Athens

Athens, Greece's capital city, is a top vacation destination. The Greece Travel Secrets guide to Athens has 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, all of the best things to do in Athens - and much more!

Athens: The Old Reflected in the New
Photo by Donna Dailey

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.

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

Alternative Athens Tours

Take a look at the website of Alternative Athens, who organise city tours and experiences with a difference: ceramics workshops, street art walks, enjoying a home-cooked meal with an Athens family... and more. You can read more about their tours and experiences on our Athens Walking Tours page.

You might like these other Athens pages...

  • Athens Culinary Tours

    Athens culinary tours are among the food walking tours offered by an unusual company, Culinary Backstreets.

  • 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.

  • Artistic Athens

    This extract of Artistic Athens in the Lonely Planet book Culture Trails takes visitors on a journey through the artistic side of Athens..

  • Athens International Airport

    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.

  • The Best Things to Do in Athens

    The best things to do in Athens, Greece, include top archaeological sites like the Acropolis and must-see attractions such as the National Archaeological Museum

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Marathon

    The ancient site of Marathon and the site of the Battle of Marathon are in Attica and naturally about 26 miles or 42 kilometres from the centre of Athens.

  • 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 Walking Tours and Other Experiences

    Athens walking tours and other experiences like cookery lessons, ceramics workshops, dining with a family, and street art are available from Alternative Athens

  • Athens in the Rain

    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 Food Tours

    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 Events and Public Holidays

    If visiting Athens it helps to know when major events and public holidays take place, as some shops and attractions may be closed, but to be there at times like Easter can make for a magical trip.

  • Athens Eaters Guide

    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.

  • Athens Dining Guide

    This Athens dining guide doesn't list restaurants but gives practical advice on types of eating places, tipping, hotel breakfasts and picnics.

  • 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.

  • Athens Acropolis

    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.

  • 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 award-winning travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis, the National Archaeological Museum and eating!

  • 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.

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