Greek antiquity and rich culture revived in Athens
Athens is a beautiful and special city due to its impressive history and rich culture. The iconic symbol of Athens, the Acropolis, is very impressive and does not disappoint at all. Athens has countless beautiful old buildings that are worth a visit! Athens also has many nice, lively neighborhoods where you can enjoy a souvlaki or moussaka! Enough to see and do to keep you entertained for at least two days. Below you can read an ideal schedule for two days in Athens. Time to relive Greek antiquity! In addition, Athens is a great base for traveling by ferry to one of the many Greek islands, where you can enjoy the sun, sea and beach. This way you can combine a fun city trip with a wonderfully relaxing holiday.
Day 1 in Athens
Get up early to visit the Acropolis, the iconic symbol of Athens. On the Akropolois site you will find, among other things, Parthenon, the most impressive and iconic building. You can see this building beautifully from several places in Athens. When we got off the metro from the airport, we immediately came face to face with the Acropolis! Be prepared for a steep route to get to one of the two entrances. The main entrance at Rovertou Galli is often used by tour groups, so it is better to enter from the southeast, at Dinysiou Areopagitou. Be at the entrance half an hour before opening time to get the most out of your visit!It quickly fills up with a lot of tourists. Check the recent opening hours on Google. In addition, it is highly recommended to buy your tickets in advance. Admission is free for all EU citizens up to 25 years old and 65+. These tickets are only available at the box office. Tickets can be reserved in advance for all other age groups. Once inside you can enjoy beautiful buildings and great views of the city. We visited Athens in the middle of the corona pandemic in 2020, so we were lucky that Athens was not overrun by mass tourism! We thought it was one of the other impressive sights of Acropolis Dinysus Theaterand the Temple of Nike. After your visit to the Acropolis it is very interesting to see the new Acropolis Museum to visit. Here you will learn more about the archaeological finds from the area surrounding the Acropolis.
After this it is time for a delicious lunch. Walk from the museum to the nice neighborhood Plaka. While walking from A to B in Athens you will always come across beautiful buildings, temples or excavations. Plaka is a picturesque neighborhood right in the center of Athens. It is a very nice, cozy and old neighborhood in Athens with many nice restaurants. Another nice tip: pay a visit Brettos, the second oldest bar in Europe. Here you should of course take a shot of Ozou. The bartender can tell you a lot about this! Would you like to find some peace and quiet in this busy city? Then exploring the neighborhood is an option Anafiótika with nice white houses. It is located near Plaka, but is less known among tourists.
After your lunch there is a longer walk ahead. We found the distances very manageable, but we were very lucky with a wonderful wind from the sea on our first day. On our second day in Athens this was a different story, so we also traveled by metro occasionally. Walk through the temple of Zeus(also known as Olympiaion, the largest temple in Athens dedicated to Zeus) to the Panathenaic Stadium, the stadium where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. It is also possible to visit the temple of Zeus up closemiracles, but we thought this was sufficient from the outside of the complex. The Panathinaiko Stadium includes a free audio tour with the entrance ticket, which was fun! On the way back to the old center of Athens it is nice to walk through the national gardens of Athens to walk. End your evening with a delicious traditional Greek dish in one of Athens' lively neighborhoods: Monastiraki, Plaka or Psirri. We had a delicious meal ourselves Tavern Klimataria, a restaurant just outside the center where many locals also eat. Highly recommended!
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Day 2 in Athens
Start your in it old Agora, the heart of ancient Athens. Explore the ruins and admire the temple of Hepaistos. This temple looks a lot like the Parthenon. Haven't admired enough old buildings yet? Then visit the Roman Agora or Hadrian's library. Afterwards it is fun to stroll through the flea market in the lively Monastiraki district, where you can score a nice souvenir! From here you can also easily walk through the lively Ermou shopping street, where you can experience a modern side of Athensbehold. Here you will find nice boutiques, but also major international brands. Enjoy a sweet lunch at the well-known and special restaurant Little Cook in the Psirri district.
After your lunch you travel by metro or by foot Syntagma square where the parliament building is located. There is a changing of the guard here every hour. Pretty funny to see this! When we arrived we were lucky, because the changing of the guard started after just a few minutes. Then travel on to the National Library of Greece and the adjacent University of Athens. Very beautiful and imposing buildings built in the beautiful neoclassical style. The university was founded in 1837 and is the oldest and most prestigious university in Greece. The important intellectual and cultural center attracts students and scholars from all over the world. It is a dream to be able to study at such a beautiful complex! There are also often far fewer tourists here, so you can admire the buildings in peace. Would you like to know more about ancient art and archaeology? Then the National Archaeological Museum of Athens recommended. Or enjoy a nice glass of wine or cocktail on one of the terraces. Your visit to Athens ends with a walk to the viewing hill Lycabettus,to enjoy panoramic views of the city during the sunset. End your trip in the lively neighborhoodsPsirri or Gázi. Gázi is mainly known for its busy nightlife, while Psirri is known as a somewhat alternative neighborhood that is popular among young people.
Tips for visiting Athens
To save money on entrance tickets, it is useful to buy a combination ticket for different attractions. Buying individual tickets can be quite expensive, especially for those over 26. Entrance is often free for EU citizens under 26. With theAthens Pass for €60.00 you have access to the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum. You can also skip the line! In addition, you have access to six archaeological locations and are given permissiongo to an audio guide app! So very handy. Furthermore, Athens has a good metro network, making it easy to get anywhere in the city.
Stay overnight
During our trip we first stayed one night in a very nice hostel, Athens Hub Hostel, right in the lively Psirri district and in the center! Everything is within walking distance of this hostel, so that is really ideal. They also have private rooms with their own shower and toilet. After this we took a ferry to Crete, where we spent the night on the ferry. Unfortunately, they no longer had sleeping cabins available, so we spent the night on a chair among the locals. After a wonderful week in Crete, we stayed another night in Athens, in theStanley hotel. The hotel has a very nice rooftop bar and swimming pool, the reason why we booked this hotel. Highly recommended. The hotel is also close to the metro, but in a slightly less nice location than the Athens Hub Hostel.
Where to go next?
It is recommended to continue your city trip to Athens with a wonderful holiday on one of the Greek islands. The Sanoris are just off the coastche islands (Hydra, Poros, Aegina and Spetses), but it is also possible to take a ferry all the way to Crete. Enough choice, so it depends on how long you want to spend on a ferry!
