Acropolis of Athens
A UNESCO World Heritage site featuring the Parthenon, Erechtheion, and Propylaea, offering breathtaking city views.
Plan AthensBy MupDay - the planner that does the research for you.Directions from stop to stop included - all free.
Plan a free trip to AthensUpdated: 2026-10-18
The cradle of Western civilization, Athens seamlessly blends thousands of years of spectacular history with a vibrant, modern street life. Visitors are drawn to its iconic ancient ruins, charming historic neighborhoods, and exceptional culinary scene.
Things to do in Athens include Acropolis of Athens, Monastiraki Square, Acropolis Museum. Here are 15 places worth knowing, with a short note on each.
A UNESCO World Heritage site featuring the Parthenon, Erechtheion, and Propylaea, offering breathtaking city views.
Plan AthensA lively square with a flea market, ancient churches, and views of the Acropolis.
Plan AthensA modern museum showcasing findings from the Acropolis, with impressive exhibits and stunning architecture.
Plan AthensAthens' oldest and most picturesque neighborhood, with narrow streets, shops, and traditional restaurants.
Plan AthensAnafiotika is a scenic tiny neighborhood in the center of Athens, part of the old historical neighborhood called Plaka. It lies on the northeast side of the Acropolis hill.
Plan AthensAthens' highest point, offering spectacular panoramic views of the city, especially at sunset.
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The Temple of Ares, a Doric hexastyle peripteral temple, was dedicated to Ares and located in the northern part of the Ancient Agora of Athens. Fragments from the temple found throughout the Agora enable a full, if tentative, reconstruction of the temple's appearance and sculptural program.
Plan AthensThe National Garden is a public park in the centre of Athens, the Greek capital, which was called the Royal Garden until 1974. It lies between the Kolonaki and Pangrati districts, behind the Greek Parliament building, reaching south to the Zappeion area.
Plan AthensAthens' central square, home to the Greek Parliament and the famous changing of the guard ceremony.
Plan AthensOne of the most important archaeological museums in the world, with rich collections from antiquity.
Plan AthensPsiri is a vibrant and colorful neighborhood in Athens, known for its narrow streets, impressive street art, and lively nightlife. Once an industrial area, it has now transformed into a hub of art, culture, and entertainment.
Plan AthensThe only stadium in the world built entirely of marble, hosting the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
Plan AthensAthens Central Market, also known as Varvakios Agora, is the pulsating heart of the city's daily life. It's a vibrant, covered market offering a rich sensory experience, with stalls overflowing with fresh meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, spices, and local cheeses.
Plan AthensThe impressive ruins of a colossal temple dedicated to Zeus, with towering Corinthian columns.
Plan Athens4 days - arriving at noon on the first day and flying home at noon on the last - is what it takes to see all 13 of Athens's must-sees. Each day is one route, in the order you walk it, with every place at an hour it is open.
Syntagma, the National Garden, the Stadium and Lycabettus
Worth knowing: Start on Syntagma Square facing the Parliament, with the changing of the Evzone guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Walk into the National Garden, on to the Arch of Hadrian and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and then to the Panathenaic Stadium, built entirely of marble. In the afternoon go up to Kolonaki, and towards sunset to the top of Mount Lycabettus, on foot or by funicular, for the view over the whole city and the lit Acropolis.
The Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and Plaka
Worth knowing: Start at the Acropolis as the site opens, before the heat and the crowds: entry is by timed ticket, best booked ahead. Walk down the south slope, past the Theatre of Dionysus and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, to the Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade and on to the Acropolis Museum. In the afternoon wander the lanes of Plaka and climb to the white houses of Anafiotika. In summer there is almost no shade on the site: bring a hat and water.
The Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora and Monastiraki


Worth knowing: A day of ancient Athens and its markets: the Ancient Agora, the heart of the classical city, with the Temple of Hephaestus and the Stoa of Attalos. Then the Roman Agora and the Tower of the Winds, Hadrian's Library, the Byzantine churches on Ermou Street, and Monastiraki Square. In the evening, the bars and tavernas of Psyrri, just around the corner.
National Archaeological Museum and Athens Central Market (Varvakios Agora)
Worth knowing: The morning at the National Archaeological Museum, one of the world's great museums of ancient Greek art. Walk on to Exarchia, the students' quarter of graffiti, bookshops and cafés, and down to the Athens Central Market, closed on Sundays. In the afternoon the ancient cemetery of Kerameikos, near the Beth Shalom synagogue and the memorial to the Holocaust of Greek Jews, then Gazi, the old gasworks quarter around the Technopolis, and the Thiseio promenade facing the Acropolis.
The route assumes the first day starts at noon, after you land, and the last ends at noon, before your flight. With your dates the planner fits it to your landing and your flight home, each day's opening hours, children and your own preferences.
Acropolis of Athens, Monastiraki Square, Acropolis Museum, Plaka, Anafiotika, Mount Lycabettus and 9 more. Acropolis of Athens: A UNESCO World Heritage site featuring the Parthenon, Erechtheion, and Propylaea, offering breathtaking city views.
MupDay's research lists 13 must-sees in Athens: Acropolis of Athens, Monastiraki Square, Acropolis Museum, Plaka, Anafiotika, Mount Lycabettus, Temple of Hephaestus, National Garden, Syntagma Square, National Archaeological Museum, Psiri, Panathenaic Stadium and Athens Central Market (Varvakios Agora).
4 days - arriving at noon on the first day and flying home at noon on the last - are enough to see all 13 of Athens's must-sees, one route a day built around proximity and opening hours.
Day 1: Syntagma Square, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, National Garden, Arch of Hadrian. Day 2: Acropolis of Athens, Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, Acropolis Museum, Plaka. Day 3: Areopagus Hill, Ancient Agora of Athens, Temple of Hephaestus, Stoa of Attalos. Day 4: National Archaeological Museum, Athens Central Market (Varvakios Agora).
The itinerary for Athens runs through Syntagma, Pangrati, Kolonaki, Plaka, Monastiraki and Exarcheia.
Museums worth visiting in Athens: Acropolis Museum, National Archaeological Museum (Exarcheia), Museum of Cycladic Art and National Gallery.
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