The Athens–Delphi bus timetable
These are the times on the KTEL Fokidas Delphi–Athens–Delphi page, checked 8 October 2026.
| Athens to Delphi | Days | Delphi to Athens | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08:30 | Daily | 05:30 | Monday–Friday |
| 10:30 | Daily | 11:00 | Daily |
| 15:00 | Daily except Saturday | 14:30 | Sunday only |
| 18:00 | Daily | 16:00 | Daily |
| 18:30 | Daily |
KTEL files this page under its winter timetables but prints no validity dates on it, and it does not show a fare or a journey time. Hellenic Heritage gives about 3 hours from Athens to Delphi by car; a bus with stops is unlikely to be much quicker, so the arrival times below are estimates, not KTEL figures.
Holiday days get their own schedules. KTEL Fokidas's announcements page is where it posts changes, such as the extra runs for Clean Monday on 23 February 2026; check it if you travel on a public holiday.
Getting to the Liosion bus terminal
The Athens departure point is the KTEL Fokidas agency at Liosion 260, listed on the KTEL Fokidas home page with phone 210 8317096. This is not the KTEL Attikis departure point at Pedion tou Areos used for Sounion.
KTEL Fokidas's connections page says buses arriving from Fokida stop at Kato Patisia station on metro line 1 before reaching the Liosion terminal, and that the X93 express bus to the airport leaves from the stop at Liosion 260. It does not describe the walk from the metro to the agency, so allow extra time before an 08:30 departure. For metro fares and tap-to-pay, see Athens transport tickets.
Delphi tickets and opening hours
One ticket covers both the archaeological site and the Archaeological Museum of Delphi: €20 full, €10 reduced, according to Hellenic Heritage's Delphi page (checked 8 October 2026). Delphi is one of the few places the Ministry of Culture kept a joint ticket when its 2023 pricing decision abolished combined tickets elsewhere. Children and young people up to 25 from EU member states and non-EU children under 18 enter free with ID or passport, under the ministry's free admission rules.
| Period | Archaeological site | Museum |
|---|---|---|
| 1 April – 31 August | 08:00–20:00 | 08:00–20:00; Tuesday 10:00–17:00 |
| 1–15 September | 08:00–19:30 | 08:00–20:00; Tuesday 10:00–17:00 |
| 16–30 September | 08:00–19:00 | 08:00–20:00; Tuesday 10:00–17:00 |
| 1–15 October | 08:00–18:30 | 08:00–20:00; Tuesday 10:00–17:00 |
| 16–31 October | 08:00–18:00 | 08:00–20:00; Tuesday 10:00–17:00 |
| 1 November – 31 March | 08:30–15:30 | 08:30–15:30 |
Last admission at both is 20 minutes before closing. Both are closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday, and 25 and 26 December. The museum hours come from the separate museum page, which gives one summer timetable from 1 April to 31 October; plan around the site's earlier autumn closing.
Hellenic Heritage puts the site about 15 minutes on foot from Delphi village and the museum about 10 minutes, so ask the driver for the stop closest to the site.
Does a day trip work?
It does, with the 08:30 bus. Taking roughly 3 hours for the ride, these are the realistic plans:
| Plan | Time at Delphi | Works in |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30 out, 16:00 back | About 4.5 hours | All year |
| 08:30 out, 18:30 back | About 7 hours | April to October |
| 10:30 out, 18:30 back | About 5 hours | April to October |
| 10:30 out, 16:00 back | About 2.5 hours | Rushed |
In winter, the 08:30 is the only sensible choice: the site closes at 15:30 with last entry at 15:10, so arriving around 11:30 leaves under four hours for site and museum, and the 16:00 bus back fits neatly. On a Tuesday between April and October, the museum closes at 17:00, so see it first if you take the later return.
A two-adult day costs €40 in Delphi tickets plus two return bus fares, which KTEL shows only when you book. Delphi tickets are sold on Hellenic Heritage, the same platform as Athens sites; Acropolis tickets and time slots explains its time-slot and refund rules. If you are weighing Delphi against the coast, read the current status of the Cape Sounion bus first.