Things to do in Athens
Most of Athens’ top archaeological sites lie in Plaka and Monastiraki, including the temples of the Acropolis, and the crumbling ruins of The Agora, once Ancient Athens’ administrative and cultural heart. The National Archaeological Museum in Omonia showcases ancient Greek art, while the Byzantine and Christian Museum houses a dazzling display of religious icons.
Museums and Galleries
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1. Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art - Museums and Galleries
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In Kolonaki, the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art is revered for its collection of elegant marble figurines. Surprisingly contemporary in style, these enigmatic pieces were placed in burial chambers in the Cycladic islands over 4,000 years ago.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€7; Mon €3.50; concessions €2.50-€3.50; under 18s free
Opening hours
Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat 10am-5pm; Thu 10am-8pm; Sun 11am-5pm
Address
4, Neophytou Douka, Kolonaki, Athens, 10674
Telephone
+30 210 722 8321
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2. Acropolis Museum - Museums and Galleries
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Opened in 2009 at a cost of €130m, the Acropolis Museum is a fittingly grand home for the archaeological riches of ancient Athens. The museum contains precious relics discovered by excavations of the Acropolis, dating as far back as 3000BC.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€1
Opening hours
Tues-Sun 8am-8pm
Address
15, Dionysiou Areopagitou, Athens 11742
Telephone
+30 210 9000 900
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3. Byzantine & Christian Museum - Museums and Galleries
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In its underground exhibition space in Kolonaki, the Byzantine and Christian Museum traces the Byzantine Empire from the birth of Christianity to the 1453 fall of Constantinople. Exhibits include solemn icons, religious frescoes, jewellery and ecclesiastical artefacts.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€4
Opening hours
Apr-Sep Tue-Sun 8am-7.30pm; Oct-Mar Tue-Sun 8.30am-3pm
Address
22, Vasilissas Sofias, Athens, 10675
Telephone
+30 210 729 4926
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4. National Archaeological Museum - Museums and Galleries
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Home to the world's finest collection of ancient Greek art, the marble-floored National Archaeological Museum, near Omonia, displays larger-than-life sculptures of heroes from Greek mythology, and intricately crafted gold jewellery and weaponry, including Agamemnon's 3600-year-old death mask.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€7; concessions €3; children free
Opening hours
Mon 1.30pm-8pm; Tue-Sun 8.30am-3pm (8am-8pm Apr-Oct)
Address
44, Patission, Athens 10682
Telephone
+30 210 821 7724
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5. Museum of Greek Folk Art - Museums and Galleries
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The Museum of Greek Folk Art in Plaka displays costumes, embroidery, jewellery, ceramics, arms and folk theatre artefacts from around Greece. Don't miss the Theofilis Room, decorated with fanciful, 19th-century frescoes from a house on the island of Lesvos.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€2
Opening hours
Daily 10am-2pm (Mon from 9am)
Address
17, Kydathinaion, Plaka, Athens, 10558
Telephone
+30 210 321 3018
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6. Benaki Museum - Museums and Galleries
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Occupying a neo-classical house in Kolonaki, the Benaki Museum offers a walk through the history of Greek art from 3000 BC up to the 20th century. Laid out in chronological order, exhibits include jewellery, ceramics, sculpture, paintings, furniture and costumes.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€6 (free Thu); concessions free
Opening hours
Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat 9am-5pm; Thu 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-3pm
Address
1, Koumbari & Vas Sofias, Athens, 10674
Telephone
+30 210 367 1000
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7. Museum of Popular Musical Instruments - Museums and Galleries
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Hidden away in pretty Plaka, the Museum of Greek Traditional Instruments displays 1,200 musical instruments, ranging from gypsy flutes to shepherds' goatskin bagpipes. Exhibits are accompanied by headphones, so visitors can listen to them being played.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening hours
Tue, Thu-Sun 10am-2pm; Wed 12pm-6pm
Address
1-3, Diogenous, Aeridon Square, Plaka, Athens, 10558
Telephone
+30 210 3250198
Attractions
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8. Roman Forum - Attractions
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From the first century BC, traders met in the Roman Forum - a rectangular courtyard lined with shops. Also on the site in Plaka stands the octangular Tower of the Winds, built in 1BC by Macedonian astronomer Andronikos.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€2; free for Acropolis ticket-holders (€12; concessions €6)
Opening hours
Tue-Sun 8am-11pm (closed on selected public holidays)
Address
Aiolou & Pelopida Streets, Plaka, Athens 10556
Telephone
+30 210 324 5220
Transport
Monastiraki metro station
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9. The Agora - Attractions
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In ancient times Athens' political, administrative and cultural heart, today the Ancient Agora in Monastiraki is a green landscape dotted with crumbling ruins. It is here that Socrates and St Paul made their public speeches, and where democracy was born.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€4 (also covered by Acropolis block ticket)
Opening hours
Summer daily 8.30am-7.30pm (from 11am Mon); winter daily 8.30am-5pm (from 11am Mon)
Address
24, Adrianou, Monastiraki, Athens, 18540
Telephone
+30 210 3310963
Transport
Monastiraki metro station
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10. Temple of Olympian Zeus - Attractions
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Soaring out of Athens' modern-day centre, 15 marble columns remain a jaw-dropping symbol of Ancient Greek know-how. Today's ruins were once part of a much larger temple complex, begun in the 6th century BC and consisting of 104 colossal columns.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€3; concessions free; free for Acropolis ticket-holders (€12; concessions €6)
Opening hours
Daily 8.30am-3pm
Address
Parados Vasilissis Olgas, Athens
Telephone
+30 26240 22517
Transport
Acropolis metro station
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11. Kapnikarea - Attractions
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The 12th-century Byzantine church of Kapnikerea, near Monastiraki, stands in a modern pedestrian shopping street. Built over an ancient temple, its frescoed-walls, solemn icons, incense-filled air and flickering candles offer a spiritual retreat typical of the Greek Orthodox faith.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening hours
Daily 8.30am-3pm
Address
Ermou & Kapnikareas, Monastiraki, TKTTK
Transport
Monastiraki metro station
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12. The Acropolis - Attractions
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Floodlit by night, the Acropolis is a rocky mound rising above Plaka. It is the birthplace of Athens, and crowned by three ancient temples, the best known being the Parthenon. Its towering columns have withstood the elements for over 2500 years.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€12 (ticket also valid for the Ancient Agora and Roman Forum)
Opening hours
Summer daily 8am-8pm; winter daily 8am-3pm
Address
Athens, TKTKT
Telephone
+30 210 9238175
Special things to do
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13. National Gardens - Special things to do
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Designed as the grounds of the 19th-century royal palace, now the Parliament, the National Gardens in Syntagma display lush planting, duck ponds, strutting peacocks and a small zoo. With two cafes, it offers a welcome green retreat from urban chaos.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening hours
Dawn to dusk
Address
Amalias, Athens, 10557
Telephone
+30 210 721 1178
Transport
Syntagma metro station
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14. Microlimano - Special things to do
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The circular bay of Microlimano in Piraeus, filled with wooden fishing boats and luxurious yachts, is best-known for its seafood restaurants with waterside terraces. Built into the hillside behind it rises the picturesque residential quarter of Kastella.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening hours
Daily all day
Address
Akti Koumoundourou, Piraeus, 18533
Transport
Neo Faliro metro station
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15. Lykavittos - Special things to do
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Athens' highest point, 295 metres high, Mount Lykavittos is served by cable car from Kolonaki. Paths zigzag up through pinewoods to the summit, capped by a whitewashed church and cafe. A viewing platform with coin-operated binoculars affords a magnificent panorama.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free; access by funicular €3
Opening hours
24 hours
Address
Kolonaki, Athens, 10676
Transport
Evangelismos metro station
