15 Ultimate Things to Do in Athens

Are you planning your first trip to Athens, Greece? Take a look at my top recommendations of the best things to do in Athens, Greece along with the most essential tips you need to plan your ultimate trip to one of history’s greatest cities.

Athens, named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, is the capital and largest city in Greece with a population of around 3.1 million people. It’s one of the oldest cities in the world which has been continuously inhabited for at least 3, 400 years.

Athens is a perfect destination for travellers like me, who are culturally curious and fascinated by cities. I have to admit I fell in love with Athens once I got over the city’s initial overwhelming impression and made an effort to seek out the many great things it offers. Athens has as much going on today as it did in past centuries.

Modern Athens is energetic with a flourishing cultural scene inspired by a very rich history which stretches from the Bronze Age to the Classical, Roman, Ottoman and modern Greek eras.

It has an intriguing mix of old and new. Without a doubt, Athens’ biggest draw for most visitors is a vast collection of breathtaking archaeological ruins with classical roots. What stands out is the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Acropolis, with the Parthenon as its star attraction.

Many people visit Athens as a brief stop on a journey through the Greek Islands like Santorini, however, Athens has a lot to offer and is a destination in its own right. See Things to do in Santorini.

You could spend an enjoyable week in Athens sipping frappes or gorging on souvlaki and loukoumades or embarking on amazing day trips to places like Delphi. However, if you have less time, you could squeeze in my suggestions of things to do in Athens, Greece in two or three days.

Things to do in Athens Greece

1. Join a Free Walking Tour of Athens

Price: Tip Based – (Duration 3 hours) Offered in English & Spanish

Start your tour of Athens by taking a free walking tour of the city center. I’m a big fan of walking tours and I always make a point to take one when I visit a place for the first time.

A walking tour is a perfect introduction to Athens as it provides you with a good overview of the city’s history. In addition to taking you around Athens tourist attractions, the tour will also show you the lesser-known sights which are just as interesting as the popular ones.

The guides will introduce you to Greek culture by sharing fascinating myths and legends from ancient Greece, tips on places to find lovely traditional Greek food, the best rooftop bars with a superb view of the Acropolis, safety tips and much more.

One of the highlights of an Athens walking tour is a visit to the city’s stunning trilogy of neoclassical buildings which you shouldn’t miss, namely the Academy of Athens, the National Library of Greece and the National University of Athens.

I took the Athens-Free-Tour walking tour and enjoyed it. Our guide was engaging, knowledgeable and quite passionate about Athens.

Athens is also a perfect destination for foodies! If you’re keen to sign up for an Athens food tour or cooking class, Greek Food Walking Tour and Athens Cooking Class have some really good reviews.

Interested in Street Art? Check out this private tour.

2. Visit the Acropolis

Price: Adults – €20, €30 – (Special Package Ticket)

Free Admission for Under 25 EU Citizens.

The Acropolis with the Parthenon Temple as its major landmark is by far the most wonderful treasure of Athens. Situated on a hill just above Athens, the Acropolis has been an important feature of the city as far back as prehistoric times.

Throughout the centuries, the buildings of the Acropolis served many purposes which included being a fortress, temples dedicated to mythical Greek gods, a religious centre and a residence of city rulers.

The Parthenon, the largest and most spectacular of all the buildings of the Acropolis, was built when Athens was at its cultural peak during the mid-5th century BC. Built in Dorian style, the Parthenon was a temple dedicated to the patroness of the city, the goddess Athena.

Over the centuries, the Parthenon had many restorations, but the current iteration is said to be the best version of the original classical structure.

Equally mesmerising at the Acropolis is its main entrance, which is known as the Propylaea, the tiny Ironic temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion temple with its famous Caryatid porch and the Roman theatre, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, built in 161 AD to seat 5, 000 spectators.

Good to Know

Athens can be uncomfortably warm even out outside of the summer months. Also, the path to the Acropolis is quite rugged and uphill, so be prepared. Visit the Acropolis in the morning or just before dusk and exit from Mars Hill for one of the most beautiful sunset views in Athens.

Buying Acropolis Tickets

Popular Acropolis Guided Tours

3. Explore the Acropolis Museum

Price: Adult – €10, Free Admission Days Available

The Acropolis Museum opened its doors in 2009 as the new home for the ancient findings from the Acropolis.

I’ve visited a lot of museums over the years, but the new Acropolis Museum with its amazing large windows overlooking the Acropolis is the most elegant. The museum’s minimalist architectural design and impeccable content are quite exceptional.

Exhibits at the Acropolis Museum are presented with interesting themes which offer fascinating insights into the culture of the early settlers of the Acropolis, the original Parthenon and the rest of the temples of the Acropolis.

The Acropolis Museum’s permanent collection consists of impressive marble art and sculptures depicting myths and significant life events in ancient Greece.

Worthy of note at the museum are the original five Caryatids of the Erechtheion, the relief of Nike adjusting her sandal and the museum’s top floor which is home to the real Parthenon friezes and marbles.

The Acropolis Museum is a place to visit after a tour of the Acropolis of Athens as it is the link that ties everything together.

4. Visit the Ancient Agora

Price: €10 – Single Adult Ticket

The Ancient Agora is located to the north of the Acropolis and a short walk from Monastiraki Metro Station. The Temple of Hephaestus, located on the Ancient Agora, is one of the most magnificent and complete of all the temples in Athens, so make a point to get there as well.

In ancient Greece, the Ancient Agora was a gathering place for the community as well as those with great minds to debate art, politics, religion and other everyday issues. It functioned similarly to a modern-day town hall and town square, so it was quite a central feature of public life in ancient Athens.

You should make the Stoa (a public covered walkway in ancient Greece), now the Museum of Ancient Agora, your first port of call to learn about ancient Athenian democracy as well as the history of the city dwellers during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods.

The Ancient Agora is also one of the few green spaces of Athens so it’s a lovely spot to take a stroll and wander, exploring scattered ancient ruins.

5. Stop by the Roman Agora

Price: €8 – Single Adult Ticket

The Roman Agora is located to the north of the Acropolis, just a stone’s throw from Monastiraki Metro Station and not far away from the Ancient Agora. It’s one of the top Athens attractions to add to your list of what to see in Athens. 

Inscriptions on the Roman Agora’s main entrance indicate that it was constructed in the 1st century BC with funds provided by two famous Roman Emperors, Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus.

In Ancient Athens, the Roman Agora was the city’s main marketplace which featured an open-air courtyard surrounded by market stalls, public latrines and a tower known as the Tower of the Winds that could tell time and forecast the weather.

The Tower of the Winds at the Roman Agora is said to be the world’s oldest meteorological and time-measuring structure.

Public spaces and temples in Athens were revamped during Hadrian’s reign, 117-118 AD and a library known as Hadrian’s Library was added to the Roman Agora. In those days, Hadrian’s Library was the largest and most impressive library in Greece.

Like a lot of the archaeological sites in Athens, a visit to the Roman Agora requires a bit of imagination as most of the ruins were destroyed in past centuries with the exception of the 17th century Fethiye Mosque, built on a former site of a Byzantine Christian church.

6. Check the Monastiraki Flea Market

Monastiraki Flea Market is Athens’s largest and most famous flea market which is set every Sunday all around Monastiraki Square, just outside the Monastiraki Metro Station. It’s one of the top tourist attractions in Athens not to miss if you enjoy hunting for bargains and unique items which make for great souvenirs.

Monastiraki Flea Market is a market of all things imaginable including fake and original clothing, all sorts of collectables as well as vintage books and records. Visiting Monastiraki Flea Market will make you appreciate the level of demand that exists for literally anything.

If you’re planning to visit, bear in mind that Monastiraki Flea Market is very popular in Athens and it’s safe to say that it’s not a place for the faint of heart. You can expect elbow-to-elbow shopping especially if you arrive after 11 AM.

Monastiraki Square where the flea market is held in the heart of Athens, it’s where locals and visitors gather at all hours to enjoy the live entertainment found around it.

The 360 Degrees Hotel and A for Athens Hotel are two hotels with rooftop bars, located a few steps away from Monastiraki Square, downtown Athens, offering some of the most gorgeous views of the Acropolis, so be sure to check them out.

• Interested in Greek wine tasting? Check out this top-rated Food and Wine Tasting Night Tour.

7. Indulge in Greek Street Food

Visiting Athens is not all about history, but also for those keen to explore its vibrant street food scene which for me, is one of the most enjoyable experiences in Athens.

Street food in Athens is a very common sight and luckily it’s of a good standard and doesn’t require deep pockets.

There is so much choice and endless places in Athens to find the best popular Street Food dishes such as souvlaki (gyro), fish in a cone, Greek pies, falafels, koulouri (sesame bagels) or sweet treats like loukoumades (Greek doughnuts).

I am told most establishments in Athens are good, however, try avoiding the ones that are obviously tourist-orientated.

• Interested in an Athens street food tour? Check out this small group food tour.

Here are my Athens street food top picks:

• Kostas – for souvlaki or gyros.

• Vendors of Psirri neighbourhood for Koulouri.

• Ariston Bakery – for Greek pies.

• Falafellas – for falafels.

• Feyrouz – Middle Eastern savoury flatbreads and desserts.

• Lukumades – for Loukoumades.

• Kokkion – for the best ice cream in Athens!

• Little Kook (Psirri) – Fairytale-themed cafe serving cute sweets and desserts. Definitely one of the most unusual things to do in Athens!  

8. Explore the National Archaeological Museum

Price: Adult Ticket – €12

Athens has so many great museums which are scattered all around the city, however, the National Archaeological Museum, is another one definitely worth your time.

The National Archaeological Museum was originally opened in 1889 to store findings from Prehistoric Athens and has grown in size over the years to become Greece’s largest archaeological museum. The museum now exhibits over 11,000 findings from all over Greece and its collection of Greek antiquity is the largest and most highly regarded worldwide.

The museum’s permanent collection is spread over two floors and is grouped into various themes which include the Prehistoric Collection, the Sculpture Collection, the Bronze Collection and the Vases and Minor Collection.

The collection of Prehistoric antiquity not only encompasses findings from mainland Greece but also from around the Aegean islands, so it’s a place not to miss if you have any interest in Cycladic Art and other cultural practices of ancient Aegean settlers.

The National Archaeological Museum is a huge place but you’ll find your visit to be quite engaging as you explore Ancient Greek culture. Plan Your Visit Here

Good to Know

The Hellenic Motor Museum is one of the best things to do in Athens besides the Acropolis, especially if you’re around the National Archeological Museum area and you’re a car enthusiast. It’s a highly-reviewed car museum housed in a modern and architecturally pleasing building which makes for a lovely break from exploring Greece’s ancient past.

9. Stop by the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch

Price: €6 Single Adult Ticket

Visiting the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Olympieion and Hadrian’s Arch should be on your list of top places to visit in Athens as well not only for their interesting history but as perfect backdrops to your awesome Athens photographs. Both are located close to each other, a short distance from Syntagma Square, the National Gardens and the popular Benaki Museum.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus was built for Zeus, the head of the twelve Olympian gods, with grandeur that was envisaged to match that of the Parthenon. It was among the public structures which received an extravagant overhaul during Roman Emperor Hadrian’s reign, 117-138 AD.

For this and many other contributions Hadrian made to Athens, Athenians rewarded the emperor with the colossal, Hadrian’s Arch, as well as grand statues which were used to decorate the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Personally, the Temple of Olympian Zeus is only worth visiting if you have the special package ticket because the site is mostly ruined with only 16 out of the 104 columns of the ancient temple left.

10. Visit the Panathenaic Stadium

Price: Adult Ticket – €10

Visiting the Panathenaic Stadium is one of the most popular and fun things to do in Athens, especially for fans of the Olympic Games.

The history of the Panathenaic Stadium dates back to ancient Greece when the site was constructed to host a racing track for the Panathenaic Games and later the Panathenaic Festival; ancient Athens’ sporting and various other cultural celebrations.

Ancient Greeks began the Panathenaic Games in honour of Athena who they believed helped them win many battles. Similar to the modern Olympics, the Panathenaic Games were held every four years.

During Roman times, the Panathenaic was renovated with splendid white marble making it the most visually attractive sports venue in the region. However, like many structures of that time, the Panathenaic fell into ruins until the late 19th century when it was completely rebuilt to host the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.

Feel free to walk along the marble stands, stand at the podium next to the Olympic rings for an awesome photo or even run your own race in the tracks during your tour of the Panathenaic.

While on your visit to the Panathenaic Stadium, the beautiful neoclassical Zappeion, located between the Olympian Zeus and the National Gardens is worth checking out. It was built for the sole purpose of reviving the Olympic Games.

Opens daily from 07:30 until 09:00 for runners at no charge.

11. Watch the Changing of the Guard at Syntagma Square

The Changing of the Guard ceremony at Syntagma Square, Athens central square, is a spectacle not to be missed during your tour of the city. This is one of the best things to do in Athens for free, guaranteed to get everyone, regardless of age, excited.

The changing of the guard takes place in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, right in front of the Old Royal Palace which houses the Hellenic Parliament building.

Presidential Guards who are charged to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, perform their skilful duties in front of spectators every hour, 24 hours. At each switch, the guards perform dramatic marches and striking movements and at times remain completely motionless, all highly entertaining.

The guards are said to spend an average of 100 hours a week on their feet and are expected to perform regardless. It’s an extremely difficult job, but the guards are held in high honour in Greek culture.

Syntagma Square is one of the main transport hubs in Athens with the metro, tram and bus lines connecting all parts of the city, so getting there should be pretty easy from most places in Athens.

12. Take a walk along Ermou Street

Ermou Street is the most famous and busiest shopping street in Athens which stretches from Syntagma Square down to Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery of Athens, through Monastiraki, Psiri and Thissio.

At 1.5 km long and mostly pedestrianised, Ermou Street is a fantastic place if you’re keen to shop or take a stroll admiring stylish shops and cafes as well as soaking up the local atmosphere.

Fokas, a Greek department store, housed in a neoclassical building, is worth a quick look purely for its architecture as it’s brutally expensive. I loved the more affordable, Hondos Center. I bought beautiful cosmetics there, lovely souvenirs and I liked the New York Cheesecake I had in the store’s rooftop cafe whilst also taking in gorgeous views of Athens.

The 11th-century, Greek Orthodox Church of Panagia Kapnikarea, pops up unexpectedly in the middle of Ermou Street. The church is one of the oldest and one of the few well-preserved churches in Athens from the Byzantine period. It’s open for public viewing, so feel free to pop in for a peaceful moment.

13. Explore Plaka Athens

Plaka is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Athens situated in the downtown area of the city, just below the Acropolis. It’s easily reached either from Ermou Street or Monastiraki Flea Market, behind the Roman Agora.

Taking a stroll around Plaka while enjoying its many offerings is on many people’s top list of things to do in Athens and with good reason.

The neighbourhood is arguably one of the most beautiful places in Athens adorned with a series of picturesque narrow winding streets, colourful homes, an array of shops, outdoor tavernas and ancient ruins.

Unfortunately, Plaka is highly commercialised for my liking with restaurants that are a bit pricey and shops selling pretty much the same thing.

However, it’s still possible to take a delightful walk especially if you can manage to find your way to Anafiotika on Google Maps (a row of homes built just above Plaka which shares a resemblance to those found on the Greek Islands).

14. Ride the funicular to Mount Lycabettus

Price: €7 Return Ticket

Taking the funicular to Mount Lycabettus summit is one of the most beautiful things to do in Athens to take in incredible city views. Being the highest point in the city, the view of Athens’s most recognisable landmarks spread out on the horizon is quite remarkable.

Make a point to visit Mount Lycabettus at sunset to witness the spectacular turning on of the lights of the Acropolis, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium and the Ancient Agora.

In addition to an open view terrace, Mt Lycabettus is furnished with a cute whitewashed church, Church of St George, a cafe that is surprisingly good value, a fine dining restaurant that has the most fabulous view of Athens and an open 3,000 seat air amphitheatre which is used to host top events and festivals in the city.

How to get to Mount Lycabettus

You can easily get to Mount Lycabettus by hiking to the top or walking from Athens centre to the funicular station in Kolonaki, but the paths are very steep and require a good fitness level. Consider taking a taxi to reach the funicular station with easy access.

15. Stop by the Central Municipal Market

Opens: 7.00 am to 6.00 pm – Mon to Sat

Athens Central Municipal Market has been at its location along Athinas Street, a short walk from Monastiraki Square, since 1886. It’s a traditional market that offers an authentic experience which is in contrast to most markets in other European cities that tend to be too polished.

If you’re someone like me who gets excited about markets when travelling, then, you should add the Athens Central Market to your Athens attractions list. The market offers an array of fruits and vegetables, seafood, full cuts of meats and no-frills restaurants where you can enjoy the freshest fish.

The fish and meat market halls are located on one side of the covered part of the market while the fruit and vegetable stalls are outside, across the street from the covered part of the market. This makes it easy to avoid the meat and fish sections if you’re sensitive to meat and fish products.

Prepare well by wearing proper shoes as the fish and market halls are slippery.

Staying in Athens longer?

Take a day trip

If you’re spending over three days in Athens, consider taking a day trip to explore interesting attractions within the city’s vicinity.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), located about 4 km from the city centre, is one of the most exciting sights to see in Athens which is doable even in half a day. It’s home to the Greek National Opera, the new National Library of Greece, a huge park, and rooftop decks to enjoy beautiful views of the sea and sunset as well as other various activities. SNFCC Free Shuttle Service from Central Athens.

Athens Riviera, Delphi and Cape Sounion are some of the other best one day tours to take from Athens, along with a full day cruise to the three islands near the city namely, Aegina, Poros and Hydra. Viator is a great resource for finding a reputable group or a private day tour in Athens.

Discover Athens Riviera, Cape Sounion and Delphi Day Tours

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I hope you enjoy Athens and found my guide on what to do in Athens useful.

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