Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
In the nineteenth century it was one of the great sailing-ship ports of Greece, with a merchant fleet out of all proportion to its size and captains wealthy enough to build stone mansions. Then steam arrived, wooden sailing ships stopped being worth building, and the town simply stopped.
What is left is the town as it was, with almost nothing built since.
The town
Two harbours either side of a low headland, with the houses of the captains behind them: stone and neoclassical, tall, with carved doorways and enclosed gardens. Many are now guesthouses.
The Nautical and Historical Museum holds ship models, figureheads, charts and the paperwork of the fleet, and is the place the town explains itself.
Above the harbours, pine woods run out along the headland with paths and small swimming spots off the rocks.
What it is like now
Quiet, and self-consciously so. Galaxidi is where Athenians go for a weekend when they want to eat well and do very little. There are fish tavernas around both harbours, a handful of bars, and no nightlife to speak of.
The swimming is off rocks and small pebble coves rather than beaches.
Where it fits
- Delphi is half an hour east, which makes Galaxidi a far more pleasant place to sleep than the modern village at the site.
- Arachova is beyond it, on the way to Athens.
- The Gulf of Corinth road west leads to Nafpaktos and the Rio bridge to the Peloponnese.
Getting there and how long
About three hours from Athens by road. Buses run to Itea and Delphi nearby.
Two nights, using one day for Delphi.
Last checked August 2026. Museum hours change - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
What is Galaxidi known for?
Being a nineteenth-century sailing-ship town whose shipowners’ mansions survive intact, because the town stopped growing when steam replaced sail.
How far is Galaxidi from Delphi?
About half an hour by road, which makes it a common and much nicer alternative to sleeping at the site.
Does Galaxidi have beaches?
Not really. Swimming is off rocks and small pebble coves, with pine woods on the headland above them.
What is in the Galaxidi museum?
Ship models, figureheads, charts and records of the town’s merchant fleet, in the Nautical and Historical Museum.
Is there nightlife in Galaxidi?
Very little. It is a quiet weekend town of fish tavernas and a few bars.