Athens in 4 days

Morning

• Acropolis and Parthenon2h

  Be at the Acropolis for your booked 8am slot, entering by the quieter south-slope gate, and reach the Parthenon before the heat and crowds. Circle the Erechtheion and Propylaea, then take in the free city view from the Areopagus rock on the way down.

  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 on the Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade below the south slope, a level walk from the museum, and get out of the midday sun. Keep it light before the afternoon indoors.

• Acropolis Museum2h

  Spend the hot afternoon in the cool Acropolis Museum, starting on the top-floor Parthenon Gallery that frames the real temple across the valley. The glass floor over the ancient excavation at the entrance rewards a slow look.

  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

• Acropolis-view rooftop bar1h30

  Take a reserved sunset table on a Monastiraki rooftop near your base for a drink with the lit Acropolis ahead. One round for the view, then dinner nearby.

  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

  Dinner in Psyrri, minutes from your Monastiraki base, for mezze and the liveliest night in the center. Ease into the neighborhood you are calling home.

Morning

• Ancient Agora and Temple of Hephaestus1h30

  Start at the ancient Agora on your combined ticket, before the Acropolis crowds spill down, and climb to the intact Temple of Hephaestus. Cool off in the Stoa of Attalos and its museum of everyday 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 to the Roman Agora and its octagonal Tower of the Winds, the ancient marble weather station carved with wind gods, on the same ticket. Twenty minutes here before 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

• Plaka old quarter2h

  Wander Plaka at a slow pace, climbing to the whitewashed island-style steps of Anafiotika above the souvenir drag. Stop for a long lunch on a quiet upper lane.

  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.

• Temple of Olympian Zeus45 min

  Walk to the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch on your combined ticket, where the surviving giant columns glow in the afternoon light. The crowds are thin here at any hour.

  TipIncluded in the combined Acropolis ticket, so there is no reason to buy a separate entry, and 15-20 minutes is plenty for the surviving giant columns. Pair it with Hadrian's Arch right beside it, which is free to see from the street, and the National Garden a short walk north for shade. Late afternoon light turns the marble gold and the crowds are thin here at any hour.

Evening

• Monastiraki flea market and square1h

  Drift back through Monastiraki square in the evening, browsing the stalls and soaking up the buzz. Grab a cheap souvlaki from a famous grill spot off the square if you want a casual bite.

  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.

• 2h

  Dinner back in Psyrri or Plaka, booking ahead for anywhere with a name. Live rebetiko is easy to find in Psyrri on a busy night.

Morning

• National Archaeological Museum2h30

  Go early to the National Archaeological Museum, the greatest collection of ancient Greek art in the world, a short walk or metro hop north. Head for the Mask of Agamemnon, the great bronze of Zeus or Poseidon, and the Antikythera Mechanism first, then wander.

  TipThe greatest collection of ancient Greek art in the world, north of the center, and worth the trip even if you think you have museum fatigue. Go straight for the gold Mask of Agamemnon, the towering bronze of Zeus or Poseidon, and the Antikythera Mechanism, then wander at will. It is a 15-minute walk or a metro hop from the center, and mornings are quietest, so start here before the afternoon groups.

Afternoon

• Panathenaic Stadium1h30

  Cross town to the all-marble Panathenaic Stadium, home of the first modern Olympics, and run a lap or stand on the podium with your ticket. Pair it with the shaded National Garden right next door.

  TipThe all-marble stadium that hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896, and the entry ticket includes an audio guide and the chance to run a lap or stand on the winners' podium. You can get the full effect free from the street railing if you would rather not pay, as the whole horseshoe is visible from outside. Come early or late to have the track to yourself for photos, and pair it with the neighboring National Garden.

• 1h30

  Wander up into Kolonaki for coffee and boutiques, or the Cycladic Art or Benaki museums if you still have the appetite. Position yourself near the Lycabettus funicular for the sunset climb.

Evening

• Lycabettus Hill1h30

  Ride the funicular up Lycabettus Hill for sunset, the city's highest viewpoint, with the Acropolis and the sea spread out below. Arrive 30 minutes early for a railing spot and bring a layer against the breeze.

  TipThe highest point in the city and the top sunset spot, with the Acropolis, the sprawl, and the sea laid out below from the chapel terrace. Ride the funicular up from Kolonaki to save the steep climb, then walk down through the pine woods afterward if your knees allow. Arrive 30 minutes before sunset to claim a spot at the cafe railing, and bring a layer, it is breezy up top.

• 2h

  Dinner in Kolonaki or back near Monastiraki, wherever your legs land. Save some energy, tomorrow you leave the city for the sea.

Morning

• 4h

  Take the day out of the city to the sea. Either ride the coastal bus or a tour down to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, a clifftop ruin above the Aegean about 70 km south, timed for the famous sunset. Or catch a fast ferry from Piraeus to Aegina, an easy 40-minute hop, for pistachio orchards, a harbor front, and a swim.

Afternoon

• 3h

  If you chose an island, spend the afternoon on Aegina or push on to prettier Hydra, where cars are banned and donkeys still work the stone lanes, with a long harbor-taverna lunch and a swim off the rocks. If you chose Sounion, break the coast road at one of the Athenian Riviera beaches for a swim before the temple.

Evening

• 2h

  For Sounion, be at the Temple of Poseidon for sunset, when the marble columns catch the last light over the sea, then ride back into town. For the islands, take an early-evening ferry back to Piraeus and the metro up to the center.

• 2h

  Farewell dinner back near Monastiraki, a short walk from your bed with no onward journey to plan, which is the whole point of basing here. Go classic on grilled fish and mezze for the last Athens night.