All sighstseeing, tourist attractions information and tips for your city break in Athens Greece such as visiting the sights and highlights. What to visit in Athens city in Greece? Your trip starts with travel guide AthensLover.com
Well prepared for a trip to Athens? On this website you will find all the information you need before booking a city trip to Athens Greece. Athens is a large and historic city with a lot to see and experience. What are the real must-sees and hidden gems of Athens city? Here you will find all information about attractions, the nicest neighbourhoods, excursions, museums and tickets. Have a nice trip in Athens and Greece!
Athens is the capital of Greece. It is also the largest city in the country. Athens (in Greek: Αθήνα) is located in the Attica region and is also the administrative center of it. You can divide Athens into seven different city districts. Athens is one of the most important cities in Greece. This is because the political and economic center of the country is located here. More than 4 million inhabitants live in Athens city. The name Athens is derived from the name of the Greek goddess Athena. Athens city was already an important place in ancient times. The city is unique because it was the first democracy. The Greek citizens were allowed to participate in politics. In Athens, several wars were fought against the Persians. Because of this, many of the well-known buildings and monuments have partly been destroyed and perished. Athens is also known as a city that produced many philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle and Socrates. As a result, Athens city became an important center for culture, art and philosophy.
What to visit in Athens city? The capital of Greece is full of ancient monuments, temples, ruins and churches. For lovers of ancient Greece, this city is a paradise. You really have to see the Acropolis. This hill in the middle of Athens has some of the most important archaeological monuments. Throughout the city, however, you will find remains of temples and other monuments. Many of these are dedicated to the ancient Greek gods.
Athens also has plenty of museums. The Acropolis museum and the National Archaeological Museum are perhaps the best known. The National Archaeological Museum, for example, has the largest collection of ancient Greek art in the entire country. Furthermore, Athens Greece has many more larger and smaller museums that are specialized in a type of art or an era of history. Athens is also a pleasant city with several squares such as Monastiráki Square where you will also find a large shopping street. So there is something for everyone to experience during an Athens city trip.
Athens city has many different neighborhoods, each with its own atmosphere and culture. Every neighborhood is unique and sometimes it feels like you've ended up in a completely different city. For example, the Pláka district is busy, cozy and touristy, while the picturesque Anafiótika district is quiet and full of locals. Monastiráki is the most central district with several monuments, the long shopping street Ermeu and numerous shops and restaurants, including near Monastiráki Square. In the evening, the alternative Psirri district full of street art is a cozy neighborhood or the Gázi district, known for its nightlife.
Athens has one major airport: Athens airport. From this airport you are in the center within half an hour. The center of Athens is quite large and contains several neighborhoods. Because of the hilly area everything can therefore be difficult to walk. Fortunately, you can move around the city by public transport or taxis. The most used form of public transport is the metro. In addition, you can also use the tram, train or bus in the Athens area. In addition, public transport is also fairly cheap. You can buy a single ticket or buy a day or week ticket. This gives you unlimited use of public transport. This is ideal if you want to see a lot of Athens city in a short time. Metro and bus stations are close by to many of the well-known Athens sights.
The absolute number 1 attraction of Athens city is without a doubt the Acropolis. The mountain is centrally located in the city and you will find the Parthenon here; the temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. Read our useful tourism tips for visiting the Acropolis.
What to visit in Athens? In this article an overview of the most important sights, museums and activities for your city trip to Athens. From the Acropolis to the Ancient Agora and from the touristic Plaka to the Acropolis Museum.
Besides the Acropolis, Athens has many other archaeological sites. Learn about six other areas such as the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Kerameikos or Hadrian's Library.
Museum lover? Then Athens city is the right place for you. Besides the famous Acropolis Museum and the huge National Archaeological Museum, the city has many other museums such as a Byzantine museum, the Benaki museum or the Hellenic Motor Museum.
Although you can easily reach many sights on foot, it can sometimes be easy to use public transport to visit Athens sights. For example, the city has an excellent and affordable metro network to visit places such as the port of Piraeus.
When you stay a little longer in the capital of Greece, it can be interesting to make a day trip in the area. For example, visit Delphi, the Temple of Poseidon or take a boat trip to the Saronic islands of Hydra, Poros or Aegina.
Athens has a Mediterranean climate where it is often very hot in summers and mild in winters. In summer temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees. In winter it is usually no warmer than 13 degrees. You can also expect rain or snow in the colder months. During an Athens vacation you will probably want to see a lot of the city and its history. So it's not a typical beach holiday. Therefore, it is not recommended to visit Athens Greece during July and August. It can be 30 to 40 degrees. Also in June it is regularly very warm. The best months to visit Athens are therefore March, April, May, September and October. In these months it is often still warm, but not too hot to walk through the city and enjoy the Athens tourism. There is then a pleasant summer climate. In these months it is the high season to visit Athens city. This means: it can be very busy. Do you want to avoid this crowd? Then come at the beginning or end of the high season. You can also visit Athens Greece in winter, but there is a chance of bad weather and rain.
| Weather Athens | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum (°C) | 5 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 7 |
| maximum (°C) | 12 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 33 | 33 | 28 | 23 | 18 | 13 |
| hours of sunshine / day | 6 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| rain (mm) | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
Visit Monastiráki, the central square of Athens Greece
The Anafiótika district at the foot of the Acropolis
Visit Athens, a city full of archaeological excavations
Athens Tourism: Traditional guards on Syntagma Square
