ATHENS TRAVEL GUIDE

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After spending a night in Nafplio, we drove to Athens in September 2025 for the final mainland stop of our honeymoon in Greece. We had three nights in the city before taking the ferry to Milos, giving us about two and a half days to explore.

Coming from the relaxed vibe of Elafonisos and Nafplio, Athens felt much busier. I didn’t know what to expect, but we ended up really enjoying the city and found it easy to see most of the main sights just by walking around.

Some of my favorite moments were seeing the Acropolis for the first time, wandering through the peaceful ruins of the Ancient Agora, getting a bit lost in Anafiotika, and enjoying some of the best meals of our honeymoon. I also loved how the Acropolis seemed to pop up everywhere, whether above the rooftops in Monastiraki, at the end of a street, or glowing in the distance while we had dinner.

Athens proved to be the perfect transition between our Peloponnese road trip and our Greek islands trip. It gave us a few busy days filled with history, neighborhoods, and incredible food before we were ready to slow down again by the sea. In this guide, I’ll share where we stayed, our favorite things to do, where we ate, and what we learned from our first visit to Athens.

Where Is Athens?

Athens is Greece’s capital and one of the oldest cities in the world. It’s in the Attica region and is home to famous landmarks such as the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, and the Acropolis Museum.

For many travelers, Athens is also the starting or ending point for a trip to the Greek islands. Piraeus, the city’s main ferry port, connects Athens with islands throughout the Aegean, making it easy to combine a few days in the city with an island-hopping itinerary.

WHEN TO VISIT ATHENS

Spring and fall are great times to visit Athens because the weather is more comfortable for sightseeing. July and August can get very hot and crowded, which makes exploring the city’s sites more tiring.

We visited in September and thought it was a great time to be there. It was still warm and sunny, but we were comfortable spending most of our days outside exploring. The Acropolis was still very crowded, though, so I’d recommend visiting the major archaeological sites early in the day regardless of when you go.

HOW LONG TO STAY IN ATHENS

For your first visit, I suggest staying in Athens for two or three nights. We spent three nights there, which gave us about two and a half days to explore, and that felt just right.

We were able to visit the Acropolis, Ancient Agora, and Acropolis Museum, explore neighborhoods like Plaka and Anafiotika, and still have time for leisurely dinners and drinks. There was plenty left for another trip, but we never felt rushed trying to see the places highest on our list.

HOW TO GET TO ATHENS

BY PLANE

Athens International Airport is the main gateway to the city, with flights connecting Athens to destinations throughout Europe and beyond. The airport is about 40 minutes from the city center and is connected by metro, bus, taxi, and private transfers.

BY CAR

We arrived in Athens by car after traveling through the Peloponnese, making it the final stop of our mainland road trip. Driving is a convenient option if you’re combining Athens with places like Nafplio or other parts of mainland Greece.

If you won’t need your car once you arrive, it’s best to return it before exploring Athens. Parking is hard to find, traffic is heavy, and you can reach most main sights without a car.

BY FERRY

If you’re arriving from the Greek islands, Athens is connected to destinations throughout the Aegean by ferry. Most ferries arrive at Piraeus, the city’s main port.

We traveled in the opposite direction, taking a ferry from Piraeus to Milos after our three nights in Athens.

HOW TO GET AROUND ATHENS

If you stay in the center, Athens is easy to explore on foot. We walked to most sights and neighborhoods, and used the metro for longer trips. We never needed a car while we were there.

METRO

Athens has a convenient metro system connecting the city center, airport, and many of the main neighborhoods and attractions. We ended up taking the metro when we arrived because there was a taxi strike that day, and it turned out to be an easy way to get into the city.

TAXI & PRIVATE TRANSFERS

Taxis are widely available in Athens, although we didn’t use one during our stay because of the taxi strike when we arrived.

When we left Athens, we booked a private driver to take us from our hotel to Piraeus for the ferry to Milos. This made traveling with luggage much easier and saved us the stress of getting to the port ourselves.

BY CAR

I wouldn’t recommend keeping a rental car if you’re only visiting Athens. Between the traffic, limited parking, and the ease of reaching most major sights on foot or by metro, we were happy to return ours upon arrival.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Athens4 Boutique Hotel, just a short walk from Monastiraki Square.

The hotel is set in a former textile mill, and the design thoughtfully references its industrial past with subtle details throughout the space. That added a unique character to the stay while still feeling modern and comfortable.

The location was perfect for how we wanted to explore Athens. Most of the main sights, restaurants, and neighborhoods were close by, so we could go out early, return to the hotel in the afternoon, and walk to dinner in the evening.

Our room was modern and comfortable, but the location was what really stood out. For a short stay in Athens, being able to walk almost everywhere made our three days feel much easier.

WHAT TO DO IN ATHENS

With only two and a half days in Athens, we focused on the city’s ancient sites and spent the rest of our time exploring neighborhoods on foot. We didn’t try to see everything, which gave us enough time to enjoy the places we did visit without feeling rushed.

VISIT THE ACROPOLIS

One morning, we took a guided tour of the Acropolis. As we made our way up the hill, our guide explained the various sites we passed and how they were used in ancient Athens. Along the way, we saw the Theatre of Dionysus, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and, of course, the Parthenon.

Seeing the Parthenon in person was incredible, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the other parts of the Acropolis too. The Erechtheion, with its famous Caryatids, was especially beautiful, and from the top we had views stretching across Athens.

If it’s your first visit, I really recommend taking a guided tour. There is so much history packed into the site that having someone explain what we were looking at made the experience much more meaningful.

The Acropolis was very crowded, even during our September visit, with lots of tourists and large tour groups. If you can, I’d recommend visiting early in the day.

EXPLORE THE ANCIENT AGORA

After the Acropolis, we continued to the Ancient Agora with our guide. I enjoyed it just as much as the Acropolis, maybe even more.

The Agora was once the center of everyday life in ancient Athens, where people gathered for politics, business, religion, and social life. We walked through the ruins while our guide helped us picture what the area would have looked like when it had temples and public buildings.

The Temple of Hephaestus was the highlight for me. It’s remarkably well preserved and sits slightly above the rest of the Agora, surrounded by greenery. We also walked through the Stoa of Attalos, which has been reconstructed and now houses the Museum of the Ancient Agora.

VISIT THE ACROPOLIS MUSEUM

On another afternoon, we joined a guided tour of the Acropolis Museum. Since we had already visited the Acropolis, it was fascinating to see many of the sculptures and artifacts connected to the places we’d just walked through.

One of the most memorable parts was seeing the original Caryatids from the Erechtheion up close after seeing the replicas on the Acropolis. We also saw sculptures that once decorated the Parthenon and learned more about how the temple would originally have looked.

The museum itself was almost as interesting as the collection. Glass floors reveal archaeological remains beneath the building, and the upper gallery has views back toward the Acropolis. I enjoyed it, though as someone afraid of heights, some of those glass floors made me a little nervous!

If you have time, I’d visit the archaeological sites first and the museum afterward. Seeing the Acropolis in person gave us context for what we saw inside the museum, while the museum helped fill in details that were harder to make sense of among the ruins.

EXPLORE PLAKA & ANAFIOTIKA

One of my favorite things to do in Athens was wander through Plaka. The narrow streets, outdoor cafés, and small shops made it easy to spend a few hours exploring without any set plan.

We also made our way into Anafiotika, a tiny neighborhood tucked beneath the Acropolis that feels surprisingly removed from the busy city. The whitewashed buildings and narrow paths reminded us of the Greek islands we would visit later in our trip.

The area can be a little tricky to navigate, with small paths, steep steps, and uneven ground, but getting a bit lost was part of the fun.

WALK THROUGH MONASTIRAKI

Since our hotel was nearby, we walked through Monastiraki several times a day. Between the busy square, shops, restaurants, and views of the Acropolis, there was always something going on.

It was also a great starting point for exploring Athens on foot and felt completely different from the quieter streets of Plaka and Anafiotika.

OTHER THINGS TO DO IN ATHENS

We only had a few days in Athens, so there were plenty of places we didn’t have time to visit.

Philopappos Hill • A popular place for a walk with beautiful views of the Acropolis and the city.

Mount Lycabettus • One of the highest points in Athens and a popular spot for panoramic views, especially around sunset.

Areopagus Hill • A rocky viewpoint near the Acropolis overlooking the Ancient Agora and the city.

Panathenaic Stadium • The historic marble stadium that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.

Temple of Olympian Zeus • The remains of one of the largest temples built in the ancient world.

National Archaeological Museum • Home to an extensive collection of ancient Greek artifacts and a good addition if you have more time in Athens.

Syntagma Square • The center of modern Athens, where you can see the Changing of the Guard outside the Hellenic Parliament.

WHERE TO EAT IN ATHENS

Athens had some of the best food of our honeymoon, and I was surprised by how many gluten-free options I found. These are a few of the places we enjoyed during our stay.

If you eat gluten-free, check out my Athens Gluten-Free Guide. I share what I ordered, tips for eating gluten-free, and more detailed reviews of each restaurant there.

Greek Stories • A fully gluten-free restaurant near the Acropolis Museum serving traditional Greek dishes. We stopped here for lunch after visiting the Acropolis, and the Santorini tomato fritters ended up being one of my favorite dishes of the trip.

Arcadia Restaurant • Arcadia became one of our favorite restaurants in Athens, and we liked it so much that we ate here twice. The entire menu is gluten-free, making it one of the easiest places I found for trying traditional Greek dishes I normally wouldn’t be able to order.

A for Athens • We came here for a glass of rosé just before sunset, but the real reason to visit is the view. From the rooftop, you can look directly toward the Acropolis as the lights begin to come on across the city.

Diodos • A traditional Greek restaurant near the Acropolis with several naturally gluten-free options. We had dinner outside with a view of the Acropolis lit at night, which made for a memorable way to end the day.