Luxury hotels in Athens

Athens guide

Athens: the Acropolis at opening time

The Parthenon before the heat, the Acropolis Museum and dinner facing the floodlit hill.

The Acropolis, crowned by the Parthenon and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the most cited sight in Athens. Entry is by timed ticket, and daily visitor numbers are managed, so we book the first slot of the morning, before the heat and the crowds; a private archaeologist guide brings it to life.

The Acropolis Museum, at the foot of the hill, holds the original sculptures with views of the Parthenon. Walk through Plaka and Anafiotika, see the Ancient Agora and dine on a rooftop facing the floodlit temple. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, and the islands are a short flight or ferry away.

The Acropolis Museum and Plaka

The Acropolis Museum, designed by Bernard Tschumi at the foot of the hill, is one of the most cited museums in the world: its top floor displays the Parthenon frieze in its original layout, with the temple itself visible through the glass walls. Ancient remains can be seen beneath the glass floor.

Plaka and Anafiotika, the old neighbourhoods below the Acropolis, are lovely to wander, with tavernas, neoclassical houses and small churches. The Ancient Agora, with the Temple of Hephaestus, is one of the best-preserved Greek temples.

Cape Sounion and the Athens Riviera

Cape Sounion, at the tip of Attica about an hour and a half from Athens, is crowned by the Temple of Poseidon, built in the fifth century BC above the Aegean, and watching the sunset there is the most cited excursion from the capital. Lord Byron carved his name on one of its columns.

The coastal road, the Athens Riviera, passes the beaches and beach clubs of Vouliagmeni, where Lake Vouliagmeni, a natural thermal lake, is open for swimming all year. Lunch in a fish taverna by the sea completes the day.