Known for
Ancient ruins and Byzantine churches
Must-see landmarks
Acropolis, Parthenon, Ancient Agora and the Temple of Olympian Zeus
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October
Days needed
Three to four full days
The sacred hill above the city carries the Parthenon, the Erechtheion with its Caryatid Porch, and the Propylaea gateway, all rebuilt in Pentelic marble since the 5th century BCE. Arriving at opening, 08:00, beats both the heat and the coach groups. The path down the slope reaches the Ancient Agora in about 19 minutes.
Socrates once debated in this marketplace at the heart of the Ancient Agora, now a green park anchored by the Stoa of Attalos and the Temple of Hephaestus. The Adrianou gate is closed, so entry runs through Thiseio on the west side. Hadrian's Library is a 7 minute walk northeast.
Emperor Hadrian built Hadrian's Library, a walled courtyard that served as a library and lecture hall in 132 CE, its facade of Corinthian columns still standing over what is now Areos Street. It later became a Byzantine church and is quietest around 18:00. The Roman Agora lies just 4 minutes away.
The Roman Agora, the marketplace the Romans added east of the older Agora, holds the octagonal Tower of the Winds, an ancient weathervane and water clock still legible after two thousand years, beside the Gate of Athena Archegetis. The Acropolis Museum is a few hundred metres away on foot.
Glass floors over excavated ruins lead up to the top floor gallery, where the Parthenon marbles are displayed in the temple's exact layout, facing the hill itself through floor to ceiling windows. Mornings around 09:00 are quietest. The Temple of Olympian Zeus is a 9 minute walk east.
Fifteen towering Corinthian columns are what remains of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, one of the largest temples of antiquity, started in the 6th century BCE and finished by Hadrian some 650 years later.
This tribute show retraces the songs of Manos Loizos at the Panathenaic Stadium on 14 September at 21:00, staged inside the marble stadium of the first modern Olympics.
Ariel Dorfman's political drama Death and the Maiden plays the Athinon Theatre on 9 October at 21:00, a stage production of the acclaimed play about memory and justice.
The Finnish metal band Swallow the Sun plays Architektoniki Club Live Stage on 17 October at 19:30, part of a European tour stop in Athens.
The British pub rock band Dr Feelgood plays Architektoniki Club Live Stage on 12 February at 21:30, a live night from the long running rhythm and blues act.
Athens' oldest neighbourhood costs nothing to explore on foot, its pedestrian lanes climbing the Acropolis slope past Byzantine chapels and courtyard gardens. The lanes themselves are free; museums and ancient sites tucked among them charge their own admission. Early morning avoids the tour groups that fill them by midday.
Walking through the covered halls of Athens' municipal food market costs nothing, and browsing the fish, meat and spice stalls needs no ticket. Mornings are the busiest and most atmospheric time to visit, before the counters begin closing for the day in the early afternoon.
The Evzone presidential guards change formation on the hour outside Parliament, with a fuller ceremonial parade on Sundays at 11:00, free to watch from the square at any time.
The pine covered peak above Kolonaki is free to reach on foot up its marked paths, about 30 to 45 minutes of walking for the best view over the whole city. Only the funicular to the summit charges a fare.
Antique dealers, record stores and secondhand stalls fill the streets around Monastiraki and Avissinia squares, an open air market that costs nothing to browse and is liveliest on Sunday mornings.
The hill opposite the Acropolis carries the Monument of Philopappos and the Pnyx, the meeting place of ancient Athens' democratic assembly, open at all hours with no ticket or gate.
The former royal gardens behind the Greek Parliament spread shaded paths, a small zoo and duck ponds across the city centre, open from sunrise to sunset with no admission charge.
Whitewashed cottages and narrow stepped lanes built by island stonemasons cling to the Acropolis' north slope, a free wander through what feels like a small Cycladic village inside the city.
The smooth marble outcrop beside the Acropolis entrance costs nothing to climb at any hour, unlike the archaeological site it borders. Worn steps lead to a platform with a wide view over the Ancient Agora, quietest well after sunset once the tour groups have moved on.
Excavations for the Athens Metro uncovered a cross section of the city's history, now displayed for free in the station concourse: a Roman era bath, ancient graves and pottery spanning the Neolithic to the Byzantine period. No metro ticket is needed, since the display sits in the concourse before the barriers.
Athens has been continuously inhabited for more than 3,000 years, and its ancient centre still sits exactly where its earliest inhabitants settled on the Acropolis rock. Democracy took shape here under Cleisthenes in 508 BCE, and the city's fifth century golden age produced advances in philosophy, theatre and science that still frame Western thought. Ottoman rule and a long decline followed, until Athens became the small provincial capital of the newly independent Greek state in the 1830s, growing into the sprawling, hilly metropolis of today.
Plaka and Monastiraki keep their historic character wrapped around the ancient agoras, busiest with tavernas and flea market stalls. Kolonaki, on the slopes of Lycabettus, gathers upscale shops and museums, while Psirri and Exarchia keep the street art and nightlife. Koukaki, below the Acropolis Museum, has grown into one of the city's most walkable areas for cafes and small hotels.
April to June and September to October bring warm, dry days without the summer's peak heat. Three to four full days give time for the main archaeological sites, a museum or two and an evening in Plaka, and the Saronic islands or Cape Sounion suit an extra day for those staying longer.
The historic centre is walkable end to end, with the Acropolis, the agoras and Plaka all within about twenty minutes of each other on foot. The metro's three lines reach the port of Piraeus, the airport and the outer suburbs quickly, and the electric tram runs along the coast toward the beaches south of the centre.
This skip-the-line ticket provides access to the Acropolis and its slopes, including an optional audio guide to enhance your tour.
Discover the best of ancient and modern Athens on this expert-guided half-day tour, from the majestic Acropolis and the Parthenon to the Parliament, the Panathenaic Stadium and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
This ticket includes entry to the Acropolis Museum, access to permanent and temporary exhibitions, the Parthenon Gallery, and the underground excavation site.
Walk in the footsteps of Socrates and Plato at the Ancient Agora, the beating heart of Athenian democracy and one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.
Explore one of Athens' most remarkable Roman-era monuments and discover the remains of a 2nd-century imperial library featuring a monumental Corinthian propylon, a grand inner courtyard, and nearly 2,000 years of history in the heart of the city.
Explore one of the world's greatest archaeological museums and discover over 11,000 treasures spanning 6,000 years of ancient Greek civilisation in the heart of Athens.
The ticket includes entry to the Roman Agora of Athens, granting access to one of the city's most significant archaeological sites built in the 1st century BC with funds from Julius Caesar and Augustus.
Discover one of the oldest sanctuaries in Athens and marvel at the colossal columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, a breathtaking monument to ancient Greek religion and architecture.