The 16 best things to do in Athens

Visiting the Acropolis is one of the best things to do in Athens and is at its most spectacular at night - uchar

With so much history crammed into one crowded, chaotic city, it’s hard to know where to start sightseeing in Athens. If you’re into antiquities, you could spend a week wandering among the ruins clustered around the Acropolis.

But Athens is no historical theme park, and there are plenty of other things to do. Contemporary culture is everywhere, from the politically charged street art that’s become the modern city’s trademark to specialist museums, street markets, and open-air festivals that reflect the city’s increasingly multicultural population. Athens wears its long history lightly — you’ll even find locals sunbathing beside an ancient temple on one of the city’s many golden beaches. 

Explore ancient Athens above and below ground

When it opened a decade ago, the Acropolis Museum was controversial. Not only because it reinvigorated the campaign to return the Elgin Marbles, but also for its unabashedly modern architecture. Now this fantastically interactive museum is as much a part of the city’s cultural landscape as the Acropolis itself. Start at the top floor Parthenon Gallery, where the temple frieze is brilliantly displayed, and work your way down.

Insider tip: Explore the streets, courtyards and mansions where Athenians lived thousands of years ago at the ancient settlement excavated below the museum. 

Nearest metro: Acropolis

Prices: £

Archaic and classical finds from the Acropolis site are displayed at the Acropolis Museum - MarioGuti/MarioGuti

Hit the heights of Greek civilisation

Obviously, you can’t visit Athens without visiting the Acropolis. No matter how many times you’ve paid homage to this wonder of the ancient world, the sheer majesty of the setting, artistry of the architecture, and palpable sense of humanity’s quest for eternity will give you goosebumps. Just make sure you don’t go at midday —all that dazzling white marble reflects the sun.

Insider tip: Use the side entrance on Dionysiou Areopagitou street, rather than the main entrance below the Propylaea. The queue for tickets is shorter, and the gentle climb up to the temple takes you past the ancient amphitheatres of Dionysus and Herod Atticus.

Nearest metro: Acropolis

Prices: ££ 

The Acropolis is considered classical architecture’s most influential building - anyaivanova

Run around an Olympic Stadium

Built on the site of an ancient arena, the horseshoe-shaped Panathenaic Stadium was paved entirely in marble by the wealthy Athenian benefactor, Herodes Atticus, in 140 AD. It has hosted everything from naked athletics to gladiators, the first modern Olympics, and even occasional rock concerts. For an unforgettable work-out, the running track inside the stadium is open to joggers from 7.30am to 9am.

Insider tip: On the second Sunday in November, the stadium is the thrilling finishing line of the Athens Marathon. It’s free to enter to cheer on the runners on that day. 

Nearest metro: 15-minute walk from Acropolis, Syntagma or Evangelismos

Prices: £ 

The Panathenaic Stadium was built on the site of an ancient arena and paved entirely in marble - SerrNovik/SerrNovik

Take a crash course in Greek culture

Time travel through several centuries in a single day on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, the Museum Mile of Athens. From Orthodox iconography at the Byzantine and Christian Museum to prehistoric sculpture juxtaposed with contemporary art at the Museum of Cycladic Art and 20th-century Greek painting and folk art at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, it’s the perfect Athens first-timers’ primer. 

Insider tip: Strolling through the sculpture gardens of the Byzantine and Christian Museum, it’s easy to imagine how the peripatetic philosophy students, who wandered the hallowed grounds of Aristotle’s Lyceum next door, were inspired by their surroundings. 

Nearest metro: Evangelismos or Syntagma

Prices: £

Benaki Museum is the perfect museum for a first-timer at Athens

Learn the who's who of Greece's good and great

Unlike Père Lachaise or Highgate, the First Cemetery of Athens is completely off the tourist radar. This serene, open-air sculpture garden is a who’s who of Greece’s good and great, their graves marked with extravagant mausolea or melancholy marble angels. The flower-lined paths are shaded with cypress and bitter orange trees, whose blossoms perfume the cemetery in spring. 

Insider tip: There’s no map of the cemetery and the tombstones follow an arcane numbering system. If you’re looking for a particular grave, check this helpful blog, which also has entertaining potted biographies of the most prominent people buried here. 

Nearest metro: 15-minute walk from Acropolis or Syggrou-Fix

Prices: Free 

First Cemetery of Athens features a serene, open-air sculpture garden with graves of Greece's most famous names - Jana_Janina

Strike gold at the National Archaeological Museum

Many Greeks will tell you that the collection at the National Archaeological Museum is superior to that of the Acropolis Museum. The curation may be old-fashioned, but the richness of the exhibits is truly outstanding. You could spend days ogling the toned statues, delicate jewellery, and intriguing household items from antiquity in this neoclassical landmark. The enchanting sculpture garden is a secret oasis on the lower ground floor.

Insider tip: If you’re staying in Athens for more than a day or two, buy a three-day ticket that’s also valid for the underrated Epigraphic Museum, Numismatic Museum and Byzantine and Christian Museum. 

Nearest metro: Omonia or Victoria

Prices: £ 

The the National Archaeological Museum has an extensive collection of Neolithic Antiquities

Discover the culinary secrets of Plaka

It’s hard to eat well in Plaka, the touristy old town of Athens. Ignore the taverna touts hawking frozen moussaka and sign up for a food tour with Culinary Backstreets. Their in-the-know guides know where to find the creamiest yogurt, juiciest souvlaki, and sweetest baklava. Along the way, they’ll point out the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman traces evident in the local architecture and culture. 

Insider tip: Do not under any circumstances eat breakfast before you go; there’s a lot to taste during this five and a half-hour walking tour.

Nearest metro: Syntagma or Monastiraki

Prices: ££ 

Plaka may be a touristy area, but with the help of a culinary guide, you'd be able to unearth some special hidden gems - efesenko/efesenko

Shop like a local at your neighbourhood market

Every Athenian neighbourhood has its weekly laiki agora (people’s market), a local ritual that’s as much street theatre as a celebration of seasonal food. One of the liveliest markets is on Kallidromiou Street in Exarchia. On Saturday morning, locals of all ages and stripes pick through heaps of fragrant fruits and vegetables and bat away the cheeky banter of the stallholders. 

Insider tip: Pick up cheese and crackers from Ellinika Kaloudia (00 30 210 330 0384; Facebook page) and climb up nearby Strefi Hill or Mount Lycabettus for a picnic. Or join the local writers and actors catching up over ouzo-mezze at Mouria (87 Charilaou Trikoupi & Kallidromiou; 00 30 210 381 2607), a retro kafenio (coffee shop).

Address: Kallidromiou Street

Nearest metro: 15-minute walk from Panepistimio or Omonia

Prices: £

Kallidromiou Street in Exarchia has one of the liveliest farmer's markets in Athens - Vasiliki Varvaki/vasiliki

Watch a movie in the moonlight

From May to October, Athenian life moves outdoors — including the cinemas. There are over 60 open-air movie theatres all over Athens: hidden on rooftops, squeezed between apartment buildings, in parks, even by the seaside. Some, like Cine Paris and Thision, even have the Acropolis as a backdrop. 

Insider tip: Venture beyond the city centre to Oasis (00 30 210 724 4015) in Pangrati or Zefyros (00 30 210 346 2677) in Petralona, two cult summer cinemas that screen vintage classics. 

Opening times: There are two screenings every night; the first starts around 9pm and the late show is at 11pm

Prices: £

Athenians love watching movies outdoors; Cine Paris offers frequent screenings on rooftops

Watch the sunset by the sea

The clunkily named Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre is a masterclass in green design and public space. Surrounding the shiny national opera house and library, there’s kayaking on the canal, bikes for hire, petanque and playgrounds, free concerts and festivals. Go at dusk to watch the sunset over the Athens Riviera from the Lighthouse, a glass-walled lookout perched on the green roof.  

Insider tip: If you want to explore more of coastal Athens, which has everything from Blue Flag bays to beach clubs, marinas, mineral lakes and ancient temples, sign up for an Athens Riviera tour with Alternative Athens.

Nearest metro: None, but there is a free shuttle bus to and from Syntagma and Syggrou-Fix metro station several times a day

Prices: Free (apart from performances at the Greek National Opera)

When visiting Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, be sure to linger after sunset to see the spectacular dancing fountains

Browse a blockbuster collection of modern art

The late shipping tycoon Basil and his wife Elise Goulandris were friends and benefactors of some of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Highlights of their formidable collection (estimated value: $3 billion) were periodically shown at their namesake museum on the island of Andros, until the works found a permanent home in Athens in 2019. The purpose-built B&E Goulandris Foundation Museum includes masterpieces by Picasso, Kandinsky, Miró, Pollock, Bacon, and pretty much every other 20th century artist you can name.  The couple were also fans of the Impressionists and acquired many works by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Monet, and Degas. Another floor is devoted to Greek artists including Ghika, Tsarouchis, Moralis, and Tetsis – an excellent primer for those less familiar with Greece’s modern art scene. 

Prices: ££

Insider tip: The Goulandris museum library, which contains over 7500 art books, catalogues, and magazines, operates as a reading room on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Mingle with the Athenian art crowd

The former brewery in which the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) is housed stood empty for decades. It took almost as long for Greece’s first proper contemporary art institution to get off the ground, but it has finally come into its own.  The focus is on 21st century art from Greece, Southern Europe, and the Eastern Mediterranean, with socio-politically engaged group shows, solo exhibitions, and a lively programme of talks, screenings, and events.  The donation of 140 large-scale installations from the D. Daskalopoulos Collection will add real clout to the museum’s permanent collection.

Prices: £

Insider tip: Hold onto your entrance ticket; you can use it for a second time if you return within one month.

Explore a lost industry by the sea at Lipasmata Park

A brilliant revival of a derelict industrial zone, this seaside park is the perfect place to kill some time if you’re waiting to catch a ferry from Piraeus. Abandoned for years, the former chemical fertiliser factory of Lipasmata has been transformed into a seaside park with cycle lanes, sports courts and playgrounds, a cute canteen and a tiny chapel beneath a giant water tower. The old silos and workers’ quarters, the local brothel and slaughterhouse, are still empty and desolate — an evocative reminder of the Drapetsona district’s ragged history.

Insider tip: There are occasional outdoor concerts or screenings at the two amphitheatres. But the best thing to do is to simply stroll or jog along the 2-kilometre waterfront boulevard, watching the ships come and go as the sun sets over the islands on the horizon.

Prices: Free

Day Trips

Cool down at the beach (or dive into a pool)

There is a diehard community of winter swimmers in Athens, but you don’t need to brace yourself to dive into the sea from May-October. Although locals do swim at the urban beaches of Faliro, Alimos, and Glyfada, for the clearest waters head further south to the moneyed coastal enclaves of Kavouri and Vouliagmeni. The small cove and smart restaurant at Zen Beach, or the sheltered sandy bay of Akti Vouliagmenis, where tanned locals flex their racquetball skills, are perfect spots to flop for a long day in the sun. 

Insider tip: For more of a beach club vibe and a good-looking crowd, hit up the sexy swimming pool at  Ace Hotel and Swim Club, the hipster hotel chain’s first, art-filled foray into Greek waters.  

Nearest metro: Elliniko, then bus or tram

Prices: Some beaches in Athens are free, others charge an entry fee for a sunbed.

Vouliagmeni is one of the most beautiful beaches along the Athens coastline - SHansche

Watch the sunset at an ancient temple

Built as a place of worship to Poseidon, the god of the sea, earthquakes and horses, the fifth-century-BC Temple of Poseidon stands on the southernmost point of the Attica peninsula in Cape Sounion. Originally made up of 34 white marble Doric columns, 15 of which remain, it commands amazing views over the Aegean Sea, which are particularly spectacular at sunset.

Insider tip: The coastal road from Athens to Sounio passes through the seaside suburbs of Glyfada, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza, and affords fine views over the Saronic Gulf – you could combine a day at the beach with an early-evening visit to Sounio.

Contact: 00 30 229 203 9363

Opening times: Daily, 9am-sunset

Price: £

The sunset at Temple of Poseidon will be one of the most memorable ones you'll ever experience - WitR/WitR

Visit an ancient pilgrimage site

Greece's most beautiful classical site, Delphi, was the home of the fabled Oracle which spoke its prophesies (with the help of trance-inducing leaves) through priestesses. Dating back beyond the eighth century BC, the hillside site, which is two-and-a-half hours from Athens, is scattered with ancient temples overlooking a gaping chasm, and is backed by Mt Parnassos. There’s also an excellent museum displaying bronze and marble sculptures.

Insider tip: On the road back to Athens is the mountain village of Arahova (about seven miles away). It's an upmarket winter resort and a great place to stop for a late lunch and shop for fluffy flokati rugs and locally produced formaela cheese.

Opening times: Daily, 8am-8pm summer; 8am-3pm winter

Price: ££

Don't miss Delphi, Greece's most beautiful classical site, two and a half hours from Athens - sssanchez

Go island hopping for the day

Despite having a spectacular coastline nearby, most wealthy Athenians prefer to escape to the islands in summer. The nearest islands, Aegina and Angistri, lie in the Argo-Saronic Gulf and can be done as a day trip. Both have lovely sand and pebble beaches, giving onto sparling clean sea, and plenty of tavernas serving locally caught fresh fish. The fastest way is with Hellenic Seaways' 'flying dolphins' (catamarans): Pireaus to Aegina takes 40 minutes; Pireaus to Angistri is 55 minutes. They run several times a day year-round.

Insider tip: Ferries, hydrofoils and catamarans from Athens' port Piraeus to the islands get very busy on summer weekends, as do the islands themselves (booking in advance is recommended). To avoid the crowds, do this as a weekday trip.

Opening times: Daily, 24 hours

Price: ££-£££

The island of Aegina has lovely sand, pebble beaches and family-operated tavernas - ([None] (Photographer) - [None]/Vanja

How we choose

Every attraction and activity in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from world-class museums to family-friendly theme parks – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.

About our expert

Rachel Howard has lived in Athens on and off since she was six, but this chaotic, historic city still gives her a thrill. Favourite Athenian pastimes include: iced coffee overlooking sun-dappled ruins, fried whitebait by the seaside and late nights in squares that smell of jasmine and cigarettes.

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