16 amazing things to do in Athens
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As one of the world’s oldest cities, there's no surprise at the sheer amount of things to do in Athens – the destination is a master of reinvention. After a dark decade on the brink of Grexit, Athens has morphed into southern Europe’s capital of cool. Long weekenders are swooping in to check out the exciting food scene and check into the new wave of cool hotels in Athens. Artists and designers are settling in for good, lured by affordable rents, the promise of sunshine, and an anarchic spirit where you don’t have to play by the rules. There’s nothing orderly about Athens: traffic is chaotic, life is messy, the architecture a mash-up of Byzantine and Bauhaus, neoclassical and nondescript. The Parthenon still dominates the skyline – and will forever be one of the key things to do in Athens – but for most Athenians the antiquities embedded among tightly packed apartment blocks are an afterthought. It’s in the graffitied backstreets and café-lined squares, the factories converted into galleries, bars hidden in arcades, and secret coves for skinny dipping where the heartbeat of Athens is racing. Beyond the classics, these are the best things to do in Athens.
©2018 Benaki Museum Athens, Photographer: Leonidas Kourgiantakis1. Browse the Benaki Museums
Athens has a surfeit of great museums. If you only have time for one, make it the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture. Housed in a neoclassical-style mansion, the collection covers everything from prehistoric busts and ancient amulets to Byzantine icons, traditional folk costumes, and 19th century engravings. This is where the fashion set come for inspiration, and coiffed ladies meet for coffee on the roof terrace. The Benaki museum has six other venues, specialising in everything from Islamic art to embroidery. Don’t miss The Ghika Gallery, a rich retrospective of 20th century Greek art in the former atelier of modernist artist Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika. And check out the temporary architecture, fashion, and photography exhibitions at Pireos 138, a purpose-built space with a brilliant gift shop dedicated to contemporary Greek design. Opt for a combined ticket, valid for all seven sites for three months, if you plan to museum-hop.
REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo2. Cinema Paradiso
Athens is a city of cinephiles. Forget blockbusters in soulless multiplexes; Athenians prefer arthouse flicks in retro picture houses. Watching movies by moonlight is a highlight of summer in the city. Around 60 open-air cinemas are scattered around Athens — hidden in parks, on roof terraces, or occupying empty plots between apartment blocks. Our favourites are Cine Dexameni, built above a Roman aqueduct next door to an old-fashioned ouzeri; Zefyros (Troon 36, Petralona), which screens vintage classics for its bohemian clientele, and Cine Oasis (Pratinou 7, Pangrati) in a lush garden in Pangrati, a lively neighbourhood popular with actors and directors. Cine Thisio, a cult classic since 1935, has the best location of all, right below the Acropolis. Besides distracting Parthenon views, patrons get gourmet snacks such as home-made cheese pies and sour cherry cordial.
Constantinos Iliopoulos/Getty Images3. Hit the beach
The Athens Riviera stretches 35 miles from Paleo Faliro to the resplendent temple of Poseidon at cape Sounion. To locals, these coastal communities are simply known as ‘Nou-Pou’, short for notia proastia, or southern suburbs — a succession of waterfront boardwalks, marinas and urban beaches that gradually gives way to sleepy seaside resorts and rocky coves like Limanakia, where tanned teens leap from the rocks. High rollers have seasonal passes to Astir beach in Vouliagmeni, where the remains of an ancient temple are surrounded by sunbeds and boutiques. When the south winds roll in, surfers ride the waves at nearby Kavouri and Vouliagmeni (check out Kyma surf school, if you’re a novice). A young, hip crowd strip off at Krabo, while families gravitate to Zen beach. If you prefer your beaches without sunbeds, head to Legrena or KAPE, close to Sounion (you’ll need your own wheels). The balmy climate means you can swim comfortably for six months of the year. A warmer alternative for winter swimmers: the healing waters of Lake Vouliagmeni, fed by thermal springs that keep the temperature a steady 22-29 degrees.
nejdetduzen/Getty Images4. Explore Athenian attitudes to the afterlife
Of all the archaeological sites that circle the Acropolis, the most moving (yet often overlooked) is the ancient cemetery of Kerameikos. Named after the potters’ workshops that flourished here in antiquity, the site is built on what were once the banks of the Eridanos river. In the 11-acre necropolis, you can wander among monumental tombstones, haunting epitaphs, and sections of the Themistoclean walls built in the 5th century BC. The on-site Oberlander museum is a trove of funerary treasures, from painted urns to perfume bottles. It’s intriguing to decipher what the carved marble gravestones signified about the status of the deceased. By contrast, the ornate tombs in the First Cemetery of Athens tell a less ambiguous story about class and culture. This is where the great and good of Athens are laid to rest among the bitter-orange and cypress trees. You might come across Melina Mercouri or George Seferis, asleep alongside the resident cats.
5. Customise your cosmetics at Naxos Apothecary
Pharmacist George Korres, founder of Korres cosmetics, created his first herbal remedies for friends while working in Greece’s oldest homeopathic pharmacy. The Naxos Apothecary pays tribute to his roots on the island of Naxos. Exceptionally effective and exquisitely packaged face and body products are named after Naxian villages. Candles and fragrances seduce with the summery scents of prickly pear, fig, cedar and sea salt. At the flagship store, you can watch phytotherapists at work in the open lab or book a skin analysis and personalise your skincare. Upstairs, the tranquil tearoom serves divine tisanes and cocktails exclusively made with Greek herbs and spirits, all of which are for sale. (They also do a power breakfast of yoghurt, honey, bee pollen, nuts and fruit.) Daphnis & Chloe, a niche brand that specialises in sustainably sourced herbs and seasonings from all over Greece, is another excellent source of easily transportable gifts. Their smoked chilli flakes and wild thyme flowers have a cult following. Visits to the showroom in up-and-coming Neos Kosmos are by appointment.
Studio Skigo6. Bookmark these shops
Are bookshops the new coffee shops? In Athens, they are often both. On a charming square in Petralona, Adad is the petite new HQ of curator Alix Janta’s independent art publishing house. Leaf through monographs, catalogues, and limited-edition sketchbooks with a glass of wine on hand-carved Cretan chairs. (And ask what’s on at Alkinois, Janta’s exciting gallery and project space nearby.) Aiora Press specialises in modern Greek classics in translation. Pick up definitive translations of Elytis and Cavafy at their bookstore in Exarchia. O Meteoritis, in the heart of scruffily hip Kypseli, hosts screenings and talks among piles of second-hand books. Zatopek is a peaceful spot to bring your laptop, or to enjoy an evening spritz and salad on a pedestrian street. Run by a fashion editor and graphic designer, Hyper Hypo is very zeitgeisty, from the Yves Klein blue walls to the queer art books. Lexikopoleio in Pangrati has enthusiastic staff and an exhaustive selection of books about Greece. Browse your purchases at Aerostato café around the corner, a mellow local hangout.
Olympianna Miliaki7. Modern cultural icons
After several false starts, the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) has hit its stride since Katerina Gregos was appointed artistic director in 2021. The donation of 140 large-scale installations from the D. Daskalopoulos Collection in 2022 injected some serious cachet to the museum’s permanent collection. A converted brewery, EMST occupies an entire block on Syngrou Avenue, which connects the city centre to the seaside. Among the strip clubs and business hotels are two more 21st century landmarks: Onassis Stegi, with a game-changing line-up of performances, talks, festivals, block parties, and pop-up events all over town. Stegi even has its own brilliantly diverse radio station, Movement Radio. At the seaside end of Syngrou, Renzo Piano’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre is a masterclass in sustainable design. A drought-resistant park and seawater canal surround the Greek National Opera and Library, slotted into a man-made hill that doubles as a green roof. A glass elevator glides up to The Lighthouse, an observatory with a floating solar canopy that powers the complex. Skip the in-house eateries and head around the corner to Pezoulas taverna instead; it serves some of the freshest seafood in Athens.
Ael / Alamy Stock Photo8. Shop local and seasonal
The weekly farmers market (or laiki) is a communal ritual in every Athenian neighbourhood. Once a week, from dawn until around 3pm, whole blocks are transformed into seasonal bazaars, with stall after stall loaded with seasonal bounty. There might be beetroot, chestnuts, and pomegranates one month, sunflowers, cherries and tomatoes the next. You can pick your own produce, and stock up on olives, honey, and herbs to take home. Cheap, colourful, and cheerful, the laiki is also a social event. Sometimes a few buskers entertain the sharp-elbowed shoppers, while the stallholders bellow witty sales pitches and outlandish promises about their products: “Half a watermelon a day, keeps Viagra away!” “Don’t squeeze the tomatoes, they don’t honk!” Some of the biggest and best farmers markets are in Exarchia and Neos Kosmos (Saturdays), Pangrati and Koukaki (Fridays).
Getty Images9. Hit the bottle
The days when Greek wine meant cheap retsina served in a tin jug and priced by the kilo are long gone. Greek wines are winning global accolades, but most wineries have low yields which means you won’t find them in your local off-licence. Try them at Wine is Fine, a hip Gallo-Greek wine-bar-cum-bistro on a pedestrian street better known for selling doorhandles. At Materia Prima, which has two easy-going outlets in Koukaki and Pangrati, low-intervention wines are paired with delicate carpaccio, ceviche, and artisan cheese. Eprepe, the latest addition to the lively social scene on pedestrian Agias Zonis street in Kypseli, serves semi-cured mackerel in buttermilk and pea and asparagus tarts to accompany Greek natural wines (and cracking cocktails). At Paleo, sommelier Yiannis Kaimenakis has taken a punt on a 100-year-old warehouse on a grubby Piraeus backstreet. By day, Polydefkous street is a curious melange of edgy galleries, machine shops, and squawking seagulls. At night, it's like a scene from Never on Sunday — a noir-ish throwback to the 1960s. Paleo’s tapas menu is small enough to fit on the paper tablemats, but the wine list is long and thrilling.
Getty Images10. Shopping and bar hopping in the Historic Triangle
The Historic Triangle is a tangle of streets, stoas, and pedestrian alleys wedged between Syntagma, Omonia and Monastiraki squares. The traditional shopping centre of Athens, whole streets are devoted to specialist shops selling door handles, lights, and cloth. Natural Greek Fabrics, in business since 1936, makes gorgeous bedlinen and beach towels in Mediterranean stripes. Hit Ancient Greek Sandals for beautifully crafted footwear inspired by mythology, Karavan for fun, feminine dresses in clashing colours, and Parnès for leather and canvas clutches, totes and patchwork vests, all made by hand in the workshop. After dark, the area is more of a Bermuda triangle for cocktail lovers. Two of the world’s best bars, Baba au Rum and The Clumsies, are located a few blocks apart and there are fine drinking spots hidden in arcades or on rooftops. Look for Galaxy (Stadiou 10), an old-fashioned American bar beloved of the hard-drinking intelligentsia, or the hotel bars at Ergon House and The Zillers.
Getty Images11. Neoclassical iconography at the Loverdos Museum
The German architect Ernst Ziller was almost single-handedly responsible for the Neoclassical meets-Palladian-by-way-of-Byzantium look of Greece’s newly independent, late 19th century capital. Ziller designed hundreds of buildings, including a sumptuous mansion for his own large family. When Ziller hit hard times, Dionysios Loverdos, a banker and collector of icons, altarpieces, and post-Byzantine art, moved in and turned part of the house into a private museum. The building, which was later used as the dressing room for the National Opera nearby, was badly damaged by a fire in the 1980s. Spectacularly restored at last, the Loverdos Museum reopened in May 2021 as an outpost of the equally divine Byzantine and Christian Museum. The architecture — all stencilled ceilings, patterned floor tiles, murals and mosaic cupolas — almost outshines the mournful icons and ornately carved altarpieces.
Getty Images12. Picnic with the ancients
For the best vantage point of the Parthenon, without the crowds, follow the pedestrian boulevard circling the Acropolis into Philopappou hill. The meandering footpaths were laid out by architect Dimitris Pikionis in the 1950s, using stones and marble salvaged from local buildings. Otherwise known as the Hill of the Muses, this peaceful oasis is full of surprises — a Byzantine chapel, an ancient quarry, and a 19th century observatory, whose silver dome contains an antique telescope where you can occasionally go stargazing. Hidden among the pine trees is the Pnyx, the world’s first democratic assembly, where the ancient Athenians noisily debated politics. Now it’s a glorious spot for a twilight picnic with Acropolis views. Pick up olive bread and pastries from Takis Bakery at the foot of the hill, and some bubbles and cold cuts from Drupes Spritzeria across the street.
Courtesy Alekos Fassianos Estate/Paris Tavitian13. Enter the joyous universe of Alekos Fassianos
Dedicated to one of the most recognisable 20th-century Greek artists, and designed in collaboration with his great friend Kyriakos Krokos (the genius behind Thessaloniki’s Museum of Byzantine Culture), the Alekos Fassianos Museum was conceived in the ‘90s. But it didn’t open until 2023, the year after the artist’s death. “Fassianos was very modest; he didn’t want a monument in his name while he was alive,” says Katerina Mela, who guides visitors with a lightness of touch that befits the uplifting works. The modest house where Fassianos grew up has been completely reimagined in terrazzo, concrete, brick and stone. The subtle ochre and terracotta palette offsets the rich hues and graphic lines of the paintings. There are also illustrations, furniture, lamps, and a touching collection of letters and photographs that capture Fassianos’ playful spirit and artistic preoccupations: mythology, nature, and the human form. Superbly curated, with a few lovely souvenirs for sale, this is one of those rare museums where the works and the space are perfectly in sync.
Giorgos Sfakianakis14. Ramble around post-industrial Piraeus
The port of Piraeus is slowly but surely shedding its reputation as nothing more than a grotty place to wait for a ferry. After the influx of influential galleries like Rodeo, The Intermission and Carwan (all handily located on the same street), the former Sans Rival ouzo factory has just been repurposed as an exhibition and studio space. The incredible inaugural show, curated by Stamatia Dimitrakopoulos, suggests great things to come from this brutalist behemoth. There are plenty of old-time pleasures in this working-class neighbourhood, too: from the covered food market behind the harbour to the well-priced fish tavernas that line the waterfront Piraiki, the overlooked Archaeological Museum, the city-and-seascape from Kastella Hill, and the coastal park created around a derelict fertiliser factory at Lipasmata, where you can watch ships come and go as the sun sets.
Anthologist / Thomas Gravanis15. Source the best gifts where you’d least expect them
Two of the city’s chicest shops have appeared in unlikely settings: hidden down a Plaka back alley, Mouki Mou Athens is a world apart from its Marylebone sister store. The spare showroom is more like a gallery, where you can touch and try on beautifully made clothes, jewellery, shoes and hats (there’s homeware, too.) Don’t miss the glorious roof garden almost kissing the Parthenon, a meeting place for makers, designers, and interesting characters. Occupying the first floor of a neoclassical townhouse on grungy Vathis Square, Anthologist brings a welcome hit of colour and soul to a downtown area on the cusp of reinvention. From antique textiles to Egyptian kaftans, Mexican baskets, vintage kimonos, as well as ceramics, jewellery, and brass objects crafted by local artisans, Andria Mitsakos has curated a “shoppable museum” for itinerant collectors.
Getty Images16. Dive into the past… before it disappears
Designed to cement the status of the modern Greek capital after the War of Independence, the National Archaeological Museum contains one of the world’s great collections of ancient and prehistoric art — but less than 10% of the artefacts are on display. That’s set to change when the museum gets a radical makeover by this year’s Pritzker winner, Sir David Chipperfield. He will expand and update the 19th-century museum to make it more accessible and sustainable. The proposed design will create two levels of subterranean galleries with glass facades, rammed-earth walls, and extensive street-level gardens. It’s sure to rival, if not outshine, Bernard Tschumi’s blockbuster Acropolis Museum, and give a lift to the underrated Patissia neighbourhood.