I’d give Athens at least two days, ideally three. Beyond the Acropolis, my top picks are the Ancient Agora with the Temple of Hephaestus, the Anafiotika quarter and sunset on the Areopagus. Book your Acropolis ticket in advance for a set time slot, and if you have a day to spare, go to Delphi.
- How many days
- At least two; I’d recommend three, so there’s time for a beach, an island or a trip to Delphi
- Airport to centre
- About 40 minutes by metro to Syntagma; the airport ticket costs €9 and an ordinary city ticket isn’t valid on this route
- Where I stayed
- Gazi Urban Residence in the Gazi district; I’d avoid the area around Omonia, Exarchia and Patissia
- Acropolis
- Timed-entry tickets, €30 in 2026; buy yours online in advance
- Where to eat
- Taverna Klimataria, almost a hundred years old; if you arrive after 8pm, book by phone
- Day trip to Delphi
- About 180 km, roughly three hours by bus; I hesitated, but I don’t regret it
Contents8 chaptersHideShow
- 01How to get to Athens
- Direct flights from Bratislava to Athens
- From the airport to central Athens
- Getting around Athens
- 02Where to stay in Athens
- How many days do you need in Athens?
- 03What to see in Athens
- The Acropolis and the Parthenon
- The Roman Agora
- The Temple of Hephaestus in the Ancient Agora
- Monastiraki Square
- Adrianou Street and its restaurants
- The National Garden
- The Temple of Olympian Zeus
- Plaka and Anafiotika
- Sunset on the Areopagus
- Lycabettus Hill and the funicular
- 04Where to eat in Athens
- What to order in a Greek restaurant
- 05A day trip from Athens to Delphi
- 06Athens as a gateway to the Greek islands
- 07Beaches near Athens
- 08Is Athens worth visiting?
If you want to plan your trip quickly, my suggestions for how long to stay and what to see are below. For the practical side of getting into town, see the section ‘From the airport to central Athens’.
What is there to see in Athens? I’ve been to Athens several times. My first impression wasn’t great, but I slowly figured the city out. In this article I share my tips on where to go, where to stay and where to eat well.
How to get to Athens
Direct flights from Bratislava to Athens
Ryanair and Wizz Air now both fly direct from Bratislava to Athens, and the flight takes about two hours. When I first wrote this article, the route belonged to Aegean, the Greek flag carrier, and I flew with them in cooperation with Bratislava Airport. Aegean dropped its Bratislava flights in 2024, though.
One detail from that trip has stuck with me. On a short European flight I got a full dinner and a drink, free of charge. At a time when many European airlines hand out a biscuit at most, that came as a pleasant surprise.
From the airport to central Athens
The metro is the easiest way in. It runs straight from the airport into the centre and gets you to Syntagma Square in about 40 minutes. The airport ticket costs €9 and is a separate fare: an ordinary city ticket isn’t valid on this route (checked in 2026).
Getting around Athens
In the centre I mostly walk or take the metro, as the buses often sit in traffic. A 90-minute ticket costs €1.20 and covers the metro, trams and buses (checked in 2026). The 24-hour ticket for €4.10 served me well (price checked in 2026). If you’re planning lots of journeys and the airport run as well, look at the three-day tourist ticket for €20. It includes one return trip to the airport (price and conditions checked in 2026). For a taxi, you can use apps such as Uber or FreeNow, which call you an ordinary licensed cab.
Where to stay in Athens
Staying near the Acropolis is the most expensive option. I stayed in the Gazi district at Gazi Urban Residence and was happy with it. Gazi is one of the cleaner areas, with everything you need nearby, and most places are within walking distance. Plaka and Anafiotika below the Acropolis are prettier, but expect higher prices.
Some parts of the city are run-down, and on my first visit the gap between poverty and wealth took me aback. I wouldn’t stay around Omonia Square or in Exarchia and Patissia, especially if you plan to walk back at night. In the tourist areas I recommend in this article, you’ll feel comfortable.
How many days do you need in Athens?
At least two. I’d recommend at least three, though, so you can fit in a beach, one of the islands or a full-day trip to Delphi.
What to see in Athens
Here are the places in the order I saw them, and you can simply work through the list from first to last:
- The Acropolis and the Parthenon
- The Roman Agora
- The Temple of Hephaestus in the Ancient Agora
- Monastiraki Square
- Adrianou Street and its restaurants
- The National Garden
- The Temple of Olympian Zeus
- The Plaka and Anafiotika quarters
- Sunset on the Areopagus
- Lycabettus Hill
The Acropolis and the Parthenon
You can’t visit Athens and skip the Acropolis. You won’t avoid the crowds unless you arrive right at opening time, but the site is big and people spread out. The Acropolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it’s worth it not only for the Parthenon but for the other temples on the hill too. Once you’ve seen it, you start noticing that it’s visible from almost every part of the city.
You’ll find guided tours of the Acropolis here:
- Tip from Milan Acropolis tickets are now sold for a set entry time. In 2026 an adult ticket costs €30, and there’s no longer a cheaper winter price. It’s best to buy online in advance on the official site, hhticket.gr. Otherwise you may face a long queue or find your time slot sold out.
The Roman Agora
The Roman Agora was built under Roman rule as the city’s new market square. Its highlight is the Tower of the Winds, an octagonal building from the 1st century BC. It served as a sundial, a water clock and a weather vane in one. If you’d rather not pay for a ticket, you can see the agora through the fence on your way from the Acropolis.
The Temple of Hephaestus in the Ancient Agora
The Temple of Hephaestus stands on a low hill above the Ancient Agora and dates from the 5th century BC. The Greeks dedicated it to Hephaestus, the god of fire, blacksmiths and craftsmen. It’s one of the best-preserved Greek temples anywhere, and surprisingly, that’s because it later served as a church. As a result, nobody took it apart for building stone, which was the fate of many other ancient buildings.
Monastiraki Square
Monastiraki is a busy square with a small Byzantine church and the 18th-century Ottoman Tzistarakis Mosque. Right next to it are the remains of Hadrian’s Library. The lanes leading off the square hold a flea market with antiques, jewellery and souvenirs. Plus, of course, fridge magnets and everything else nobody needs.
Adrianou Street and its restaurants
If you want a restaurant with a view of the Acropolis, Adrianou Street has plenty. I ate at several of them. They all serve the Greek classics, but none of them really won me over. My specific restaurant and café tips are further down, away from this street.
The National Garden
I studied landscape architecture, so I like to visit a park in every city. The National Garden in Athens is right next to the parliament. Queen Amalia, wife of Otto, the first King of Greece, had it laid out in the 19th century. She came from Oldenburg in Germany, and the avenue beside the garden bears her name. On a hot day it’s one of the few places in the centre where you’ll find shade.
The Temple of Olympian Zeus
The Temple of Olympian Zeus stands a short walk from the garden, and to me it’s a good story about perseverance. Construction began in the 6th century BC, but the temple was only finished under the Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD, more than 600 years later. It originally had 104 columns. Today just 15 are still standing, plus one lying on the ground, brought down by a storm in the 19th century.
Plaka and Anafiotika
Anafiotika is a small quarter below the Acropolis with white houses and narrow lanes. It reminded me a bit of Mykonos. Workers from the island of Anafi built it in the 19th century, when they came to Athens to build the royal palace. They built their houses the way they knew from home, and the quarter takes its name from their island. Plaka, which surrounds it, is one of the oldest parts of the city and is full of shops and tavernas.
Please be considerate here. People live in these houses, and I wouldn’t want tourists running around under my windows either.
Sunset on the Areopagus
The Areopagus is a rocky hill just below the Acropolis. In ancient times a council met here to judge the most serious crimes. According to the Bible, the apostle Paul later preached to the Athenians here. Today people come up mainly for the view of the Acropolis and the city centre. It gets crowded at sunset, but it’s worth it. Watch your step: the rocks are worn smooth and slippery.
Lycabettus Hill and the funicular
Lycabettus is the highest hill in central Athens, and from the top the whole city and the Acropolis are spread out below you. At the top there’s the Chapel of St George and a restaurant, which I didn’t try.
- Tip from Milan You don’t have to walk up, because there’s a funicular. Just don’t expect a view from it: it runs in a tunnel the whole way. I’d buy a single ticket, ride up and walk back down.
Where to eat in Athens
- Ubuntu café: good coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice
- Klepsidra Café: a café in Plaka below the Acropolis
- Taverna Klimataria: a traditional Greek taverna
- The restaurants on Adrianou Street with a view of the Acropolis
If you only go to one restaurant in Athens, make it Klimataria. It’s a family-run taverna with almost a hundred years of history and traditional Greek cooking. I ate ridiculously well here. If you’re planning to arrive around 8pm or later, book a table by phone.
For dessert, head to Klepsidra. It’s a bit touristy, but the atmosphere is lovely. Take a seat on a bench in the lane, order a coffee and watch the world go by. I stayed for about an hour.
What to order in a Greek restaurant
Starters
- Tzatziki is a refreshing dip of yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and dill. My mum used to make it at home on hot summer days.
- Feta is a salty cheese made from sheep’s milk, sometimes with a little goat’s milk added. Try it in a Greek salad or baked as a starter.
- Dolmades are vine leaves stuffed with rice, sometimes with meat as well. They come with lemon, and I love them.
Main courses
- Moussaka is a bit like lasagne, with layers of aubergine, potato, minced meat and béchamel. It’s seriously filling: whenever I order it, there’s never any room left for dessert.
- Souvlaki is grilled meat on a skewer, which you can also get wrapped in pitta bread with salad and tzatziki.
Dessert and drinks
- Baklava is a pastry made of thin filo, nuts and honey. Don’t leave Greece without trying it.
- Ouzo is a traditional Greek aniseed-flavoured aperitif. Add water or ice and it turns milky white.
A day trip from Athens to Delphi
You’ve probably heard of Delphi, if only in a history lesson at school. The archaeological site lies in the mountains about 180 km north-west of Athens. The ancient Greeks believed this was the centre of the world. According to myth, Zeus released two eagles from opposite ends of the earth, and they met right above Delphi. A stone called the omphalos, the navel of the world, marked the spot.
Delphi owes its fame to the Pythia, the oracle in the Temple of Apollo. Ordinary people came to ask her advice, and so did kings before going to war. Besides the temple, you’ll see an ancient theatre for about 5,000 spectators and the stadium of the Pythian Games, which were the most important games in Greece after the Olympics.
What caught my attention most was the stone wall below the Temple of Apollo. Hundreds of inscriptions about freed slaves are carved into it. A slave was ‘sold’ to the god Apollo and in this way became free. The whole record, names and price included, is still legible in the stone today. The statues in the local museum are worth a look too. The men are almost always naked, because the naked body stood for sport and the ideal of beauty. The women, on the other hand, are draped.
At first I wasn’t sure about going to Delphi, because I didn’t fancy sitting on a bus for more than two hours. In the end I went, and I don’t regret it. How well this place has survived thousands of years still fascinates me.
- Tip from Milan If you have more time, think about the Meteora monasteries too. They’re further away than Delphi, though: from Athens it’s about four hours by car, so it’s better to stay the night there.
Tip from Milan If you’d rather drive to Delphi or Meteora, you can hire a car through Discover Cars, which compares car hire prices the way flight search sites compare fares.
Athens as a gateway to the Greek islands
Athens doesn’t have to be the destination: it also works as a stopover. A friend who was here recently used it as her gateway to the islands, and I like the idea. Ferries to the Cyclades, including Mykonos, leave from the ports of Piraeus and Rafina. Depending on the type of boat, the crossing to Mykonos takes roughly two and a half to five hours. Rafina is closer to the airport, Piraeus to the city centre. In summer, buy your ferry tickets in advance.
You’ll find my tips for Mykonos in the articles a holiday on Mykonos: a three-day itinerary and the best beaches on Mykonos. From Piraeus you can also take a boat to Crete, and my tips for the island are in the article what to see on Crete.
Beaches near Athens
Nobody comes to Athens mainly for the beaches. That’s what Greek islands such as Mykonos or Corfu are for. But if you have a day to spare, these beaches on the coast south of the centre are worth the trip:
- Glyfada is a sandy beach with cafés and restaurants, popular with locals.
- Vouliagmeni has clean water, and nearby is Lake Vouliagmeni with warm mineral water, where you can swim all year round.
- Varkiza is a sandy, family-friendly beach with cafés and water sports.
- Limanakia is a string of rocky coves where nudists swim too. Don’t come looking for sand.
Janka Travelhacker has explored the islands near Athens too. Read her tips on lovely islands near Athens (in Slovak).
Is Athens worth visiting?
Yes, but give it a little patience. My first impression wasn’t good: I saw dirty streets and a lot of noise and bustle. But if you come prepared and look in the right places, you’ll find an ancient city full of excellent food, sunshine and history.
You might also like my article 5 reasons to visit Greece.
Happy travels!
The first version of this article was written in cooperation with Bratislava Airport and Aegean Airlines.
A Slovak travel blogger who has been getting Slovaks out of their office chairs since 2013. Author of the book Influencer and founder of the Bez Mapy blog.
