The Best Places To Visit In Athens
Changing Of The Presidential Guard
At the top of Syntagma Square, the Presidential Guard is on permanent watch outside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Mansion. When the guardsmen change over each hour, their exaggerated walks and pom-pom shoes can seem comic at first, but as the slow-motion ceremony goes on, the discipline and brotherhood of this elite unit becomes clearer. A must see – and there’s no real excuse not to, given the location (dead centre of town) and frequency (on the hour every hour). A bigger changeover involving the whole Guard takes place every Sunday at 11am.
Acropolis & Acropolis Museum
One is ancient, the other is modern, but these two make a fine pair. The Acropolis, of course, is an icon of classical Athens. High up on a flat-top rock, its temples were built almost 2,500 years ago. They were dedicated to Athena, the goddess who first earnt the city’s dedication on the same rock, but they also proclaimed the arrival of a golden age. They have been battered by history since then, but their grandeur is intact. Early morning or late evening visits mean gentler temperatures in summer, and you’ll avoid the biggest crowds. We’d also co-ordinate a visit with a trip to the Acropolis Museum. With some significant exceptions like the Elgin marbles, this is where you can see all of the antiquities from the Acropolis. The museum’s tall windows look out to the old temple hill itself, making it easy to imagine the treasures in situ. Its full-scale replica of the Parthenon is good for that too.
Visit HHTICKET.GR & THEACROPOLISMUSEUM.GR
Classical Athens
Scattered around the base of the Acropolis, there are so many more ancient remains to explore. Top of our list is the Tower of the Winds. In a far corner of the Roman Agora, this marble octagon is at least 2,000 years old but pretty much intact – it’s lost its weathervane, but still got its original stone roof. The decorative frieze just below the roof, showing the eight gods of wind, means it has beauty on its side too. Buy a combined ticket with the Acropolis (link below) and you’ll have five days to see all of the Roman Agora and other highlights including the Ancient Agora (even older than the Roman one), Kerameikos cemetery and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Visit HHTICKET.GR
Panathenaic Stadium
This remarkable arena stands out not just for its austere beauty, but for being both ancient and modern. First built for the Panathenaic Games around 400BC, it was refurbed for the first modern Olympics in 1896. The athletics track is the wrong shape for pro competition today, but take your trainers to follow in the footsteps of giants and do a lap of your own.
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Climb One Of The Seven Hills
Like Rome, like Edinburgh, like a host of cities around the world, Athens is built on seven hills. Three of them, in particular, offer generous rewards to those who climb them. Just below the Acropolis, Areopagus is less a standalone hill than a big rock that’s popular at sunset for its views across the Ancient Agora. To the east, Lycabettus hill is the highest point in the centre of town. A funicular runs up and down it, but we like the winding walk – take a breath at the Prasini Tenta café halfway up. Finally, wooded Philopappou hill has an impressive monument at its top and a marble path taking you to it.
Atmospheric Churches
Ancient history comes first in Athens, but there’s a chunky gap between the end of classical civilisation and the foundation of modern Greece less than 200 years ago. Fill it with a quick walking tour of the city’s atmospheric churches. Kapnikarea is a holy presence in the unholy surrounds of Ermou Street (the city’s most mainstream shopping hub). It’s Greek Orthodox, a thousand years old, and offers a cool, dark escape from everything around it. A short walk away, Agia Ekaterini is only a few years younger. It’s also Byzantine and much brighter. Staying close by, Agios Eleftherios is the old cathedral – you’ll find it in the shadow of the much bigger new one. And still within walking distance, Sotira Lykodimou stands out because it used to be Byzantine but is now Russian Orthodox.
Benaki Museum
The Benaki opened almost a hundred years as a temple to beautiful Greek things. A century on, the full collection has outgrown this old family home – the Benaki has multiple sites around town – but this is still where you can see some glorious ancient pieces. The terrace of its café is a hidden gem in summer – and a perfect stop-off if you’re headed to the Museum of Cycladic Art next…
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Manos Chatzikonstantis
Alekos Fassianos Museum
Alekos Fassianos tore down his family home to create the museum that bears his name. It opened in 2023, a year after his death, and the impact of the purpose-built space is undeniable. The artist’s bold modern pieces come to life against the muted tones and natural textures of their new home.
Visit ALEKOSFASSIANOS.GR
Museum Of Cycladic Art
A couple of blocks east of the Benaki, this museum opened in the 1980s to showcase the private collection of a couple with a serious interest in ancient culture. That might sound dry. It’s not. The stars of the permanent collection are some strikingly stylised female figurines that could pass for modern art but are from the Bronze Age – as in, they’re at least a millennium older than the Acropolis. The excellent temporary exhibitions here also tend to be female focused.
Visit CYCLADIC.GR
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre
Halfway between Athens and Piraeus, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre is worth getting out of town for. It’s designed by Renzo Piano, who gave Paris the Pompidou Centre, New York the Whitney Museum and London the, um, Shard. The man knows how to make a statement, and he’s made another big one here. In the middle of a landscaped park, a huge glass facility emerges from beneath the grass to house the Greek National Opera and the National Library. Free events are laid on year-round, and there’s a viewing platform so you can look back onto the city, but most of all you might cherish the sense of space out here.
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Piraeus
Ports are not usually places to linger. A few miles southwest of Athens, Piraeus is now an exception. Whether or not you’re passing through on your way to the Greek islands, it’s worth spending an afternoon around here. Piraiki has a wonderful old waterfront. Around Mikrolimano harbour, you’ll find some excellent seafood restaurants (Varoulko Seaside might have the freshest ingredients of all) and the Archaeological Museum, with its bronze statues salvaged from the sea floor. Closer to the main port, Paleo Wine Store would be an easy place to miss a ferry from. Yperokeanio is another name to know for great fish dishes.
Lake Vouliagmeni & The Athens Riviera
The Athens riviera starts in Piraeus and runs all the way to the southern tip of the mainland, where the Temple of Poseidon looks out to sea from Cape Sounion. Built around the same time as the Acropolis, the Romantic poet Lord Byron so loved the temple he carved his name into one of its pillars. Don’t do the same but do know that a journey down the coast from capital to cape can be a beautiful thing. The place to stop along the way is Vouliagmeni. As well as a nice beach (with an entry fee) and the Four Seasons Astir Palace, this smart suburb has a natural lake that’s become a low-key spa destination. Fed by both the sea and mountain springs, the water is warm enough to swim in year-round. Hang around the edge for a moment and you might notice your toes being nibbled by tiny fish offering free pedicures.
AND A FEW PLACES TO KNOW SLIGHTLY FURTHER OUT OF TOWN…
From Athens, it’s always tempting to go explore a bit more of Greece. For anyone looking to get out of the capital on an extended break, these are some of the best places to stay that we’ve discovered recently – one on the mainland, and three out in the Cycladic islands that are simple to reach by ferry from Piraeus or Rafina (the other port serving Athens).
Costa Navarino
This is Mandarin Oriental’s new opening in the far south-west of the Peloponnese peninsula. Take the toll roads from Athens and the drive can be reduced to a few hours (with a break at the spectacular Corinth Canal). On the very edge of the European mainland, it feels remote, which only enhances the sense of quiet luxury. Though it can boast of all the group’s usual high-end facilities, the low-slung property spreads politely to fill its prime spot on the bay, where villas built in local stone look across the golf courses to the sea, and many of them come with their own pools. Inside these villas, expect a chic, neutral colour scheme, earthy textures and gorgeous details. There's a choice of restaurants (for something different, opt for the tasting menu at Pizza Sapienza) and the spa offers all the brand's signature treatments. The Oriental Qi massage was one of the most effective we've ever had.
Visit MANDARINORIENTAL.COM
The Rooster
The Cycladic island of Antiparos is ten minutes by boat from its big sister Paros, but that little bit of separation makes a big difference. There’s an untouched slowness to Antiparos that the wellness-focused Rooster embraces. The best way to get around is e-bike – the Rooster can lend you one if you want to see the Cave of Antiparos, though you might find yourself not wanting to leave the striking property and the perfectly quiet beach at its foot. The treatments it offers are wonderful – as is the service across the board – but a sunset drink at its bar, then dinner in the walled garden might be the greatest tonic of all. New for 2024 is the hotel's Beach House, which comprises an eight-bedroom mega villa, 90 sunbeds, two treatment rooms and a new outpost of Athens' Cookoovaya restaurant.
Visit ROOSTERANTIPAROS.COM
Pnoes
Tinos is another Cycladic island to know if the parties of Mykonos and the crowds of Santorini don’t appeal like they used to. It was once an island of religious pilgrimage, but there are so many more reasons to go now – the uncrowded beaches, the bubbling up food scene, the hiking, the ornate dovecotes that dot the landscape, we could go on. At its southern tip, Pnoes is a group of three beautifully modern villas that can be rented separately or together. Looked after by Design Hotels, a stay at one of these waterside villas feels like staying in the home of an architect. Sculptures, tasteful modern paintings and beautiful deep concrete baths that are like works of art in their own right all set the scene for a memorable stay. We also loved the breakfast hamper, which was generously filled with Tinos produce.
Visit PNOESTINOS.GR
One&Only Kea Island
Kea Island is the closest of the Cyclades to Athens. One&Only has a speedboat that can get you here in 45 minutes from the capital. Sitting high up on its own peninsula, the resort has remarkable views across the Aegean – and many of the private terraces make the most of them. The beach club is a place you could lose a week, but the real luxury here is the peace.
Visit ONEANDONLYRESORTS.COM
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