This Ultimate Guide to Athens reveals the best of the city. From where to stay near the Acropolis, to sightseeing in Athens, this Athens guide helps you plan the perfect city break.
Ultimate Guide to Athens
I've been living in and writing about Athens for 4 years now. During this time, I've created a lot of travel guides for Athens! To make finding it all easier, I created this Ultimate Guide to Athens. Hopefully this can help you plan the perfect trip to Athens. The guide includes:
- Best Time to Visit Athens
- Where to Stay in Athens
- How to get from Athens Airport to the center
- Things to see in Athens
- The Best Places to Eat in Athens
- Athens Walking Tours
- The Best Museums in Athens
- Athens Tours
- Day Trips from Athens
Best Time To Visit Athens
Athens is a city you can visit at any time of year. Certainly, some months are better than others though when it comes to weather and the amount of other tourists visiting!
In my opinion, the very best month to visit Athens is September. The temperatures are just starting to dip down from their summer highs, and Athenians have returned from their vacations full of life and energy. There's lots happening in September – from art exhibitions to gigs and events.
The second best month to visit Athens (again in my opinion!) is August. Now, I know this goes against the grain a little, as Greece is traditionally crazy busy in August, but hear me out!
In August, Athenians head for the islands for their summer vacations. This means that the city is super-quiet and peaceful. Rumour has it, you can even find parking spaces in Athens in August!
When to visit Athens
You might find these blog posts on when to visit Athens useful:
Where To Stay In Athens
Athens has literally thousands of hotels to choose from, which can make it slightly confusing when choosing where to stay. For visitors only spending a few days in Athens, I would suggest a central location is the best choice. By staying at a hotel near the Acropolis, you will be near all the main attractions of the historic centre, and be able to maximise your time in the city.
Athens also has a selection of budget hotels to choose from, which are outside of the historic centre. To be honest, these are located in the less salubrious parts of town.
You are definitely sacrificing comfort to save a few bucks, but if this is your thing, look for Athens hotels near Omonia and Victoria metro stations.
I'm also asked from time to time about hotels near Athens airport. There's really only one choice here, which is the Sofitel.
Places to stay in Athens
You might find these in-depth Athens guide articles about where to stay in Athens useful.
How to get to Athens city center
Most visitors to Athens arrive at two main points of entry. These are Athens airport and Piraeus port. There are numerous transport options available to get from the airport to Athens city centre and from Piraeus Port to the centre. I've written two detailed guides which includes taxi, train and bus options:
Things to see in Athens
So now you've got into Athens and have somewhere to stay, it's time to work out what you want to see! Athens has an endless amount of things to do, so there's no way you can possibly see it all. Even with a month, you couldn't see all the museums – there's over 80 of them!
Coming to a balance of choosing what to do in Athens with the time you have to hand is key. Fortunately, I've got some great Athens guides to help!
My ‘What to see in 2 days in Athens' guide has proven to be very useful for visitors, and can easily be expanded upon by adding extra things in. I've also got guides to the museums in Athens, walking tours, and inside tips. Here's some guides on what to do in Athens to get you started.
Athens Guides
- 2 Days in Athens
- Ancient Athens
- The Ancient Agora of Athens
- The Panathenaic Stadium in Athens
- Walking tours in Athens
- Museums in Athens
- Athens inside tips
Day Trips From Athens
Finally, if you are planning on spending longer in the city, you'll want to consider some day trip from Athens. There are numerous archaeological sites and UNESCO World Heritage sites you can visit on a day tour from Athens, including Delphi, Mycenae, and even Meteora.
Most of these you can do on a tour if you wish, or you could hire a car in Athens and drive yourself. I think a road trip is a great way to explore this fascinating country! Here's some more information on day trips you can make from Athens.
- A guide to day trips from Athens
- Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon
- A day trip to Delphi
- Greek island trips to Hydra, Poros and Aegina
- Mycenae, Epidaurus, Nafplio
- Meteora
Please pin this Athens Guide for later!
I hope you've enjoyed this ultimate guide to Athens. If you are planning a trip, and have any questions or would like to leave me a message, please comment below. I would love to hear from you!
Steve Garvin says
What an awesome site with such helpful information. We (family of 6) are visiting this month for 7 day, really only 5 bc arrival and departure days doesn’t really count. It seems like this might be a long time to stay in Athens so we are looking for some day trips. We are trying to balance guided tours and what we can do on our own. I like your 2 days in Athens and we will do this and might stretch it out over 3 days. Other things I believe we would like to do is the Tour of St. Paul’s travels ( which I think includes Corith) and a trip Meteora. Are these things we can do on our own or would you suggest a guided tour? What would be your top things for a 5-day trip?
Dave Briggs says
Hi Steve,
I hope you are well!
It sounds like you’d prefer tours with a religious edge?
If so, I think Meteora is an absolute must – I’d recommend a two day trip though rather than a one day trip. This one also combines visiting Delphi – Delphi and Meteora
If you’re interested in planning the Meteora trip yourself, then this article here might help – Athens to Meteora.
For the Corinth themed tour, I’ve not taken one myself so can’t comment directly on the tour. However, I would say that the archaeology is disappointing visually when compared to the Acropolis or Delphi.
One final suggestion for a day trip from Athens to see islands, would be the 3 islands trip. It can be a little rushed, but if it’s your only chance to see some islands, perhaps it could be worth it? More info here – 3 islands trip from Athens.
My personal choice would be:
Athens
Athens
Meteora Trip (includes Delphi)
Meteora Trip
3 islands trip
Have a great trip to Greece!
Dr. Doug Buchanan says
Hi Dave
I’ve read a lot of your guide and think I will find it very useful in about a week. Could have used more resto or taverna stuff but that’s ok. Last time I was in Greece it was under the Colonel’s so I guess a lot has changed. In those days you could sit on Minos’ throne in Knossos and walk the Parthenon unrestricted. Still, I’m looking forward to it and I want to thank you for your info. Especially like how to get to Athens from the Airport. When I last landed there it was terrifying — a soldier every twenty feet with a Kalashnikov. I met a fiend and as we were walking to the bus I heard two guys arguing (in Greek) with a verbal violence you seldom hear. I asked my Greek friend what the problem was and she said: “Oh, they’re talking about the weather and agreeing that it’s nice. Greek passion for life.
Cheers
Dave Briggs says
Hi – Glad you like the information!
I am aiming to add some taverna and restaurant guides later in the year. They change so much, it might be a long process though!
If you are interested in finding out more about Greek food, I have another blog which has a couple of useful posts. Please check them out! –
http://realgreekexperiences.com/food-in-greece/
http://realgreekexperiences.com/greek-food-simply-need-taste/
I think you will find things very much changed from your last visit! If you need any guidance when you are on the ground, just drop me a line. I hope you enjoy your stay in Greece!
Carmen's Luxury Travel says
There’s so many great resources you linked here! Thank you! I’ve been to the Greek Islands but I have yet to visit Athens. It looks like a fascinating city. Bookmarking this for the future!
Pedro says
Very good guide indeed, mate! Such a pity people think Athens is unsafe at the moment, which is totally untrue. 🙁
Anita Hendrieka says
Athens has always been somewhere I have wanted to visit ever since studying classics in high school. This is a great ultimate guide for travellers heading for Athens!
Penny Sadler says
I have not yet been to Athens but would certainly scope out these great guides if I do go. Great advice about staying near the Acropolis as well.
Elaine J Masters says
You are the expert on Athens! Great and clear options for my next visit. Thanks for all the resource links too.
Holly says
I am going to hold on tight to this post because I really want to get to Athens and other parts of Greece sooner rather than later.
Dave Briggs says
I am sure you will love Athens when you do visit!
Annie says
I haven’t had the opportunity to go to Greece or Athens yet, but would absolutely love to! Thanks for the comprehensive guides 🙂
Tamara Elliott says
This is a great guide for those who have never been to Athens before. So much to explore there, but my fave spot is of course the Acropolis 🙂
Dave Briggs says
Sounds like you have enjoyed visiting Athens before!
Andi says
My hubby has been to Greece many times before in a previous life and I haven’t been yet. We have been talking about going in the near future and I would love to see all the highlights. This is a really great guide and I will definitely use it when we make our final plans!
Dave Briggs says
I’m sure you will love it if you visit Athens and Greece!