Suddenly we were alone. The last of the tour buses charged back towards Athens. Looking down over the theatre and the standing columns of the great temple of Apollo I could not see a single other soul. The ever-present drone of the cicadas was our only company. So, on the one hand, after 2pm seemed a perfect time to be visiting Delphi without the crowds. However, I thought as I drained the last of my water bottle, after 2pm in July in the middle of a Mediterranean heatwave when half of Greece appeared to be on fire was also a monumentally stupid time to be visiting Delphi. And I didn’t need an oracle to tell me that!

The ancient world was liberally larded with oracles and soothsayers, whether it is the ill-fated Cassandra in Troy or the haruspices sacrificing animals on Rome's Palatine Hill. So what makes Delphi the example par excellence of an oracular site? I would say it’s a perfect mix of supply and demand. In terms of demand, Delphi has a cracking set of origin stories with Zeus discovering that this was the omphalos or navel / centre of the Greek world, Apollo slaying the monstrous Python and Heracles being ordered to complete his famous Labours by the pythian priestess. It was hence fully integrated to the mythological worldview of the Hellenic world. And because of this it was sought out by historical kings and rulers only increasing its fame. So this created the demand. But supply was restricted. Audiences with the oracle were strictly limited – one session a month, for only nine months of the year. And even then water from the Castalian spring needed to be sprinkled over a goat – only if the goat shivered was it prophesyin’ time. The result: big queues and sudden closures. So accommodation and stalls (such as those in the Roman forum at the base of the archaeological park) were needed to cater to the waiting crowds of pilgrims. Entertainment was also provided through the Pythian Games every four years. If the oracle was open for business there was a strict order of who could go first: locals of Delphi, other Greeks, and then visitors from outside Greece. But, of course, queues could be jumped with an appropriate donation to Apollo. So the city-states of Greece funded improvements to the site in the form of altars (Chios) and statues and founded treasuries to store their wealth (and showcase their glory). And in this way the site developed into the form we see today. Even the Romans continued to pay homage to the oracle of Delphi, bestowing further statues (such as consul Aemilius Paulus)… or carting them back to Rome (looking at you, Nero!). The pervasiveness of Greek/Roman history in European education and the fact that there is a lot still remaining to be seen makes it a must-see location.

Other than having slow-moving children there really is no excuse for visiting the Archaeological Site of Delphi in the heat of the afternoon. Even the day trippers from Athens have left by early afternoon. The site is open 8am-8pm 6 days a week (and 10-5 on Tuesdays). So, by staying in the nearby town of Delphi – or even any of the other towns nearby like Arachova, Itea, Amfissa or Galaxidi if you have your own transport – you have the flexibility to visit first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening. Essentially you can have a thorough exploration of the site in 60-90 minutes, maybe a bit more if you want to visit the stadium at the top of the site. The stadium is well worth a view and is well signposted but is a bit of a climb up to reach it. Even if you do not visit the stadium do make sure you follow at least a bit of the route up to get the picture-perfect view of the theatre and temple of Apollo (photo). In the morning visit the site and then the neighbouring airconditioned museum; in the evening visit the museum first. As others have said, the quality of exhibits here is astounding. My favourites were the Sphinx of Naxos and the remains of the silver bull; I found the famous bronze Charioteer of Delphi a bit stiff and stilted. Outside the ticketed site itself (and hence free to enter, though with the same opening hours) you will find a gymnasium and the temple of Athena Pronaia with its iconic tholos. You will need to cross the main road but it is an easy stroll down to the temple of Athena; it can be a stiffer climb back up, particularly in the heat!

Controversially, I would argue that the site would be much-less impressive if it had not seen so much reconstruction. The tholos of the temple of Athena, the Treasury of the Athenians, and the bronze column of the Tripod of the Plataeans are some of the most eye-catching remnants in situ – and they have all been reconstructed. The purists might attack me for this, but I wouldn’t be averse to a bit more reconstruction (maybe the Treasury of the Syphnians or the Stoa of the Athenians) to really show off what the complex would have looked like. I will, however, say that there is very good signage contextualising the ruins, provided in Greek, English, French and Braille (though with the crowds, slope and rocky pathway I probably wouldn’t recommend a visit for the partially-sighted).

Tickets for those over 25 are E12. Children under 5 are free. Those in between get in for free if an EU citizen and for half price if not (yet another 'Brexit benefit' for us Brits...). The ticket covers one visit to the archaeological site and one to the museum.

The new town of Delphi is an easy walk away, essentially a mix of four one-way streets staggered up the hillside and has plenty of accommodation and restaurants for those staying overnight. Parking in town is an issue however, and even in a regular-sized four-door sedan you may found yourself hitting wing mirrors. While the town of Delphi can be reached on public transport (the KTEL bus for Amfissa from Athens), having your own vehicle is recommended if you wish to also visit the Monastery of Hosios Loukas (a 45 minute drive back through Arachova and Distomo).

One final thing – and something that really moves any visit to Delphi from the impressive to the spectacular – is the surrounding landscape. The hillsides and valleys of this area add an extra wow-factor and while the actual inscribed area is fairly neat, Delphi has a very extensive buffer zone protecting the beauty of the surroundings (so too does the Hosios Loukas Monastery actually, though I’m not convinced that the two buffers actually meet).

World Heritage-iness: 4

Our Experience: 4

(Visited July 2023)