Attica (Greece)
Athens is where Western history keeps its oldest address, and it is also one of the liveliest, most affordable and most underrated capitals in Europe.
The Parthenon still crowns the Acropolis twenty-four and a half centuries after Pericles built it; the glass-floored Acropolis Museum hangs its marbles in the same light, facing the temple they came from; Socrates walked the Ancient Agora below; and the National Archaeological Museum holds the gold mask of Mycenae, the great Artemision bronze and the Antikythera Mechanism. This guide books the city properly — the Acropolis on an early timed slot (the standard ticket rose to thirty euros in 2025 and every entry is now by hourly slot), the museum on a Friday evening, the Agora and the Temple of Olympian Zeus on separate tickets now that the old combined pass is gone — and adds the day trips that make Athens a base: sunset at the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion, the oracle at Delphi, and a three-island cruise to Hydra, Poros and Aegina. Then it gives you the free Athens that Athenians love: the island-white lanes of Anafiotika, the flea market and souvlaki of Monastiraki, sunset from Lycabettus and Philopappos, and the Evzones changing guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Finally it matches you to the right hotel, from the Grande Bretagne on Syntagma Square to a rooftop with an Acropolis view in Makrygianni and a Riviera resort by the sea, because in Athens the view from your terrace is half the trip.
Temple of Olympian Zeus & Hadrian's Arch
The colossal ruin of the largest temple in Greece, begun by Athenian tyrants and finished by the emperor Hadrian six centuries later. Fifteen giant Corinthian columns still stand, a sixteenth lies where a storm felled it, and Hadrian's Arch guards the gate.
Delphi Day Trip from Athens
The navel of the ancient world: Apollo's sanctuary and oracle on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, with its temple, theatre, stadium and treasuries above an olive-filled gorge, plus the museum of the bronze Charioteer. A full, unforgettable day by coach from Athens.
Meteora Day Trip from Athens
Byzantine monasteries perched on sheer sandstone pillars above the plain of Thessaly, one of the most astonishing sights in Europe. A long but unforgettable guided day from Athens, roughly fourteen hours door to door, with time inside at least a couple of the monasteries.
Byzantine and Christian Museum
One of the finest Byzantine collections in the world, more than 25,000 objects from the third to the twentieth century, set in the Duchess of Plaisance's 1840s villa and its garden. Icons, frescoes, mosaics and silver for eight euros, and rarely crowded.
The rock that defines Athens: the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and its Caryatid porch, the Temple of Athena Nike and the monumental Propylaia gateway. Entry is now by hourly time slot, the standard ticket rose to thirty euros in 2025, and the first slot of the day is the one to book.
The glass-and-concrete museum at the foot of the Acropolis, built over an excavated ancient neighbourhood, with the Caryatids, the archaic korai and a top-floor Parthenon Gallery aligned with the temple itself. Separate ticket; late opening on Fridays.
The marketplace and civic heart of classical Athens, where Socrates argued and democracy did its daily business — crowned by the Temple of Hephaestus, the best-preserved Doric temple in Greece, and the rebuilt Stoa of Attalos with its museum.
Greece's greatest museum of antiquity: the gold Mask of Agamemnon, the bronze god from Artemision, the Jockey, the Antikythera Mechanism and the painted frescoes of Akrotiri. Open as usual while a major Chipperfield-designed expansion moves through approvals.
The colossal ruin of the largest temple in Greece, begun by Athenian tyrants and finished by the emperor Hadrian six centuries later. Fifteen giant Corinthian columns still stand, a sixteenth lies where a storm felled it, and Hadrian's Arch guards the gate.
A marble temple to the god of the sea on a cliff at the tip of Attica, reached by a spectacular coastal drive along the Athens Riviera. Go for sunset, when the columns glow gold over the Aegean — the classic half-day escape from the city.
The navel of the ancient world: Apollo's sanctuary and oracle on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, with its temple, theatre, stadium and treasuries above an olive-filled gorge, plus the museum of the bronze Charioteer. A full, unforgettable day by coach from Athens.
Three Saronic Gulf islands in one day from Athens: car-free Hydra with its stone mansions and donkeys, little Poros and its clock tower, and pistachio-scented Aegina. A guided cruise with lunch on board — the easiest island taste from the capital.
The old town wrapped around the foot of the Acropolis: neoclassical mansions, Byzantine chapels, bougainvillea and tavernas, and above it all Anafiotika, a hidden island village of whitewashed cubes built by masons from the Cyclades. Free, and best explored early.
The busiest, most characterful square in Athens, with a flea market spilling through the lanes, souvlaki grills on every corner, rooftop bars staring at the Acropolis, and Psirri's street art and late-night tavernas next door. Free, noisy and essential.
The highest point in central Athens, a pine-covered limestone peak above Kolonaki with a whitewashed chapel on top and a 360-degree view from the Acropolis to the sea. Hike up or ride the funicular, and come for sunset.
The Evzones of the Presidential Guard, in pleated kilts and pom-pommed clogs, change watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier below Parliament every hour, with a full ceremony and band on Sunday mornings. Free, moving and unmistakably Greek.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Syntagma Square
The grand dame of Athens since 1874, facing Parliament across Syntagma Square: 320 rooms and suites, the GB Roof Garden with its Acropolis panorama, Alexander's Bar and a history of kings, Olympians and Churchill. The classic Athens address.
Check rates →Vouliagmeni (Athens Riviera)
A legendary 1960s resort reborn as a Four Seasons on its own pine-covered peninsula at Vouliagmeni on the Athens Riviera: three private beaches, sea-view rooms and bungalows, a big spa and four restaurants, half an hour from both the Acropolis and the airport.
Check rates →Syntagma / Plaka
A sleek five-star steps from Syntagma with one of the best rooftops in the city: the Metropolis Roof Garden restaurant and an outdoor pool looking straight at the Acropolis. Polished rooms, a spa with hammam, and Plaka on the doorstep.
Check rates →Makrygianni / Dionysiou Areopagitou
A minimalist five-star design hotel on the pedestrian promenade at the foot of the Acropolis, steps from the Acropolis Museum: Greek marble and walnut, Italian designer furniture, and SENSE, a rooftop restaurant that looks straight up at the Parthenon.
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$$$Kolonaki / Lycabettus
A stylish 154-room hotel halfway up Lycabettus Hill in chic Kolonaki, with a seasonal rooftop pool, a rooftop restaurant and corner suites gazing across the city to the Acropolis. The pick for shoppers, museum-goers and sunset walkers.
Check rates →Makrygianni / Acropolis
A family-run four-star a stone's throw from the Acropolis Museum in Makrygianni, with ninety rooms, a roof garden facing the Parthenon, hot tubs under the sky and a choice of bistro and bar. The best-value way to wake up beside the Acropolis.
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$$Monastiraki / Plaka
A bright, minimalist 71-room hotel on the corner of Kapnikareas and Mitropoleos, between Monastiraki and Syntagma, with a roof garden snack bar facing the Acropolis. Simple, well-run and in the very centre of everything.
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$$$Plaka
A grand, neoclassical-style hotel on a quiet Plaka street, with a summer pool and bar high above the old town, the Electra Roof Garden restaurant facing the Acropolis, and a spa for winter days. The Plaka address families and couples dream of, with room to breathe.
Check rates →Makrygianni / Acropolis
A friendly, well-priced 50-room hotel on a quiet street in Makrygianni, about a hundred metres from the Acropolis Museum and five minutes from Akropoli metro, with a rooftop terrace, a generous breakfast and family rooms for four. The sister hotel of the Herodion.
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$Psirri
A stylish design hostel in an early twentieth-century Psirri mansion, with frescoed ceilings, iron balconies and both dorm beds and private rooms. Budget prices in the middle of the city's liveliest food and nightlife district, minutes from Monastiraki.
Check rates →Syntagma / Omonia (Stadiou Street)
Marriott's playful, budget-conscious Moxy brand in a converted historic building on Stadiou Street: about 200 compact, clever rooms, check-in at the bar with a welcome cocktail, a fitness room and a rooftop venue with DJs and live music. Fun, central and good value.
Check rates →Omonia / Larissa Station
A dependable four-star Accor hotel with 196 rooms, family rooms for four, indoor parking and a seasonal rooftop pool and bar with 360-degree views that take in the Acropolis. A practical, good-value family base north of the centre, with a free shuttle toward Syntagma.
Check rates →Omonia / Patission
A modern four-star near Omonia with a rooftop pool, the Sky Lounge bar-restaurant looking toward the Acropolis and Lycabettus, a spa with sauna and family rooms. Strong facilities for the price, and a short walk from the National Archaeological Museum.
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$$$Syngrou Avenue / Faliro
A full-service Marriott on Syngrou Avenue toward the coast, with a seasonal outdoor pool, a rooftop martini bar, Pan-Asian and Mediterranean restaurants and a spa, within walking distance of the SNFCC park and the Athens Riviera. Roomy and family-friendly, between city and sea.
Check rates →Syntagma Square
A stylish hotel right on Syntagma Square with a rooftop infinity pool facing the Acropolis, the Mappemonde rooftop restaurant and bar-lounge, and 21 connecting rooms for families. Greece's first MGallery hotel, at the true centre of the city.
Check rates →The first-timer itinerary that books the timed tickets in the right order — the Acropolis on an early slot, the museum straight after, the Agora and Olympian Zeus on their own tickets — and fills the rest with Plaka, Monastiraki, hilltop sunsets and a trip to the Temple of Poseidon.
Everything a first-timer needs to know before landing in Athens: how the Acropolis time slots work now, why the combined ticket is gone, the climate resilience fee, heat closures, strikes, transport, tipping and the little customs that make a trip smoother.
A neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood guide to choosing a base in Athens — from waking up beside the Acropolis in Makrygianni to the grand hotels of Syntagma, chic Kolonaki, lively Monastiraki and a beach resort on the Athens Riviera.
A practical food guide to Athens: what to eat from breakfast to midnight, how tavernas and mezedopoleia work, the street food you cannot miss, the central market, Greek wine and coffee culture, and how to avoid tourist traps around the Acropolis.
Month-by-month advice for timing an Athens trip: the ideal spring and autumn windows, coping with summer heat and Acropolis heat closures, quiet winter with lower museum prices and free Sundays, Orthodox Easter, festivals, and how to stretch your budget.
A complete guide to the Acropolis as it works now — booking hourly slots, the thirty-euro ticket, which entrance to use, what to see on the rock and the slopes, heat closures, accessibility, guides, children, photography spots and how to pair it with the Acropolis Museum.
