My 4 day Itinerary for Athens, Greece

Greece, not just Athens, has always been top on my travel list! This is mainly to do with the fact that I have a huge fascination with Greek and Roman Mythology. I had put off going to Greece several times because my itinerary always gets longer and longer and it never seemed to be the right time. Then this past January when I was looking for a spur of the minute trip,I found cheap flights to Athens and I decided it was finally time to go! I figured I could visit Athens for a few days and then plan a trip back to other parts.

I would recommend staying in Athens for at least 3 days. I was told by several people to just skip Athens in general and go to one of the islands or that you only need one day there. I happened to love Athens and could have easily stayed longer, but this was a last-minute trip and I could only get a few days off work.

I went during January which is offseason and I highly recommend. There were not many people at the sites and prices were reduced. Below is my four-day itinerary for Athens, Greece. Please note that I do not have any food or accommodation recommendations as I don’t like to include then since everyone has different budgets and tastes and I only got to try a small sample!

Transportation to and from the airport

There are several ways of getting from Athens International Airport to the city centre. You can do this by bus, metro, private hire, or taxi. I took the metro and I found it quick and easy, much easier to navigate than I originally thought. The airport has many signs directing you to where you need to go so it would be hard to get lost.

Bus
There are different bus lines you can catch, depending on where you are going which are located right outside of Arrivals. This is the express bus station and the tickets booths are right outside. The bus line X95 goes to Syntagma Square and cost around 6 euros. I read this is the most common bus taken. The bus says it takes around 30 minutes to an hour.

Metro
This is the method and I found the easiest. Line 3 goes into the city center and takes about 40 minutes. The ticket is a bit more at 10 euros, but I prefer a metro over a bus any day. I heard people say the metro was kind of dirty but I found it clean and easy to use.

Taxi and Private Hire
As with any airport, there is almost always a taxi queue waiting at arrivals. If don’t mind spending the money, you can easily grab a taxi to your destination without waiting for a bus or train or worrying about luggage.

If you don’t want to wait for a taxi, you can always hire one prior to arrival. They will be waiting for you at arrivals, usually with your name on a sign and a bottle of water and snacks.

From what I understand, there is a flat rate from the airport to the city centre which is €38. There is an increase in price after midnight to €54. A taxi should take around 35 minutes depending on traffic and where you are staying.

Below is the itinerary I followed for my four days. My hostel was also located right near the Acropolis which made exploring quite easy.

Day 1 – West Athens

I arrived after midday which means I have most of the day to explore. I didn’t get much sleep the night before so this was one of my shorter days.

The Acropolis
No trip to Athens is complete without visiting the Acropolis. The Acropolis, most famous for The Parthenon, is home to many other worthwhile sites.

This will easily take a few hours to explore so budget your time accordingly. You can buy either a combined ticket which includes entrance to the Acropolis, The Ancient Agora and Museum of the Ancient Agora, Hadrian’s Library, Kerameikos and Archaeological Museum of Kerameikos, Olympieio, and The Roman Agora. The ticket is valid for 5 days and I highly recommend this if you plan on visiting most of these sites. The ticket is normally 30 euros but mine was reduced to 20 euros for off-peak season. It is 20 euro alone for the Acropolis so it is worth the 10 extra euros for all the other sites in my opinion. Below includes just some of the sites located here:

The Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus
This is located on the south slope and is considered the world’s first theatre and is also (considered) the birthplace of Greek Tragedy. It is dedicated to the god of wine and plays, Dionysus.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus
This theatre was built around 161 AD and is still used in the summer! It is located on the southwest slope and has gone renovations to restore part of the structure.

 

Temple of Athena Nike
This temple was built around 420 BC for the goddess Athena Nike. Nike means “Victory” and this was one name for Athena. This is located on the Acropolis Plateau.

Old Temple of Athena
This temple was built around 500-525 BC and of course, is dedicated to Athena Polias. Athena was the patron god/deity of the city. According to legend, Athena and Posideon competed over being the patron god of the city and Athena won by offering an olive tree. To this day, olive trees (and pistachio trees) are all over Greece.

Erechtheum
This temple was built around 421-406 BC and was dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon. This too is located on the Acropolis Plateau. You can also get an amazing 365 view of the city from up here.

The Parthenon
Considered the most famous site in the Acropolis, this temple was completed around 432 BC. Many consider this an enduring symbol of Greece and one of the most important surviving buildings from this era. While part of this temple was destroyed, you can still get an idea of how incredible it once was.

Now there are many other sites located here, but these are a few of my favorites and most popular.

Pnyx Hill
This hill is central in Athens and less than 1km from the acropolis. It offers great views of the Acropolis but also of the city. As early as 505 BC, Athenians gathered on this hill for their meetings, which means this was one of the earliest sites leading to democracy.

Philopappou Hill / Hill of the Muses
A short walk from Pnyx leads to this park which is home to the few sites below. It not only offers much-needed shade but great views of the city. This hill is also known as the hills of the (nine) muses. Walking around, you could imagine why as the views offer incredible inspiration.

Prison of Socrates
Once believed to be the prison and execution place of the famous philosopher Socrates, it was not. While it is not sure what it was used for, some believe it may have been a prison for the Ancient Agora.

Philopappos Monument
This is an ancient mausoleum dedicated to Philopappos. This is located on top of the hill, just a short walk up, where you can get a 365 view of Athens and the Acropolis.

Day 2 – East Athens

All my days started quite early so I can beat the crowds at the sites. I don’t tend to stay out late, especially if I know I am going to do tons of walking and exploring. This was one trip where I wanted to see as much as I could, which meant early mornings and early nights!

The Arch of Hadrian
Built in 131 AD, this arch was to separate the old city from the new. There are two inscriptions on the arch, though one is much harder to see than the other. One reads “ΑΙΔ’ ΕΙΣΙΝ ΑΘΗΝΑΙ ΘΗΣΕΩΣ Η ΠΡΙΝ ΠΟΛΙΣ” which means “this is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus”. The other one reads “ΑΙΔ’ ΕΙΣ’ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΥ ΚΟΥΧΙ ΘΗΣΕΩΣ ΠΟΛΙΣ” which means “this is the city of Hadrian, and not of Theseus”.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus
This temple was completed around the 2nd century AD even though it was started around 515 BC. It was envisioned to be the greatest temple in the world, however, around 260 AD it fell to despair after many attacks. Today only 16 columns are left and it is a short walk from the Arch. You can also get a lovely view of the Acropolis in the background and there are other excavated sites inside as well.

The Panathenaic Stadium
This was one spot I was quite excited for! This stadium is home to the first modern Olympic Games and as a runner and an ex-track coach, this was AWESOME! Track and Field is my favorite Olympic sport so of course, seeing the original stadium was amazing. This is also the only stadium that is made entirely out of marble! Be careful though, I went after it rained and it was a bit slippery, not to mention some of the stairs are quite steep so exercise caution! It also has a museum that has the altar where they light the torch and also past torches.

National Gardens
This garden is located across from the stadium. The gardens are about 38 acres and offer a nice spot to rest and grab a bite to eat. Inside the gardens, there is a small animal farm, ancient ruins, and columns. It offers a nice green spot and lots of shade. It also leads directly to the Parliament building.

Changing of Guards at the Hellenic Parliament
This is located in Syntagma Square, which is a main bus stop and train stop. If you come at the right time, you can see the changing of the Guards. I had unfortunately missed it but the building is still nice.

Wander Around the Neighborhoods
If you visit most of the sites and you are cheap like me so you walk everywhere, you will undoubtedly find some hidden gems in the different neighborhoods. Be prepared for lots of hills but it is worth it! Plaka is supposed to be the prettiest neighborhood so make sure you detour there for a bit!

Roman Agora
So this is a bit far from the other sites so feel free to catch a tram or bus here. I walked and it was quite a hike but the neighborhoods were pretty to walk through.

This was built during the Roman period once Athens had joined the Roman empire sometime around 15 BC. This was smaller yet it replaced the Ancient Agora. Agora, better known as a marketplace has a few noticeable sites inside such as the Tower of the Winds, Gate of Athena Archegetis, and more.

Hadrian’s Library
This library was built around 132 AD by Hadrians. It was destroyed by 267AD and then partially repaired. As a lover of books, I was hoping for a bit more but we can’t have everything!

Ancient Agora
A short walk from the Library and the Roman Agora, the Ancient Agora is one of the best examples of ancient Greek Agoras. There are several notable buildings and structures here so make sure you reserve a few hours to walk around here as it is rather large. Notable buildings include: Temple of Hephaestus, Altar of the Twelve Gods, The Ancient Agora Museum, Monument of the Eponymous Heroes, Ruins of Metroon, The Klepsydra (Water Clock), the State Prison, Byzantine Church of the Holy Apostles, Stoa of Attalos (rebuilt in the 20th century), and the Middle Stoa.

Monstakiki Square

This is a flea market and has tons of shopping. To be honest, I felt overwhelmed here. I went in the middle of the day and it was so packed with people, I left right away. If you want some touristy stuff however, this is the place to go. There is shop after shop of stuff. I also heard this is a main pick pocketer area.

Day 3 – (Mostly) Museum Day

Again, an early start. I met a few kitties on the way and enjoyed the sun rising over the Acropolis on my way to the first stop. This day was suppose to rain so I had planned on staying inside doing museums all day which is why I rushed the other sites the first two days. Of course it didn’t rain and by this day but  I was pretty tired from all the walking the first two day, this day was a bit more relaxed.

The Kerameikos
This used to be the potters quarter of the city and is one of the least visited sites in Athens apparently. I had it almost all to myself, besides a few kitties that were following me around. There are several sites inside here such as original fortification walls of Athens, The Sacred Gate, The Dipylon Gate which was the main entrance to the city, The Eridanos River, The Pompeion, and the Museum.

Athen’s Street Art
As I was walking to the museum, I passed a street full of amazing art. I didn’t get the name of the street and I was the only one on the street until a group of 8 guys walked in and started yelling at me. Sadly I didn’t get to take pictures as I was trying to walk away rather quickly from the guys who were laughing and getting rather close. Plus Athens has plenty of street art around the city.

The National Archaeological Museum
This is supposed to be considered one of the greatest museums in the world and is home to artifacts from prehistoric Greece to now. Sadly, my day had a bunch of school kids there yelling, but it was still a great museum! My favorite artifact was the Mask of Agamemnon. I stayed for a few hours and grabbed food nearby.

The Acropolis Museum 

The entrance ticket is 5 euros. It is a smaller museum then the one above but still has TONS of information posted everywhere. I think I learned the most here. While I wanted to do this the first day, I didn’t have time. Thankfully this was only a few minutes walk from my hostel. There is a cafe on the top floor which allows you to relax and gaze at the Acropolis, which was just what I had in mind at the end of the day.

 

Day 4 – Saronic Islands Day Trip

For my last day, I decided to do a day trip to the Saronic Islands. I went on GetYourGuides, which is a website I love because it shows different tours available in a city on a specific day. There were more than one for the island, which makes me think this is a popular day trip. It was about 100 euros but was worth it in my mind. It was a full day and took us to Hydra (Ydra), Poros, and Aegina. I will be writing a separate post about this tour so I won’t be putting too much information here. It was amazing and I highly recommend it.

I hope you enjoyed my 4-day itinerary for Athens and are inspired to go! As I said, it was beyond amazing and I hope more people go. Most people told me to skip it but honestly, there was so much history there that I could not skip it. I loved every minute of it and I can’t wait to explore more of Greece.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think or if you’ve been before. Is there anything I missed? I do plan on going back so if I missed anything, I would love to know so I can visit next time! Tschuss!My