Athens Holidays

Athens is the city break with a coastline: the Parthenon on the skyline and food that's a danger to your waistline. Ancient ruins, rooftop dinners and a swim in the Aegean, all inside the same long weekend.

Highlights of your Holidays to Athens

• The Acropolis - The Parthenon and its temples crown the city, visible from almost every rooftop and square.

• A city-and-coast break - The Athenian Riviera puts real beaches a short tram ride from the ruins, so you get culture and a sunlounger in one trip.

• A serious food city - From street-cart souvlaki to rooftop tavernas with Acropolis views, Athens eats brilliantly at every budget.

• Ancient sites at every turn - Beyond the Acropolis there's the Ancient Agora, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the marble Panathenaic Stadium, all walkable.

• A late, lively night out - Rooftop cocktail bars, the bars of Psiri and Gazi, and open-air summer cinemas keep the evenings going.

• An easy launchpad - Ferries from Piraeus and short drives to Cape Sounion and the Saronic Islands make day trips simple.

🎉 Good to Know for your Athens holiday

• ☀️ Weather - Summer (June to August) is hot and dry, regularly topping 34°C. Spring and autumn are warm and comfortable in the low-to-mid 20s, the best weather for sightseeing. Winters are mild at 13 to 15°C.

• 💶 Money - A gyros wrap is about €4, a sit-down taverna meal €15 to €20 a head, and a beer €4 to €5. Athens is one of the better-value European capitals for eating and drinking.

• 🏛️ Fun Fact - The Acropolis sits high enough to be seen from almost anywhere in the city, so you can usually navigate by looking up and finding it on the skyline.

Athens is perfect for you if...

• You want a city break where you can get in the sea

• You have always loved the tales of ancient Greece and want to see the ancient ruins of the civilization that started modern Europe

• You are the sort of traveller who plans the day around dinner, and the idea of eating a different neighbourhood every night appeals

• You want Greece but you want something closer, easier to get to, and better value than one of the islands

• You would rather spend your money on food and rooftops than on the room, because Athens is the cheapest capital in Western Europe to eat well in

🏨 Top places to stay on your holidays to Athens

Athens splits into two holiday experiences: the historic city, walkable and stacked with ruins, and the Athenian Riviera, the coastal stretch of beaches and resort towns south of the centre. Both are easy to reach by tram and metro, so where you base yourself comes down to whether you want the ancient city or the sea on your doorstep.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Where is the best area to stay in Athens with kids?

• Athens City keeps everyone within walking distance of the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora and the lanes of Plaka, with no transport to wrangle between sights.

• Lagonissi is a quieter coastal base down the Riviera, with resort-style hotels and calm, shallow beaches, and easy road access back into the city for a day of sightseeing.

💑 Which part of Athens is best for couples?

• Vouliagmeni is the smart, slow end of the Riviera, with pine-backed beaches, a famous thermal lake and some of the most upmarket hotels on the coast.

• Sounio sits at the tip of the Attica peninsula beside the Temple of Poseidon, with clifftop views and some of the best sunsets near Athens.

🎉 Where should groups base themselves in Athens?

• Glyfada is the buzzy heart of the Riviera, with designer boutiques, beach clubs and cocktail bars, half an hour from the centre by tram so you can do ruins by day and the coast by night.

• Piraeus is the historic port, with a grittier, authentic feel, excellent seafood tavernas around Mikrolimano harbour and the ferry terminal on the doorstep.

More Athens coastal areas worth a look: Marathonas, Nea Makri, Mati, Anavyssos Beach, Agioi Theodoroi, Agli Apostoli, Kamena Vourla, Kantia and Vravrona.

🏖️ What are the best beaches to visit on your Athens holidays?

While Athens might be better known for its Acropolis than its sunlounger count, don’t be fooled – the Athenian Riviera is packing some serious seaside swagger. Here are the best beaches for your city-meets-coast escape:

• Glyfada Beach is chic, sandy and about 40 minutes out on tram Line 7, and it is the one the stylish end of Athens actually uses. Free public shoreline sits alongside paid municipal beaches and beach clubs, three stretches here fly a Blue Flag, and the promenade behind is all trendy cafés and beachwear boutiques.

• Voula Beach is the family pick, further down the same tram line, with calm shallow water and plenty of shade. The organised A' Plaz beach is Blue Flag and charges around €10 to get in, which buys you the loungers, the cafés and a proper clean stretch of sand.

• Alimos Beach is the closest organised beach to the centre, about 10 km out and half an hour door to door. It is the glossy one: soft golden sand, smart loungers, music and cocktails, more scene than seaside.

• Varkiza Resort Yabanaki is the all-rounder, with beach sports, family zones, restaurants and waterslides. It is a beach day and a mini theme park rolled into one, and it is worth having a car or a taxi for, as public transport out here means two changes.

• Porto Rafti sits on the east coast rather than the Riviera, about 45 minutes by road, and it is where Athenians go at the weekend. Avlaki, the main beach, is Blue Flag, organised and backed by chilled beach bars and seafood tavernas. Come by car and stay for lunch.

All-Inclusive Holidays in Athens

All-inclusive in Athens means the coast, not the city centre. The all-inclusive resorts sit along the Attica shoreline north and east of the city, 30 to 45 minutes from the Acropolis, which is close enough to do the Parthenon and the Plaka on a Tuesday and be back on a sunbed by four.

What you get for the board is the usual Greek resort package done well: buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, local beer, wine and spirits through the day, snacks between meals and pools that people actually swim in. Most of these places sit on or beside their own beach. The one thing to check before you book is whether the à la carte restaurants are inside the package or carry a cover charge, as that varies property to property.

If you are prepared to drive further, Mitsis Galini at Kamena Vourla is a spa resort about two hours north. It's a lovely resort but the travel in and out will take a bit more planning.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best all-inclusive hotels near Athens for families?

• Golden Coast Hotel and Bungalows sits on the bay at Marathonas, 45 minutes out, with bungalow-style rooms spread through gardens and a long sandy beach in front. The all-inclusive board covers the lot, which is what makes a week here with kids feel easy.

• Zeus Essence Ramada Athens is the closest of the resorts to the city, about 40 minutes at Mati, and the one to pick if you want the beach base without giving up on doing Athens properly.

💑 What are the best all-inclusive hotels near Athens for couples?

• Dolce by Wyndham Athens Attica Riviera at Vravrona is the smart one, set above its own bay with the sort of grounds you can lose an afternoon in, and it is the nearest all-inclusive resort to the airport by some distance.

• Seafos Luxury Resort & Spa is a two-hour drive into the Peloponnese at Kantia, near Nafplio, and worth every minute of it if what you want is a quiet stretch of the Argolic Gulf with Epidaurus and Mycenae on the doorstep.

Cheap holidays to Athens

Athens is one of the best-value capitals in Western Europe to eat and drink in. A gyros wrap is about €4, a plate of something proper in a neighbourhood taverna is €15 to €20 a head, and a beer is €4 to €5. Eat where the queue is Greek rather than where the view is best and you'll find a week costs a fraction of the same week in Rome.

The season is long, which also helps with the savings. Athens works from March to November, and April, May, September and October are the months when the weather is at its most comfortable for walking the ruins and the city is at its least crowded. Flights are under four hours, so a Thursday-to-Sunday trip is a genuine option rather than a compromise.

Three things worth knowing. The metro from the airport is €9 a head each way, or €16 return, and it is faster than a taxi. The Acropolis is free on the first and third Sunday of every month from November to March, plus 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September and 28 October. And the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture is free on Thursday evenings from 6pm until midnight, which is a lovely way to spend the last night of a trip.

🧳 Your Athens holidays 2026/2027 travel guide

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 What are the best things to do in Athens on a family holiday?

Athens is a family holiday haven, with big sights, wide-open spaces and plenty to keep the kids from shouting "I'm bored" every five minutes.

• Head to the Acropolis Museum, which is interactive, air-conditioned and full of cool artefacts, with a glass floor over a live excavation and a top-floor café facing the Parthenon.

• Explore the National Garden, 38 acres of shady paths, duck ponds and a little zoo right behind Parliament.

• Catch a film at Cine Thission, an open-air cinema in Thissio where you watch with the Acropolis lit up behind the screen. The season runs roughly May to October.

• Take the tram to Flisvos Marina for playgrounds, gelato stops and the old battleship Georgios Averof to clamber around.

• Climb Areopagus Hill, which takes about five minutes, costs nothing and gives you the best free view of the Parthenon in the city.

❤️ What are the best things for couples to do on an Athens city break?

Whether it is your first holiday together or you are looking to bring back the date-night magic, Athens knows how to turn on the charm.

• Watch the sunset from Lycabettus Hill, reached by the funicular from Aristippou if the walk up looks like work. Worth checking the day's notices in high summer, as the hill closes on days of extreme fire risk.

• Wander hand in hand through Plaka's flower-filled lanes, popping into cafés and craft shops.

• Grab a table at a rooftop bar with views of the Acropolis, lit gold after dark, which is pure rom-com material.

• Explore Anafiotika, a tiny slice of island life built by Cycladic masons right under the Acropolis.

• Take a coastal drive to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon, about an hour out, for history with a side of golden hour.

🎉 What are the best things to do in Athens for a group city break?

Whether you are rolling deep with the gang or it is a cheeky mate-cation, Athens has the goods for group holidays.

• Start strong with brunch in Psiri, where avo toast, freddo espresso and full Greek fry-ups are all in the mix.

• Hit Monastiraki Flea Market for quirky souvenirs and a bit of people-watching. The proper flea market is around Avissynias Square, with Ifaistou Street the tourist strip.

• Visit the Acropolis early or late to dodge the crowds and get those iconic squad shots.

• Spend an afternoon bar-hopping through Koukaki or Gazi for beer flights, mezze and good vibes.

• Book a group cooking class and learn to roll your own dolmades or smash some moussaka.

🥙 What are the best things to do in Athens for foodies?

Greek food with a side of ancient ruins? Yes please. Athens is made for grazing from taverna to taverna.

• Feast on fresh gyros from street vendors, crispy, juicy, perfect.

• Head to Varvakios Agora, the central market on Athinas Street, for spices, olives and sweet Greek treats. It runs Monday to Saturday and is closed Sundays.

• Tuck into seafood by the coast at Mikrolimano, where the calamari and octopus are so fresh they might still be swimming.

• Try loukoumades, Greek doughnuts with honey and cinnamon, from a street cart or café.

• Book a table at a rooftop like Strofi in Makrigianni, doing modern twists on Greek classics with the Acropolis in front of you. It is closed Mondays.

🛍️ What are the best places to shop in Athens?

Whether you are after boujee designer threads or a cheeky bargain, the shopping scene in Athens is next level.

• Ermou Street is the main pedestrianised drag running from Syntagma Square, lined with high-street favourites and international brands.

• Monastiraki Flea Market is a bustling spot for vintage finds, handmade sandals and antiques, and Sundays are the busiest and best for a rummage.

• Kolonaki boutiques are the place for a splurge on upmarket designer fashion and local jewellery in a ladies-who-brunch setting.

• Varvakios Agora is a sensory overload of spices, olives and fresh local produce, perfect for foodie souvenirs.

• Plaka's cobbled streets are packed with shops selling ceramics and traditional Greek crafts, ideal for picking up gifts while sightseeing.

💶 What are the best cheap things to do in Athens?

You do not need a big budget to have a top-tier time in this ancient city, and some of the best things here are free.

• Free entry days at the Acropolis fall on the first and third Sunday of every month from November to March, plus 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September and 28 October.

• Changing of the Guard happens on the hour, every hour, at Syntagma Square, with the full Presidential Guard platoon and a military band on Sundays at 11am.

• Areopagus Hill at sunset gives you front-row views of the Parthenon glowing gold for nothing at all.

• The National Garden is 38 acres of shady paths and duck ponds right behind Parliament, and it costs nothing to wander.

• Thursday evenings at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture are free from 6pm until midnight, which is the best late-night culture in the city.

• A Riviera beach day costs a tram ticket, and there are free public stretches along the coast at Glyfada if you would rather not pay for a lounger.

🚗 Day trips from Athens

If you want to make your Athens jollies go further, the city is a 10/10 launchpad for exploring the rest of Greece's legendary landscapes.

• Cape Sounion - an hour’s drive takes you to the Temple of Poseidon for a clifftop sunset that is absolute fire.

• The Saronic Islands - hop on a ferry to Hydra, Aegina, or Poros for car-free streets, pistachio orchards, and laid-back island charm.

• Delphi Ruins - visit the "centre of the world" on the slopes of Mount Parnassus to see the Temple of Apollo and ancient theatre.

• Meteora Monasteries - a longer journey but worth it for gravity-defying monasteries perched on massive rock pillars that look straight-up magical.

• The Peloponnese - explore the gorgeous seaside town of Nafplio or the ancient acoustics of the Epidaurus theatre for a proper history fix.

🏨 What are the top hotels to stay at on your holidays to Athens?

We've got hotels to suit all rhyme and reason, whether you're looking to snag a bargain, book something on the luxury side of life, or you've made a totes last-minute decision to jet off, we've got you covered.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best family hotels for an Athens package holiday?

• Divani Palace Acropolis. A polished hotel 50 metres from the Acropolis Museum, with an outdoor pool and a proper breakfast buffet, and Plaka's shops and cafés a two-minute walk away.

• Athens Cypria. A central, well-priced hotel a short walk from Syntagma Square and Ermou Street, handy for families who want shops, sights and the metro all close.

• Novotel Athenes. A dependable central base with a rooftop terrace, a 360-degree Acropolis view, a rooftop pool and a children's playground, which is a rare combination in this city.

💑 Where should couples stay on an Athens city break?

• Royal Olympic Hotel. A five-star facing the Temple of Olympian Zeus, with a rooftop garden, a poolside bar and Acropolis views, the kind of hotel that makes a city break feel like an occasion.

• Arion Athens. A sleek central hotel with a rooftop bar looking straight at the Acropolis, made for an evening cocktail before dinner in Plaka.

• Hotel Philippos. A refined small hotel right by the Acropolis Museum, with a rooftop restaurant and skyline views, quietly romantic and superbly placed.

✨ What are the best luxury hotels in Athens?

• Divani Caravel. A grand five-star near the museum quarter, with indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, a hammam and several restaurants, a full-service base with everything on tap.

• Grand Hyatt Athens. A polished modern five-star on Syngrou with a rooftop pool and one of the best Acropolis panoramas in the city.

• Athenswas Design Hotel. A small design-led hotel on Dionysiou Areopagitou, the pedestrian boulevard under the Acropolis, and about as good an address as Athens has.

🎉 What are the best Athens hotels for a group city break?

• Athenaeum Eridanus Luxury Hotel. A characterful hotel with city views, a spa and a garden, walking distance from the bars of Gazi and Keramikos.

• Marina Athens Hotel. A relaxed, well-priced three-star near Omonia metro with a breakfast buffet, walking distance from the nightlife of Psiri and Gazi.

• Wyndham Grand Athens. A big central hotel by Keramikos metro with a rooftop restaurant and pool, easy to fill with a group and easy to meet back at.

💰 What are the best cheap hotels in Athens?

• Athens City. A modern, central hotel close to the main sights, with a restaurant doing Greek and Mediterranean plates and a price that leaves more budget for the city.

• Arethusa. A straightforward central hotel near Syntagma, well placed for sightseeing on a budget.

• Savoy. A no-nonsense central pick near Omonia, five minutes from the metro and about fifteen from the Acropolis on foot.

👉 All hotels in Athens

Local Lingo

Greek uses its own alphabet, and while English is widely spoken across central Athens and the tourist areas, a few words in Greek are always welcomed warmly.

• Yassas, YAH-sas (Γεια σας), Hello, to someone you have just met

• Yia sou, YAH-soo (Γεια σου), Hi, to someone you know, and also goodbye

• Efharisto, ef-hah-ree-STOH (Ευχαριστώ), Thank you

• Parakalo, pah-rah-kah-LOH (Παρακαλώ), Please, and also you're welcome

• Yamas, YAH-mas (Γειά μας), Cheers

• Ton logariasmo, ton loh-ghar-yas-MOH (Τον λογαριασμό), The bill, please

• Poso kani, POH-so KAH-nee (Πόσο κάνει), How much is it

• Kalimera, kah-lee-MEH-rah (Καλημέρα), Good morning

More Greek holidays:

• Crete - Greece's biggest island, with a beach for every mood, Minoan palaces, mountain villages and some of the country's best food.

• Rhodes - A walled medieval Old Town, long sandy beaches and reliable sunshine deep into autumn.

• Corfu - The greenest of the Ionian islands, with Venetian architecture, olive groves and sheltered coves.

• Santorini - The whitewashed clifftop villages, blue domes and caldera sunsets that define the Greek-island postcard.

• Mykonos - Whitewashed lanes, the windmills, smart beach clubs and the liveliest nightlife in the Cyclades.

• Halkidiki - Three forested peninsulas of clear water and quiet sandy bays in the north, easygoing and family-friendly.

• Kefalonia - Dramatic Ionian scenery, the famous Myrtos Beach and a relaxed, unhurried pace.

• Zante - Home to the iconic Shipwreck Beach, with a busy resort south and a quiet, turtle-nesting coast elsewhere.

• Thessaloniki - Greece's second city, a foodie favourite with Byzantine churches and a buzzing waterfront.