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 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.
National Archaeological Museum
Ancient Greek artefacts
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.
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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
Byzantine & Christian Museum
Greek Orthodox icons
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.
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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
Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art
Ancient minimalist sculptures
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.
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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
Benaki Museum
Art down the ages
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.
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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
Museum of Greek Folk Art
Arts, crafts and costumes
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.
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Cost
€2
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-2pm (Mon from 9am)
Address
17, Kydathinaion, Plaka, Athens, 10558
Telephone
+30 210 321 3018
Transport
Acropolis metro station
Museum of Greek Traditional Instruments
Sounds of rural Greece
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.
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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
Acropolis Museum
Treasures of Ancient Greece
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.
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Cost
€1
Opening Hours
Tues-Sun 8am-8pm
Address
15, Dionysiou Areopagitou, Athens 11742
Telephone
+30 210 9000 900
The Acropolis
Symbol of Greek heritage
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.
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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
The Agorá
Where Socrates made speeches
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.
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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
Roman Forum
Greece in Medieval times
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.
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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
Kapnikarea
Byzantine spiritual retreat
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.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 8.30am-3pm
Address
Ermou & Kapnikareas, Monastiraki, TKTTK
Transport
Monastiraki metro station
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Ancient Greek high-rise
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.
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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
National Gardens
Escape the urban hubbub
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.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Dawn to dusk
Address
Amalias, Athens, 10557
Telephone
+30 210 721 1178
Transport
Syntagma metro station
Lykavittos
Breathtaking Athenian views
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.
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Cost
Free; access by funicular €3
Opening Hours
24 hours
Address
Kolonaki, Athens, 10676
Transport
Evangelismos metro station
Microlimano
Pretty fishing harbour
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.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
Akti Koumoundourou, Piraeus, 18533
Transport
Neo Faliro metro station
