It’s tough to see Athens in a day, there are so many must-see attractions. If you have a limited timeframe when visiting Athens, you will want to see all the best tourist attractions in a short amount of time. Here are the Athens Top 10 Attractions to help you to prioritize only the best.
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Purchasing Tickets
It’s important to get your tickets sorted out to minimize entry payments and inconveniences. The best ticket is the €30 Combined ticket. This will give you entry into the 7 most historic sights in Athens. These are all some of the best places to visit in Athens, but not all are included in this top 10 list.
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Note that there are ways to see the Acropolis for free, or at a discounted rate. Check out this article for more information.
Top 10 Attractions in Athens
The best attraction in town is undeniably the Acropolis. This is the most visited attraction in Greece, and it can have a long line up to purchase your ticket and enter the Acropolis.
I recommend you don’t visit the Acropolis first. Doing this will probably land you in a very long line to purchase your ticket. Better to purchase a €30 combined ticket first at a less popular attraction, then you will get a skip the line entry to the Acropolis.
1: Acropolis Museum
It’s a great idea to visit the Acropolis Museum before you go to the Acropolis so you fully appreciate the history of this important site. It’s probably best to do this on a separate day to your Acropolis visit. Each of these stunning attractions deserves several hours of your time.
I firmly believe in the Trip Advisor People Awards. They are voted online by travellers just like you and me. And in 2019 they voted the Acropolis Museum as the 6th Best Museum on the planet. Impressive, right?
The museum price is quite cheap at €5, and it is not included in your Acropolis ticket. There’s a great cafe here with stunning views of the Acropolis. But then again, virtually all around this large hill has stunning views of the Acropolis!
An interesting model of the counterweight pulleys + cranks / cranes used to lift stone at the Parthenon, from the Acropolis Museum. pic.twitter.com/CnO5oLL1Xj
— jordan pickett (@jordantpickett) May 12, 2019
2: Ancient Agora
This is the second-best ancient site to see after the Acropolis. It is an expansive collection of ancient Athens ruins on the northwest slope of the Acropolis. You could easily spend half a day wandering through this amazing site, so give yourself plenty of time.
The word Agora roughly translates as a
The most intact and interesting attraction here is the Temple of Hephaisteion. Built-in 449 BC, this is one of the biggest of all ancient Athens monuments which can be seen from all over the central city area.
3: Acropolis and Parthenon
You can’t visit central Athens without “not seeing” the ancient Acropolis. This is the most prominent of all Athens ruins. It is perched right up on top of a hill, such that you can see the Acropolis from all over central Athens. And virtually all Athens tours include the Acropolis.
You really need to take the walk to the top to appreciate this landmark property. Good thing that Acropolis Athens tickets are included in your combined ticket.
The Acropolis is a World Heritage Site and was even a finalist for the New 7 Wonders of the World listings. This site is world-famous and worthy of any bucket list. It is the one site that should not be missed when in Athens.
You should definitely walk up to the top of Acropolis if you are physically able. Be warned, it is quite strenuous and requires lots of stairs. But the views at the top are spectacular. And you will be treated to many amazing historical sites along the way.
Here are just a few of the sites you will see.
- At the centre of the Acropolis is the Parthenon, the large rectangular ruin built way back in 447 BC.
- The Old Temple of Athena, built in around 525 BC, sits next to the Parthenon.
- Areopagus Hill, where St.Paul the apostle stood to teach the new religion of Christianity in the 1st century. You can actually stand where St.Paul stood and taught.
- Odeon of Herodes Atticus is an amphitheatre built in 161 AD on the slopes of the Acropolis.
- Spectacular 360-degree views over Athens and surrounding coastline.
As you can easily see the Ancient Acropolis and Parthenon are undeniably the best places to visit in Athens. If you only have time to visit one attraction, it must
4: The Temple of Olympian Zeus
We found this to be one of the more picturesque sites in Athens. Also called the Temple of Olympian Zeus, this is the place to go for some spectacular photos. The massive temple is in the centre of Athens and was dedicated to the king of all Gods, Zeus.
The temple itself is 44m wide and 110m long and is surrounded by a series of giant columns. The building was completed in the 2nd century AD, over 600 years after the massive project began! 21 of the original 104 columns are still standing.
5: The Panathenaic Stadium
This amazing stadium is such a cool place to visit, and my top pick for fun things to do in Athens with Kids. That’s partly due to the guided tour audio devices you can take for a self-guided tour.
Unfortunately, it’s not included in the 7-sites combined ticket. Don’t worry, the entrance fee is only about €5. And it’s easily accessible with a hop-on-hop-off bus stop at the front.
Panathenaic Stadium is the only white marble stadium in the world. In fact, it’s the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. It was built around 330 BC and is one of the main historic attractions in Athens. It is also where the first modern Olympic Games were held.
You can also hire an audio commentary device and take a guided tour around the entire stadium. It will take about an hour, and is an engaging and fascinating experience. Near the end of the tour, you are walked through an ancient tunnel to an underground museum.
A popular activity is to have a running race on an actual Olympic track, then stand on the podium for an amazing photo. This is an excellent way to conclude your tour of the best Athens Historical Sites.
6: The 4 Museums
This museum district makes it into the Athens top 10 attractions, and actu
- Athens War Museum
- Byzantine and Christian Museum
- Hellenic Children’s Museum
- Museum of Cycladic Art
There are also a lot of nice parklands in this area full of interesting historical sights. We recommend the cafe at the back of the Byzantine and Christian Museum for a break, with beautiful and historic parkland setting. Here you will find some interesting archaeological diggings of the aqueduct network of ancient Athens.
7: Syntagma Square
This is one of the cool things to do in Athens, and popular with locals and tourists alike. Syntagma Square is the central square of Athens and a non-stop hive of activity. Here you will find an abundance of shopping, cafes, and restaurants.
Syntagma Square is also flanked by the Old Royal Palace and Greek Parliament House for some outstanding sightseeing. In fact, there is fantastic sightseeing in virtually every direction from this popular square, the biggest in Athens.
8: Monastiraki Square
Monastiraki Square is where you will find the Monastiraki metro train station. How convenient! This square is also a gathering place lined with amazing authentic Greek restaurants, and surrounded by a giant flea market. And it’s a stone throw from the best Athens Historic Sites, like Hadrian’s Library and Roman Agora.
This area is buzzing with activity, and it literally never closes. You are just a right in the middle of all manner of shopping, conveniences, and restaurants, which all flank the lively Monastiraki square. This is the place to come for some cheap souvenir shopping or to sample some authentic Greek cuisine.
There’s also a wonderful old church in the middle of Monastiraki Square, which makes for a great photo. You will also find some wonderfully. preserved archaeological diggings with glass floor viewing platforms.
9: Rooftop Bar or Restaurant for Sunset
You could try to be on the Acropolis Hill for an unforgettable sunset. However, this is not possible during the summer due to the late time of the sunset, and the early closing time of Acropolis. Another great option for watching the sunset is at a rooftop bar.
There is no better way to finish your Acropolis visit than unwinding with some cool refreshments and a nice meal, whilst you watch the unforgettable Acropolis light show turn on at sunset. Undoubtedly one of the cool things to do in Athens.
We highly recommend the A for Athens restaurant and cocktail bar, with uninterrupted views of the Acropolis. Keep in mind that reservations are mandatory to enjoy this rooftop restaurant at Sunset. The restaurant is on the top floor of our favourite accommodation, the A for Athens hotel.
Right next door to A for Athens is the MS Roof Garden, on the top floor of the Plaka Hotel. This restaurant is cheaper than A for Athens, and the views are just as good. It would be wise to book a table for the best front-row views, but you can still dine here without a booking.
10: National Archaeological Museum of Athens
This is the largest archaeological museum in Greece and contains large collections of artifacts from different periods of Greek history from all over the country. It’s actually the richest collection of Greek artifacts in the entire world. It’s about 25 minutes walk from Monastiraki Square, but well worth the effort.
Entry to this museum is quite cheap at €5 low season and €10 high season. You can also purchase a 3 day combined ticket for €15, which includes the National Archaeological Museum, Epigraphic Museum, Numismatic Museum,
Museums are a wonderful source of learning for kids, and this huge museum is a testament to that. Definitely one of the best things to do in Athens with kids.
A detail of the Artemesium bronze believed to represent #Zeus. 460 BCE. (National Archaeological Museum, Athens). https://t.co/ntBqm3mFHN #WorldBeardDay pic.twitter.com/3oxsPBXgzI
— Ancient History Encyclopedia (@ahencyclopedia) September 1, 2018
Getting Around Athens
Here are your 4 best options for getting around to see the top 10 attractions in Athens.
By Foot
This is quite a compact city, and all of the Athens top 10 attractions are easily accessible by foot. Given that Athens is blessed with a lovely Mediterranean climate, sightseeing by foot is a great option.
Central Athens is also rather hilly so be ready with some comfortable footwear. But as an added bonus you will usually pass by some unexpected and delightful surprises along the way.
City Sightseeing Athens Hop On Hop Off Bus
The City Sightseeing Athens bus is an awesome way to see all the major attractions. It passes by all of the Athens top 10 attractions and is an efficient and economical way to see them all.
This is our top choice out of all the Athens tours available. Especially if you have only one day in Athens to do all your sightseeing.
Uber
We love Uber, it’s a wonderful alternative to taxis. It also has a terrific iPhone app to make bookings easy. Uber is in Greece, and this is our preferred way of getting around. That is if you don’t want to walk.
Metro Train System
The Metro train system is worth considering if you’re on a tight budget. It’s not all that useful for travelling through central Athens due to the limited stops, but the metro is handy if you want to travel a bit further out. There are convenient stations at Acropolis and Monastiraki Square.
The Best of Athens
Athens is without a doubt one of the most tourist-friendly cities on the planet. It is very easy to see all the top 10 attractions in Athens, and it can easily be accomplished in 2 days. Or you could take longer to enjoy them at a more leisurely pace. Either way, you are sure to enjoy Athens!
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Great post. Look at the view from the rooftop bar! Amazing! Would love to go there to watch the sunset.
that’s a great idea, we did a couple of sunsets up there and it’s a memory that will last a lifetime! I hope you too can try it someday.
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