Amusing Children in
Athens
Amusing children in Athens is easy as there is lots to do including a
children’s museum, planetarium, beaches, and easy excursions to the nearest
islands.
At the Hellenic Children's Museum in Athens
Here's our A-Z Guide (well, B-S to be accurate) on how to amuse children in Athens.
Amusing Children in Athens
Beaches
While adults are attracted to Athens for its cultural sites,
your visit can be turned into a family holiday by choosing a hotel in one of
the coastal suburbs. Places like Glyfada provide sea and sand, and it's easy to
get to and from the city centre using buses or fairly cheap taxis.
At Astir Beach there are plenty of watersports to amuse all the family, plus good shopping and numerous places to eat. The suburbs of Varkiza, Voula and Vouliagmeni also have good beach facilities, and the area around Cape Sounion is becoming known as the Athens Riviera.
Goulandris Natural
History Museum
The Goulandris Natural History Museum Has More Than Just Natural History
A journey to Kifisia should keep children happy for at least
half a day, as it not only combines a ride on the metro but can include a visit
to this excellent museum. There are good displays on environmental problems,
some of which are caused by tourism – a lesson that travellers are never too
young to learn.
The Goulandris Natural History Museum
There are also extensive collections on Greek flora and
fauna, including some of the larger birds of prey and mammals such as bears and
wolves, which few visitors will ever see in the wild. https://www.gnhm.gr
Hellenic Children's
Museum
Contact the museum for details of current activities.
Although some of the staff speak English and welcome children of all ages and
nationalities, advance notice for visits by non-Greek speaking children is
advisable. https://www.hcm.gr
Lykabettos Hill
Mount Lykabettos as seen from the Acropolis
Though children are not normally gripped for long by
panoramic views over cities, such as you get from the top of Mount Lykabettos,
they will probably enjoy the journey up there if you take them on the
funicular. The only drawback may be that they will want to come straight back
down again, without allowing you time to enjoy the view. Persuade them to stay
with a drink in one of the cafés at the top.
Museum of Greek Children's
Art
Museum of Greek Children's Art
This small, lively museum has displays of art that includes
imaginative sculptures, as well as tables and materials for children to use. http://www.childrensartmuseum.gr
Museum of Greek Folk Musical
Instruments
The Greek Folk Musical Instruments Museum
While it isn't possible to actually play any of
the instruments in this valuable collection, you can listen to most of them on
headphones provided at each case. Videos are also shown, illustrating how
various instruments are made and played. We once saw the lovely sight of a
Greek boy with a big smile on his face while dancing to the music only he could
hear on his headphones. athensmuseums.net
Our Pick of the Athens Guides
National Gardens
In addition to simply exploring the gardens, perhaps looking
for small ponds where fish and terrapins live, there is also a Children's
Library in the centre of the gardens: signposted from the main entrance on
Amalias. Adults are not admitted, and there are books, toys, tapes, and games
in Greek, English and other languages.
Olympic Stadium
Let Your Kids Race Each Other Around This!
The running track of the 1896 Olympic Stadium is open to
anyone to use during the day, and children might enjoy races around the track
or even up the steep seating and down again. See our full page all about the Olympic Stadium.
Piraeus and the
Islands
Poros
A good day out is to make a day trip to one or more of the
Saronic Gulf Islands. An early start will mean a ride on the metro to Piraeus, the
sight of the huge harbour there, and then the excitement of a journey on one of
the ferries to Aegina, Póros, Spétses or Hydra.
The Planetarium
Although it's a little way out of the city centre, the Athens
Planetarium has some very enjoyable shows, including programmes about the
ancient Greeks which have joint Greek-English voice-overs. https://www.eef.edu.gr/en
Syntagma Square
The Changing of the Guard
The Changing of the Guard is a dramatic precision routine
that fascinates young and old alike. It takes place hourly on the hour, with a
fuller ceremony with a marching band on Sunday mornings, in front of the
Parliament Building at the top of Syntagma Square. While waiting, younger children
will probably enjoy chasing the pigeons!
Some other Athens pages
Athens in the rain isn’t something you’re likely to experience but here are suggestions for things to do in the rain in Athens including museums and shopping
Athens is a top vacation destination. The Greece Travel Secrets Athens guide has information on hotels, museums, Athens airport and all the best things to do.
Greece Travel Secrets lists the ten best museums in Athens, with the top two being the National Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis Museum.
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.
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.
Athens International Airport is east of Athens city centre with its own Metro train station, buses to Athens and Piraeus, taxis and car rental offices.
Athens Airport hotels include the luxury Sofitel at the terminals, Holiday Inn near the airport, and others close by like the Hotel Pantheon.
The Athens Byzantine and Christian Museum is housed in a beautiful villa with an underground wing and lovely gardens too.
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.
The Athens Agora or ancient market is a must-see site and one of the best things to do in Athens with its restored arcade building, the Stoa, and its museum.
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.
The Athens War Museum is a fascinating look at Greek history through the lens of warfare from ancient battles to the Greek War of Independence and World War II.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Monastiraki Flea Market, followed by Sunday lunch at Sigalas on Monastiraki Square
Athens Food Tours are being introduced by new company The Greek Fork, and will include tours of the Central Market, and the best street food.
Athens' Benaki Museum is one of the city’s top museums with an outstanding collection, especially of Greek and Egyptian artefacts, in a beautiful mansion.
Athens, an Eater's Guide to the City, is published by Culinary Backstreets, who do walking food tours in Athens and the book recommends the best places to eat.
The Greece Travel Secrets guide to the original Athens Olympic Stadium, built for the 1896 Olympic Games and open to the public for jogging and photography.
The Athens Acropolis has the city's most iconic building, the Parthenon, along with other historic buildings and is where the Elgin Marbles were taken from.
The Greece Travel Secrets website looks at the Athens weather, the chance of rain, the climate in summer and winter and the best time to visit Athens.
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 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.
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.
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.
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
The best views in Athens include views from the Acropolis and of the Acropolis from the top of some of the city’s several hills and from hotels and restaurants.
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