Athens gets underestimated. Most visitors treat it as a one-night stop before ferrying to Santorini or Mykonos, which means they see the Acropolis, eat a mediocre meal near the tourist district, and leave with an incomplete picture of one of the world's great cities. Give Athens three full days. It will change your mind about what Greece actually is.
The Acropolis at 8am — before the crowds arrive
The Acropolis is worth every cliché written about it — the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaea, sitting on a limestone plateau with a view that makes it clear why Athens was built here. At 8am when the site opens, you can stand in front of the Parthenon in something close to solitude. By 10am the tour groups arrive and that's done. Book the first entry online, arrive five minutes early, walk straight up. The morning light on the marble is unlike anything else. The combined ticket covers the Ancient Agora and several other sites — use it.
The National Archaeological Museum — the finest in the world
The National Archaeological Museum is the best collection of ancient Greek artifacts on earth — and I don't think it's particularly close. The Mycenaean gold alone, including the funeral mask people call the Mask of Agamemnon, is worth the trip. Plan a full morning. It's in the Exarchia neighborhood, slightly off the tourist trail, so it's almost never as packed as it should be. The benches are there for a reason — sit with the things in front of you. Some of them are 3,500 years old.
Walk from Monastiraki through Psyrri to Kerameikos
Monastiraki — the flea market neighborhood below the Acropolis — is where Athens loosens up. The Sunday flea market is chaotic and brilliant. The adjacent neighborhood of Psyrri has transformed over the past decade into the city's best eating and drinking district: natural wine bars, excellent modern Greek restaurants, and a creative energy that feels nothing like the tourist zones. Keep walking northwest into Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery district, which has some of Athens' finest restaurants on its quiet streets. This walk, on a Sunday morning, is the best way to understand the city.
Eat in Exarchia — the neighborhood Athens doesn't put in the brochures
Exarchia has a reputation as Athens' anarchist neighborhood. That's not wrong, but it's also overblown as a concern. What it mainly is: where Athenians actually eat. The tavernas here serve traditional Greek food at prices that make the tourist district embarrassing. Klimataria has been going since 1927 — barrel wine, home-style food. Rozalia has a vine-covered courtyard. Show up at 9pm and the neighborhood is fully alive.
Day trip to Cape Sounion — Temple of Poseidon at sunset
An hour and a half south of Athens at the tip of the Attica peninsula, the Temple of Poseidon sits on a cliff above the Aegean. Lord Byron carved his name into one of the columns in 1810. At sunset, white marble goes gold then pink above the dark blue sea. The KTEL bus runs directly from Athens for a few euros. Grab wine and bread from a market, find a spot on the cliff after the tour groups clear out, and watch the sun drop into the Aegean. Hard to beat.
Athens has more going on than most people give it credit for. Ancient, Byzantine, Ottoman, modern — all of it visible at once, walking through the same streets. Don't use it as a one-night stopover. Give it three days and it'll probably end up in your top five.
From the Trip
Written by
Jenn
Founder of Memorable Travel & Adventures. Jenn has personally traveled to every destination in this journal. She plans trips to all of them.
