Marathon, Greece, located 26 mi/42 km northeast of Athens, makes an absorbing half-day trip—it's the battleground where the Greeks defeated a much larger Persian army. It was also the starting point for the original long-distance run: The story is that a runner raced off to Athens to proclaim victory—and ran so fast that he dropped dead as soon as he had delivered his message.
Sights include a burial mound and a good museum. In the nearby city of Ramnous (about 5 mi/8 km east), there are two ruined (flat to the ground) temples and a citadel. Farther north is Amphiaraion, one of the most romantic but less visited archaeological sites in Greece. A visit to these locales is best combined with a swim at the beach of Schinias near Marathon.
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