Easter in Athens
Easter in Athens is one of the best times to visit the city. Not only is the weather usually starting to warm up but for the Greeks Easter is the big feast of the year, much more so than Christmas, New Year or any other events. It is celebrated everywhere, from the tiniest village through to here, in the nation's capital of 4 million people.
Greek Easter is a Time of Celebration Everywhere
When Is Easter in Athens?
Easter in Greece is a movable feast and only coincides with the western Easter every few years, so it is important to check the dates before arranging to travel if you specifically want to be in Athens for Easter.
The Build-Up to Easter in Athens
The build-up begins on the Wednesday before Easter, when churches are cleaned and the biers which will carry a statue of Christ through the streets start to be decorated with flowers. Pop into any open church door and see what preparations are being made. Everyone is welcome.
Our Pick of the Athens Guides
Easter Weekend in Athens
The parishioners from each church come together to prepare for the big weekend, and there will be many small processions throughout the city, as well as larger ones from the major churches. The first procession is on Friday evening. As it starts to get dark the funeral bier is carried from the church and paraded through the nearby streets. Parishioners follow on, and others watch from windows and doorways, sprinkling holy water liberally around.
Easter Saturday in Athens
Saturday evening sees the main service of the week, building up to midnight when lights in the church are put out. The priest then lights a candle, from which the worshippers in turn light their own candles, then leave the church producing an effect like a river of light, flowing from the church doors. People then try to get home without the candle blowing out, which brings good luck for the coming year. Once home they eat the traditional magaritsa soup, made from lamb offal, rice and lemon.
Easter Sunday in Athens
Easter Sunday is a day of joy, and a day for families to get together. Lambs are roasted, and you may be able to find some on the restaurant menus that day. Christ is Risen, and the year can begin. You don't have to be religious or Christian to be moved by the Greek Easter experience, and spending Easter in Athens will be something you will never forget.
Other Athens pages
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
Athens Airport hotels include the luxury Sofitel at the terminals, Holiday Inn near the airport, and others close by like the Hotel Pantheon.
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 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.
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.
There are lots of flights from Athens to Santorini as well as a ferry service from Piraeus, with flights to Santorini leaving from Athens International Airport.
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.
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 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.
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.
Greece Travel Secrets lists the ten best museums in Athens, with the top two being the National Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis 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.
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.
Pictures of Athens from the Greece Travel Secrets website
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.
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
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.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Monastiraki Flea Market, followed by Sunday lunch at Sigalas on Monastiraki Square
Around Monastiraki is the flea market, Athens cathedral, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and the Psirri and Gazi nightlife districts.
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.
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.
The Changing of the Guard in Athens takes place outside the Parliament building at the top of Syntagma Square and is a must-see for visitors.
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.
Greece Travel Secrets picks the best time to visit Athens with a month-by-month account of the weather, hotel prices and any special events that are happening.
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