Athens is a vibrant and fun city, full of things to do – excellent hotels, trendy cafés, amazing food, and warm, welcoming people. Taxis are very affordable, and the public transportation system is convenient and efficient.
I’ve visited Athens three times:
- The first time was for a week in December, with my husband Roman, before we became parents.
- The second time was during a one-day visit on a cruise stop in August, with our two daughters.
- The third time was in May 2025, when I stayed there for two days with my siblings after traveling around the Peloponnese.
During our week-long stay in the city, we stayed in two hotels, Coco-Mat and Athens Square Hotel. We flew into Athens International Airport and took a taxi to the city center, which cost 40 euros. The city was beautifully decorated for Christmas – festive, lit up, and full of charm. The weather was mild and dry, which made the experience even more magical.
On our cruise visit, we docked at the port of Piraeus. From there, we took a taxi to the train station and then the train directly to the city center. (It’s a good idea to check train schedules in advance.)
During my most recent visit with my siblings, we stayed at a lovely boutique hotel called Sweet Home Hotel, right in the heart of the Plaka neighborhood. It’s a cozy and peaceful place with a perfect central location and warm, personal service.
You can read more about these hotels in my full post about recommended hotels in Athens, including tips from international travel bloggers.
The Most Photogenic Neighborhood in Athens: Anafiotika
We arrived in Anafiotika at 8 a.m. — the best decision we made. At this hour, the neighborhood is peaceful, quiet, and perfect for photography. It’s a small, hidden gem right on the slopes of the Acropolis, just a short walk from Plaka, yet often overlooked.
Winding alleys, whitewashed houses with colorful shutters, artistic graffiti, and a calm, village-like vibe make it one of the most beautiful places in Athens.
You’ll find a few cafés and small tavernas, but mainly this is a quiet residential area, so keep your voice low and be respectful.
Note: There are many stairs and narrow passages, making it less accessible for those with mobility issues or strollers.
At the top, a scenic viewpoint offers a panoramic view of the city. Arrive early, and you might have it all to yourself.
How to get there: Enter from Plaka via Stratonos Street and follow the alleys northeast. There are no signs, but wandering through will lead you there.
Michelin-Star Dining: Makris Restaurant
On our last evening in Athens, we treated ourselves to dinner at Makris, a Michelin-starred restaurant near Monastiraki Flea Market.
Modern Greek cuisine with a twist, served with elegance and soul. Ingredients come from the chef’s family farm, an hour outside Athens.
We booked a 6-course tasting menu (€115), which felt just right — satisfying yet exciting. There’s also a 9-course option, and a vegetarian menu (€88), which was just as impressive.
Wine lovers should opt for the Greek wine pairing (€70). Some wines are exclusive to the restaurant.
We dined outdoors in May, which enhanced the experience: soft lighting, gentle breeze, magical atmosphere.
The entire evening lasted three hours, a true culinary performance with top service.
Highly recommended for a special night in Athens. 
Shopping on Ermou Street
We couldn’t skip some shopping time, especially with my sisters. For two hours we explored Ermou Street, the main shopping avenue starting from Syntagma Square toward Monastiraki.
All major brands are here: Zara, Mango, H&M, Bershka, and more — at lower prices than in Israel.
The best part? Stores are open on Sundays from 11 a.m., which is perfect for weekend travelers. 
Must-Visit Bakery: 72H
Right next to our hotel (Sweet Home Hotel) was 72H Bakery, impossible to walk by without stopping.
We arrived at 8 a.m. to beat the queue. Each day offers fresh pastries, pretzels, bread, and sandwiches (available around 10 a.m.).
Favorites: cinnamon rolls, chocolate pastries, and espresso-infused delights.
Perfect for a morning treat. 
Enjoying a local market experience
The Dimotiki Agora food market, the central market in Athens where you’ll find anything you desire, a fish market, meats, fruit and veg, spices, sausages, cheeses and more.
Directions.
Monastiraki Flea Market – The market is located in a central location as well, about ten minutes from the food market. Despite it being called a flea market, you’ll have no problem finding many shops for souvenir, bags, clothes, local produce and more. This is a lively area with a large square featuring street performances and food stalls selling chestnuts and corn on a cob, as well as many nice cafés and restaurants.
Fun bike tour
In the morning, we arrived at the company’s bike store ,Athens by bike, which is located right next to the Acropolis metro station. As it turned out, we were the only ones to book a tour for that day, and so we got a private tour. Our guide was Dimitris, a charming and funny guy who was really patient and interesting and made the tour a huge success.
We did a four-and-a-half-hour tour. We visited a beautiful and esoteric vantage point, rode along the only bike trail in Athens, visited the opera and the library. We rode along the beachline, had coffee by the sea, ate traditional Greek food and learned a ton about Athens.
This tour is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys riding a bike and is looking for another way to explore Athens – and not only it’s main areas. Read more about the bike tour and our experience of it.
Must-visit molecular cocktail bar in Athens
We arrived at the early hour of 8 o’clock to Momix bar. We were hyped about the place’s cool design since before even entering. We sat at the bar, so we could see the action. The bartender, Fotis, gave us the box shaped menu (So we could think outside the box :)) and we decided to start the evening off with a molecular cocktail in a spoon, along with a bubbling cocktail and a gelatinous textured one in a syringe.
That’s when the show started – Lots of smoke, mixing of drinks and when it was done we were served our drinks. It was such a success in our minds that ten minutes later we ordered 2 more cocktails, with more to follow. Consider yourself warned, those drinks are addictive! They’re so special and of such a high-quality that you just can’t stop drinking them.
We’d consider this bar a “mandatory recommendation” for anyone looking for a cool, intoxicating experience full of new flavors – With great service and of the highest quality. Read more about Momix bar and our experience of it.
Tasty and fascinating food tour
We booked our tour through Alternative Athens. I’ve seen several companies offering food tours, but the length (4 hours) and number of culinary stops (8 stops) seemed an extremely worthwhile deal considering this tour’s price.
The choice turned out to be an excellent one – Our guide Andreas was charming and knowledgeable; his English was very clear and his stories were a joy to listen to. We finished the tour full and very satisfied. I think any foodie who likes to try new dishes, learning about the city and its cuisine all the while, will really enjoy this one as we did.
Read more about the food tour and our experience of it.
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
Tired of walking or traveling with kids? The Hop-On Hop-Off Bus is a great way to explore Athens at your own pace.
Climb on and off at major attractions like the Acropolis, Parliament, Temple of Zeus, and various museums.
Top stops include: Syntagma Square, Plaka, Monastiraki, Olympic Stadium, and more.
Convenient, cultural, and relaxing.
Book tickets online 
Viewing cool graffiti area
In the Psiri area there are whole streets sporting beautiful graffiti. As we had some time left over during our bike tour, our guide decided to take us for a ride along these. I found a blog detailing the streets for both Psyri and our areas of Athens. Link to article about graffiti in Athens.
Going to wine tastings
We booked a wine tasting through Athens Walking Tours. Our tastings were scheduled to 18:00 and we were given the name of the bar they’ll be held at. We arrived at a lovely bar with a modern design. We met the owner, Miki, and the sommelier, Vangelis, and both were super nice.
Miki told us a bit about the bar and the wine, then we started the tastings. We sat at the bar and started off with rose wine. We followed it up with white and red wines. We really liked the wine itself, which was of high-quality, and the staff were really charming. The combined effect of the wine tastings, the nice food plate and the explanations themselves served to turn our hangout at the bar into a fun and enriching time. Read more about the wine tastings and our experience there.
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Visiting the acropolis
You can’t visit Athens without going to the acropolis. My recommendation (Which I got from our bike tour’s guide) is to go in through the lower entrance adjacent to the acropolis’ metro station where the museum is. Start with the museum and make your way up to the acropolis. While this way is 15-20 minutes longer, it’s also much more impressive. If you just want to reach the top, you can go through the upper entrance; from there, it’s only a 5-10-minute climb.
Exploring the city
Athens is a fun city to wander around in, especially in central areas like Syntagma Square in the Plaka area. There you’ll find many places to shop, alongside restaurants, cafes and night life. There’s also the lively Psiri area, which is home to the flea , the ancient Agora and the food markets, graffiti and tons of cool cafés. The Kolonaki area is a luxurious shopping area with boutique hotels, delis, trendy modern cafés and high-class restaurants.
Lake Vouliagmeni
If you’re looking for a nature and water experience, I highly recommend visiting Lake Vouliagmeni (Directions).
We read about this lake on several websites and decided it was worth the trip. We got there by taxi, but you can also reach it by bus. It’s located about 25 kilometers south of central Athens. The lake was formed thousands of years ago after the collapse of a cave. The water temperature remains between 22 and 29 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
Entrance fees vary by season, but for adults the price ranges from €15 to €20, and for children from €7 to €10.
There are restaurants in the area, but we picked up some treats at the Dimotiki Agora food market and brought them with us for a picnic, it was a great idea and worked out perfectly. 
Athens at Christmas
During Christmas, it is recommended to visit Syntagma Square, where the largest Christmas tree is located. In Omonia Square, you’ll find a Christmas market and the second-largest tree. Additionally, it’s worth visiting the Christmas Factory, which features games, gifts, an amusement park, an ice skating rink, shows, Christmas stories, workshops, food stalls, and the opportunity for children to meet Santa Claus. 
Eating at great restaurants
The most delicious souvlaki stand there is. Watch out, it’s really addictive! Kosta’s Souvlaki.
Directions.
Excellent local Moussaka and Kebab restaurant-Thanasis, in the Psiri area. Large portions, filling and extremely delicious. Although this is a tourist-y place, the food is great and prices are reasonable.
Directions
Local tavern tourists don’t frequent as often with very low prices, Olympion. By the acropolis. A tavern that was recommended to us by the guide of our bike tour. We ordered many dishes there and everything was great. Anyone looking for good local, non-tourified food should definitely visit.
Directions.
Excellent skewer restaurant with relaxed atmosphere in the prestigious shopping area Kalamaki Kolonaki. The salmon, lamb and sausage skewers were a huge success. Fun atmosphere and great food.
Directions.
Local restaurant with vegan and gluten free foods, “Avocado”. High quality good made of good ingredients. Anyone looking for a healthy meal with vegetarian, vegan, gluten free options wouldn’t go amiss with this one. The prices are a tad high, but the food is worth it.
Directions.
As a Vietnamese food lover, I couldn’t resist Vietnam Street Food, especially after seeing its 4.9 rating on Google.
The wonton soup was rich and flavorful, and the vegan bánh cuốn (stuffed rice rolls) was soft and delicately seasoned — just like in Vietnam.
Only €20 for both dishes — great value and highly recommended for authentic food fans. 
For a light pre-Michelin lunch, Winners Vegan was perfect.
We shared two salads — Kale and Winners — and both were fresh and flavorful. The pitaya mango smoothie was refreshing and tasty.
Ideal for a healthy, energizing break. 
Sitting in the coolest cafés
Little Kook – luxurious coffee house with a fairy-tale theme. We were there before Christmas and there was constantly a line waiting to get in. Not only is it an impressive place all year round, for Christmas it was even more magical and special. If you’d like to have coffee with a slice of cake and feel like you’re in a fairy-tale, this is the place. The prices are higher than regular cafes but visiting fairy-tales is a pricy business :). We ordered a Ferrero Roche cake which was delicious, but the two of us couldn’t even finish half of it. It was ginormous and super sweet.
Directions.
Playhouse café – a cool café where you can spend the whole day, especially when it’s winter outside. You can go alone, as a couple or a group and the waiter will fit you a board game according to your preference. You don’t have to order anything, in which case you pay 1.5 euros an hour, although if you do order food or drinks off the menu – the rate is only half a euro hourly. We ordered tea and played there for two hours. It was really fun and even took us back to our childhood. Highly recommended.
Update from October 2024 following feedback from a blog reader: The location of the café has changed, and now the location shown on Google Maps is actually for the company’s offices. According to the café’s website, this is the new location of the café, but I recommend calling them first to confirm. Phone: 2103821200
Bar-café with view of the city, A for Athens Cocktail Bar
A hotel rooftop bar. There’s a roofed cocktail bar with an open balcony with a bar on top of it. We arrived during the afternoon and preferred to order coffee and enjoy the view, a vibrant vantage over the city and, of course, the acropolis.
Directions
Nancy’s sweet home – A coffee house of chocolate delight
If you’re chocolate fans, this is the one café you have to visit. Honestly, Roman and I aren’t into chocolate that much and had tried to order fruit cake there but they ran out. So, I ordered a chocolate truffle and Roman had a cream cake. We looked over at the tables around us and noticed everyone ordered giant chocolate cakes and appeared to really be enjoying themselves.
Directions
Samba Coffee- After struggling to find good coffee in the Peloponnese, we were thrilled to discover Samba Coffee Roasters | Crossroads in Athens.
Excellent coffee, and the cheesecake-in-a-bag and banana cake were both delicious. A must-visit for coffee lovers. 
Booking Tickets for Major Attractions in Athens
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Looking for more information about Athens? I have more posts about Athens and other posts about Greece on the blog. Pin below to save on Pinterest
More posts I wrote on that
Luxurious boutique hotel in Athens’ prestigious shopping area
Centrally located hotel in Athens, with a local market experience
Fun bike tour – A tour for seeing Athens from a different angle
A great wine tastings experience in Athens
Tasty food tour in Athens – Learning about Athens though local cuisine
Must-visit bar in Athens – Surprising molecular cocktail bar
9 Recommended hotels in Athens – 2025
Thing to do in Santorini – The Greek island that looks like a postcard