athens sights, attractions and itinerary

Welcome to the Drink in the Sights Athens itinerary. Here you'll find all the information you need about the top Athens sights and attractions as well as a bit of history and lots of pictures of this fantastic city. I hope you find this guide useful.

Ruins, Museums and Losing your Marbles.

​The Birth Place of Western Civilisation

Beyond almost any doubt Greece is historically the single most significant country in Europe, and arguably the world. While Athens was the most influential city of them all. The names of the historic Greek thinkers just role off the tongue, Hippocrates, Archimedes, Homer, Pythagoras, Plato, Socrates and Herodotus, to name just a few, are still considered among the all time greats in their fields. 
The great Greek stories of Perseus, Medusa, Achilles, Hydra, Prometheus, Cerberus and Heracles are still taught in schools around the world, and are still characters in modern film and television over 2500 years after they were first imagined. ​It should be no surprise that most the top Athens attractions are ancient.

The Greeks formed our democracies, our medicines, laws, languages, philosophy, and mathematics, not to mention the Olympic Games. Our entire culture is primarily Greek in origin. The Romans plagiarised the Greeks works in their stories and ideas. Even as late as the end of the Renaissance in the late 1500's Europe was still trying to recapture the glory days of Athenian thought. While European life probably began far away from Athens, there's no doubt that this city is where European culture was born. Please ensure when you visit Athens you do a walking tour. This will allow you to see, and get a description of all the relatively small sites like the Temple of Olympium Zeus, The Agora and Hadrians Library. All of this history means there's plenty of great Athens sights.

Before we talk about your Athens itinerary we need to get you there. Sadly there's not a huge amount of flights to Athens, and to go direct you'll need to fly from London (Luton or Gatwick), Bristol, Manchester or Edinburgh. Once you get to Athens airport There's 4 buses that will get you from the airport to the city center. They're pretty regular, easy to find, and cost 6 euros each way. Alternatively metro line 3 costs 10 euros each way. ShuttleDirect also offers transfers to and from the airport.

Modern Athens

​Athens has changed a lot since it's ancient glory days so it's important to understand the city as it is now before we delve into the Athens attractions. Athens isn't the cultural and economically strong city it once was. Youth unemployment is heading up towards 40%, with general unemployment not much below 20%. Despite Europe providing billions of euros in bailouts this still has to get paid back, and the debt is crippling. Alongside this many Athenians blame the move to the Euro from the drachma, which they say caused the cost of living to increase threefold while wages stagnated.

It's sad that today walking around the streets of this once great city you see homelessness is rampant, with around 20000 people in Athens alone affected. Graffiti (some good, some not) is everywhere, and there's a real feeling that something has to give. It almost seems like the ancient ruins of the Acropolis are in better condition than the areas people live in, and as an Englishman I can't help but think the very least we could do is give the Elgin Marbles back. Right now that's all done lets go drink in the Athens sights.

Athens Sights

The Acropolis

You can book your Acropolis tour here.

Lets not mess around this is why you're coming to Athens, well maybe this and the weather. But really no Athens itinerary could start anywhere other than the Acropolis. It is the most historically important site in Europe, and was constructed by Pericles in the 5th century BC. Sitting on a hill towering over the rest of the city the Acropolis is a sight to behold, and growing up I knew I had to go there one day. It doesn't disappoint. Tickets cost 20 euros, but they will be about the best 20 euros you ever spend. Starting at the bottom, opposite the Acropolis Museum, the first major site you'll come across is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus believed to hold up to 17000 spectators. The theatre must have been one of the great hubs of activity in Ancient Athens, and as you can see even if the play was rubbish the views from the stands are breath-taking. So take a seat for a minute, close your eyes, and just imagine what the atmosphere must have been like.

As you head up towards the peak the next major stop is The Temple of Athena Nike. Nike means victory, and having been in the Greek area of Cyprus when they won the Football European Championships I can assure you Greeks take victory extremely seriously. Although I feel they may have come here more to pray for an Athenian military victory at the time.

The Propylaea is the great entrance to the peak, and once you're up there you'll be in amongst the truly great buildings of the Acropolis 

For most people The Parthenon is the building they think of when someone mentions the Acropolis, and it truly is a sight to behold. This immense structure is dedicated to Athena, the patron of Athens. Completed in the 5th century BC it's an architectural wonder. Through the centuries it has been a Christian Church and an Islamic Mosque, but before either of these it doubled effectively as a temple and a treasury. Reconstruction work is still ongoing around the Parthenon, but despite this it's still truly spectacular.

However for me the truly magnificent building on the Acropolis is The Erechtheion, which is difficult to talk to people about out of context without provoking giggles. This temple is dedicated to both Athena, who is lucky enough to have two dedications on the site, and Poseidon. This is also the building the very naughty Lord Elgin stole the Elgin Marbles from. They can now only be seen in the British Museum. I have seen them, and I felt very bad about it. I just think this building is the most beautiful on the Acropolis, and one of the most wonderful buildings I've ever had the fortune to visit.

The star attraction of the Erectheion is the 6 female figures acting as supporting columns called the Porch of the Caryatids. The craftsmanship involved in creating these is incredible, and they really add something extra to the magnificent building. Really do take your time to view the whole Acropolis. Even if you did nothing else on your trip to Athens this area would make everything worthwhile. And from up here you get some fantastic views down to the rest of Athens. So take a break sit down and drink in the Athens sights.

For those who want a full history of the Acropolis an excellent Acroplis tour is available here

The Acropolis Museum

Before I went to Athens I read loads of articles putting this museum in the top 10, and in some cases even the top 5 museums in the world. For the cost of 5 euros in winter season, and 10 in the summer, this seemed like a bargain at twice the price.
Maybe I'm missing something but this upsettingly ugly modern building just opposite the Acropolis doesn't feel like a top 10 museum, or a fitting location for the items inside, which you aren't allowed to photograph. The items themselves while significant due to where they were found aren't anything different to what you'd see in most ancient history museums around the world, so I really don't get the fuss. Don't get me wrong you should still go but don't expect to be blown away. It's a shame because I really thought this would be top of my list of Athens attractions.

If you want to see both Athens and more of Greece without any hassle have a look at Travelsphere.co.uk. They have an excellent 8 day Greece trip, including Athens, Delphi and Mycenae. Travelsphere will sort out the transfers, the flights, the hotels and the tours for you while you just sit back and enjoy the trip. Check it out here.

National Archaeological Museum

This museum is also 10 euros to get in, but to my mind provides better value for money than the Acropolis Museum. But as you'll find when you read my where to drink in Athens​​ nothing in this city comes cheap, which is probably why most the main bars were full of English speakers. They are probably the only ones who can afford to drink in them. But enough complaining just look at that building, isn't it a more fitting location for an archaeological museum than the Acropolis one?

Not surprisingly this building contains more ancient Greek artefacts than any other museum in the world. There's all the usual collections including a prehistoric collection, an Egyptian collection, and my personal favourite bit, the sculpture collection. The building is huge and photographs are allowed in inside. Given that you're in Athens it is a museum you should see.

Athens Attractions

Take an Athens Walking Tour

I always try to book a walking tour for my first day in any city and Athens is no different, in fact it's better. Because Athens is rammed full of history there's plenty to see down nearly every street and the tour ensures you don't miss any of the top Athens attractions. There's loads available including free ones, where you tip the guide at the end. I usually give around 10-15 euros depending on how good they are. The one problem with the free tours is that they get pretty crowded while the paid ones keep numbers down to around about a dozen, and the larger ones will provide you with a headset to ensure you can hear the guide at all times. This is why since starting this site I've started booking tours in advance. To book a walking tour of Athens just click here. The walking tour will also give you more ideas for your Athens itinerary.

The Ancient Agora and Temple of Hephaestus

At 8 euros this is an absolute bargain, and second only to The Acropolis in terms of importance, and in some ways it's better. Most notably it contains the Temple of Hephaestus which is much better preserved than the temples on the Acropolis, and it's less full of other tourists. The site includes a small museum which is worth a look around, but really it's the outdoor area you're here to see, and you're free to wander around as you please.

It's worth noting, just for irony's sake, that the reason the temple isn't on the Acropolis is that Hephaestus, the god of the forge, was considered too ugly to be placed alongside the likes of Athena on the main site. So the fact that his temple is now the most intact, and aesthetically pleasing should give hope to all of us as we attempt to age gracefully. For me this really is one of the top Athens sights.

The Panathenaic Stadium

This is the home of the Olympic Games, and real a must see. The price is 5 euros, and although you can see the majority from the outside it's worth paying to stand in the centre, or run round the track feeling the Olympic spirit. There's also a museum containing art work from historic games, and replicas of all the torches used down the years. At it's peak the capacity was 50000 people, so for any sports enthusiast this is a real treat.

Climb Philopappos Hill

I always love a good panoramic view of a city and no Athens travel guide would be complete without finding one for you. The walk up Philopappos Hill isn't too taxing but you'll be rewarded by exceptional views of the Acropolis and the whole city of Athens. The hill is littered with monuments and and points of interest to gaze at, but really it's all about getting the best views of this incredible ancient city. Really this is where you come to drink in the Athens sights.

Athens Itinerary Extras

Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens

There's more to Athens religious life than ancient temples and sure enough we have a 19th century cathedral. There's not many cities where a 300 year old building would be classed as modern but I think Athens is one. This is very much a Greek Orthodox church with some gorgeous iconography and wonderful use of colour in the interior. It's also worth checking out the lovely little church next door, it really is tiny but I love the ornate exterior. 

The Hellenic Motor Museum

Athens is home to one of the biggest and best collection of cars through the ages in Europe and for 10 euros you get to see them all. Here you'll find examples of some of the best cars ever created as well as more than a few old bangers we're probably best off forgetting. This really is a must for any motor enthusiast and it even has an F1 simulator which I assume would be fun. If I'm honest I'm not really in to cars but my friends dragged me here and it turned out to be a decent experience.

Day Trips from Athens

Once you've done all the main Athens attractions its time to visit some of the other famous locations around the area and Greece well and truly spoils you. There's the option of going to Delphi to see the Oracle or Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon but my personal favourite is a trip to Meteora where you'll see the monasteries in the mountains. Whichever you choose there's loads of history and stunning views for you to explore.

There's actually one other major part of my Athens itinerary, which is visit the best drinking spot in the city. It's not a pub or bar but it definitely belongs in my guide to the best pubs in Athens.

I hope you found our Athens itinerary useful. Now we've introduced you to the Athens sights and attractions it's time for you to go see them yourself. Search Expedia for your Athens trip using the search box below. If you want anymore help deciding what to do in Athens feel free to message me on Facebook or via the contact me part of my holiday planning service page.