Flight time
3h 35m
Best season
April–June & September–October
Budget
Budget to mid-range
Best for
Ancient history, food, nightlife, value
Overview
Why Athens for a city break?
Athens is one of Europe's most underestimated city breaks. The Acropolis — the greatest monument in the Western world — looms above a city that has spent the last decade reinventing itself with an energy and creativity that has surprised everyone. The food scene has undergone a genuine transformation: natural wine bars, mezedopolia serving brilliant small plates, and a generation of young chefs cooking modern Greek food with extraordinary ingredients. Monastiraki and Psirri buzz until 3am. The islands are an hour away by ferry.
From London it's three and a half hours; direct flights from most UK regional airports. Athens is genuinely affordable — a dinner that would cost £60 in London costs £25 in Athens, hotels are well-priced, and the Acropolis ticket (€20, covers five sites) is remarkable value. April to June and September to October are the ideal months: warm, uncrowded, and free of the 40°C heat that makes July and August a serious challenge for sightseeing. The shoulder seasons also mean the Acropolis at 8am has only a handful of other people on it.
Where to stay & explore
Athens's best neighbourhoods
Monastiraki & Psirri
The atmospheric heart of Athens — the ancient flea market, the Roman Agora, the Hadrian's Library, and some of the city's best tavernas and bars. The rooftop bars overlooking the Acropolis are here.
Exarcheia
Athens's anarchist and bohemian neighbourhood — independent bookshops, excellent cheap restaurants, street art and a political energy unlike anything elsewhere in the city. Safe, fascinating and entirely un-touristy.
Koukaki
The neighbourhood directly below the Acropolis — quiet, residential, with some of the city's best new restaurants and wine bars, and a 5-minute walk to the Parthenon.
Things to do
What to see in Athens
1
The Acropolis & Parthenon
The most important ancient monument in the Western world — the Parthenon, built in 447 BC, remains the most perfect expression of Classical Greek architecture ever achieved. The Acropolis ticket covers five sites; go at opening time (8am) to have it largely to yourself. The Erechtheion (with the Caryatid porch), the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaea are as extraordinary as the Parthenon itself. The views over Athens and out to the sea on a clear morning are unforgettable.
2
Acropolis Museum
Bernard Tschumi's glass and concrete museum at the foot of the Acropolis hill is one of the finest purpose-built museum buildings in Europe — the top floor's Parthenon Gallery, with the remaining original sculptures displayed as they were on the frieze (the spaces where the Elgin Marbles should be are deliberately left empty), is an extraordinary experience. The building stands over active archaeological excavations visible through the glass floor.
3
National Archaeological Museum
The finest collection of Greek antiquities in the world — the Antikythera Mechanism (the world's first analogue computer, built 150 BC), the Mask of Agamemnon, the Artemision Bronze (one of the most powerful sculptures ever made), Minoan frescoes from Santorini. An extraordinary collection in a 19th-century neoclassical building. Book online; queues without tickets are significant in season.
4
Ancient Agora & Temple of Hephaestus
The public heart of ancient Athens — where Socrates argued philosophy, where democracy was practiced, and where Paul preached to the Athenians. The Temple of Hephaestus is the best-preserved ancient Greek temple in the world (better than the Parthenon), and the Stoa of Attalos (reconstructed 1950s) houses an excellent small museum. Covered by the Acropolis ticket.
Food & drink
Where to eat in Athens
Diporto Agoras
Old-school taverna / fish market
A no-menu, no-sign, cash-only taverna that has been feeding the traders of the Athens Central Market since 1887 — you eat whatever they've cooked that day (usually chickpea soup, grilled fish, fried cod, rough wine). Open from 6am, closed by 3pm, always full of the right people. One of the most authentic experiences in Athens.
Tzitzikas & Mermigas
Modern mezedes / Syntagma
The finest modern mezedes bar in central Athens — small plates of grilled octopus, taramasalata, saganaki, kolokithokeftedes (courgette fritters) and whatever's seasonal, with a brilliant Greek wine list. Busy and noisy in the best way. Book ahead for dinner.
Nolan
Modern Greek-Asian / one Michelin star
The most exciting restaurant in Athens — chef Sotiris Kontizas merges Greek ingredients and techniques with Japanese and Southeast Asian influences in a way that sounds improbable and tastes extraordinary. The tasting menu is the way to go. Book well ahead.
Itinerary
3 days in Athens — a suggested itinerary
Day 1
The Acropolis at dawn, the Agora, Monastiraki
Athens Metro Line 3 runs from the airport to Syntagma in 40 minutes (€9). The Acropolis opens at 8am — book online and get there for the first entry slot. The hill in early morning, before the heat and before the tour groups, is the finest version of it. The Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the views north over the city and south to the sea: give it two hours. Walk down the south slope path past the Theatre of Dionysus (the world's first theatre) and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. The Acropolis Museum opens at 9am — the Parthenon Gallery on the top floor is the centrepiece. Lunch in Monastiraki: souvlaki at Bairaktaris (a 100-year-old institution on the square) or the covered market stalls of the Varvakios Agora. The Ancient Agora and Temple of Hephaestus in the afternoon. Evening: rooftop bar above Monastiraki for the Acropolis view at sunset, then dinner in Psirri.
Day 2
National Museum, Exarcheia, a long lunch in Koukaki
The National Archaeological Museum opens at 9am — head directly to the Antikythera Mechanism (Room 38), the Cycladic figurines, and the Artemision Bronze. Allow three hours. Walk south through Exarcheia: the anarchist neighbourhood is safe, fascinating and the best place in Athens for a coffee and people-watching. The Polytechnic building (site of the 1973 student uprising against the junta) is on the edge of the neighbourhood. Lunch in Koukaki — the neighbourhood below the Acropolis has the best concentration of new Athens restaurants: Steki tou Ilia for lamb chops, or any of the wine bars along Drakou Street. Afternoon: the Benaki Museum (Greek history from antiquity to the 20th century) or the Museum of Cycladic Art (extraordinary prehistoric figurines that look uncannily modern). Evening in Psirri for dinner: Tzitzikas & Mermigas is excellent.
Day 3
Cape Sounion day trip or the Athens Riviera, one last ouzo
Cape Sounion — the Temple of Poseidon on a cliff above the Aegean, 70km south of Athens — is one of the most dramatically sited ancient monuments in Greece, and the coastal road to it (the Athens Riviera) passes several excellent beaches. Take the KTEL bus from Pedion Areos park (€6.70, 90 minutes). Alternatively: the Piraeus port fish restaurants for a long seafood lunch and then the ferry to the Saronic islands if you want a glimpse of the Greek archipelago. Back in Athens for the evening: the Monastiraki flea market for final shopping (Sunday is best), dinner in the neighbourhood, one last ouzo at one of the old-school kafeneions off the square. Metro to the airport: Line 3, 40 minutes.
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