Athens, the capital of Greece, is a city filled with history, culture, and myth. Known as the birthplace of the Olympic Games, the city is home to many iconic landmarks and attractions, including the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Athens also offers delicious cuisine, lively nightlife, and warm hospitality. In this one-day Athens travel guide, I walk you through a full day’s itinerary starting from breakfast in the morning, all the way to drinks after dinner and all the top attractions in between.
We stayed at the cutest Airbnb in a very central location. It was the perfect space for a few nights in Athens and had a beautiful view of the Acropolis. I highly recommend this one if you are still in need of accommodation. The Airbnb is on a very popular street and can be noisy at night due to the bars below. We didn’t personally have any issues but want to mention it of course.
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In case this option is already booked, or you are looking for something a bit different, I will link a few other stays with great reviews and in an ideal location.
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I recommend starting your day around 8:30 am (at the latest) to make the most of your short time in Athens. Since you only have one day, you’ll want to pack in as much as possible. Athens offers so many great breakfast cafes, so you will have lots of options to choose from. Here are just a couple of popular ones that are delicious and in a prime location.Â
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We opted for The Brunch Factory, and it was delicious! They have a wide selection of options from pancakes, avocado toast and so much more. It was also only minutes away from our next location; the Athens Flea Market.Â
Once you finish breakfast and get some fuel for the day, you’ll head to the Athens Flea Market, located just 3 minutes from the Brunch Factory (if this is also where you decided to go). I recommend spending about 1.5 hours, at most, shopping and wandering around. Here you will find souvenirs and other cool items! Â
I wanted to share an honorable mention – Nancy’s Sweet Home. It is a popular dessert cafe and famous for their chocolate cake! If you are wanting to check it out, I suggest coming after the Flea Market, as they close at 1pm and is only a 5-minute walk from the Flea Market.Â
After you’ve browsed the flea market and picked up some souvenirs, you’ll make your way up to the Acropolis. You can get here on foot in about 15 minutes. There is typically a long line to buy tickets, so I suggest buying them online ahead of time.
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Depending on the time of the year you’re visiting, you may wait to come straight here from breakfast to avoid the heat. Our trip took place at the beginning of August, and it got up to 104 °F / 40 °C that day. Because of this, they actually closed the Acropolis at 1pm because it was too hot to be up there. This only gave us a little over an hour to walk around the Acropolis and Parthenon. This may not be an issue for you, but something to keep in mind if you’re visiting in the summer.Â
Once you are finished viewing the Acropolis, I recommend strolling through the charming neighborhoods of Anafiotika and Plaka. They are located on the northeastern side of the Acropolis Hill and can be reached in just under 10 minutes. Plaka is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Athens and is filled with history, character, and the beautiful Cycladic architecture that Greece is known for. It also offers cafes, taverns, and little shops to browse through. If you find the souvenir shop Flaneur, you’ll know you’re in the right area. While in Plaka, stop for lunch at any of the cafes or restaurants for a gyro! One of the popular cafes in Plaka is called Yiasemi, meaning jasmine in Greek.
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Anafiotika is another neighborhood located within Plaka that has very narrow streets and a fun area to wander around. Please keep in mind that people do live here, so it’s important to be respectful and not too noisy.
After exploring Plaka and Anafiotika, you will walk to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. You can reach the temple in about 11 minutes on foot. You don’t need a lot of time here, but it is still a very cool ancient Greek temple to visit during your trip!Â
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Once you are finished, head to the Panathenaic Olympic Stadium. It will take you about 15 minutes to walk here from The Temple of Zeus. The Panathenaic Stadium dates back to the 4th century B.C. and was the site of the first modern Olympic games in 1896. Seeing the Panathenaic stadium in person was a very cool experience and a must while visiting Athens! You most likely will not need a full hour here, but I wanted to add extra time in case you are running behind schedule.Â
I always like to leave time to head back to the hotel and freshen up before dinner! If you’ve stayed on the time schedule for the day, you should have plenty of time as well.
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For dinner, you have so many great options to choose from. Athens is filled with delicious restaurants; it was hard to pick just one. I have listed below a few for you to pick your favorite! We opted for Tres Sorelle, as we were in the mood for a good pizza, Ceasar salad and outdoor seating!Â
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If you aren’t exhausted from your full day of activities and looking for some drinks after dinner, Athens has so many great bars around the city.Â
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Overall, we had such a great time in Athens. It’s a beautiful city that offers so much history and culture. Additionally, it has a vast selection of amazing restaurants and nightlife. Unless you are a huge history buff and want to explore all the city has to offer in more detail, I think one day here was perfect. That being said, a day in Athens is worth the trip!Â
Is Athens a quick pit stop for you in Greece? You may be visiting Athens, because you are on your way to Santorini and / or Mykonos next! If that’s the case- don’t forget to check out my full Mykonos and Santorini travel guide here!!
If you’re like me and need help keeping all of your travel plans and itinerary organized, be sure to check out my travel journal that I designed for just this reason! It’s how I plan every single trip and keep organized. It has everything you need from a packing list, a page for your accommodation info, travel itinerary, budgeting on your trip, journaling each day and more!Â
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