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Visitors in 2021
Last updated January 16, 2021 • 26 minutes • 5447 words
can probably imagine, this Athens itinerary is packed full of the most
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significant and the most beautiful places to visit in Athens, based on
my background in Classics.
Not only that, but my boyfriend ALSO studied Ancient Greek and classical archaeology, so get
ready for a complete nerdfest throughout this guide. Don’t worry, it’ll be fun
Apart from Classical sites (which, let’s be honest, can get a bit repetitive if you don’t know
what to look for), this guide also explains where to eat in Athens, the best cafes you can
work from, as well as my personal favorite aspect of Athens: incredible rooftop bars with
Acropolis views!
Keep reading for a complete guide to seeing Athens in 3 days, the best things to do in
Athens, recommendations for day trips, where to eat, drink, and work, as well as the inside
scoop on the absolute best photography locations in Athens for my fellow shutterbugs.
As of April 19th, United States citizens are allowed to enter Greece (source), as well as
All travelers over the age of 5 must present a negative PCR test for entry, but if you
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have proof of a COVID-19 vaccination at least 14-days before arriving in Greece, you
An extremely important note about preparing to visit Greece in 2021: If you plan
to visit Greece, regardless of your vaccination status, you must !ll out a Passanger
Locator Form (PLF) BY MIDNIGHT the day before you "y. If you do not do this, they will
Bear in mind, much of Greece is currently still in lockdown and masks are still required.
However in some places, the lockdown has been relaxed. According to this source,
And with that, let’s look at what’s in store for us in Athens! I absolutely loved visiting Athens
Some links in this post are to a#liate sites. If you purchase something through them, I may earn a small
I stayed in Athens for 8 days (9 Feb - 17 Feb, 2020) while building this itinerary and
exploring the city, and packed down my absolute best experiences into these three days. I
was lucky enough to visit Athens with not one, but TWO people who’ve seen the city before,
must-do day trip for lovers of ancient history, featuring the world’s best-preserved
amphitheatre.
Athens is an extremely walkable city, especially when it comes to the city center. You can
walk end-to-end in about 20 minutes, and a taxi ride from one side to the other costs just
4-6 EUR. My main tip would be simply to stay away from major roads, because tra#c (and
especially motorcycles!) can get pretty noisy. Otherwise, you can !nd stunning views and low
Option 1: Airbnb (for longer stays) – You’ve got two main options in Athens for
while building this itinerary, so there was no question I wanted to get an apartment. I stayed
in this Airbnb with an Acropolis view located right at the border of the historic center in the
Kerameikos neighborhood.
Option 2: Hotel in a central neighborhood (for shorter stays) – For a shorter stay, it
would be a$ordable to stay in the two best districts for short-term visitors: Plaka or
Kolonaki . Here are some of the hotels with the best reviews and locations in these
neighborhoods:
* A for Athens (9.2 “Wonderful” rating) – A for Athens is located right on Monastiraki
Square, making it one of the most convenient locations in the entire city. You can also
reach it on a direct metro from the airport and avoid hauling your luggage over uneven
streets. Bonus: the rooftop bar at A for Athens is legendary and o$ers this amazing
because of my long stay, Coco-Mat was the hotel recommended to me by a friend who
visited Athens and loved staying there. Its location in Kolonaki is slightly upscale,
convenient for shopping, and located near Lycabettus Hill, one of the best places to
Click here to check availability for rooms with an Acropolis view at A for Athens during
your visit.
Tip for female travelers – Avoid staying in the Omonia area. While it’s improved a lot
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thanks to police presence in recent years, it’s not somewhere you want to walk around
at night. Especially for female travelers, there are a lot of men out and street
Depending on what season you visit Athens, you can get pretty cold temperatures in the
Winter (though warmer than most of Europe) or scorching hot days with full sun out.
Regardless of which season you visit, you’re going to want to pack these essentials for
Athens:
1. Sunglasses and sunscreen – Whether it’s Winter or Summer, you need to be prepared
for sun! I highly recommend this awesome SPF 50 Japanese sunscreen if you’re serious
2. Walking shoes with traction – You’ll be walking over stones and marble that have
been worn down by feet for thousands of years. It can get slippery! Make sure your
3. Anti-theft handbag or backpack – Athens is mostly a safe city, save for petty theft
and pickpocketing. You need to mind your belongings in Athens, especially in crowded
squares and on the metro. This theft-proof backpack has over 1,000 positive reviews
on Amazon.
known for petty theft. I personally own this Greece travel guide (which was just
Today we’re going to start early and be one of the !rst at the Acropolis , the heart of
Ancient Athens. You’ll see some of the most impressive archaeological sites, dating back as
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far as 447 BC (making it almost 2,500 years old!).
After soaking in the main sights like the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the
Erechtheion, you’ll head to the Aeropagus for some of the best up-close views of the
Acropolis. Once we’ve seen the sights, we’ll head to the Acropolis Museum to learn more
Ancient Agora of Athens , and a few other sights in the area before calling it a day.
Acropolis
The Acropolis is easily the highlight of Athens, and your best chances for enjoying it without
massive crowds is to visit the Acropolis "rst thing in the morning, when it opens at 8AM.
In terms of buying tickets, you can always check up-to-date Acropolis ticket prices here .
One awesome thing about visiting Athens in Winter is that the prices for almost all
archaeological sites are reduced, just don’t make the mistake of buying the combination
ticket because that’s not reduced in Winter and the lines are short enough you won’t need to
wait much.
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Summer prices – April 1 to October 31: 20 €
Unless you’re an ancient history nerd like me, you may want to forego the combination ticket
and opt for buying tickets as you go. The one good thing is that the 30€ combo ticket can
save you waiting in line for other sights, but do check exactly what’s included and what
you’re interested in seeing. You can also buy the combo ticket at a less popular site in order
Here are the main sights you’re going to want to see while you’re on the Acropolis:
Theatre of Dionysos
This theatre is special because it’s considered to be the world’s "rst theatre. If you’ve ever
read some of the most famous Greek plays, for instance by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides,
Aristophanes, or Menander – you can also taxi between some locations if you’re not down
That means that performances of Oedipus at Colonus (from whom we have the concept of
the “Oedpius complex”) or Lysistrata (a play about women stopping a war by withholding sex
from their husbands) happened here !rst. Epic, right? (Or, “tragic”, at least in the case of
Oedipus )
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Theatre of Dionysos
Today the theatre looks pretty small compared to others, but that’s because only a fraction
of the original seating is preserved. It had a capacity of 17,000 when it was in use in
antiquity, and used to be much larger than the next theatre you’ll see: Odeon of Herodes
Atticus.
Built between 160AD – 174AD, “Herodeon” as it’s called by locals was a tribute to the late
wife of Herodes Atticus. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is done in a much more Roman style,
compared to the Theatre of Dionysos (mentioned above). What people often don’t realize is
that most theatres use the circular part as the location for the choir, whereas the stage itself
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is located behind it on an elevated level. If you look in this photo, you should be able to see
the stage!
Today, this Odeon seats over 4,680 people and there are even events still held here. Keep an
eye on the Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2020 Facebook Page for updates on the
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Parthenon
Ah, the Parthenon. So beautiful, so very under construction. One thing you’ll notice about
visiting Athens is that many sites are under construction pretty much all the time, and you
can expect at least one thing you want to see to be closed for renovation!
The Parthenon is the most important surviving building of Ancient Greece. So, in that
sense, it’s no wonder they put so much e$ort into constantly restoring and preserving it!
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Parthenon
Despite all the steel, the Parthenon is magni!cent. It was built between 447 and 438 BC and
is actually the third version of the Parthenon, replacing two previous versions. In the mean
time, it’s been converted to both a Christian church and a mosque, depending on who was in
The Athenians were all about Athena – after all, they named their city after her. She was
considered the goddess that would stand by Athens in the time of war. Athena has several
forms, but the one honored here is called “Athena Nike” where “Nike” means “Victory” in
Ancient Greek. Our word for “Victory” comes from the Latin word “Victoria”, but the Greek
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version is actually where the Nike shoe brand gets its name. The more you know
The Temple of Athena Nike is pretty small, and is part of the overall entryway onto the
Acropolis, called the Propylaia. On this temple you can see depictions of historic battle
Erechtheion
The Erechtheion is most famous for its Caryatids, which are the columns made of female
!gures, located on its South porch. Even though the originals are located in the Acropolis
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Museum, these replicas are still beautiful and make the Erechtheion a stunning ancient site.
Erechtheion
One of the reasons the Erechtheion is so famous is because it has such an unusual and
asymmetrical shape. It’s especially unusual considering that its neighbor, the Parthenon, is so
geometrical in comparison. Named after the mythical Athenian king Erechtheus, make sure
Aeropagus
Once you leave the Acropolis, you can walk towards the Aeropagus , also called “Mars
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Hill”. This is the location where St. Paul is said to have delivered a famous speech to the
Athenians explaining that their gods were all wrong, more or less, in Acts 17:24. Besides
being a place that Christians visit for that reason, it’s just a great spot to take a photo in
Aeropagus
Acropolis Museum
The Acropolis Museum was voted the sixth best museum in the world according to Trip
Advisor’s traveler’s choice awards. Sixth in the world! In case you’re wondering, the Acropolis
Museum ranked below Musée d’Orsay, but above the Louvre! Fancy, huh?
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Acropolis Museum
Whether you want to visit the Acropolis Museum before or after seeing the Acropolis, is really
up to you. I personally went to the museum !rst, but I think it might’ve been more useful to
go afterwards since I would’ve known which buildings to read about later in the museum.
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Acropolis Museum
At the foot of the Acropolis, you’ll want to visit the Ancient Agora of Athens. This is included
in your combination ticket, if you decide to buy that. Most of what you can see here is in
ruins and takes a bit of imagination, but there are two main pieces in good shape: the Stoa
(the long building pictured below on the left) and the Hephaisteion.
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Temple of Hephaestus (the Hephaisteion) is one of the best preserved temples in Athens.
The funny thing is that it’s a rather unremarkable temple compared to many, and the only
reason they think it was for Hephaestus is because they found an armory nearby (and
Believe it or not, they even continued to use this temple as a museum until the 1930s! Today
you can’t go inside anymore, but it’s in great shape from the outside.
Hadrian’s Library
Hadrian actually wasn’t Greek but Roman, and there is a fair amount of Romanization to be
found throughout Athens given that the Romans conquered Greece at the Battle of Corinth
in 146 BC. One of the reasons visiting Corinth is not that interesting as an Athens day trip
repurposed depending on who was in charge. During the Byzantine empire, three churches
were built at the site, and you can see their remains today. As a library, it used to hold
Monastiraki Square
Monastiraki Square is by in large the main square of Athens. Looks can be deceiving though,
because it de!nitely doesn’t look as nice from ground level. But if you head up to
A for Athens rooftop bar, you can snap this awesome photo. Make sure to reserve, it can
!ll up quickly, especially for people like me who are looking to snap a sunset photo with the
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Acropolis illuminated!
Today there’s going to be some walking, so make sure you have good shoes on! We’re going
to start at Kerameikos Cemetery , where some of the most famous Athenians of all time
Then we’ll walk around Filopappou Hill and stop at Pnyx , my favorite place for photos
of the Acropolis. We’ll loop back down for lunch and pop by Hadrian’s Arch on our way to
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the Temple of Olympian Zeus on our way to the ultra impressive Panathenaic Stadium
Our day will end at Lycabettus Hill , where you can either take a cable car or hike to the
top for the best sunset views of Athens in the entire city.
Kerameikos Cemetery
The funny part about the fact that I stayed across the street from Kerameikos is that it’s
actually a place where visitors were made to sleep for a night before entering Athens.
There was a guesthouse outside the city gates where visitors would stay, surrounded by the
Pretty humbling huh? Kerameikos is a larger site than you might expect, and has two main
draws: its pathway with the famous bull statue (seen below) and the ruins of the ancient city
gates of Athens.
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The Pnyx
The Pnyx is actually also located on Filopappou Hill, but before you actually reach the
monument that most people associated with Filopappou. The reason it’s worth visiting is
that you can get an amazing frontal view of the Acropolis with nothing but greenery
below. The entire city melts away and it’s just you and a two millenia old monument to the
greatness of Athens!
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Filopappou Hill
Continue up the same hill and you’ll eventually reach the Filopappou monument, and another
Acropolis viewpoint. Many Athens travel guides will tell you this is one of the best places to
see the Acropolis, but I would disagree. You do get a nice view of the Parthenon, but the hill
looks a bit disorganized. Still worth seeing, but I prefer the view from the Pnyx location
instead!
Hadrian’s Arch
Heading back down into the city, feel free to stop in Plaka for lunch before continuing the
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sight-seeing. If you haven’t seen it yet just from wandering around, pop by Hadrian's Arch
. As I mentioned before, Hadrian was a Roman emperor, but his arch is still nice If you
stand at a speci!c angle, you can even capture the Acropolis through the arch itself.
Temple of Olympian
Not a Nomad Blog Zeus
Like many of the temples in Athens, after the Temple of Olympian Zeus fell out of use, its
materials were permanently “borrowed” to build other structures in the city. But while it was
still in tact, this colossal temple was built during the rule of Athenian tyrants who envisioned
it as the greatest temple in the world. Like a lot of structures, it was !nished under the
Roman Emperor Hadrian (yes, he was a busy guy). Even though it took over 600 years for
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the temple to be built, it was only actively used for about 100 years.
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Panathenaic Stadium
This stadium is epic because it’s the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.
Sounds like a lot of work, huh? It was originally built for the Panathenaic Games (which is
what inspired the modern Olympic Games), and then re-built by Herodes Atticus, reaching a
capacity of 50,000 seats. Unfortunately, tickets to the stadium aren’t included in the
combination ticket, but are still pretty a$ordable at just 5€ per person.
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Lycabettus Hill
Hands down, Lycabettus Hill is one of the best places to enjoy sunset over Athens. You have
three options for getting to the top: take the cable car, drive part-way up and then walk, or
walk the entire way. For the sake of time (and having done a lot of walking!), we opted for
the cable car which was 15€ for two people (cash only!). Unfortunately, the cable car is under
ground so you don’t see a view until you emerge at the top of this hill.
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From Lycabettus Hill, you can see the Acropolis and especially the Parthenon illuminated
around sunset. There is both a Sky Bar and a look out point, but the best views come from
the path that leads to the top. Show up about an hour before sunset, bring some cold ones,
Although there’s a lot more you can do in Athens, most people who visit the city tend to use
it as a jumping-o$ point for visiting places like Santorini or Mykonos in the Cyclades,
After looking at all our options, we opted to visit three important historical places outside of
Athens: Mycenae (the former center of Greek civilization and military stronghold during
the eponymous Mycenaean Period), Epidaurus (home to the world’s best-preserved Greek
amphitheatre), and Nafplio (Greece’s prettiest mainland town, and the !rst capital of
Greece).
To reach these locations you have two options: Booking a rental car or going on a guided
tour.
We decided to drive, especially because we’re already knowledgeable about Greek history.
Otherwise, we would’ve strongly considered taking a guided tour. Either click here to book a
rental car in Athens or click here to check availability of guided tours to locations
Mycenae
Located about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Athens, Mycenae had its peak in 1350 BC when
the citadel and lower town had a population of about 30,000 people. The reason it was so
easy for archaeologists to identify Mycenae is because of the Lion’s Gate (pictured below),
which was described by Pausanias, a Greek geographer from the 2nd century AD.
The Lion’s Gate is the only surviving piece of Mycenaean sculpture. It’s also an example of
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Cyclopean architecture, meaning the rocks used to build the gate are so big, it was thought
Mycenae is so cool for a number of reasons: !rst, you get to see the setup of towns similar to
those described in Homer’s Iliad (which took place during the Mycenaean Period). If you
haven’t read the Iliad at least during high school, it’s kind of like the movie Troy %
Speaking of Troy, you can also visit the Tomb of Agamemnon (called the Treasury of
system of writing. They borrowed writing from the Minoan civilization (who developed
Linear A), and created their own script called Linear B. In the museum at Mycenae, you can
see some original tablets of Linear B writing – some of the oldest human writing in the
entire world!
Epidaurus
Our buddy Pausanias, whose work helped identify Mycenae, also wrote about Epidaurus ,
describing it as a theatre of symmetry and beauty. While it’s not as big as some of the other
theatres we’ve seen in Athens, hosting a modest 13,000-14,000 spectators, it’s in fantastic
shape for the fact that it was built in the 4th century BC. Its acoustics are world-famous,
In fact, it’s considered to be the “most perfect” ancient Greek theatre with regards to
acoustics. There was literally a study done on it, including measurements and all kinds of
science.
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The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is part of a larger sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, the
Greek god of medicine. People would come and sleep here, hoping to be healed by the gods
as they rested. There were places to sleep, places to bathe, and obviously places to watch
entertainment.
This sleepy seaside town has an epic past, as the !rst capital of the First Hellenic Republic
and of the Kingdom of Greece, back when the Greeks were !ghting for independence from
The Castle was built as a fortress by the Venetians when they occupied the area in the late
1600s to early 1700s. The Turks eventually captured it, and it was later recaptured by the
View of Bourtzi
Bourtzi was also built by the Venetians, but got its current name from the Ottoman Turks.
places to eat and enjoy a glass of wine, and the color of the water is superb (even though we
were there on a cloudy day in February!). It’s an extremely popular day trip from Athens.
The Peloponnese Region is one of the easiest and best Athens day trips, but there are a
number of other options, whether you’re looking for sun and sea or more archaeology (that
rhymed, didn’t mean to!). Read my post on the best day trips from Athens for the 7 best
places to visit from Athens and the most e#cient ways reach them.
RELATED POST
7 Most Exciting Day Trips From Athens in 2021
Each of these Athens day tours o$ers a fresh way to see Greece outside its
capital city. Take these trips and excursions around Athens and discover
special museums, archaeology, and historical sites.
Eating is one of my favorite past times, and nowhere is this more enjoyable than in Greece.
Here are my top tips for places to eat and drink for all kinds of budgets and tastes.
* The Underdog Co$ee WiFi – Excellent craft co$ee in Athens, and a decent spot
for breakfast, too. They also have wi! and outlets in case you need to get some work
done.
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* Scholarhio Dinner – Multi-course menu for 15€ per person, including drinks,
salads, appetizers, main courses, and dessert. Delicious and a great deal, we were
immobilized afterwards!
* Couleur Locale Rooftop bar – Great cocktails and a full dinner menu, one of the
but well worth it if you’re open to having vegan takes on traditional Greek food.
* Kain Bar WiFi – Some of the best WiFi and all-day cocktails? Yes and yes. Stop
by Kain if you need to get some work done…but not too much work !
From the airport the easiest thing to do is to use the metro. The metro from the airport will
connect you directly with many important stops, such as Monastiraki (the main square of
Athens). There’s a decent chance wherever you’re staying has a connection to this subway
line.
Getting around town, you can mostly walk! Almost all the sights you’ll see in two or three
days in Athens are centrally located. If your feet get tired, taking a taxi is very a$ordable (4-
6 EUR from one end of the center to another), and you can book a metered taxi through the
Uber app.
However, it’s a very popular tourist destination so if you’re booking in the high season, make
sure you do so IN ADVANCE! Owing to the heat, I’d recommend opting for early summer
(May or June) or late summer (September or even October) to avoid the heat.
Athens in Winter is when we visited, and I have to say it was so nice not having to battle the
crowds. We walked in to any restaurant without a reservation and had no issues, hardly had
to wait in a single line, and out of the 8 days we were there, we had sunshine and warm
I aboslutely love visiting Greece, and my trip to Athens marks my third trip to the country.
Here are guides I’ve written from my other trips, which you might !nd useful if you’ll be
* Northern Greece
* Zagori Greece
* Santorini Itinerary
TRAVEL TRAVEL
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