Delphi Archaeological Museum

What makes it special

The Charioteer is a bronze of a young chariot driver, life-size at about 1.8 metres tall. He survived because an earthquake in 373 BC buried him under debris, so he was never melted down like most ancient bronzes.

The Sphinx of the Naxians, a gift from the island of Naxos, is a marble figure over 2 metres high. She shares her room with the friezes of the Siphnian Treasury, and reliefs from the Treasury of the Athenians are on display too.

The paired statues of Kleobis and Biton are inscribed as offerings to Delphi. The museum also holds the cult stone that marked the centre of the world in Delphic belief.

Look for the Dancers, a column of Pentelic marble given by the Athenians. It ends in acanthus leaves from which three female figures rise with their hands lifted, as if dancing. A statue of Antinous is also on show.

Visiting

The museum stands just below the ancient site, about 300 metres west of its main entrance, so you can start at either one. The ticket office for both is at the museum. Buy online or at that office, and expect a metal detector gate at the museum door.

Inside, give the Charioteer at least half an hour before moving on to the other rooms.

Climb the site in the morning and come down to the museum around noon, so you are indoors in the summer heat.

Tips

Carry your own cool water up to the sanctuary, along with a hat and light clothes that cover your arms and legs.

Parking outside the museum is limited and signed by the traffic police, so expect to leave a car further away.

If the climb is hard for you, a free vehicle can carry you up the site as far as the Temple of Apollo. Arrange it with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Phocis at least seven days ahead, and expect to see only part of the ruins.