Best Things to Do in Athens, Greece
Are you looking for the best things to do in Athens, Greece?
Athens is Greece’s ancient capital. It has been continuously inhabited since 3000 BC and has been an important hub of civilization over the millennia. No trip to Greece is complete without visiting.
It’s an incredible city that blends the ancient and the modern unlike anywhere else in the world. It’s also a sprawling city with more than 3.6 million people living in the Athens metropolitan area. From many hilltops and viewpoints around Athens, it looks like the city goes on forever in all directions.
Athens can get a bit of a bad reputation for being crowded, dirty, and stifling (especially during the hot summer months.) Many tourists are ready to flee the city and head straight to the Greek islands.
But despite its slightly gritty exterior, I think Athens is definitely a worthwhile destination. It’s a great place to start your trip to Greece and I would plan to spend at least two full days here.
After several trips to Athens, these are my recommendations for the top things to do:
1. Visit the Acropolis Museum
The Acropolis Museum is the perfect place to start your trip to Athens. I actually recommend visiting this museum before you visit the ruins of the Acropolis on the hill, because the museum gives you a lot of context for what you’ll see up there. (I did it the opposite way around and wish I’d started here!)
You can see ticket information here for the Acropolis Museum. Standard admission is €20 and reduced admission is €10. You can qualify for reduced admission if you’re under 26 years old.
You can also book a tour of the Acropolis Museum that also includes a tour of the Acropolis. This is a great way to hit both sites with a knowledgeable guide who will show you all the highlights.
I recommend buying your ticket or booking a tour in advance so you can skip the line.
2. Visit the Acropolis
The Acropolis itself is an iconic site in Athens. Located on a hilltop and visible from all around the city, this ancient complex contains ruins like the Parthenon, the Herodeion, and the Temple of Nike.
You can book a ticket just to visit the Acropolis or choose the multi-site option that gives you access to six other archaeological sites including the Ancient Agora, Hadrian’s Library, and more. If you choose this option, you’ll have five days from activation to visit all of the sites included in your ticket.
You’ll have to choose a time slot to visit the Acropolis, and I highly recommend picking the earliest time slot first thing in the morning. This is the least crowded time of day to visit the Acropolis and if you’re visiting in the summer months, you might be able to escape the worst of the heat. Another option is choosing the latest time slot in the evening — just avoid late morning and afternoon time slots!
Tickets for the Acropolis are €20 from April through October and €10 from November through March. Reduced admission to the tune of 50% off is available if you’re under 26 years old.
You can also book the tour I mentioned above that includes a guided visit to the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis (but not admission to any other archaeological sites.)
3. Explore the Ancient Agora
Another one of the coolest ancient sites in Athens that you should visit is the Ancient Agora. The agora was a gathering place in ancient Athens, and today it’s one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the city with highlights like the Temple of Hephaestus and the Stoa of Attalos.
If you book a ticket that includes access to the Acropolis plus the six other archaeological sites, you’ll be able to visit the Ancient Agora. Otherwise, you can buy a separate ticket for it.
This is what I did because at the time I was under 26 years old and qualified for reduced admission at all of these sites, so it worked out to be cheaper. Admission to the Ancient Agora is €10 from April through October and €5 from November through March. It’s free admission if you’re under 26 years old.
4. Walk up Areopagus Hill
Areopagus Hill is one of the best viewpoints in Athens. This hill has a bit of a dark history — it was once the site of the high court in ancient Athens where serious crimes like murder were tried.
Today, you can walk up this hill for free. It’s near the Acropolis if you turn right near the main entrance instead of left. The hill offers incredible views of the Acropolis and it’s a good spot to see the sunset.
5. Explore Anafiotika
There are a lot of cool neighborhoods in Athens, and I’m going to talk about more of them below, but I wanted to highlight what I think is the most unique part of Athens first: Anafiotika.
It’s located right between the Acropolis and the popular Plaka neighborhood, but many tourists have no idea that this neighborhood, with its winding streets and whitewashed houses, even exists.
When you think of Greece, an image that comes to mind is probably one of whitewashed houses with blue doors. But the truth is that style of architecture only exists in the Cycladic Islands and not the rest of Greece! However, you can find a little taste of it in the Anafiotika neighborhood of Athens.
The neighborhood is named after Anafi, one of the Cycladic Islands, and that’s where all of the area’s original residents came from. It’s a lovely place to stroll around and take photos.
6. Take a walking tour
One of my favorite ways to discover a new city is on a walking tour. I took a free walking tour in Athens that was great and showed me parts of the city I wouldn’t have seen on my own. Although the tour is free, the guides work on tips, so if you enjoy the tour be sure to tip your guide generously!
Another idea is taking a food walking tour in Athens. Greek food is delicious and Athens is an amazing city for foodies. This food walking tour with plenty of food tastings is a good choice. Over the course of four hours, you’ll sample tons of yummy Greek food along with included wine and spirits.
7. Go to a rooftop
Something that’s really cool about Athens is how many rooftop restaurants and bars there are — and most of them offer a view of the Acropolis! I’d definitely recommend hitting up a rooftop or two in Athens.
This massive guide contains a bunch of recommendations for rooftop restaurants and bars in Athens. Some places even have rooftop pools which is great for beating the heat on a summer day!
8. Catch the sunset
There’s just something about the sunsets in Greece. I don’t know what it is, but they’re better than sunsets in other parts of the world! Athens is a city with lots of great sunset spots too.
I already talked about Areopagus Hill, which is easy to get to and one of the most popular sunset spots in the city. There’s always a festive atmosphere there with live music and lots of people hanging out.
Two other spots to see the sunset are Philopappos Hill and Lycabettus Hill. Philopappos Hill is also close to the Acropolis, while Lycabettus Hill is about 15 minutes away by car. You can take a taxi or Uber there. It’s the highest point in the city of Athens and also offers a great view of the city and the sunset.
9. Explore the neighborhoods of Athens
Central Athens is very walkable and there are tons of cool neighborhoods to explore. Most tourists will spend time in Plaka, which is in the shadow of the Acropolis and full of shops and restaurants.
Another nearby neighborhood is Monastiriki, also close to the Acropolis and many other ancient sites. This touristy neighborhood is known for its souenir shops, flea markets, and tavernas.
Psyri is a lively neighborhood packed with restaurants and bars. If you’re looking for the best nightlife in Athens, this is the place to be, along with the trendy Gazi neighborhood.
The Kolonaki neighborhood is known for being upscale with lots of designer shops and elegant restuarants.
10. Take a day trip
Finally, if you have some extra time, I’d recommend a day trip or two out of Athens!
My favorite day trip is visiting the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion. Located about 1.5 hours from Athens, this impressive temple ruin overlooks the Aegean Sea. This tour from Athens is a great way to visit the Temple of Poseidon. It includes round-trip transportation from Athens, a guide, and a visit to the temple at sunset. You’ll also stop at the Ancient Theatre of Thorikos, another archaeological site.
Another great day trip from Athens is Hydra. This charming car-free island is just over 1.5 hours from Athens by boat. You can take the ferry on your own or you can book a tour like this one which includes a full-day boat trip to Hydra as well as the islands of Poros and Aegina, along with lunch.
Top Things to Do in Athens
This guide showed you the best things to do in Athens, Greece.
Athens is an amazing city with so much to discover. There’s pretty much nowhere else in the world like it where you can explore the remnants of ancient history the way you can in Athens. I highly recommend spending at least a couple of days in Athens on your trip to Greece in order to do this city justice.
Enjoy your trip to Athens!
Related Guides:
