A self-guided tour of Athens, Greece

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TOUR BY AREA

I organize Athens’ major attractions into 4 geographical areas. These are the places I went but I didn’t exactly follow the zones as depicted here. On average I walked 25000 steps a day. I hope by grouping this way would minimize walking while allowing you to see the most. Still, be prepared to walk a lot, wear comfortable walking shoes and drink plenty of water. If you are short on time, just focus on a few based on your interests and skip the rest.

TICKETS

Buy Tourist Pass at the airport or metro station

• A ticket costs €1.40 and allows you to use any method of transportation for 90 minutes. A day pass comes in at €4.50. If you are in Athens for more than a day, the best value might be the €22 tourist pass. Valid for three days, it entitles you to unlimited travel around the city over that time, and includes a round trip between the Airport & Syntagma station.

• To take the bus from Athens Airport to Syntagma Square, find the X95 Express bus outside the Arrivals hall (between exits 4 and 5). Buses depart every 15-20 minutes and the ride takes approximately 40 minutes, depending on traffic. You can buy tickets at a booth or onboard, and remember to validate your ticket when you board.

Buy 5-day 6-site combo ticket (€36) + National Archaeology Museum ($15 alone) online

• Entry to 7 archaeological sites: Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Library, Olympieion Kerameikos, and Aristotle's School (Lykeion)

• The multi-site adult ticket allows one entrance to each site and is valid over 5 consecutive days from the day it's redeemed.

• The timeslot you are requested to choose refers only to your visit to the Acropolis. The rest of the 6 archaeological sites can be visited without any time slot limitation, within opening hours, with the same ticket.

LODGING

You can browse booking.com by using the map provided to search hotels or B&Bs in the Syntagma / Plaka / Acropolis areas. I stayed at the “Apartments Rastoni Athens Suites near Acropolis” at Tsatsou. Its Syntagma location is excellent for me.

Area 1: Monastiraki (ruins, architecture, shopping, restaurants)

Main metro station: Monastiraki (M)

1. Coming out of metro station you will be at the Monastiraki square. There are so many shops and restaurants in this area that you will never feel hungry.

2. Opposite the Monastiraki station, you’ll find Hadrian’s Library (included in the combo ticket, small area) and the Tzistarakis mosque — the former was built in 132 AD by Emperor Hadrian, and was the largest library of Athens.

3. Ermou Street - a very crowded shopping area with luxury stores, optional.

4. Ancient Agora (included in the combo ticket) It has a museum and the most ruins and artifacts to see, plan for 2 hours here.

• Temple of Hephaestus

• Stoa of Attalos

• Kerameikos Cemetery

• Themistoclean Wall

5. Roman Agora (included in the combo ticket) It is a smaller area, spend less than 30-minute here.

• Gate of Athena Archegetis

• Tower of the Winds

6. Olympieion Kerameikos - Although included in the combo ticket, Google map shows it is temporary closed as of Sept. 2025. It is further away from the city center, occupies a very large area with not much to see, so in my opinion it’s optional.

7. Kerameikos – From Olympieion Kerameikos back to the Monastiraki, you will pass the Kerameikos area. You’ll see lots of businesses with big Chinese signs. Unless you are curious about the Chinese immigrants' livelihood in Athens, its optional.

8. Psyri – I like this area for its many large murals painted on the building walls. It is just visually stimulating!

9. Varvakios Central Market.

• Here you can buy a variety of Greek spices (small inexpensive packs for cooking meats, seafood, or veggies), olives, and oils.

• There are also sections and stalls to sell all kinds of meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruits. You will also find 2nd-hand stores & flea markets for almost everything old & Greek.

10. Street Souvlaki – A local favorite grill. It is so lovely that I have visited twice for dinner. I recommend the 3 mixed meat skewers plate (pork, chicken, lamb, with onions, tomato, fries, and pita bread) for €9.5. The portion is huge enough for 2 people.

Area 2: Acropolis (the heart of Athens)

Main metro station: Acropolis

1. Plaka - an area with hilly & narrow alleys, full of shops and restaurants

• A. The Museum of Popular Art and Tradition Angeliki Hatzimichali showcases the everyday life of Athenians back in the day. I found it enjoyable walking through this hidden gem tucked away in the busy Plaka area.

• B. The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments "Fivos Anoyanakis" - Centre for Ethnomusicology. I didn’t have the time to go but you might want to check it out.

2. Anafiotika - Situated on the northeast foothill of the Acropolis, this is a hilly residential area with quaint white houses and winding alleys making you feel like you are on a Greek island.

3. Walk Dionysiou Areopagitou

4. Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum (Buy ticket on site, senior €5) It takes 2-3 hours to see the whole collections. The museum exhibits the lifetime work of the most famous Greek jewelry designer Ilias Lalaounis. It is a special and must-see place for me. I strongly encourage you to see the collections as well, but it is optional. I have another blog specifically documenting this amazing museum.

5. Acropolis Museum (buy ticket on site.) It showcases the artifacts discovered on site. The excavation continues.

6. Acropolis/Pantheon (included in the combo ticket) This is the #1 reason you are in Athens!

• The only timeslot you need to specify for your combo ticket. You should go either very early (like 7:30am), or later in the afternoon to avoid crowds. I chose 4pm when the crowd is dying down, and afterwards I went to Pnyx Hill to see the Acropolis during sunset.

• The South Gate (7) has much smaller queues. It’s less popular with tourists, so you’ll be able to make your way to the Acropolis faster.

• See Temple of Athena Nike, the iconic Parthenon, the Old Temple of Athena, the Legendary Olive Tree of the Pandroseion, the Porch of the Caryatids at the Erechtheion… and on your way down, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

• While you’re exploring all the monuments on top of the hill, make sure to wander off to the sides to snap some photos of Athens from above.

• Walk along the Peripatos walkway as you exit from the North Gate (8) to Mars Hill (9). It is basically a large rock with graffiti - a popular spot to watch the color changes on the Acropolis during sunset. It is quite small and very crowded.

10. So better yet, my secret spot for the sunset is to walk to Philopappos Hill. Here you'll find:

11. Prison of Socrates - an small rock cave.

12. Pnyx Hill / Hill of the Nymphs Viewpoint to watch sunset’s orange & pink light reflection on the Acropolis. It was a near spiritual moment for me and I had the whole place all to myself.

Area 3: Kolonaki (Government, Business, Embassies, Museums)

Main metro station: Syntagma - there are displays of artifacts in this station, essentially a free museum.

1. Syntagma square (Center of the town, shops, and restaurants)

• Agia Dynami church – I discovered it by accident as my B&B was just around the corner. It sits beneath the overhang of a modern, high-rise hotel on Mitropoleos Street. It was built in the 1500s and today looks out of place, so tiny that it resembles an old stone shed. The contrasts of its odd location make Agia Dynami photogenic. In the 1820s, when the Greeks were fighting for independence from the Ottomans, they used to sneak guns through the city center using a network of subterranean passages. This church was a key entry to those tunnels and thus it played an unheralded role in Athens finally ending the Ottoman occupation.

2. Monument to the unknown soldiers - see the very cute “change of the guards” every hour on the hour. Once you see them you'll understand why I use the word "cute".

3. National Gardens - optional, but very nice to take a stroll in this large park in the city if you have the time.

4. Lyceum of Aristotle - archaeological site (included in the combo ticket, but unfortunately not much to see)

5. Panathenaic Stadium - site of the first modern Olympic games in 1896, built in white marble and quite impressive. Now it hosts ceremonial events & tours.

6. Byzantine & Christian Museum (buy ticket on site, optional) I didn't go in but walked the gardens and had a picnic with my spinach-pockets.

7. The war museum (buy ticket on site, optional) Some outdated tanks and fighter planes displayed outside. Not sure what's in it.

8. The Runner (also known as Dromeas) is an 8-meter sculpture on the roadside. It is an avant-garde art piece made from glass and iron, showcasing a running human in perpetual, unending motion due to its blurred and mildly confusing shape.

9. The Museum of Cycladic Art (buy ticket on site, ~2 hours visit) – I really like this museum as it exhibits the historical lifestyle, culture, & artifacts from the Greek islands.

10. Benaki Museum (buy ticket on site, optional)

11. Hadrian’s gate - for that picture-perfect photo of the Acropolis framed by the archway and Temple of Olympian Zeus, the largest temples in ancient Greece. (included in the combo ticket)

Area 4: North/East

1. National Archaeological Museum

• This is a large museum with lots to see. Reserve at least half a day if you want to see most exhibitions at a slower pace.

• Keep an eye out for the museum's hidden treasures, like the smallest item - a tiny faience hippopotamus from ancient Egypt.

• When you emerge from the museum, you’ll be in the achingly cool Exarchia neighborhood for street arts. So many great restaurants and bars. Someone recommended Atitamos for Cretan food and Giantes for excellent meals all round. Sorry, I didn’t try so I really don't know.

Coming out of the museum walking south for about 20 minutes, you will see the Athens Trilogy (Athens University, the National Library, the Academy) . These 3 buildings are currently closed. You can closely observe the structures & sculptures from the outside.

2. The University of Athens

3. the National Library (Vallianeio Megaron)

4. the Academy

5. Holy Catholic Cathedral of Saint Denis the Areopagite

6. From the church going west across the street, you will see the National Historical Museum - Old Parliament House

Near the Academy, you will be at the Panepistimio metro station where you can take M2 metro to Syntagma or Acropolis station.
Going west from the Athens Trilogy, you can reach the Varvakios Central Market, or eat at Street Souvlaki again.

7. The funicular tramway station to Lycabettus Hill – From the Kolonaki area I walked up (~250 steps?) to the station. Alternatively, take a taxi to the front of the station. The funicular takes you to the hilltop – which is the highest point of Athens. Come here at sunset for the best views of the whole city. There’s a high-end open-air restaurant up there that you need to make reservations for dinner. To me, the Pnyx Hill offers a closer and better view of the Acropolis at sunset.

Day trips from Athens

From Athens, you can join day tours offered by GetYouGuide or Viator.

https://www.getyourguide.com/s/?q=day+trip+from+athens&searchSource=3&src=search_bar

These day tours bring you to places very far from Athens. It is doable if you spend a dedicated day for each one, and understand that you will be on a bus for extended time. Rest assured that they are worthwhile visiting, but much better if you can take a longer multi-day trip.

• Cape Sounion & Poseidon Temple Sunset Half-Day Trip

• Delphi archaeological site day trip

• Meteora monasteries (the cities in the sky) day trip

• Mycenae, Epidaurus & Nafplio Full-Day Tour (on Peloponnese peninsula, quite far)

Other regions of Greece

Thessaloniki is a port city on the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea. Evidence of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history remains, especially around Ano Poli, the upper town. The ruins of Roman Emperor Galerius’ 4th-century palace include the Rotunda that has been both a church and a mosque. Much of the city center was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1917. The rebuilt 20th-century city has a modern European layout. Thessaloniki is 5 hours of train ride (or 6 hours of bus ride) away in the north. It is not possible to make a daytrip from Athens.

The Peloponnese peninsula is on the southeast of Athens. It is a large, mountainous landmass separated from the mainland by the Isthmus of Corinth. The Peloponnese is a historically significant region, known for ancient sites like the first Olympic Games at Olympia, the city-state of Sparta, and being the site of the major Peloponnesian War. The rich history of Mycenae, Epidaurus, Nafplio, & Corinth can all be seen on this peninsula. In my opinion You will need a week to tour the Peloponnese region alone.

The Greek isles, best suited with a cruise, are many people's favorite vacation destinations. I don't have much to add to the Mykonos and Santorini experience, as you can find many blogs and videos online. I do highly recommend a trip to the uninhabited Delos island (from Mykonos) that is full of ancient wonders and hardly any tourists. My Delos blog is at delos-the-magical-greek-island-most-dont-know-about. My suggestion - forget Mykonos, just go straight to Delos.