Athens
Athens is a top vacation destination and the Greece Travel Secrets Athens pages have information on hotels, museums, Athens airport and all the best things to do.
Athens: The Old Reflected in the New
Photo by Donna Dailey
Athens, Greece's capital city, is a top vacation destination. The Greece Travel Secrets pages on Athens havs information on Athens International Airport (including Athens Airport Hotels), car rental, the Athens weather (including what to do in Athens in the rain!), entertainment in Athens, the history of Athens, public holidays and events, Athens for kids, the best views in Athens, restaurants with Acropolis views, the best museums, the best hotels, all of the best things to do in Athens - and much more!
Athens is one of Europe's top city break destinations. New chic boutique hotels seem to open every few months, there are now many fine-dining restaurants (some with Michelin stars), and some of the visitor attractions have had a major make-over in recent years too.
There are new museums, expanded museums, a sleek metro system, expanding pedestrian areas in the city centre, and the general buzz that you only get in a city where things are happening – good things.
The Publishers of Greece Travel Secrets in Athens
Don't miss this visual tour of Athens with photos by Donna Dailey of Greece Travel Secrets.
Many people visit Athens as a shore excursion from a cruise ship, and others for a day or two as part of a longer vacation. In both cases the two must-see sites are the National Archaeological Museum and the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis.
There's usually time for a stroll around the streets of the Plaka, one of the oldest parts of Athens, although the Athenians themselves tend to prefer the newer areas like Psyrri and Gazi. You should also visit Syntagma Square, preferably timed so that you can see the Changing of the Guard.
Athens even has a mountain (well, technically a hill) right in the centre of the city. See our pages on Mount Lykabettos and on Kolonaki about how to get to the top. The other prominent hill, close to the Acropolis, is the Pnyx. Don't miss our page on the Pnyx, which we hope will make you want to visit it. You should!
What are the Ten Best Things to Do in Athens?
We encourage you to stay for longer, though, and try to fit in some other sites, including several brilliant museums, like the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, the War Museum, and the Benaki Museum.
We've visited Athens many times and have written several guidebooks to the city, including Essential Athens, Essential Spiral Athens, CitySpot Athens, and the Berlitz Guide to Athens. We love the city, and always have done.
In the National Archaeological Museum: Photo (c) Donna Dailey
Our Pick of the Athens Guides
Other Athens Pages
Food Tours in Athens
Greekality is a Greek company offering food tours in Athens including street food tours, wine and nightlife tours, vegan tours and cooking classes.
A Drive around Attica
This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
Athens Car Rental
Athens car rental options include almost all of the major international car hire firms such as Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Europcar.
Athens Airport Car Rental
Athens Airport car rentals include Alamo/National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt, all with offices at the airport.
Restaurants with Acropolis Views
Greece Travel Secrets chooses its top ten Athens restaurants with Acropolis views, perfect for dining by day or by night, including places with Michelin stars.
Where to Eat in Athens and Piraeus
If you're wondering where to eat in Athens and Piraeus we have a few suggestions including some favorites around the Acropolis, Omonia Square, and Syntagma.
The Best Hotels in Athens
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
Athens Airport Hotels
Athens Airport hotels include the luxury Sofitel at the terminals, Holiday Inn near the airport, and others close by like the Hotel Pantheon.
Greek Architecture
This beginner's guide to Greek architecture explains how to tell your Ionic from your Doric columns, and what to look for in temples and Byzantine churches.
Athens to Santorini
There are lots of flights from Athens to Santorini as well as a ferry service from Piraeus, with flights to Santorini leaving from Athens International Airport.
Cape Sounion and the East Coast
The beach resorts of Athens are easily reached from the city and also close are Cape Sounion with the Temple of Poseidon, ancient Marathon and Rafina's port.
The Pnyx
The Pnyx hill near the Acropolis is one of Athens' true hidden gems, a place to wander freely away from the crowds and discover ancient places and mysteries.
Ten Fun Things to Do in Athens
Ten Fun Things to Do in Athens include eating in the Central Market, watching the sun set over the Acropolis and seeing one of the world's oldest theatres.
Ten Best Museums in Athens
Greece Travel Secrets lists the ten best museums in Athens, with the top two being the National Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis Museum.
Syntagma Square
Syntagma Square or Constitution Square is the main square in Athens and has a metro station, the Greek Parliament building, hotels, cafes, and a post office.
Piraeus
Piraeus is the port of Athens from where many ferries to the Greek islands depart, and it also has an Archaeological Museum and the Hellenic Maritime Museum.
Pictures of Athens
Pictures of Athens from the Greece Travel Secrets website
National Archaeological Museum
The National Archaeological Museum is one of the best things to see in Athens, and the best museum in the world for seeing Greece's archaeological treasures.
My Athens: a Portrait by Travel Writer Mike Gerrard
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
Mount Lykabettos
Mount Lykabettos is the highest hill in Athens and provides some of the best views of the city, with a funicular cable car the easiest way to get to the top.
Monastiraki Flea Market
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Monastiraki Flea Market, followed by Sunday lunch at Sigalas on Monastiraki Square
Monastiraki and Around
Around Monastiraki is the flea market, Athens cathedral, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and the Psirri and Gazi nightlife districts.
A History of Athens
A History of Athens from the first people to live on the Acropolis through the Golden Age of Pericles and Alexander the Great to the military junta.
Entertainment in Athens
There's all kinds of entertainment in Athens whether you're interested in theatre, dance, classical music, jazz, Greek music, rock music, disco, opera or movies.
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