A short history of Athens
At the entrance to the Acropolis Museum, look down through the glass floor under your feet. Below lie the streets and house walls of an excavated ancient neighbourhood. In Athens, putting up a new building often means finding the old one first.
The Parthenon was built in the 5th century BC, in the time of Pericles. Over the next two thousand years it served as a temple, a church and a mosque. During the Venetian siege of 1687 a cannonball hit the building, which the Ottomans were using as a gunpowder store, and its middle section collapsed.
After Greece won independence, Athens became the capital in 1834, when it was still a small town. The neoclassical buildings on Panepistimiou Street date from that period. The first modern Olympic Games in 1896 were held in the Panathenaic Stadium, built entirely of marble. Today you can buy a ticket, go in and walk on the track.
Athens neighbourhoods
In Thiseio, cafés line the Apostolou Pavlou pedestrian walk, and the tables look up at the Acropolis. A good spot for an early-evening drink.
Gazi is a nightlife district built around an old gasworks. The works are now Technopolis, a venue for concerts and exhibitions, while the bars fill up after midnight.
Pangrati is home to more Athenians than tourists. The cafés and tavernas around Varnava Square make a quiet choice for dinner.
Exarchia is a student district of second-hand bookshops, record stores and graffiti. Protests happen here often, so be aware that the mood can get tense late at night.
If you want a swim on a summer day, you can take the tram or a bus down to Glyfada. Beaches, cafés and shopping streets run along the coast.
Where to stay
- Plaka: Historic and walkable at the foot of the Acropolis. Touristy, but lovely.
- Monastiraki / Psyrri: Flea market, street food and bars, plus a metro stop where two lines meet.
- Syntagma: The city centre, where the airport metro and bus leave from.
- Koukaki: Calm, local area near the Acropolis Museum.
- Kolonaki: Chic shops and cafés close to Lycabettus Hill.
- Piraeus: The ferry port for the islands, handy for early sailings.
When to visit Athens
Late September and October are the sweetest time in Athens. The sea is still warm, days are 22-28 °C, and even a late-morning climb to the Acropolis is doable. April to June is similar, though temperatures rise quickly in June.
In July and August the thermometer reads 33-38 °C, and climbs higher in heatwaves. On those days the Acropolis can close to visitors around midday, so plan the hill for opening time. In the evenings the Athens Festival stages concerts and plays at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
Winter is mild, 10-15 °C with occasional rain. Crowds thin out and hotel prices drop. Orthodox Easter falls on a different date each year. That weekend many shops and museums may be closed, and on Saturday night people gather with candles outside the churches.
Food culture in Athens
Athenians drink their coffee iced, and plenty of people order a freddo espresso or a foamy frappé even in midwinter.
Lunch starts around 14:00, and hardly anyone eats dinner before 21:00. For a quick meal, souvlaki or gyros in pitta does the job. If you want to sit down, it's meze plates, the village salad horiatiki and baked moussaka. For dessert there are honey-soaked loukoumades and strained yoghurt with honey poured over. In tavernas the bread and water put on the table may appear as a small charge on the bill. Rounding the bill up a little is enough of a tip.
Athens trip budget
Athens sits in the middle among European capitals. Accommodation and food cost less than in the West, while tickets for the big ancient sites have gone up in recent years. In 2026 you can get by on 60-90 € a day with a hostel, souvlaki and the metro. 120-200 € means a mid-range hotel and taverna evenings, and 300 € and up buys a hotel with an Acropolis view and good restaurants.
A 90-minute ticket for the metro, buses and trams costs 1.20 €, while the airport metro ticket is separate and around 9 €. Entry to the Acropolis is about 30 € and the Acropolis Museum around 20 €.
Between November and March, entry to many ancient sites and museums costs nothing on each month's opening Sunday. The changing of the evzones guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma, the walk up Philopappos Hill and the Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade are free.
Prices are approximate as of October 2026.
Build your route on the Athens map
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