I don’t know Greece very well, even though it’s a country that really draws me in. I discovered the island of Corfu when I was a teenager, but I hadn’t been back since. In 2023, the favorite photographer and I went on a one-week holiday in Greece, both to explore the city of Athens (which I’m going to tell you about in this article) and also to take a cruise in the Cyclades—and more broadly in the Aegean Sea, actually.
We took this trip at the end of March, and I must say it’s a lovely season to discover the destination. It’s already getting a bit warm, but not too hot yet, and plus, we were just before the high season (which starts in April and ends in October in Greece) and its flood of tourists. In this article, I offer you a selection of things to do to visit Athens in 3 days and I also share my recommendations for great addresses.
Practical information:
- Getting there by plane from Paris: for the outbound flight, we bought a ticket with the Greek low-cost airline Sky Express, and for the return, we took a flight with Transavia (this was what suited us best in terms of dates and schedules) / price: €220 for a round-trip flight Paris-Athens at the end of March—this is the price we paid by booking a little more than a month in advance and without adding checked baggage)
- Getting to Athens from the airport: take Metro Line 3 to reach the city center (ticket €9 one way) / travel time: about 40 min, but there can be a bit of a wait for a metro going to the airport, so plan for a little buffer time for the return
- Currency: it’s the euro, so very convenient to get an idea of the cost of living in Greece
- Have your guidebook: for our part, we had the Géoguide Coups de cœur Iles grecques Les cyclades et Athènes (price €15.90)
Table of Contents
What to see, what to do in Athens?
Despite what we were told (I don’t know why, but I feel like this city unfortunately doesn’t have a very good image), we loved our stay in Athens. It is a cosmopolitan city, very spread out and vibrant, in constant mutation and change. Indeed, there was a lot of construction and places under renovation when we went there. However, I found that an interesting energy and a certain sweetness of life emanated from the Greek city. You have to take your time in Athens, sit in a cafe, wander through the streets…
And then obviously, how can you not fall under the charm of this millenary city that notably sheltered the heart of ancient Greece? I won’t hide from you that it was with some emotion that I walked through this city with such rich history, which was the capital of such a brilliant civilization.
Not to be missed: the changing of the guard in front of the parliament on Syntagma Square; walking in the National Garden (created by the former queen of Greece)—this garden is very pleasant and the perfect place for a walk if the weather allows; you will notably see many turtles there (I absolutely don’t know why…); going to see the Panathenaic Stadium, which was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century to host the first modern Olympic Games on the site of the ancient stadium of Athens.
The museum tip: in the low season, museums are half-price in Athens (between November 1st and March 31st).
This is Athens / Athens Tourism Office
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Discovering Athens with a Civitatis Free Tour
If you are looking for the ultimate tip to explore the cradle of Western civilization at a lower cost, I strongly suggest you test the “Free tours” by Civitatis. The way this famous booking platform works is formidably effective for travelers: the spot is booked for free online, and you are the one who determines the remuneration for the guide at the end of the walk, based on what you enjoyed! For more than 2h30, a French-speaking guide will take you on a journey through time, from Syntagma Square with its famous changing of the guard to the charming alleys of the Plaka neighborhood, all while enjoying breathtaking views of the mythical Acropolis.
Free tour in Athens by Civitatis
Duration: 2h30-3h (depending on the route)
Visiting the Acropolis
You obviously cannot come to Athens without visiting the Acropolis. This iconic archaeological site of the city is located at the top of one of the city’s hills. Since the 5th century BC, it has hosted a sacred enclosure dedicated to the worship of the Greek goddess Athena, protector of the city in ancient times, to whom she gave her name (Athens, Athena… yes, there is a link…).
Today, you can visit this magnificent place, but I must warn you that it is an extremely busy site all year round. Furthermore, the climb is a bit physical, and above all, it is very hot there (even in March we were very hot and the sun was beating down strongly). I therefore recommend good shoes and, above all, water + a hat/cap for this visit. Moreover, the site is actually quite large to visit because, in addition to the summit area, the surroundings and other ancient site infrastructures around the hill can also be visited. For our part, we had taken our tickets in advance online on the Hello Tickets site (link below), and we were able to enter the site directly without waiting in line.
The Acropolis
Athens 105 58, Greece
Visit prices: the price depends on the time of year you go (high or low season), between €16 and €29
Link to book your ticket for the National Archaeological Museum with Hello Tickets
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Visiting the Museum of Cycladic Art
This museum offers a beautiful archaeological collection and allows you to discover the millenary civilizations that developed in the Cyclades. The museum presents a permanent exhibition on 4 floors and also small temporary exhibitions. The captions are in Greek and English, but you can also find in some rooms small printed papers with translations of the texts in French, and that’s worth noting!
The little extra: the place also offers a lovely cafe to eat or have a drink, the Cycladic Cafe (we didn’t test it, but the place seemed charming to us), as well as a souvenir shop.
Museum of Cycladic Art
Neofitou Douka 4, Athens 106 74, Greece
Entrance price: €12 permanent and temporary exhibition
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Visiting the National Archaeological Museum of Athens
The National Archaeological Museum of Athens is the main archaeological museum of Greece and it is directly dependent on the General Directorate of Antiquities attached to the Greek Ministry of Culture. It possesses one of the vastest collections of Greek antiquities in the world and houses more than 20,000 objects dating from prehistory to the end of Antiquity and coming from all over Greece.
It is a very large museum and I recommend that you plan several hours to visit it because it is really very vast. You will notably be able to see some bronze statues, the rare originals of Greek statues that have reached us, most of which have now disappeared and are known only thanks to the marble copies that the Romans made of them.
Note: the captions and explanations are in Greek and English only.
National Archaeological Museum of Athens
28is Oktovriou 44, Athens 106 82, Greece
Prices : €6 (between November 1st and March 31st) / €12 (between April 1st and October 31st)
Link to book your ticket for the National Archaeological Museum with Hello Tickets
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Watching the sunset at the top of Mount Lycabettus
Everyone had advised us to go see the sunset from the top of Mount Lycabettus. Unfortunately, we missed it partly because we didn’t plan enough time to get there and we arrived on site a little late… Indeed, it is the ideal spot to have a full view over Athens but also over the sea (in clear weather). There is a funicular (paid) that allows easier and faster access to one side of the Mount; however, in the low season, there is only one every half hour, so you have to plan ahead…
My favorite food addresses in Athens
As usual, you will find below my selection of great addresses in Athens (restaurants, street food, coffee shops…) that we had the opportunity to test during our short stay with the favorite photographer. These addresses often offer the chance to discover local products and some specialties to taste if you come to Greece.
I also recommend that you go to the Old Market (Athinas 42, Historic Center, 105 51), also called central market or Varvakeios (a fish and meat market). It is really the ideal place to shop for quality food, plus I found the atmosphere to be truly incredible! We didn’t test it, but we were recommended to eat at the Epirus Tavern in the market if you want to taste traditional Greek dishes in an authentic atmosphere.
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A coffee shop in Athens? Rule of 4 M
This tiny address we stumbled upon by chance makes very good quality coffee. We got a double espresso and a flat white, and it cost us €4.20 in total. I recommend it if you are passing through Athens, even if it’s not quite in the city center.
Rule of 4m
Agiou Spiridonos 5, Athens 116 35, Greece
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Eating street-food macaroni in Athens? Macaronis Greece
Apparently, the Greeks have a specialty that is somewhere between moussaka and lasagna, and it’s made with macaroni! This colorful little spot offers macaroni based on fresh pasta made on-site daily. You can take them to go because they are served in cups, or you can enjoy them on-site; there are a few seats inside and also in front of the restaurant.
To taste: I recommend testing the “spice, spice… baby” macaroni recipe (€7.60), which is very nice, and you can choose your level of spicy (we chose medium and it was very good); for dessert, we had the “tira-miss-you” tiramisu (€4.50).
Macaronis Greece
Kolokotroni 14, Athens 105 61, Greece
Price of bowls: between €7.10 and €9.20
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Where to have lunch on a terrace? Le Louvron
Well obviously, when you know that I work at the Louvre, it was a kind of strange coincidence to realize that we had just sat down at an address that made reference to the Louvre, actually, in its name… In any case, this address had been recommended to us by a local, and we weren’t disappointed! The place offers a small shaded terrace for sunny days that doesn’t lack charm. We had lunch there by sharing, in the Greek way, plates of mezes, and we really enjoyed ourselves.
Le Louvron (to Aoybpon)
Eratosthenous 6 11635 Athens, Greece
Bill : €28 for 4 mezes to share
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Where to eat Greek dishes in Athens? Ella Urban Greek Cuisine
This very cool address is located in the center, very close to Syntagma Square, and it’s a very good option for eating well-made, fresh Greek dishes, and there is also a lovely selection of Greek wines. The place is also quite large with its two floors, plus a terrace in front of the establishment. And the service is extremely friendly, which is always nice to point out.
We tasted: for starters, the homemade Dolmadakia (Greek specialty) with vine leaf and rice (€7.60); the Greek salad, super fresh (€10); for the main course, the “giaourtlou” Kebab with pita bread, yogurt, and grilled tomatoes (€12.50); the Giouvetsi lamb with orzo pasta and cheese (€13.60).
Ella Greek Cooking
Mitropoleos 26, Athens 105 63, Greece
Price of wine by the glass: between €3.50 and €8.70
Link to the restaurant website
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Where to dine in a design hotel? Le New Taste
The New Taste is the restaurant of the New Hotel (which I tell you about below in the accommodation section) where we were lucky enough to stay one night during our time in Athens. We took the opportunity to have dinner at the hotel restaurant, which offers Mediterranean gastronomy, during our stay there. Normally the restaurant is installed on the magnificent rooftop of the hotel; unfortunately for us that evening, the rooftop was privatized, so we couldn’t enjoy the view, but the setting is truly magnificent and we ate very well!
We tasted: the “kakavia” fish soup (€13); a salad (price of salads between €14 and €16); a risotto with grilled shrimp (€17); the braised lamb shank (€29); the bread is delicious and it is homemade by the hotel’s bakery; there is also a lovely selection of Greek wines from all over the country (wine by the glass between €6 and €11).
Restaurant New Taste
New Hotel / 105 57, Filellinon 16, Athina 105 57, Greece
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A starred restaurant in Athens? Soil Restaurant
This restaurant, installed a stone’s throw from the Panathenaic Stadium, is located in a historic house, and when you go to this establishment, you have the impression of being invited to a friend’s house. You ring the doorbell and first pass by the kitchens where the whole team greets you. You can then settle into the charming garden (but it was a bit too cold for me) or upstairs in the restaurant.
Then the unique 14-sequence menu can begin (there is no choice, no menu here, only this tasting menu). We also took the food and wine pairing (€75), and I must say that it was a bit of a low point in this high-flying dinner. The pairings were very interesting and the wines of quality, but we were forced to take the pairing for both of us (whereas a single pairing would have been more than enough given the number of glasses of wine served, about 8 per person if I remember correctly). This gave us a salty bill regarding the alcohol (€150 in total, after all), but above all, I was almost sick at the end of the meal because I had drunk too much. Plus, I noticed that the table next to us (also a couple, but Greeks) had taken a pairing but only for one person (which annoyed me a little, I must say, because that had been refused to me).
In short, the meal was really of a very high level, as were the wines, but this incident spoiled the moment for me a little. Not to mention the fact that the sommelier mumbled his words in English, and we almost didn’t understand his explanations about the wines, and he almost didn’t give us a smile. I would also reproach the restaurant for service that was a bit too stiff, which would gain from being warmer. So a mixed experience, but a chef without a doubt extremely talented.
Soil restaurant
Ferekidou 5, Athens 116 35, Greece
Price: unique menu at €90 and food and wine pairing at €75 per person
Where to stay in Athens?
Below, I invite you to discover the two accommodations (a design hotel and a luxury apartment hotel) that we had the opportunity to test during our stay in Athens with the favorite photographer.
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A design hotel in Athens? The New Hotel
The NEW Hotel is ideally located just a few minutes’ walk from Syntagma Square. It is part of the YES! Hotels Group collection, founded in 2004 by one of the greatest collectors of contemporary art, Dakis Joannou, who is also Greek. This hotel group is also one of the first in Greece to have introduced the concept of “contemporary hospitality” and remains a pioneer in this field.
The NEW Hotel is a 5-star establishment, renovated about 12 years ago on the site of the Olympic Palace Hotel, an Athenian hotel from the 50s/60s. Today, it perfectly embodies the fusion between ancient and modern Greece. It is the first hotel resulting from the collaboration between the award-winning Brazilian design duo, the Campana brothers (Fernando and Humberto Campana), and architecture students from the University of Thessaly. The choice of the Campana brothers was to reuse and recycle the old furniture from the Olympic Palace Hotel and to divert it from its primary function to turn it into works of art and decorative elements at the heart of the new hotel. And I must say that the result is striking and extremely successful. It gives a real soul to the hotel, and the presence of these old witnesses of the disappeared palace is very moving.
The rooms and suites are themed around 3 local themes: Karaghiósis, a central character of Greek theater, collages of vintage postcards of Athens, and vaskania, a blue and white motif known for warding off bad luck. Favela chair in the rooms. For our part, we stayed in a studio room with a small balcony that looked out over the beautiful Russian church of Sotira Lykodimou. The bedding was obviously incredible, and I really liked the design of the room as well as the furniture that makes it up.
The hotel also has a restaurant, the New Taste, where we had dinner during our stay and which I told you about in the previous part of the article with my selection of great addresses. Regarding breakfast, it is served as a buffet with a few variations of egg preparations à la carte. The products are of quality, and as always, I appreciated the selection of local products (Greek cheeses and charcuterie in part). It should also be noted that the bread is homemade by the hotel’s bakery.
The little extras:
- The hotel also has a magnificent rooftop with a stunning view over Athens. The New Art Lounge (open every day except when privatized) is located on the 7th floor of the hotel. It combines contemporary art, design, and a breathtaking view. It also offers a remarkable art library, with more than 2,000 art books that you can leaf through while relaxing on the terrace, enjoying the impressive 360-degree view over the historic monuments of Athens.
- Finally, the hotel also has a gym and a spa that, unfortunately, we did not have time to test.
New Hotel Athens
Filellinon 16, Athina 105 57, Greece
Prices: prices starting from €370/night in a double room (all prices visible on the establishment’s website, link below)
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Where to stay with several people in a house in Athens? Aldis Mansion by K&K Holiday Homes
During our stay in Athens, we also stayed at the Aldis Mansion, by K&K Holiday Homes, a brand that offers a selection of luxury villas in several destinations in Greece. The accommodation is located in the heart of Athens, in the Plaka neighborhood, which is the old historic quarter of Athens, not far from the Acropolis and several archaeological sites. If you are coming with family or friends, it is the ideal spot to settle in before going off to explore the city.
This high-standing apartment hotel is a townhouse that offers 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, also with an equipped kitchen, a living room, a dining area, and a charming interior patio. It is perfect for families or couples of friends, and it is also ideally located in the historic center of the city, as I told you just above. Two of the bedrooms overlook a small, slightly lively street, and another, more quiet and calm, is located at the back of the house.
Aldis Mansion by K&K Holiday Homes
accommodation for 9 people maximum (3 bedrooms)
Tripodon 24, Athina 105 58
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This trip was carried out at our own expense, and on-site, we were guests at the two accommodations tested.
I hope that with all this, I have made you want to visit Athens, and if you, too, have your favorite addresses and tips for this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments below!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos are not royalty-free, photographer's authorization mandatory before any use
