the last bus returns at 9:00 p.m.; 5 euros. (This one goes along the coastal road to Sounion)."

Just back. Someone on the bus sold bus tickets. The bus made several stops. I took the bus from Mavromateon (sp.?).

I think the ticket cost 5.40 or 5.60 euros each way. Bus left on the half hour. I took the 1:30 pm bus.

Last bus from Sounion was at 7. I took the 5 pm.

Bus ride was a little more than 2 hours.

I probably could have taken the 2:30 pm and still made the sunset (the gate didn't seem to be closed when I left).

Yes, I remember doing all that a couple of years ago. So what did you think of Sounion once you got there? I remember enjoying the bus journey along the coast. The actual temple is spectacular, mainly because of the setting, but there's little else there. I picnicked with a great view over the Aegean from the rocks outside the site.

I agree with you that there's really nothing else apart from the Temple. I took many pics and posted them here:

http://tinyurl.com/2zqcbx


(Also has pics for Paris and Tel Aviv)

I was glad that I made an effort and didn't feel that I wasted more than four hours on the bus. But I regretted rushing through the museum to catch the 1:30 bus. The 2:30 probably would have been ok, but then maybe there'd have been a traffic jam and arriving at 4:30 would cut it really close.

I didn't really prepare well enough for the museum so didn't make very good use of my 80 minutes or so there. I missed the entire Cycladic Collection. But obviously the more famous bits are the Mycenean treasures excavated by Schliemann and the sculptures.

I guess I'll just have to go back!

Your pictures are great and brought back memories! Yes, the National Archaeological Museum is spectacular isn't it, especially the Mycenae stuff as you say. I was there last summer and it had been revamped since last time I was there; a big improvement. Even so, I reckon you need 2/3 hours minimum, you must've felt rushed getting the 1.30 bus to Sounion!
You must know about the Cycladic Art Museum where you can see just Cycladic Art. It's not far from Syntagma and very close to the Byzantine Museum and Benaki Collection.

Yes. I literally looked at the time and thought, ok, I need to go use the bathroom now before I go get on this bus. Fortunately the bus to Sounion was just down the street.

I stopped by both the gift shops for the Cycladic Museum and the Benaki Museum that morning, but I didn't buy anything. I knew that I'd not have time to see anything in those museums meaningfully, so I skipped them completely. There's currently a show on El Greco at the Cycladic Museum.

There's one particularly famous Cycladic sculpture at the National Museum called the Harp Player (or something like that). Next time I'll know to look.

Did you post a report of your trip, gertie? I'll look for it. Thanks for sharing!

I can't find any pictures at all! Last summer I was literally in Athens for one day in between getting off the ferry overnight from Chios and getting a flight to London the same evening. I spent the whole day in the Archaeological Museum but I don't even think I carried my camera. Pics from other trips may be in the bowels of my computer somewhere.
I tend not to post trip reports: although I travel a lot, I don't think my style of travel has much appeal for the average Fodorite: I'm not American, I travel solo and on a budget. Call me paranoid!

I can see what you mean about the trip reports. Mine aren't popular either -- but I guess I have to be thick-skinned enough. Also I ask questions and I think it's polite to post something of use to the forum in return when I do so.

I just bought a digital camera so I figured that I should take lots of pics with it. I feel that I get my money's worth that way.

gertie: Lots of us are interested in solo and budget travel, and I for one would appreciate the report of a non-American.

I am always interested in reading about a great taverna/restaurant that doesn't cost a fortune, so even a short trip report with general comments and a a brief rundown of hotels and restaurants is appreciated. I've been reading every trip report on Greece that I can find, just to get as much info as possible, even if I don't always comment.

Does the stop at Fileninon Street near Syntagma Square still exist? Does the orange post or the Metrobank?

What is the current fare and ride time from central Athens to Cape Sounion?

Much obliged...bdj

The bus to Sounio is leaving Pedion Areos at 6:30 till 17:30 every hour and from Sounio back to Athens from 8:00 to 19:00 every hour.

The KTEL station at Filellinon still exists, though i am not aware of a Metrobank...
As you walk up Filellinon Street (which is a short street) you will an orange post with the sign of KTEL - ΚΤΕΛ on it and many people waiting. Ask for help ( people will offer them selfs for sure to help you ), as you will have to wave your hand while the bus approaches so that the driver will stop and pick you up.

Since this is a busy top central spot chances are that others will wait for the same bus too....
All buses have a sign with the destination they are heading to, so keep an eye on the sign, so that you won't enter the wrong bus... ask the driver or the conductor as well...

The ticket price is 6.30 Euro per person and way, calculate 2 hours to get there.

Hi clausar,

We've been to Sounio twice and saw some very interesting looking birds there both times (May and June). They looked like game birds of some sort. I wish I had a photo to share, but off the top of you head, any guesses as to what they are?
To the original poster, Sounio is stunning! Crowded at sunset in high season, but absolutely worth it!

Hi TexasAggie

I can't guess either what they were...
Attica has some sort of wild life still, and Sounio is the most remote spot of Attica from Athens...
Whatever it was that you saw, must have been quite rare for the area. ( unless they escaped from a nearby coop)

Clausar, I know how frustrating it is to lose a long, carefully composed reply. When doing a very long post sometimes it's better to save it in Microsoft Word, then copy & paste to Fodor's.

TexasAggie, Greece is on a migratory route between Africa and Europe, so a lot of the birds you see aren't resident. One of my friends on Paros once spotted a hoopoe, and took a photo which he put in his blog, asking if anyone knew what it was. I had seen them before in Tanzania, so was able to identify it for him. I guess if you saw the same species both times it is resident, though.

When i was living in Kifisia ( a northern suburb of Athens with a colder climate than the central and coastal parts) i discovered one day that the trees in front of my house were full of parrots...... many different kind of parrots from smaller to bigger ones, even saw some lovebirds.....

I was totally amazed until i saw on a documentary that all these birds had escaped their cages and became in a way "resident"...

Heimdall thank you very much for the advice, i will surely follow it from now on...
It must be a curse when it comes to Tommmo, since this is the second time happening.....

I don't know if it's just my broadband connection, but Fodor's seems to be running slow lately. Most of my posts are fairly short, so I don't often bother saving in Word, but what I do is this: when Fodor's doesn't seem to be responding, I highlight what I have written and copy it with a keyboard shortcut. As long as you don't copy something else afterwards it stays in your computer's clipboard, and you can paste it back later. If you have to restart your computer you will lose it, though, and that when saving on MS Word comes in handy.

Parrots and parakeets have established wild colonies in some parts of the UK as well. BTW, this is a hoopoe: http://www.birdsoman.com/Birds/091-Hoopoes/EurasianHoopoe/EurasianHoopoe.htm