Even on a tight schedule, Delphi Day-Trip earns the hours.
Allow Full day (10–12 hours).
Delphi's mountainside setting is breathtaking and the sense of standing at the 'navel of the world' where the oracle prophesied is profound — for ruins-and-myth lovers it's the best day-trip from Athens. The catch: it's a serious commitment (2.5–3 hours each way), the site is steep and exhausting in heat, and on a packed bus tour you're rushed through both ruins and museum.