My Complete Athens Itinerary For Your First Time Visit

After I moved out of London, I decided to take a little break. A vacation in Athens just sounded like a good idea to process the end of a chapter in my life. Here is my Athens itinerary and what I got up to during my four day stay.

The Best Time For Visiting Athens

I have to warn you. This is not going to be an affordable city break as Athens is pricey for the majority of the year. Flights with Easyjet from Gatwick between April to early October touch pretty much the £300 mark return.

OUCH, I KNOW!

But, let‘s keep positive. It means the city has a burst of sunshine and an incredible weather guarantee. I went in mid-August and the average temperature per day was approximately 35 degrees. Saying that my active time was during the night as it was too scorching during the day. The only way to survive is a pool at the hotel.

Unfortunately, not many hotels do pools (not to worry I come to that later!). However, if you‘re going in August, the city annually celebrates the pinnacle of summer during the full moon circle. It‘s a very special night with lots of celebrations. There are free concerts and museums are open to visitors. People will be out and about all night long transforming Athens into a buzzing place.

Where To Stay In Athens?

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I booked an incredible hotel and stayed at COCO-MAT Athens BC. It had my name written all over it mainly because the place had everything I could have asked for and more:

– Rooftop Bar & generous (instagrammable) Pool Terrace
– Impeccable 360-degree views over the city including the Acropolis
– Stargazing game was very strong
– Targeted at us childless Millennials
– Lots of interesting, young and dynamic people
– Uber stylish, spacious rooms with queen-size beds, super comfy, quiet AND a silent air con
– Location, literally right in the centre and 5 mins away from all the main attractions and actions
– Extremely friendly and personal staff
– Relaxed atmosphere
– Bike rental; ever since my solo trip to Vienna I prefer hotels with their own bikes
– Bathroom Slippers
– The rooftop bar offers relaxed al fresco dining at night with some sexy beach house tunes (not Vanilla Radio, but equally as good)

Part of the trip being so enjoyable was all down to COCO-MAT BC. I felt in really good hands during my stay. Knowing this place exists is reason enough for me to return to Athens in a heartbeat.

Please note: there are TWO Coco-Mat hotels in close proximity. Even though both are pretty cool, the Coco-Mat BC hotel is the one with the pool on the rooftop.

What To See & Do In Athens City?

During the day you’ll be excused to have a dip in the pool. Come 4pm though, it is time to explore. Unlike Rome, I found Athens had not that much history left and most of the archaeological sites were a bit repetitive. During my 4-day stay I managed to see the following sights:

1. Acropolis Museum. This one was on my hotel‘s doorsteps and I managed to visit it for free during the Full Moon event. The museum boasts the history of the Acropolis and numerous archaeological finds. From old vases to sculptures and frescos the museum is filled with interesting pieces. The museum is well designed with open planned exhibition space but I felt less engaged and spent overall a good 90 mins.

Admission to the Acropolis Museum usually comes 10EUR per person, but is free during the full moon event in August!

2. Acropolis and Surrounding Slopes. This is the highlight of Athens, right? Ascending the Acropolis Hill is very steep and most of the stones are very slippery and polished. I would never attempt ascending it during the daytime as it is way too hot to cope with the level of steepness. The best time I would say is during the early evening at around 5pm. This gives you approximately 3h before closing time to ascend the hill. You can check out the ruins and enjoy the view over the city. Apart from that, there‘s not much to do up there. Once you descend you can also take pictures of the Dionysus Amphitheater on the South Slope and explore more archaeological treasures such as the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

Tickets for the Acropolis start at approximately 20EUR. Factor in 2-3h of your time depending on how busy it is and your own pace for the steep climb.

3. Less history but more fun is the Museum of Illusions. Similar to the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh, the museum plays with optical illusions. There are some great picture opportunities here for your Instagram. It‘s a playful way to engage with different perspectives, experiment with colours and lights and mess around with mirrors.

Tickets cost 9EUR for approximately 1h of good illusional fun.

4. Archaeological sites on the North Slope. Similar to the Alhambra in Granada, the Acropolis thrones majestically over the city and is a touristy hotspot. Nearly all of the touristic happenings are centred around the Acropolis. It’s a bit like the Kaaba in Mecca as you‘ll find yourself circulating the Acropolis all day long. There‘s a mix of restaurants and tacky souvenir shops. In between are more archaeological sites to explore such as The Ancient Agora of Athens, Temple of Hephaestus or Hadrian‘s Library.

5. Around the Acropolis is the Centre of Tourism with restaurants, cafes, ice cream shops and tonnes of souvenir and jewellery retailers. In that respect, Greece hasn‘t changed in over 20 years. Those shops still sell sponges, fridge magnets, spices and everything is cliché coloured in blue and white. Shop owners are a bit intense as they will watch every move. I often found browsing in peace missing, as suspicions & fear you may steal something are huge. In restaurants, however, Greeks are super nice and friendly – a whole different level in comparison to Rome.

6. Actually, I met lots of friendly locals and Greeks. My taxi driver on arrival was a quirky old lady who didn’t stop talking about Athens. She told me about the upcoming Full Moon event and where to go and where to avoid. The hotel staff were super lovely.  A few days later I met a lady who took care of the many stray dogs in the pedestrian and we fed them together. Lastly, there’s my taxi driver on the final day who philosophised with me over the meaning of life. He said we all have an internal compass that will guide us to the right places. LOVED IT!

7. Monastiraki in the North of the Acropolis is quite the place with a lively square and some quirky shops and establishments around.

8. Getting lost on a Bike Tour. I ended up not finding the Museum of Illusions. Instead, I stumbled across a few hidden side streets in Monastiraki which were super pretty. The street Agias Theklas behind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is seamed with umbrellas and quirky cake and dessert shops.

9. Greeks love and know their desserts. There were lots of incredible sweet shops lined up to make sure you’ll get your sugar shock. There’s one called Kayak early on at the pedestrian zone. Waffles, Pancakes, Bubble Waffles, Chimney Cake and tonnes of Ice Cream. There’s more by the Hard Rock Café called Hans & Gretel. A huge candy store that serves bubble waffles, chimney cakes and ice cream. All ranked on the sickly over sugar-coated level. Right next to it is Gelateria Da Vinci and a five-minute walk by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a cake shop, Little Kook. It’s a paradise!

10. I would have never thought that Stargazing in the City would be possible. The rooftop terrace of my hotel offered stellar views every night. There was no light pollution and a clear summer night sky was visible all night long. Especially during the Full Moon night on Thursday, the views were magnificent.

11. I found a random sticker advertising a local taxi company glued to the gates of The Temple of Olympian Zeus. It turned out to be the best ride I’ve ever had. Happy Transfer* is cheaper than the local taxi services and they do all of their marketing through word of mouth. My driver was super friendly and personal. We’ve been talking about the deep meaning of life, and how we should always listen to our inner compass as it will guide us to the right places. It was just one of those nice moments that confirmed that there’s more to life and something bigger and better waiting for us out there.

*Unfortunately Happy Transfer are no longer in business as of December 2023.

Please always check twice with taxi companies, inform your friends/family where you are and travel safely when out and about solo!

FAQs About Your Athens Itinerary For A First Time Visit

I understand this is quite a lengthy post and you may have some questions for your Athens itinerary planning that need a quick answer. You can always come back to any section of my travel post and read in more detail what you’d need for your trip.

How Many Days in Athens For a First-Time Visit?

The historic centre in Athens is quite small and you can easily see all the sites within three days. If you also plan day trips to Santorini or Mykonos, I would advise you to factor in another day or two.

Is Athens Worth Visiting?

Athens was a nice city break but I wouldn’t rush back if I’m honest. The actual historic centre is small and the city didn’t offer me enough to keep me entertained and continuously engaged. The Moon celebrations in the summer were a nice surprise and touch. It was a great atmosphere in the city and I’m grateful to have experienced it. Outside of the touristy areas, Athens seems quite rough and drug dealing is a huge problem. It is also not the cleanest place. So to answer the question, yes it is worth visiting, but on a priority list for first-time visits or re-visits, I would prefer other cities.

Is Athens Solo Travel friendly?

Yes, Athens has been very friendly to me as a solo female traveller. I had no incidents or bad experiences. Unlike Italians, Greek men don’t harass you as much and you’re welcomed as a guest in restaurants & cafes. The Greeks I’ve met have been extremely kind and open-minded which I really enjoyed.

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Quite the spiritual trip, right? At the end of the week, I felt ready to go home but with a mission. For the next couple of months, I’m planning to spend some of my housing deposit on travelling. It is important for me to explore and experience as much as life has to offer. I still keep my eyes open for the perfect job but I will need to go where my energies are reciprocated.

I’ve been also reading this super interesting book about Life Design and Prototyping Experiences and this is exactly what I’d like to try out in the coming months.

I’m going to hike the final 100km of the Camino de Compostela in Spain – an adventure which will start tomorrow.

Wish me luck and Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed the post you can always support my blog & research through Buy Me a Coffee.

Till next time,
Carolin

You may also enjoy reading about my other European travel adventures:

• Get In The Car! We’re Going To Prague
• Tales from My Epic Summer Baltics Tour & Finland Trip
• Two Weeks & Three Locations For Your Solo Holidays in Spain.
• My Thoughts On My First Paris Trip
• How To Spend One Day In Madrid