Cape Sounion
Ancient temple ruins on a dramatic clifftop, facing the open Aegean.
Cape Sounion is a headland at the southern tip of the Attica peninsula, about 70 kilometres from Athens, where the ancient Greeks built a temple to Poseidon — god of the sea — around 444 BCE. The site made obvious sense: sailors leaving or returning to Athens would have spotted those columns from miles out at sea, a landmark and a prayer rolled into one. Today, 15 of the original 34 Doric columns still stand on the promontory, rising from bare white rock above a 65-metre cliff drop to the Aegean. Lord Byron carved his name into one of the columns in the early 19th century — the graffiti is still visible, which is either romantic or appalling depending on your view.
The experience is straightforward and deeply satisfying. You walk up through the fenced archaeological site to the temple itself, which commands a 270-degree view of the sea. On clear days you can see the islands of Kea and Kythnos on the horizon. The ruins aren't extensive — this isn't the Acropolis — but the drama of the setting does most of the heavy lifting. Wind is almost always present, the light off the water is extraordinary, and at sunset the columns turn amber and gold while the sea below shifts through every shade of blue. There's also a smaller, less-visited Temple of Athena a short walk to the east, worth a look if you want five minutes of relative solitude.
The site is about a 90-minute drive or a 2-hour bus ride from central Athens. The KTEL bus from the Pedion Areos terminal runs regularly and is cheap and easy. Most visitors come for the sunset, which means the crowds peak in the late afternoon. Come earlier in the day — mid-morning on a weekday — and you may have the place nearly to yourself. There's a café and a restaurant near the entrance, both trading on the view rather than the food, but a cold drink while staring at the Aegean is never the wrong call.