Cape Sounion (Sounio) is the headland at the south-eastern tip of Attica, about 70 km from Athens. At the top, 60 metres above the sea, stand the white columns of the temple of Poseidon, visible from afar to anyone sailing in the Saronic Gulf. For ancient sailors it was Athens' last farewell on departure and the first sign of home on return.
The myth of Aegeus
According to myth, King Aegeus of Athens waited on this headland for the return of his son Theseus, who had sailed to Crete to kill the Minotaur. Theseus had promised to change the ship's black sails for white ones if he won, but forgot. Seeing the ship arrive with black sails, Aegeus believed his son dead and threw himself into the sea, which took his name: the Aegean Sea.
The temple of Poseidon
The temple was built around 444-440 BC, in the age of Pericles, on the site of an earlier temple destroyed by the Persians. It is a Doric temple of local white marble, with slender columns and fewer flutes than usual, probably to resist wind and salt; some scholars attribute it to the same architect as the temple of Hephaestus in the Agora. Of the original 34 columns, sixteen still stand.
The names of many travellers of past centuries are carved into the marble: the most famous is that of the poet Lord Byron, who visited the cape in the early 19th century and recalled it in one of his poems. Nearby are the remains of the fortified enclosure, the small harbour for warships and, on a neighbouring hill, the temple of Athena Sounias.
Sunset
The most famous time to visit Sounion is sunset, when the sun sinks into the sea behind the islands and the columns turn pink. In summer the site is very crowded at that hour: arrive at least an hour before, visit the temple and then pick a spot along the enclosure. Alternatively, early morning offers the same beauty with few people.
Getting there
| Transport | Details |
|---|---|
| Car | About an hour and a half along the Riviera coast road, via Glyfada, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza; faster inland |
| KTEL bus | From the centre (Aigyptou Square area, Mavromateon Street) along the coast, about 2 hours |
| Tours | Many agencies run afternoon trips including sunset |
The site has its own ticket, free for EU citizens up to 25. There is a café-restaurant with a terrace next to the entrance.
Nearby
Below the cape are a few beaches and fish tavernas, great for a swim before sunset. A few kilometres away, Lavrio was in antiquity the town of the silver mines that funded Themistocles' fleet and the greatness of Athens; today it has a mineralogical museum, the ancient theatre of Thorikos and a port with ferries to Kea and some Cycladic islands. See Kea and other day trips from Athens.