Things to do in Athens: the sights worth your time
Six places that give you the city: three ancient, one stadium, one hill and one quarter. The prices and opening hours below were checked in November 2026.
1Acropolis and Parthenon
Photo: Kevin Lee / Pexels, Pexels License
The Parthenon stood at the centre of religious life on this rock, and you still approach it the way pilgrims did, up the ramp and through the Propylaia gate, past the small temple of Athena Nike and the Caryatid porch of the Erechtheion.
Time
2 to 3 h on the rock, more if you read every sign
Setting
Outdoor
Best time
Opening time, or the last hour before closing
Getting there
Metro Line 2 to Acropolis. Lines 1 and 3 to Monastiraki, then up through Plaka. Bus 230 stops at the Acropolis stop.
Tip: Take the first hour. Travellers keep passing on the same advice: it is the cool and quiet one, and during a heatwave the site has closed after midday.
Full ticket €30, reduced €15. Open daily 8 am to 8 pm from April to August and until 5 pm from November to March; autumn hours shorten. Last entry 20 minutes before closing. Closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25-26 December.
This is where Athenians traded, argued and voted, and it explains the city better than the Acropolis does. The Temple of Hephaestus on its low hill is one of the best preserved Greek temples, and the Stoa of Attalos has been rebuilt as a museum.
Time
1 h 30 min to 2 h, walking on paths between trees
Setting
Both
Best time
Mid-morning in summer, any hour in winter
Getting there
Metro Lines 1 and 3 to Monastiraki, or Line 1 to Thiseio.
Tip: The Stoa of Attalos Museum opens at 10 am on Tuesdays.
Full ticket €20. Open from 8 am, closing at 8 pm in summer and 5 pm from November to March. Last entry 20 minutes before closing.
Begun around 515 BC and finished only under Hadrian in 131-132 AD, which makes it a project of roughly six centuries. The Corinthian columns are huge, and the Acropolis sits behind them.
Time
45 min, which is all it needs
Setting
Outdoor
Best time
Late afternoon, when the stone goes orange
Getting there
Metro Line 2 to Acropolis and seven minutes on foot. Tram T6 stops at Leoforos Vouliagmenis.
Tip: Entry is free on the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March, and on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, 28 October and the last weekend of September.
Full ticket €20. Open daily from 8 am until 8 pm in summer and 3 pm in winter.
A horseshoe of white marble that hosted the first modern Olympic Games. You can walk the track and climb to the top row for a look down the whole length of the bowl.
Time
30 min to 1 h
Setting
Outdoor
Best time
Morning or late afternoon
Getting there
About a kilometre on foot from Syntagma, Acropolis and Evangelismos metro stations.
Tip: The stadium staff themselves suggest summer mornings or late afternoons, with water and a hat, because the white steps throw the sun back at you.
Adults €12. Open 8 am to 7 pm from March to October, until 5 pm from November to February.
Photo: Gergely Meszárcsek / Pexels, Pexels License
The hill above Kolonaki is the one place where the whole basin fits into a single view: the Acropolis, the Stadium, the Parliament and the white chapel of St George beside you on the summit.
Time
1 to 2 h, with the funicular
Setting
Outdoor
Best time
An hour before sunset
Getting there
The funicular starts on Aristippou Street in Kolonaki. Paths lead up for those who want the walk.
Tip: Ride up and walk down; the descent through the pines is the nicest part of the outing, and it ends among the cafés of Kolonaki.
The old centre under the Acropolis: flea-market lanes around Monastiraki Square, then the stepped streets, tavernas and neoclassical houses of Plaka. The photograph was taken after dark, when the rock is floodlit.
Time
2 to 3 h, longer if dinner is included
Setting
Outdoor
Best time
Evening, with the Acropolis lit up
Getting there
Metro Lines 1 and 3 to Monastiraki. Plaka begins a few minutes uphill.
Tip: This is the crowded part of town. Keep your bag in front of you in the lanes, as travellers who have been there keep repeating.
