Athens, the capital of Greece, fills the Attica basin, ringed by four mountains and open to the Saronic Gulf, with the rock of the Acropolis at its heart. The City of Athens itself had about 643,000 residents in 2021, while the wider metropolitan area is home to more than 3.6 million people.
Travellers come for the Parthenon and the ancient sites around it, for museums full of the finds of Greek antiquity, and for a lively modern city of cafés, markets and neoclassical streets. Most of the main sights are close together in the historic centre, and the metro links them with the airport and with Piraeus, the port for the Aegean islands. A rented apartment works well for couples, families and longer stays, particularly in residential quarters such as Koukaki and Pangrati, although central Athens has special limits on new holiday rentals. The city is also a practical base for trips to the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, the island of Aegina and the beaches of the Athens Riviera.
Plaka, on the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and adjacent Monastiraki put the ancient sites, the market streets and the metro on your doorstep. Plaka is the oldest district of the city, and its tiny Anafiotika quarter, built in the 19th century by settlers from the island of Anafi, has whitewashed houses in the Cycladic style. These areas suit first-time visitors who want to walk everywhere, though they stay busy day and night; neighbouring Psyrri is known for its bars and late hours.
Koukaki, just south of the Acropolis, is a residential neighbourhood with two metro stations, the tram and apartments within a short walk of the Acropolis Museum, and it suits couples and families. Kolonaki, below Mount Lycabettus, is the upscale choice, with museums and galleries. Pangrati, beyond the National Garden, has a local café scene and calmer streets for longer stays. For a seaside base, the Athens Riviera to the south, with Glyfada, Voula and Vouliagmeni, offers apartments and villas near the beaches, linked to the centre by tram and bus.
The Acropolis, the rocky citadel above the centre and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, carries the buildings raised in the 5th century BC under Pericles: the Parthenon, the monumental gateway of the Propylaea, the Erechtheion and the small Temple of Athena Nike. Many of the original sculptures are now in the Acropolis Museum, opened in 2009 on the southern slope, about 280 metres from the Parthenon.
A pedestrian route leads from the Temple of Olympian Zeus along the foot of the Acropolis to Thiseio, past the Ancient Agora, the public heart of the classical city, where the Temple of Hephaestus still stands and the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos houses the Agora museum. The National Archaeological Museum holds an outstanding collection of ancient Greek art, and the Panathenaic Stadium, rebuilt in marble in the 2nd century AD, hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. For a view across the whole basin, climb Lycabettus or the pine-covered Philopappos Hill, ideally in the cooler hours of the day.
Athens has been inhabited for at least 5,000 years, and by 1400 BC the Acropolis was a Mycenaean fortress. In 508 BC the reforms of Cleisthenes introduced democracy, and after victories over the Persians at Marathon in 490 BC and Salamis in 480 BC the city entered its golden age, when the playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides and the philosophers Socrates and Plato lived and worked here.
In the 2nd century AD the Roman emperor Hadrian, himself an Athenian citizen, gave the city new public buildings. Crusaders took Athens in 1204, and it later passed to the Ottoman Turks. After the Greek War of Independence, Athens replaced Nafplio as the capital of the new Greek state in 1834, and a modern city was planned around the ruins, which is why neoclassical buildings still line many central streets. Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and the Summer Games again in 2004; the new airport opened in 2001, in time for those Games.
Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH), opened in 2001, lies about 20 kilometres east of the centre as the crow flies and about 30 kilometres by road, because hills stand in between. A station next to the terminal is served by metro Line 3 and by the suburban railway, the Proastiakos, and buses and taxis also make the trip.
Within the city, three metro lines, the tram, buses and trolleybuses make up the public network run by Transport for Athens. Line 1 began as a steam railway to Piraeus in 1869, and several of the newer stations display archaeological finds unearthed during construction. Piraeus is reached by metro Lines 1 and 3 and by tram, and its ferries sail to Crete, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese and the islands of the northern and eastern Aegean. The historic centre is compact and rewarding on foot, so a car is rarely worth the traffic and parking in town, although it helps for exploring the rest of Attica.
Cape Sounion, at the southern tip of Attica, roughly 70 kilometres south-east of the city, is crowned by the Temple of Poseidon, built between 444 and 440 BC, and the coast road there runs along the Athens Riviera past Glyfada, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza. Aegina, one of the Saronic islands, is an easy trip from Piraeus, around forty minutes by hydrofoil or an hour by conventional ferry, and is known for its pistachios and the Temple of Aphaia.
Delphi, the sanctuary of the ancient oracle on the south-western slope of Mount Parnassus, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and makes a long but rewarding day out by road. Nearer the city, the 11th-century Byzantine monastery of Daphni, about 11 kilometres north-west of the centre, is the Athens area's second World Heritage Site and is celebrated for its gold-ground mosaics. Many travellers also add a few nights on the islands, using Piraeus as the gateway.
Athens has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. Summers are long, dry and very hot, with heatwaves that can make midday sightseeing exhausting, while winters are mild and wetter. Snow is uncommon, though the whole city was blanketed in February 2021 and again in January 2022, and the southern coast around Piraeus receives even less rain than the centre.
Spring, from about April to early June, and autumn, from September into October, are the most comfortable seasons for walking the archaeological sites, with warm days and long evenings. In high summer, plan the Acropolis and other open-air sites for early morning or late afternoon, carry water and look for shade, and save the hottest hours for museums or the beach. Winter is a calm season for museums, concerts and everyday city life, with fewer visitors, although some days are rainy and the days are shorter.
Private homes let for short stays in Greece must be entered in the Short-Term Stay Property Registry of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), and the registry number, called the AMA, has to be displayed clearly on every listing; licensed tourist accommodation shows its own licence number instead.
Central Athens has an additional rule. Under Law 5162/2024, homes in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd municipal districts of the City of Athens, which include the historic centre and neighbourhoods such as Plaka, Koukaki and Exarchia, could not be registered for the first time from 1 January 2025, and a joint ministerial decision extended this freeze to 31 December 2026. Homes registered earlier could carry on, but Law 5313/2026 allows further extensions and removes homes in these districts from the registry when they are sold or given away.
A lawful listing shows an AMA, which is worth checking before you pay. Because these rules have changed several times, owners and travellers should confirm the current position with the AADE and official Greek sources.
Plaka and Monastiraki are best for walking to the Acropolis and the old streets. Koukaki is a quieter residential choice near the Acropolis Museum, Kolonaki is upscale and central, and Pangrati suits longer, local-feeling stays. The Athens Riviera, around Glyfada and Vouliagmeni, is the choice for beaches.
Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH) is about 20 kilometres east of the centre in a straight line, or about 30 kilometres by road. Metro Line 3 and the suburban railway stop at a station beside the terminal, and buses and taxis also run to the city.
Spring, from about April to early June, and autumn, from September into October, are the most pleasant times for sightseeing. Summer is dry and very hot, with occasional heatwaves, so visit open-air sites early or late in the day. Winter is mild, quieter and good for museums.
Two or three days cover the Acropolis and its museum, the Ancient Agora, Plaka and the National Archaeological Museum. With four or five days you can add a trip to Cape Sounion, Aegina or Delphi, or spend time on the beaches of the Athens Riviera.
Not in the city. The metro, tram and buses link the centre with the airport, Piraeus and the coast, and the historic centre is best explored on foot. A car is useful only for exploring Attica, for example a drive along the coast to Cape Sounion.
Yes. Children often enjoy the Acropolis and its museum, the Panathenaic Stadium, the shady National Garden and the beaches of the Riviera. Families usually prefer an apartment in Koukaki or Pangrati, and should plan outdoor sightseeing for the cooler parts of the day in summer.
Yes. Short-term rentals in Greece must be entered in the AADE's Short-Term Stay Property Registry and show their AMA number on every listing. In the central 1st, 2nd and 3rd municipal districts, first-time registrations were frozen from 2025 to the end of 2026. Check the current rules before booking.
Yes. Piraeus, reached by metro Lines 1 and 3 or by tram, is the main port, with ferries to Crete, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese and the northern and eastern Aegean. Aegina and the other Saronic islands are close enough for a day trip.
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