Location: Athens
Top Things to do in Athens
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Once known for smog, traffic and tacky architecture, Athens is a city reformed thanks to fortunes brought by the 2004 Summer Olympics. Spotless parks and streets, an ultra-modern subway, new freeways, an accessible airport and all signs in perfect English make the city easily negotiable. Meriting more than a stopover en route to the islands, sophisticated Athens sites include many pillars of Western history, from the Acropolis to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, as well as treasures in the National Archaeological Museum.
Restaurants in Athens
1. Acropolis
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 35,632 reviews
The most famous site in all of Athens, this large hill lies in the center of the city and contains a cluster of ancient ruins.
Reviewed By DavidTis - Campbell, United States
Greek/World history comes alive. The hop on hop off bus is an excellent tour of the city of Athens and one of it's stops is the Acropolis. A must see for sure. Bring good walking shoes and your camera and scratch this one off your bucket list, if you like history you're gonna love the Acropolis!
2. Ancient Agora of Athens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,225 reviews
These ruins, located in the heart of modern Athens, were once the site of the marketplace in ancient times, a political, cultural and economic center of the ancient world.
Reviewed By EileenMtShasta - Mount Shasta, United States
The area is breathtaking to imagine the history but is mostly a field of rubble, though there are many informative signs. The museum has many important and interesting artifacts, like the baby toilet from the 2nd century BC! The most intact structure is the Temple of Hephaistos, but entrance was blocked. The visit was made much more meaningful due to a free audio tour I downloaded from online, by tour guide Rick Steves, so I highly recommend it.
3. Parthenon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 16,764 reviews
The majestic ruins of an ancient Greek building, known for its dignified white marble columns and perfect sense of proportion.
Reviewed By 223ravik - Bangalore District, India
We visited Acropolis today. It is amazing to see Parthenon with its rectangular structure consisting of 17 columns in length by 8 columns in width- a huge structure dedicated to mythological goddess Athena. It takes you back 2500 years and makes you wonder about the life of folks then and the events that unfolded later on! Do not miss out the story of the Flag - when the nazis came in 1941, a young Greek soldier refused to change the Greek flag, instead wrapped it around himself and leapt to his death. He is remembered and honored even today. There is so much to see in Acropolis- be sure you have at least 2.5 hours! I also loved the story regarding the competition between Athena and Poseidon, and how she won!!
4. Museum of Cycladic Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,189 reviews
A dynamic cultural institution in the centre of Athens, the Museum of Cycladic Art focuses on promoting the ancient cultures of the Aegean and Cyprus, with particular emphasis on Cycladic art of the third millennium BC. The Museum’s permanent collections include 3000 Cycladic, ancient Greek, and ancient Cypriot artefacts, witnesses to the cultures that flourished in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean from the fourth millennium BC to approximately the sixth century AD. The Museum of Cycladic Art’s temporary exhibitions focus on archaeology and modern and contemporary art with the aim to familiarize the public with important twentieth and twenty-first century artists and to explore the relations between ancient cultures and modern art. Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Thomas Struth, Louise Bourgeois, Sarah Lucas, Ugo Rondinone, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Ai Weiwei, and Cy Twombly are among the artists hosted.
Reviewed By Tiffanymd - Salida, United States
Special exhibit was amazing. Permanent collection also informative and inspiring. I especially liked the Cycladic floor.
5. National Archaeological Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,806 reviews
Reviewed By tashak574
An extensive and fascinating museum with many unimaginable finds. It can be an overwhelming experience even with several wings closed. The collection shed a great deal of insight on the various movements in design during Greek history and shared really fascinating and well kept artifacts from points we learn about in history class. We’re talking arrow heads from the battle of Marathon. It’s a good time.
6. Benaki Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,501 reviews
The Benaki Museum is among the most extensive and innovative cultural organizations in Europa. Diverse cultures from all historical periods and geographical areas meet contemporary art across a network of venues all over Athens – and beyond. The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture presents the history and art of the Greek world from prehistory to the 20th century, through 6.000 objects arranged over four floors. Antonis Benakis (1873-1954) was a passionate art collector. He belonged to a cosmopolitan circle of connoisseurs and intellectuals in Alexandria, Egypt. Following his return to Athens and the death of his benefactor father Emmanuel, Antonis bequeathed to Greece his collections and parental home, which opened in April 1931 as the Benaki Museum. After a comprehensive refurbishment, the building reopened on 7 June 2000 as the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture while the remaining diverse collections have since been housed in new buildings (see Benaki Museum of Islamic Art).
Reviewed By Timotraveler - Helsinki, Finland
I have walked by this museum many times on my visits to Athens. It is close to the city center and Syntagma square and the Kolonaki area. I was totally amazed by the collection - it is well displayed and takes you on a historical tour of a collection of artifacts and art - best to start at the main floor and just follow the numbers for each rooms and this gives a great view or the development of the Athens and Greek region from ancient to more modern times. It was most fascinating and would definitely recommend this if you are there - it provides much more about the area then just the Parthenon. You can spend as much or as little time - but I would say a minimum of about 1 - 1.5 hours.
7. Stoa of Attalos
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 421 reviews
These ancient ruins were restored in the early 20th century and now house a collection of ancient Greek sculpture.
Reviewed By permia
While ancient ruins and artefacts are an Athens keynote, it was marvellous to see such a beautiful and faithful restoration splendidly reflecting the grandeur of the past. A gift to the city by Attalos II ruler of Pergamon for his excellent education courtesy of an Athenian it dates from around the middle of the 2nd century BCE. A fabulous colonnade is a highlight, with relatively unadorned Doric columns on the exterior, whilst the inner array has the Ionic style. With the purpose of reconstruction being as home to a museum of the Agora, from its dedication in 1956 it superbly fulfils the role.
8. Theater of Dionysus
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,063 reviews
Reviewed By KimD904 - Tweed Heads, Australia
Another site that amazes you at its size and grandeur. The theatre is the first of its type ever built and still hosts some of the worlds great acts as well as being still in use for local Athenians to watch regular performances. Among the historic area of the Acropolis, this theatre would have certainly been a focal point in ancient times. Another ancient that you just go 'WOW' when you first see it.
9. Byzantine and Christian Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 968 reviews
Reviewed By Gordon_and_Sally_11 - Broken Hill, Australia
We visited this museum in July (still catching up on reviews) and thought it excellent. There is a wealth of artefacts to see - we took about 115 photos in just under two hours. Artefacts include icons, mosaics, pottery, glass, jewellery and sacrophagi. The museum is beautifully laid out, with the permanent exhibition arranged around five themes: (1) From the ancient world to Byzantium; (2) The Byzantine world; (3) Intellectual and artistic activity in the 15th century; (4) From Byzantium to the modern era; and (5) Byzantium and modern art. The museum is closed on Tuesdays from November to March. Photography without flash is permitted.
10. Herod Atticus Odeon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,698 reviews
Second-century theater built into the hillside.
Reviewed By JLC-mtl2015 - Montreal, Canada
This is one of the two theater accessible on the slope of the Acropolis. This one is not the oldest but the one that has been renovated to welcome artists from around the world still today. The whole surrounding, the façade, the love story of Herodes Atticus, the city backstage and the Acropolis hill background makes this place way bigger than the 5,000 spectators capacity. No wonder why it is still active today and many musical performance have been held here. It provides a unique stage and show. While on the Acropolis site you can see also the Theater of Dionysus and on top of the Acropolis Hill, surrounding the Parthenon you can see the Temple of Athena Nike, the ruins of Propylaea and the Erechtheion. All this, for the price of 1 ticket. If you want tricks on how to skip the line see my review on the Acropolis.
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