Athens

The ancient city in a walkable centre

Athens is worth two full days on almost any Greece itinerary, and three if you like museums. Its main ancient sites sit within walking distance of each other around one rock: the Acropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, where the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Propylaia stand above the modern city. A pedestrian route circles the hill and links it to the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora and Hadrian's Library, so you can cover a great deal on foot without using transport at all.

What to see beyond the Parthenon

The Acropolis Museum, at the foot of the hill, holds the sculptures found on the rock and makes far more sense of the site if you visit it on the same day. Its ticket is separate from the Acropolis ticket. North-west of the hill, the Ancient Agora was the centre of political, commercial and social life in the ancient city. The Temple of Hephaestus, a Doric temple from the 5th century BC, stands on its western edge, and the rebuilt Stoa of Attalos houses the site museum. The Roman Agora, with the Tower of the Winds, and Hadrian's Library, built in 132 CE, are a few minutes away beside Monastiraki. To the south-east, fifteen columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus still stand, and Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery, is the quietest of the central sites.

Between the monuments, Plaka is the city's oldest neighbourhood and wraps around the base of the Acropolis. Above it, Anafiotika is a cluster of whitewashed, island-style houses built in the 19th century by builders from the island of Anafi. For views, Philopappos Hill looks straight across at the Parthenon, and Lycabettus, reached on foot or by cable car, is the higher lookout over the whole city.

Getting in and around

Metro Line 3 runs from Athens International Airport to Syntagma in about 40 minutes and continues to the port of Piraeus, which matters if you are connecting to a ferry. For the Acropolis, take Line 2 to Acropolis station, or Lines 1 and 3 to Monastiraki. Admission prices for the Acropolis and its museum are listed below, dated to the day we checked them.

Timing your visit

The Acropolis opens at 08:00 all year. It closes at 20:00 from April to August, earlier through the autumn, and at 17:00 from November to March. The rock has almost no shade, so in July and August, the hottest months, go at opening time or in the last two hours of the day. The ticket covers the hilltop and the slopes but allows one entry only, so see the Theatre of Dionysus on the south slope on your way up or down rather than leaving and returning.

Where Athens fits

Most travellers pair the capital with an island. Our Santorini & Athens itinerary spends two days here before a short flight to Santorini, and the wider Greece guide covers when the islands are at their best. With an extra day, Delphi is about two and a half hours away by road, and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion stands at the southern tip of Attica.