Given my background in Classical Languages, Athens captures my imagination. Yet, it has been more than 30 years since I last visited this city. I have increasingly focused on Rome and Italy. The Greeks unintentionally faded somewhat into the background. In April 2026, it is high time to change that! To be well-prepared for my city trip, I scour the internet for tips before departure. These are sometimes a bit outdated or contradictory. In this post, I would like to share our experiences on location.
🚍 From the airport to the city center
There are several options to get from the airport to the city center. It is a ride of about 50 minutes, so a taxi is quite expensive. The metro is not very convenient when you are lugging luggage and would rather not climb too many stairs. That is why we opt for the bus, and it runs very smoothly.
Bus X95 runs from the airport to Syntagma Square in the city center. Between airport exits 4 and 5, you will find a kiosk where you can buy tickets. We paid €5.50 per person. Contrary to what I read online beforehand, there is no discount for young people or seniors. The bus also departs near the kiosk every 20 minutes, day and night. The journey itself takes 70 minutes. There are a few stops along the way; the final stop is the centrally located Syntagma Square.
This option was very convenient for us. The only downside is that at times there are a huge number of people on the bus, with suitcases. We had to stand for an hour, which might not be easy for everyone.
🛌 Where to stay?
In the center of Athens, you can easily get everywhere on foot. There are many neighborhoods where it is pleasant to stay and everywhere you will find hotels with rooftop terraces and views of the Acropolis. So, there are plenty of options.
We stayed at Hotel Amalia near Syntagma Square and were more than satisfied. To start with: the location. Very easy to reach by bus X95 from the airport. A two-minute walk from the final stop, so little lugging of suitcases. During your stay, you can reach many sights on foot. The Acropolis is a fifteen-minute walk away. The charming Plaka district is just around the corner, ideal for finding restaurants in the evening. The changing of the guard at Parliament takes place right outside the door. And then there is the hotel itself: spacious, comfortable, clean rooms, friendly staff and an unprecedentedly extensive breakfast. We were impressed!
🚌 How to get everywhere?
As mentioned several times above, you can do a lot on foot in Athens City Centre. There are also trams and metro lines that allow you to cover distances. For families with children or people with mobility issues, the hop-on-hop-off bus is a great option. You pass by all the tourist hotspots in a pleasant way and receive commentary via earpieces along the way.
There are several companies in Athens that offer this service. The routes and prices are virtually the same: around €23 for a 24-hour ticket on the route through central Athens. You can also buy tickets for 48 or 72 hours. You can also add extra routes along the coast, even as far as the cruise terminal. After some online research, we opted for the red buses from ‘Citysightseeing’. The buses were clean, not overcrowded, and at every stop there was a staff member to inform us about the waiting time. Overall, the waiting time was quite reasonable, although we had the impression that the ‘Big Bus’ buses passed by a bit more frequently. That could, of course, have been a coincidence.
info citysightseeing Athens hop-on-hop-off
🏛 What to do?
We traveled with 6 people, including two teenagers and two elderly people aged 80. So we didn't want to over-plan our days and wanted to allow enough time for travel. We were there for one evening and two full days. On the last day, we used the hop-on-hop-off bus.
Dinner in the Plaka neighbourhood
On the hotel's recommendation, we headed to Restaurant Daphne at the foot of the Acropolis on the first evening. The building itself is very beautiful, with a cozy courtyard full of lights. The food is delicious. Our first experience with Greek cuisine was an instant hit. We ate well in the following days, but this experience was not surpassed.
Changing of the guard at the parliament
Located near our hotel is the Greek Parliament, where a changing of the guard takes place every hour. The guards are dressed in traditional attire consisting of pleated skirts, tights, and shoes with pom-poms. With great fanfare, they take turns, only to remain standing motionless for an hour.
On Sundays at 11 a.m., the spectacle is even more spectacular. The guards are accompanied by a marching band, there is a thorough inspection of every guard and traditional movements are performed for 20 minutes. I read on the internet beforehand that on Sundays you need to be present 15 to 20 minutes in advance if you want to secure a good spot. That turned out to be too late. When we left the hotel at 10:40 a.m., the square was already packed. The procession of musicians and guards appears as early as 10:45 a.m., while the actual changing of the guard takes place at 11 a.m. So, if you want a good view, you definitely need to be present around 10:15 a.m.
Akropolis Museum
From the hotel, we walk via the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Arch towards the Acropolis. We do not want to visit the Acropolis itself in the middle of the day; early morning or late afternoon would be better to avoid the crowds. So, we decide to visit the Acropolis Museum first, and that turns out to be a good decision. The museum is very interesting and provides good preparation for the visit to the site itself.
The building itself is impressive. It was built about 20 years ago, so everything still looks new and modern. The upper floor is made of glass and is positioned parallel to the Temple of Parthenon on the Acropolis. The statues of the Caryatids are also beautifully displayed in a separate room. It is clearly indicated that one of the six statues is missing. It has been in the British Museum in London for many years. Hopefully, it will one day find a place back with the five other ‘sisters’ here in Athens.
The visit to the museum takes a little longer than two hours.
I wanted to buy tickets for the museum online in advance, but that is only possible if you want to buy tickets without a discount. Young people and seniors receive a substantial reduction, but have to go to the ticket counter on site to have their passports checked.
Akropolis
For the Acropolis itself, it is possible to purchase all tickets online in advance, even those with a discount. Your passport will be checked at the entrance.
Especially on busy days, it is advisable to book your tickets in advance, otherwise you risk not getting in. The only downside: when reserving, you have to choose a time slot for your visit. This is not always easy to estimate beforehand. It is also important that you stick to your predetermined time, as they are very strict about this. Even though there was absolutely no queue to be seen at 3:15 PM, we only had a reservation for 4:00 PM and were not allowed in yet. You can gain access no later than fifteen minutes before your chosen time slot. So we had to wait for half an hour.
There are two entrances. The southeastern entrance, near the museum, takes you past the Theatre of Dionysus along a gradually ascending path to the Propylaea, the monumental gateway to the Acropolis. The western entrance is somewhat steeper at the start, but you stand almost immediately at the Propylaea.
It is said that the western entrance, the main entrance, is always busier than the other entrance. During our visit, however, that was not the case at all. We chose the western entrance because there was supposed to be a lift there that could take people with reduced mobility up. However, we were told that the lift was out of service ‘due to the wind’. Strange, because there wasn't a breath of wind when we were there. So, I wouldn't count on that lift. If you have real difficulty walking or if you have a stroller with you, the Acropolis is actually not doable.
We went in at 4 pm. The crowds weren't too bad at that time, but an hour later it was noticeably less busy. So, if your schedule allows, it's a good idea to go up a bit later.
Please note: During the winter season (November through March), the Acropolis is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Last entry is at 4:40 PM. From April to October, entry is from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
We entered through the western entrance and exited along the southeastern side. In this way, we were also able to see the Theatre of Dionysus and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
info Akropolis (official ticket site)
Panathenaic Stadium
This stadium was built on the foundations of an ancient stadium from 330 BC. It is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble and was used for the first ‘modern’ Olympic Games in 1896. From the outside, you have a beautiful view of the entire structure. You can also go inside the stadium, but you have to buy tickets to do so. We didn't do that.
Archeological Museum
This museum was a half-hour walk from our hotel and was one of the places we visited with the hop-on-hop-off bus. The museum was very quiet during our visit, yet it houses many archaeological treasures: the golden death mask of Agamemnon and the Antikythera mechanism, the oldest ‘computer’ in the world, are not to be missed.
Monastiraki Neighbourhood
This charming neighbourhood is full of shops and restaurants. A flea market takes place every Sunday on Monastiraki Square, featuring a church and a former mosque. A few minutes' walk will take you to Hadrian's Library and the Roman Agora. Also worth a visit!
Lycabettus Hill
Lycabettus Hill is the highest point in the Athenian city center and offers a beautiful view of the Acropolis Hill and even the coastline. Everywhere on the internet you can read that this is ‘the place to be’ to admire a beautiful sunset over the city. For us, this was a disappointment.
When we arrived an hour before sunset, the hilltop was completely packed with people. The spot from which you can see the Acropolis was totally inaccessible, with thirty rows of people in front of us. From the back, we had a view of the sun through the crowds, which we did manage to see set behind the hills. To see the Acropolis and the coast, we had to wait for another hour or so, until most people had left.
During the day, this can be a nice visit, but for the sunset? Never again!
We took a taxi to the cable car on Lycabettus Hill. It was also possible to walk from the hotel, but the path there is constantly uphill. We did walk back, however. A half-hour walk downhill was manageable, a pleasant evening stroll.
The cable car cost us €13 per person. Here too, there is an alternative: a hike of half an hour to an hour and a half, depending on your pace, quite steeply uphill.
If you stay longer in Athens, there are plenty of options to fill your days. You can take a boat trip to the nearby islands, or you can make a trip to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. The sunset there is said to be impressive as well. I cannot say whether it is quieter there. After 2 days, we left Athens on a cruise, so we had to limit ourselves to the activities mentioned above.
Would you like to read more about our cruise? Then click on this link:
cruise in Greece and Bari (MSC Sinfonia)
🪪 Bring your passport/identity card
When traveling, I often have the tendency to leave passports safely in the hotel room safe. In Athens, that is not a good idea. Discounts are offered at most attractions: young people under 25 are usually admitted for free and seniors over 65 pay half price. Identification was requested everywhere and checked thoroughly. So make sure you take those passports with you when you head out.