Athens & the Riviera

Most visitors treat Athens as a layover between the airport and a ferry. That is a mistake worth two or three days to correct. The city is loud, sprawling and occasionally scruffy, and it is also one of very few capitals where you can walk from a fifth-century BC temple to a serious cocktail bar in ten minutes, then take a tram to the sea.

ΑA city built around one rock

Everything orients to the Acropolis of Athens. Tickets cost €30 (€15 reduced) and are sold in timed hourly slots; entry is single, so if you leave you do not get back in. In summer the site opens 08:00–20:00 with last entry at 19:30, from 16 to 30 September it closes at 19:00, and in winter at 17:00. On extreme heat days it can shut between 12:00 and 17:00. Go at opening, wear shoes with grip (the marble is polished smooth) and carry water. The Parthenon almost always has some scaffolding; that is restoration work, not neglect.

Then walk downhill. The Acropolis Museum puts the sculpture back in context, the Ancient Agora holds the remarkably intact Temple of Hephaestus, and the National Archaeological Museum is arguably the finest collection of ancient Greek art anywhere. For the view back at the Parthenon, climb Philopappos Hill near sunset; for the whole basin from above, Mount Lycabettus.

ΒWhere to stay: centre or coast

Plaka and Makrygianni put you at the foot of the Acropolis, walkable to almost everything and busy by day. Syntagma is the grand-hotel district: the Hotel Grande Bretagne has faced Parliament for well over a century. Koukaki is quieter and residential, Psyrri and Monastiraki are for people who plan to be out late.

The Athens Riviera is a different trip. Glyfada, Vouliagmeni and Lagonissi line the Saronic coast south of the city, with resort hotels such as the Four Seasons Astir Palace on its own peninsula. It suits a family that wants a beach in the morning and the Acropolis once, or anyone ending an island trip with a flight home.

ΓThe Riviera and Sounion

The coast road runs roughly 70 km to Cape Sounion. At the end stands the Temple of Poseidon, open until sunset and correspondingly crowded at sunset; arrive an hour earlier and you get the light without the coach parties. On the way, Lake Vouliagmeni is a brackish spring-fed lake under a limestone cliff, swimmable year-round (€17 on weekdays, €19 at weekends).

Beaches improve the further you drive. Near town, Varkiza and the Glyfada strip are convenient, organised and expensive: a pair of sunbeds on the smartest stretches can reach three figures in high season. Past Anavyssos the water clears and the crowds thin: Kape is an unorganised cove reached by a dirt track, Charakas and Legrena sit on the last stretch before the cape.

ΔEating well

Athenians eat late and in groups. In the centre, the tourist-facing tavernas of Plaka are uneven; a few streets away the standard rises quickly. Maiandros on Adrianou is among the most-reviewed tables in the city. Order souvlaki from a counter, not a menu with photographs. On the coast, fish tavernas along the Sounion road are the weekend ritual. Look for Savatiano, the white grape of the Mesogeia vineyards east of the city, and do not be embarrassed by retsina.

ΕFerry gateway and getting in

Athens International (ATH) is at Spata. The metro to the centre costs €9; the X95 express bus to Syntagma and the X96 to Piraeus cost €5.50 and run 24 hours (the Piraeus bus takes around 90 minutes). A taxi to the centre is around €40 by day and €55 at night.

Athens has three ferry ports. Piraeus serves everything: Crete, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese and the Saronic islands, including Aegina in as little as 40 minutes. Rafina, about 30 minutes from the airport by KTEL bus, is the shortcut to Andros, Tinos, Mykonos and the northern Cyclades. Lavrio, near Sounion, runs boats to Kea, Kythnos and some other Cyclades and North Aegean islands. Always check the gate or port on your ticket. See ferries and island hopping.

ΣΤWhen to go

July and August average 32°C highs and can go well beyond; the stone of the Acropolis reflects every degree. April–June and September–October are the sweet spot, with highs of roughly 20–28°C and a sea that stays around 25°C into September. Winter is mild, rainy in bursts and ideal for museums. The Athens Marathon runs on 8 November 2026. Details on the weather page.

ΖWho it suits

Anyone with an interest in the ancient world, food or cities that feel lived-in. Skip a long Athens stay if you only want beaches and hate heat and traffic; do one Acropolis morning, then take the boat.