Cidade Turismo
Greece
Atenas

Ática · Greece

Atenas

The Acrópole and the Partenon, the ancient agoras, top-tier museums, neighborhoods of narrow streets beneath the rock, and the changing of the guard at Syntagma square: the Greek capital is the gateway to the country.

Atenas e Centro

In the photo: Templo de Poseidon, Cabo Sunião

Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.

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Get to know the place

A region to enjoy
at your own pace.

The historic center is compact: the Acrópole, the Ágora Antiga, the Ágora Romana, the Biblioteca de Adriano, the Templo de Zeus Olímpico and the Estádio Panatenaico are a few minutes' walk from each other, linked by pedestrian streets and the neighborhoods of Plaka, Monastiraki and Psiri. Syntagma square, in front of the Parliament, is the reference point for everything.

The ancient city coexists with a modern capital of more than three million inhabitants in the metropolitan area. The major museums are spread out: the Museu da Acrópole, at the foot of the rock; the Museu Arqueológico Nacional, near Omonia square; and, on Vasilissis Sofias avenue, the Benaki, the de Arte Cicládica and the Bizantino e Cristão. For viewpoints, Monte Licabeto and the Colina de Filopapo are the natural lookouts over the sea of white buildings and the Acrópole.

The metropolis stretches to the sea. The Pireu (Pireas), about 10 km from the center, is the port from which boats depart for the islands, and the southern shore, from the Fundação Stavros Niarchos to Glyfada and Vouliagmeni, has beaches and a tram that runs along the coast. At the end of that road, about 70 km away, the Templo de Poseidon at Cabo Sunião is the classic day trip.

Greek is written in a different alphabet, but metro signs, main street signs and sites have Latin-letter versions, and English is common in tourism. Kalimera means “good morning”; efharisto means “thank you”.

This destination brings together 1 city: Atenas.

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One destination, many paths

The cities on this trip

Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.

Where Atenas is
Atenas

Contornos: Natural Earth (domínio público). Adaptação do Cidade Turismo.

How to get there: Atenas

✈ Aeroporto Internacional de Atenas Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH), in Spata · 33 km to Atenas

Check before buying. Flights land at Aeroporto Eleftherios Venizelos, about 33 km from the center. From there, metro line 3 reaches Syntagma in about 40 minutes; there is suburban train, buses X95 (Syntagma) and X96 (Pireu) and taxis with a fixed fare. Confirm night/early-morning schedules.

Atenas
Ática · Atenas Capital

Atenas

Capital of Greece and of the Attica periphery, Athens has a historic center that fits into a walk: the Acrópole and the Partenon, the Ágora Antiga and the Ágora Romana, Hadrian's Library, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Panathenaic Stadium lie between praça Syntagma and the neighborhoods of Plaka and Monastiraki. The museums of the Acrópole, the National Archaeological, Benaki, Cycladic and Byzantine complete the old part; Licabeto and Colina de Filopapo are the viewpoints. Pireu, 10 km away, is the port for boats to the islands.

The local experience

Things to do in Atenas

Acrópole de Atenas (Akropoli)
Atenas · Ática · Archaeological site

Acrópole de Atenas (Akropoli)

The sacred hill of Athens, with the Partenon, the Erecteion, the Propileus and the Templo de Atena Nike on top, and the Teatro de Dioniso and the Odeon of Herodes Ático on the south slope. UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Museu da Acrópole (Mouseio Akropolis)
Atenas · Ática · Museum

Museu da Acrópole (Mouseio Akropolis)

Museum at the foot of the rock housing the original sculptures of the Acrópole, including the Caryatids and the Parthenon friezes, in a glass building aligned with the temple above.

Ágora Antiga de Atenas (Archaia Agora)
Atenas · Ática · Archaeological site

Ágora Antiga de Atenas (Archaia Agora)

The public square of classical Atenas, at the foot of the Acrópole, with the Templo de Hefesto, one of the best-preserved Greek temples, and the reconstructed Stoa de Átalo, which houses the site's museum.

Museu Arqueológico Nacional (Ethniko Archaiologiko Mouseio)
Atenas · Ática · Museum

Museu Arqueológico Nacional (Ethniko Archaiologiko Mouseio)

The largest archaeological museum in Grécia, with the Mask of Agamemnon, the Anticítera mechanism, the Artemísion bronzes and the frescoes from Santorini, housed in a neoclassical building near praça Omonia.

See 18 more places in Atenas
Templo de Zeus Olímpico (Naos tou Olympiou Dios)
Atenas · Ática · Archaeological site

Templo de Zeus Olímpico (Naos tou Olympiou Dios)

The 17-metre Corinthian columns of the largest temple of ancient Greece, which took almost seven centuries to complete, with the Arco de Adriano on the corner.

Estádio Panatenaico (Panathinaiko Stadio)
Atenas · Ática · Stadium

Estádio Panatenaico (Panathinaiko Stadio)

A stadium entirely of white marble, rebuilt over the ancient stadium for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Called Kallimarmaro by the Athenians.

Monte Licabeto (Lykavittos)
Atenas · Ática · Viewpoint

Monte Licabeto (Lykavittos)

The 277-metre hill that dominates central Athens, with the white chapel of São Jorge at the top and views across the whole city to the sea and the Acrópole. You can climb on foot or take the cable car.

Museu Benaki (Mouseio Benaki)
Atenas · Ática · Museum

Museu Benaki (Mouseio Benaki)

Museum of Greek art and culture from prehistory to the 20th century, housed in a neoclassical mansion facing the Jardim Nacional. Costumes, jewellery, icons and two rooms with 18th-century wooden interiors.

Atenas · Ática · Museum

Museu de Arte Cicládica (Mouseio Kykladikis Technis)

Collection of marble figurines from the Cyclades islands, 4,500 years old, and of ancient Greek and Cypriot art, in a small, well-curated museum in Kolonaki, with an annex in a neoclassical mansion.

Ágora Romana e Torre dos Ventos (Romaiki Agora kai Aerides)
Atenas · Ática · Archaeological site

Ágora Romana e Torre dos Ventos (Romaiki Agora kai Aerides)

The market built in Athens in the time of Augustus, with the Gate of Atena Arquegetis and the Torre dos Ventos, a water clock and sundial from the 1st century BC with the eight winds carved.

Biblioteca de Adriano (Vivliothiki Adrianou)
Atenas · Ática · Archaeological site

Biblioteca de Adriano (Vivliothiki Adrianou)

Ruins of the library built by Emperor Hadrian in 132 AD next to Monastiraki, with a façade of Corinthian columns and the remains of three Byzantine churches in the courtyard.

Kerameikos
Atenas · Ática · Archaeological site

Kerameikos

The cemetery of ancient Athens, at the end of rua Ermou, with the two gates of Temístocles' wall, the Via Sacra, funerary monuments and a small museum with stelae and vases.

Jardim Nacional e Zappeion (Ethnikos Kipos kai Zappeio)
Atenas · Ática · Garden

Jardim Nacional e Zappeion (Ethnikos Kipos kai Zappeio)

The 15.5-hectare park behind the Parliament, the former royal palace garden, with lakes, dense shade and ruins, linked to the Zappeion, the 1888 exhibition palace where Greece's entry into the European Community was signed.

Museu Bizantino e Cristão (Vyzantino kai Christianiko Mouseio)
Atenas · Ática · Museum

Museu Bizantino e Cristão (Vyzantino kai Christianiko Mouseio)

Icons, mosaics, frescoes and devotional objects from the 3rd to the 19th century, in a modern museum beneath the gardens of a Florentine villa from 1848 on Vasilissis Sofias avenue.

Colina de Filopapo (Lofos Filopappou)
Atenas · Ática · Viewpoint

Colina de Filopapo (Lofos Filopappou)

The tree-covered hill facing the Acrópole, with the Roman Monument of Filopapo at the top, stone paths designed by Dimitris Pikionis and the most photographed view of the Partenon.

Mercado Central Varvakios (Varvakeios Agora)
Atenas · Ática · Market

Mercado Central Varvakios (Varvakeios Agora)

Athens' municipal market since 1886, on Athinas street, with the fish pavilion in the middle, the butcher shops around it and the fruit and olive stalls on the other side of the street. Taverns that serve food all day.

Praça Syntagma e Parlamento (Plateia Syntagmatos kai Vouli)
Atenas · Ática · Square

Praça Syntagma e Parlamento (Plateia Syntagmatos kai Vouli)

The central square of Athens, facing the Parliament, the former royal palace, where the evzones in fustanella and pompom shoes perform the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every hour.

Monastiraki
Atenas · Ática · Neighborhood

Monastiraki

The square with the small church, the Ottoman mosque and the metro station, and the bazaar streets around: the flea market on Ifestou Street, Avissynias and the terrace cafés with views of the Acropolis.

Plaka e Anafiotika
Atenas · Ática · Neighborhood

Plaka e Anafiotika

The old neighborhood on the slopes of the Acropolis, with pedestrian streets, neoclassical houses, small Byzantine churches and tavernas, and, at the top, Anafiotika—a cluster of white island-style houses clinging to the rock.

Templo de Poseidon, Cabo Sunião (Naos tou Poseidona, Sounio)
Atenas · Ática · Archaeological site

Templo de Poseidon, Cabo Sunião (Naos tou Poseidona, Sounio)

The Doric temple of the 5th century BC on top of the cliffs of Cape Sounion, the southern tip of Attica, 60 meters above the Aegean Sea, with fifteen columns standing and Lord Byron’s name carved on one of them.

Centro Cultural Fundação Stavros Niarchos (SNFCC)
Atenas · Ática · Cultural centre

Centro Cultural Fundação Stavros Niarchos (SNFCC)

The Renzo Piano complex on the Kallithea waterfront, housing the National Library, the National Opera, a 21-hectare park, a seawater canal and a terrace with views of the Acropolis and the gulf. Park entry is free.

Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea (EMST)
Atenas · Ática · Museum

Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea (EMST)

Greece's contemporary art museum, housed in the former Fix brewery, with Greek and international works from the 20th and 21st centuries across eight floors next to the Syngrou-Fix metro station.

Before you go

Practical information

A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.

When to go

From April to June and from September to October the weather is usually mild and the days are long, good for walking among the ruins. July and August are very hot and dry, with sites lacking shade; go early or late in the afternoon. From November to March it rains more, archaeological sites often close earlier and there are fewer lines. Orthodox Easter, a movable date between April and May, changes opening hours.

The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.

How many days to stay

Three days cover the essentials: one for the Acrópole, the Museu da Acrópole and Plaka; one for the agoras, Monastiraki, Kerameikos and the Museu Arqueológico Nacional; one for the museums on Vasilissis Sofias, Licabeto and the Estádio Panatenaico. With four days you can include Cabo Sunião or the Fundação Stavros Niarchos. Those who use Atenas only as a base for the islands usually stay two days.

Which city to stay in

Plaka and Monastiraki leave the Acrópole and the agoras within walking distance, with pedestrian streets and restaurants; it's the place for first-time visitors. Syntagma and Kolonaki are more formal, near the Parliament, the National Garden and the museums on Vasilissis Sofias. Koukaki and Makrygianni, south of the Acrópole, have a neighborhood feel, metro access (Akropoli and Syngrou-Fix) and lower prices than Plaka. Psiri and Thissio are lively at night and close to Kerameikos. Avoid staying near Omonia and Metaxourgio if you arrive late: they are commercial areas that empty at night. If you only need to catch an early boat you can stay in the Pireu.

Respect the place

Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.

Get your questions answered

Frequently asked questions about Atenas

How to get from Atenas airport to the city center?

The most direct option is the metro, line 3, which departs from the terminal and reaches Syntagma and Monastiraki in about 40 minutes, with spaced departures; the airport ticket is different from the urban fare. There is also the suburban train, buses X95 (Syntagma) and X96 (Pireu), which run overnight, and taxis with a fixed fare to the center, higher at night. Confirm schedules before boarding.

How many days in Atenas before going to the islands?

Two days are enough for the Acrópole, the Museu da Acrópole, the agoras and the central neighborhoods. Three days include the Museu Arqueológico Nacional and a viewpoint. If the trip passes through the city twice, on the way in and back, split it: the ancient part on arrival and the museums and Cabo Sunião at the end.

Do I need to buy the Acrópole ticket in advance?

Yes. The Acrópole operates with timed entry and tickets are sold online on the official platform of the Ministry of Culture. The earliest morning slots and the late-afternoon ones are the most sought after, especially from May to October. Check whether there is a ticket that includes other sites before buying separate entries.

Is Atenas a city to explore on foot?

The historic center, yes: from Syntagma to the Acrópole is 15 minutes, and the pedestrian street Dionysiou Areopagitou skirts the rock to Thissio. The climbs are short, but the old marble pavement is slippery. For the museums on Vasilissis Sofias, Licabeto and the Pireu use metro, bus or taxi, which is inexpensive compared with other European capitals.

Can you do a day trip from Atenas to Cabo Sunião, Delphi or an island?

Yes. Cabo Sunião is about 70 km away, with regional buses (KTEL Attikis) from the center or by car. Delphi is about 180 km away and has KTEL buses from the Liossion terminal; it is a full day. For islands, the nearest are Egina, Hidra and Poros, in the Saronic Gulf, with boats from the Pireu.

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