View of Athens with the Acropolis in the centre and the sea in the distance
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Athens in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 6.1 km on foot
  • 17 stops
  • Audio guide

With two days, Athens stops being a race. The first day is for the big postcards, a museum that changes how you see Greece and the legends at dusk; the second is for classical history and an unhurried afternoon among columns and marble. A relaxed pace, with time to sit at a table on the pavement.

Day 1Postcards, a museum and shadows

In the morning, “From Syntagma to the Parthenon: the must-see Athens”, from the evzones to the Acropolis Museum. Have a souvlaki in Monastiraki and use the free afternoon for two extras that link up easily from Syntagma: a stroll in the National Garden and the National Archaeological Museum. Head back to the centre for sunset with “Curses, dervishes and a prison without a prisoner”, from the Little Metropolis to the so-called Prison of Socrates. For dinner, loukoumades at Krinos on Aiolou Street.

  1. Morning

    From Syntagma to the Parthenon: the must-see Athens

    Mixed · 2.4 km · 2 h

    1. Syntagma Square and the Tomb of the Unknown SoldierA royal palace turned Parliament and a square named after the Constitution wrested from a king.
    2. Metropolitan Cathedral of AthensThe great church of the new kingdom, twenty years in the making and, so the story goes, built with stones from dozens of demolished churches.
    3. Monastiraki SquareA square where a Byzantine monastery, an Ottoman mosque, a Roman library and the metro station all live side by side.
    4. The AcropolisThe rock where Pericles raised the Parthenon, and which survived a Persian fire, a Venetian explosion and Lord Elgin.
    5. Acropolis MuseumA glass museum floating above an ancient neighbourhood, with visible gaps waiting for the Parthenon Marbles to come home.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Souvlaki and kebab at O Thanasis. Odós Mitropóleos, 69, Monastiraki

  3. Afternoon

    National Garden

    An oasis of shade and ponds beside Parliament, laid out for Queen Amalia in the 19th century. It's the ideal breather after the Acropolis: enter from Syntagma, wander for a while, then head on to the Archaeological Museum.

    Directions

    National Archaeological Museum

    The great museum of ancient Greece: the Mask of Agamemnon, archaic kouroi, bronzes and the Antikythera Mechanism. Allow two hours, pick your galleries and take the metro or a taxi from Syntagma, as it's a fair walk away.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Curses, dervishes and a prison without a prisoner

    Mysteries & legends · 2.1 km · 1 h 55 min

    1. The Little MetropolisA tiny church built from some ninety pieces of pagan temples and tombs, a few of them “baptised” with a cross.
    2. Church of KapnikareaAn 11th-century church in the middle of the shopping street, which nearly fell victim to a straight new street plan.
    3. Tzistarakis MosqueThe mosque an Ottoman governor built with an ancient column, and the plague Athenians believed was his punishment.
    4. Tower of the WindsA two-thousand-year-old clock with eight winged gods, which ended up as a place where dervishes danced.
    5. AnafiotikaA Cycladic village clinging to the Acropolis, which tradition says was built by night to get around the law.
    6. The so-called Prison of SocratesRock-cut chambers that tradition turned into the philosopher's cell, and that hid the statues of the Acropolis during the war.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Loukoumades at Krinos. Odós Eólou, 87

Day 2Marble, theatres and a stadium

Begin with “Before Athens was Athens: theatres, courts and emperors”, which starts at Hadrian's Arch and follows the south slope: Lysicrates, the Theatre of Dionysus, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Areopagus. End at the Stoa of Attalos and have a tiropita or spanakopita near Syntagma, at Ariston. In the afternoon, walk back to Hadrian's Arch, a stone's throw from the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and round off with the Panathenaic Stadium. A day of stone and marble.

  1. Morning

    Before Athens was Athens: theatres, courts and emperors

    History · 1.6 km · 1 h 45 min

    1. Arch of HadrianA marble gateway that used two carved sentences to announce that the city of Theseus had a new master.
    2. Choragic Monument of LysicratesA 2,300-year-old theatre trophy that survived hidden inside a monastery where Lord Byron once stayed.
    3. Theatre of DionysusThe seats where Athens first watched Oedipus, Medea and Aristophanes' frogs.
    4. Odeon of Herodes AtticusA millionaire's gift to his wife's memory that still fills with audiences almost two thousand years later.
    5. The AreopagusA rock polished by millions of footsteps, where murderers stood trial and Saint Paul addressed the Athenians.
    6. Stoa of AttalosThe shopping arcade of Hellenistic Athens, a king's gift rebuilt in the 20th century with the same marble.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Tiropita and spanakopita at Ariston. Odós Voulís, 10

  3. Afternoon

    Temple of Olympian Zeus

    Fifteen Corinthian columns still standing from a temple that took centuries to finish: Hadrian completed it in AD 131. It sits right beside Hadrian's Arch, so half an hour is enough, with views of the Acropolis.

    Directions

    Panathenaic Stadium

    A white marble stadium that hosted the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896. A quick visit, and it's a ten-minute walk from the Temple of Olympian Zeus; climb the stands to see its horseshoe shape.

    Directions

The map

Athens in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Athens in 2 days

  • Do the Acropolis on day one, first thing, and keep day two for the south slope, which has more shade and stairs. A combined ticket for archaeological sites can save queues; check what it includes and how long it lasts.
  • The metro links Syntagma, Monastiraki, Acropoli and the Archaeological Museum well; use it between extras and routes to save your legs. Also check museum closing days on public holidays and Mondays.
  • The polished marble of the south slope and the Acropolis is slippery: wear rubber soles and carry water, especially from June to September, when the midday heat bites. Spring and autumn are the best seasons.

Questions

Athens in 2 days: your questions

Is two days enough for Athens?

Yes, for the main sights at an easy pace: the Acropolis and its museum, the south slope, Plaka, Monastiraki, the Archaeological Museum and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. If you want more, you already have ideas for a third day: the market, Psyrri and more legends.

How far do you walk in two days?

The routes add up to about 6.1 km: 4.5 on day one (essential and mysteries) and 1.6 on day two (history). Add the extras and the trips between them and it comes to 7 or 8 km a day, with breaks.

Is the National Archaeological Museum worth it?

If ancient Greece interests you, yes: it's the collection that makes sense of what you see in the ruins. Two hours covers the famous pieces; if time is short, choose this museum over one more archaeological site.

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