Athens in 2 days

Morning

• Acropolis and Parthenon2h

  Be at the Acropolis for your pre-booked 8am slot, entering by the quieter south-slope gate, and walk up to the Parthenon before the heat and the tour groups arrive. Circle the Erechtheion and the Propylaea, then stop at the Areopagus rock on the way down for a free panorama over the city.

  TipBuy the timed Acropolis ticket online before you travel and take the very first 8am slot or the last two hours before close, because midday summer heat and crowds on the shadeless rock are brutal. The combined Acropolis and sites ticket is much better value and also covers the ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and more over several days. Enter by the quieter south-slope gate near the Acropolis Museum rather than the packed main entrance, and carry water and a hat.

Afternoon

• 1h15

  Lunch in Koukaki or on the pedestrian Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade below the south slope, a short level walk from the museum. Take your time out of the midday sun before the afternoon indoors.

• Acropolis Museum2h

  Duck into the cool, air-conditioned Acropolis Museum for the hottest part of the day, starting on the top-floor Parthenon Gallery that frames the real temple across the way. The glass floor over the excavated ancient street at the entrance is worth a slow look on your way in.

  TipCheap, air-conditioned, and the perfect midday refuge from the heat, so pair it with the rock on the same day and dip in here when the sun is at its worst. Book online to skip the ticket line, then start on the top-floor Parthenon Gallery, whose glass walls frame the real temple on the hill just across the way. The glass floor over the excavated ancient neighborhood at the entrance is worth a slow look on the way in.

Evening

• Plaka old quarter2h30

  Wander up into Plaka as the light softens, climbing the quiet upper lanes toward Anafiotika before the tavernas fill. Book a table off the main souvenir drag for around 8:30 and settle in for a long Greek dinner.

  TipWander the traffic-free lanes early morning for the bougainvillea and empty-street photos, then return after 8pm when the tavernas come alive. Steer off the main souvenir drag of Adrianou toward the quiet upper streets climbing to Anafiotika, where the prices drop and the atmosphere improves. Skip the tavernas with photo menus and touts out front, they trade on the location.

Morning

• Ancient Agora and Temple of Hephaestus1h30

  Start at the ancient Agora on your combined ticket, before the Acropolis crowds spill downhill, and climb to the near-perfect Temple of Hephaestus at the top. Duck into the shaded Stoa of Attalos and its small museum of everyday Athenian finds.

  TipCovered by the combined Acropolis ticket, so use that rather than paying separately, and come in the morning before the Acropolis crowds spill down here. The Temple of Hephaestus at the top is the best-preserved ancient Greek temple anywhere, far more intact than the Parthenon, and almost never crowded. Do not skip the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos, whose shaded colonnade holds a small, cool museum of everyday Athenian finds.

• Roman Agora and Tower of the Winds30 min

  Walk a few minutes to the Roman Agora and its octagonal Tower of the Winds, the ancient marble weather station carved with wind gods. It is small, so 20 minutes covers it before you move into the lanes.

  TipCovered by the combined Acropolis ticket, and small enough to see in 20 minutes, so fold it into a Plaka wander rather than making a special trip. The octagonal Tower of the Winds is the star, an ancient marble weather station and water clock with carved wind gods on each face, and one of the best-preserved structures of its age. It sits right on the edge of Plaka, so slot it between the ancient Agora and lunch.

Afternoon

• Monastiraki flea market and square1h30

  Head to Monastiraki square and the flea market, browsing the antiques and junk stalls, and keep a hand on your bag in the crush. Grab a cheap souvlaki from one of the famous grill spots off the square for a standing lunch.

  TipThe Sunday morning flea market on Avissynias Square is the real one, with genuine junk and antiques, while the daily Ifestou stalls skew to tourist souvenirs. Watch your bag and wallet in the crush, this is the most pickpocket-prone spot in the city. Climb to any rooftop bar off the square at dusk for the head-on Acropolis view over the terracotta roofs.

• Anafiotika1h

  Loop back up through Plaka to the whitewashed island-style lanes of Anafiotika, climbing the steps for the blue doors and the quiet away from the market. Go slow and respectful, people live behind these doors.

  TipA tiny pocket of whitewashed, island-style houses built into the Acropolis slope by workers from Anafi, it feels like a Cycladic village dropped into the city. Climb the stepped lanes above upper Plaka in the early morning for the blue doors and cats with no crowds at all. There are no shops or cafes up here, it is purely a place to wander, so go quiet and respect that people live behind those doors.

Evening

• Acropolis-view rooftop bar1h30

  Reserve a sunset table at a Monastiraki rooftop bar for a drink with the floodlit Acropolis dead ahead. Treat it as one round for the view, then drop back down for dinner in Psyrri or Plaka.

  TipThe signature Athens sundowner is a drink on a Monastiraki rooftop with the floodlit Acropolis dead ahead, and the best-known terraces book out, so reserve a sunset table a day or two ahead. You pay a view premium on drinks, so treat it as one round for the photo rather than a whole dinner. If you skip the reservation, the free public viewpoint on the Areopagus rock below the Acropolis gives a similar sunset for nothing, minus the cocktail.

• 2h

  Finish with a mezze dinner in Psyrri, a few minutes' walk from Monastiraki, where the food is cheaper and livelier than the old town. Live rebetiko music is easy to find here on any busy night.