Athens Travel Guide

Athens, the capital of Greece, is one of the oldest cities in the world, with records suggesting it’s at least 3,400 years old. According to Greek mythology, the city is said to have been named after the goddess of wisdom, Athena, though some believe it was the city that lent its name to the goddess. Throughout history, Athens has been a centre for art, education, and democracy, and is widely regarded as the birthplace of modern democracy.

Athens Travel Guide: Getting Around

Athens Airport is about half an hour from the city centre, and you’ll find both budget and premium airlines flying here. To get to the city, you’ve got options like buses, the metro, or taxis. If you choose the metro, you can hop on the blue line that takes you directly to the city centre. A one-way metro ticket costs €9, with trains running every half hour, and the journey takes about an hour. You can check out all the public transport options and details [here].

We opted for Uber to get from the airport to our hotel, paying €40 for a 25-minute ride. On the way back, we paid €43 to get back to the airport.

Athens Travel Guide: Accommodation

When planning our trip to Athens, we were certain about one thing: we wanted to be within walking distance of everything and truly immerse ourselves in the city. Three neighbourhoods stood out to us: Plaka, Monastiraki, and Psyri. We ultimately chose Psyri for the area and Athens21 as our hotel. We stayed for three nights with breakfast included. You can check the details of our hotel from [here].

The location of the hotel was excellent, and our room was very clean. But the highlight was the terrace. It was so lovely that we didn’t even feel the need to go out in the evenings, simply enjoying the stunning Acropolis view from the hotel. For breakfast, the hotel had an agreement with a café in the adjacent building, and we were able to choose anything from their breakfast menu.

Athens Travel Guide: Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Athens is generally between May and September. It’s scorching in July and August, while the temperature drops in winter. We visited Athens at the end of March, and on some days, it was cooler than expected. We even ended up layering a jumper under a light jacket.

Athens Travel Guide: Internet

Before my trip to Athens, I purchased an eSIM data package from Airalo. This way, I had no internet issues while exploring the city. You can check out Airalo’s eSIM packages [here]. If it’s your first time using Airalo, you can use the code IAMONT3974 when purchasing an eSIM to get a $3 discount. 🙂

Athens Travel Guide: Places to Visit

There are countless things to see in Athens, but there are a few key places you simply can’t miss.

Monastiraki Square

You’ll probably pass through this square several times without realising, as it’s full of street performers, vendors, and pigeons. It’s a bit chaotic but lively. From here, there are two streets, Pandrossou and Ifestou, known for souvenir shopping. Be sure to check them out if you find yourself in Monastiraki Square, and you almost certainly will.

Acropolis

The Acropolis, whose name comes from the Greek word “akron,” meaning “high point,” is a collection of ancient ruins perched atop Philopappos Hill. This site, which has seen thousands of years of history, was heavily damaged during the 1687 Ottoman-Venetian war. Over the centuries, it has been used by Byzantines, Franks, and Ottomans for various purposes. Each group added something to the structure. However, after Greece gained independence, all post-classical structures like the Ottoman mosque and the Frankish tower were removed. A large restoration project began in 1975, where even stones that didn’t belong were removed, and the Acropolis was essentially rebuilt to closely resemble its original state.

We bought our tickets online, and I highly recommend doing the same and arriving at your allocated time to avoid long queues at the ticket booth.

Key structures within the Acropolis include the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and, of course, the most famous of them all, the Parthenon. My personal favourite was the Erechtheion.

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Flea Market

If you take a left onto Ifestou Street from Monastiraki Square and walk a little further, you’ll find the Flea Market. It’s a street filled with beautiful antiques, almost like a walk through a time tunnel.

Panathenaic Stadium

Also known as Kallimarmaro, meaning “beautiful marble,” this is the only stadium in the world made entirely of marble. Built in 140 AD, it has a capacity of 50,000 people. After being abandoned from the 4th to the 19th century, it was refurbished for the 1870 Olympic Games and later hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. For this reason, the Panathenaic Stadium is considered the birthplace of the modern Olympics.

We bought our tickets from the booth at the entrance, which also included a free audio guide. Once inside, you really get a sense of how grand, symmetrical, and impressive the structure is.

The marble thrones carved for the king and queen, the corridors where fighters prepared, and the arena itself are all still perfectly preserved. It’s hard not to imagine the stadium filled to capacity, hosting ancient battles or games, and wondering who might have sat in the same seats centuries before.

Plaka, Psyri, and Monastiraki Streets

There are countless streets reminiscent of Istanbul’s Karaköy or Cihangir. We wandered around aimlessly without checking a map and loved every moment of it.

In addition to the places we visited, there are many other highly recommended sites we didn’t have time to see. Top of the list is the Agora, followed by the Acropolis Museum and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Athens Travel Guide: Food and Drink

We ate some fantastic meals during our stay, almost like we were on a food tour. You can read all about the restaurants, street food, and prices in detail in my Athens Food & Drink Guide [here].

Athens Travel Guide: Tips & Notes

• There are a lot of tourist traps among the restaurants, so I recommend checking Google Maps reviews before deciding where to eat.
• We walked everywhere over the course of three days. If you bring comfortable shoes, you’ll find it easy to walk to most places, as Athens isn’t a huge city.
• For souvenirs, head to the streets around Monastiraki Square.