Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece, and the must-see list here reaches further than one famous hill. The Acropolis, the ancient citadel above the city, and the Parthenon, the former temple of Athena that stands on it, earn their places: the Acropolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Parthenon is part of one. The rest of this list is where Athens stops being a postcard, taking in a stadium that is also an archaeological site, a synagogue dating from 1904, a Byzantine church, a conservatory dating from 1871, the ground of the academy Plato founded, and a concert hall dating from 1991 that is already listed as an architectural heritage monument. This list is for the visitor who wants the ancient city in the morning and the living one at night, who will trade one more ruin for an evening in a theatre. Read the opening hours closely: several of these places keep short ones.
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1 Athens
Πλατεία Ομονοίας, ΑθήναThe capital and largest city of Greece, pinned on the map at Omonoia Square.
Omonoia Square, Πλατεία Ομονοίας, is the spot Athens itself is pinned to on the map, and that is why this list starts there. The capital and largest city of Greece does not show itself from a rope line on a hill; it shows itself at street level, among people who are not on holiday. Drop a pin at 37.9842, 23.7281 and walk outward for an hour with no plan. Skip the hop-on bus loop: the locals know their city by its squares and side streets, not by its photo stops. Before you land, bookmark the city's official website, cityofathens.gr, then put the phone away and let the city set the pace for one unscheduled morning before the monuments take over.
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2 Parthenon
The former temple of Athena on the Athenian Acropolis, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From 08:00, when the Acropolis opens, the Parthenon is what everyone climbs toward, and for once the crowd has it right. The former temple of Athena on the Athenian Acropolis, it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and no photograph prepares you for its scale. We'd skip the midday slot, when the heat is at its worst and the patience of everyone around you is at its lowest. Go at opening, or in the last stretch before the hill closes at 20:00, when the light drops and the stone looks warmer. Walk all the way around the temple before you take a single picture. The building rewards slow looking, and the people who hurry past it at noon miss most of it.
Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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3 Acropolis of Athens
The ancient citadel above Athens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, open every day 08:00-20:00.
The rock catches first light above a city still waking up, and that is the hour to look up at the Acropolis of Athens, the ancient citadel above the city. The gates open every day from 08:00 to 20:00. Treat the hill as a place to walk, not a single building to tick off: it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right, and the whole citadel deserves your time, not only its most famous temple. We wouldn't bother with the summit in the middle of the day. The locals know the hill is a morning or evening place, and that is when they climb it. Bring water, wear shoes with grip, and leave yourself time on the way down to look back at what you have just walked across.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Hours: Mo-Su 08:00-20:00
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4 Panathenaic Stadium
Λεωφόρος Βασιλέως ΚωνσταντίνουA stadium that is also a Greek archaeological site, and visitors can stand inside it.
Between March and October the Panathenaic Stadium opens 08:00-19:00, and from November to February it closes at 17:00, so winter visitors should arrive early. You will find it on Λεωφόρος Βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου. It is a stadium and a designated archaeological site, and unlike most archaeological sites, you can go in and stand in it. We'd skip the quick photo through the railings outside. Go through the gate, stand on the field, and look up at the stands: it is a different experience from looking in. Check panathenaicstadium.gr before you go. On a clear afternoon this is the most physical history lesson in the city, and the one children remember.
Archaeological site in Greece
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5 Athens Concert Hall
Βασιλίσσης Σοφίας 85 και Πέτρου Κόκκαλη 1, Αθήνα 115 21A performing arts centre dating from 1991 that is already listed as an architectural heritage monument.
Before you plan a single evening, check the programme at the Athens Concert Hall, Βασιλίσσης Σοφίας 85 και Πέτρου Κόκκαλη 1, Αθήνα 115 21. This performing arts and conference centre dates from 1991 and is already designated an architectural heritage monument, a rare distinction for a building this young, and reason enough to come and see it, not just to hear what is on. Skip the dinner-show tavernas with plate-smashing on the menu. The locals spend their big night out here instead. Book through megaron.gr, dress one notch up from your sightseeing clothes, and give the ancient city a rest for one evening. Athens is a capital that still makes culture, not merely one that keeps it.
Dates from 1991 · Architectural heritage monument
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6 Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite
24 ΠανεπιστημίουA cathedral dating from 1865 that also carries a Greek archaeological-site designation.
At 24 Πανεπιστημίου, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite is a cathedral that most visitors pass on the way to somewhere else. They should stop. Dating from 1865 and carrying a Greek archaeological-site designation, it holds an unusual status for a building that is still a working church. Skip the souvenir strips for half an hour and spend a quiet stop here between errands. The street outside is all traffic and purpose, and the room inside is the opposite. Check saintdenis.gr/en for service times before you go, so that you visit with respect, not in the middle of a Mass. It is the easiest calm to find in central Athens.
Dates from 1865 · Archaeological site in Greece
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7 Platonic Academy
The ground of the ancient philosophical, research and teaching centre founded by Plato.
Drop a pin at 37.9924, 23.7081 before you set out for the Platonic Academy, and trust the map over your instincts for the last stretch. This was the ancient philosophical, research and teaching centre founded by Plato in Athens, and today it is a designated archaeological site in Greece. Give it a miss if postcard ruins are all you came for. This is a place for people moved by an idea, by the thought that much of Western philosophy was argued out on this ground. Bring a book, sit for a while, and let the city's noise fall away. It is the least crowded entry on this list, and that is part of why it is here. Pair it with a slow walk, not a tight schedule.
Archaeological site in Greece
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8 Anafiotika
ΠρυτανείουA lived-in neighborhood that is also a designated Greek archaeological site.
Anafiotika catches the afternoon light in a way that does not photograph well and does not explain itself on any street sign. The mapped address is Πρυτανείου, and you will want 37.9725, 23.7283 in your phone before you turn into the lanes. What makes it unusual is that Anafiotika is designated an archaeological site in Greece while people still live and sleep behind its doors. Keep your voice down, as the locals do. Come early or late rather than during selfie-stick hour, walk slowly, and remember that every doorway belongs to someone's home. The municipal website is cityofathens.gr. Twenty quiet minutes here will teach you more about Athens than an hour on the shopping streets.
Archaeological site in Greece
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9 National Theatre of Greece - Ziller Building
Αγίου Κωνσταντίνου 22, Αθήνα, 104 37A protected theatre building dating from 1880 that is still the National Theatre's stage.
The Ziller Building of the National Theatre of Greece, dating from 1880, stands at Αγίου Κωνσταντίνου 22, Αθήνα, 104 37. It is a theatre and a protected building in Greece, and it continues to be used for exactly what it was built for, which is the best kind of monument. Even if the language is mostly lost on you, an evening here beats the souvenir-grade folk revues sold at hotel desks. Theatre has been part of Athenian life for a very long time, and seeing it performed in a historic house is the closest a visitor gets to that tradition. Check the programme on the National Theatre's Ziller page, n-t.gr, and book ahead. Arrive early enough to take in the building before the lights go down.
Dates from 1880 · Protected building in Greece
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10 Athens Conservatoire
Ρηγίλλης & Βασ. Γεωργίου Β 17-19A conservatory dating from 1871, housed in a protected building.
The protected building at Ρηγίλλης & Βασ. Γεωργίου Β 17-19 is home to the Athens Conservatoire, a conservatory dating from 1871, which puts it at the core of how modern Athens learned to make music. If your plan is to photograph it and move on, the detour is not worth making. If you check athensconservatoire.gr for public events and come to listen, it is. A school is a different kind of sight from a monument: the history here is still being practised, and the building matters because of what goes on inside it. Combine it with the stadium or the concert hall for a day that sets the ancient city aside and spends its hours on the musical one.
Dates from 1871 · Protected building in Greece
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11 Church of the Holy Trinity, Athens
Σουρή, Αθήνα, 10557A Byzantine church in central Athens that is also a designated Greek archaeological site.
The Church of the Holy Trinity, Athens, sits on Σουρή in the 10557 postal area, and if you have time for one church in the city, make it this one. Pin 37.9732, 23.7340 before you set out so you don't walk past it. It is a designated archaeological site in Greece and a living congregation at the same time, with its own website at sta.org.gr. We'd skip any tour that counts churches by the dozen: one Byzantine building seen slowly beats ten seen at speed, and this one is worth the slower pace. Dress for a place of worship, keep your voice down, and check the website before you go so that your visit fits around services, not over them.
Archaeological site in Greece
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12 Etz Chaim Synagogue
8 Μελιδώνη, Αθήνα, 10553A synagogue dating from 1904, open on weekdays with short hours.
Dating from 1904, the Etz Chaim Synagogue at 8 Μελιδώνη, Αθήνα, 10553 keeps short hours: 09:00-13:00 Monday to Friday, except Tuesday, when it opens 12:30-16:30, and no weekend hours are listed, so plan carefully. This synagogue belongs on a must-see list because it widens the story. Athens is far more than a city of temples and marble. Its religious history has more than one chapter, and this is one most visitors never read. Check athjcom.gr before you go, carry identification, and expect the respectful formalities of any working house of worship. Come with questions. You will leave with a fuller picture of the city.
Dates from 1904
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-13:00; Tu 12:30-16:30
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