Things to do in Athens
Museums and galleries, attractions, special things to do
Most of Athens’ top archaeological sites lie in Plaka and Monastiraki, including the temples of the Acropolis, and the crumbling ruins of The Agorá, 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. Out of town, The Temple of Poseidon at Sounio is a splendid ancient temple overlooking the Aegean Sea.
Museums and Galleries
Expand all1. National Archaeological Museum - Ancient Greek artefacts
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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 1pm-7.30pm; Tue-Fri 8am-7.30pm; Sat & Sun 8.30am-3pm
Address
44, Patission, Athens, 10433
Telephone
+30 210 821 7711
2. Benaki Museum - Art down the ages
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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; concessions €3; under 18s free (Thu 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
3. Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art - Ancient minimalist sculptures
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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
€5; concessions €1; under 18s free (Sat free)
Opening Hours
Mon, Wed & Fri 10am-4pm; Thu 10am-8pm; Sat 10am-3pm
Address
4, Neophytou Douka, Kolonaki, Athens, 10674
Telephone
+30 210 722 8321
4. Byzantine & Christian Museum - Greek Orthodox icons
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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
Tue-Sun 8.30am-3pm
Address
22, Vasilissas Sofias, Athens, 10675
Telephone
+30 210 723 2178
5. Museum of Greek Folk Art - Arts, crafts and costumes
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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
Tue-Sun 9am-2pm
Address
17, Kydathinaion, Plaka, Athens, 10558
Telephone
+30 210 321 3018
Transport
Acropolis metro station
6. Museum of Greek Traditional Instruments - Sounds of rural Greece
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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-Sat 10am-2pm; Wed 12pm-6pm
Address
1-3, Diogenous, Aeridon Square, Plaka, Athens, 10558
Telephone
+30 210 362 9513
Transport
Monastiraki metro station
Attractions
Expand all7. The Acropolis - Symbol of Greek heritage
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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. The all-glass New Acropolis Museum opens open in late 2008.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€12 (ticket also valid for the Ancient Agora and Roman Forum)
Opening Hours
Summer daily 8am-7pm; winter daily 8.30am-3pm
Address
Athens, TKTKT
Telephone
+30 (0) 210 321 4172
8. The Agorá - Where Socrates made speeches
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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 8am-7pm; winter daily 8am-3pm
Address
24, Adrianou, Monastiraki, Athens, 18540
Telephone
+30 210 321 0185
9. Kapnikarea - Byzantine spiritual retreat
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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 8am-2pm
Address
Ermou & Kapnikareas, Monastiraki, TKTTK
Transport
Monastiraki metro station
10. Roman Forum - Greece in Medieval times
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From 1BC to 4AD, 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 (also covered by Acropolis block ticket)
Opening Hours
Summer daily 8am-7pm; winter daily 8am-3pm
Address
Aiolou & Pelopida Streets, Plaka, Athens, 10556
Telephone
+30 210 324 5220
Transport
Monastiraki metro station
11. Temple of Olympian Zeus - Ancient Greek high-rise
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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
Entrance to whole Olympia site €6; concessions €3; under 19s free
Opening Hours
Daily 8.30am-3pm
Address
Parados Vasilissis Olgas, Athens
Telephone
+30 26240 22517
Special things to do
Expand all12. Microlimano - Pretty fishing harbour
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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
Address
Akti Koumoundourou, Piraeus, 18533
Transport
Neo Faliro metro station
13. Lykavittos - Breathtaking Athenian views
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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
Address
Kolonaki, Athens, 10676
Transport
Evangelismos metro station
14. National Gardens - Escape the urban hubub
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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
15. The Temple of Poseidon - Shrine to the sea
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The 5th-century BC Temple of Poseidon stands on Cape Sounio, with commanding views over the Aegean. Built as a site of worship to the god of the sea, today 15 of the original 34 white marble Doric columns remain.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€4
Opening Hours
Daily 9am to sunset
Address
Cape Sounio, Sounion, 19500
Telephone
+30 229 203 9363
Transport
Bus from Mavromateon
