From the airport
Three straightforward ways in: the metro is the most dependable in traffic, the X95 bus runs all night, and the official taxis charge a flat rate fixed by law — €40 by day, €55 between midnight and 5am, tolls included:
Greece
Athens
Where Western civilisation began — and never stopped evolving.
- Best forCulture seekers · Foodies · Nightlife
- In January13°C · 8 rainy days · sea 17°C
- Ideal stay3–4 nights
- Approx. flying time~13h 50m from Los Angeles
Athens, Greece
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Athens fills the Attica basin between the mountains and the Saronic Gulf; the airport is 33 km east of the centre.
- CurrencyEUREuro
- LanguageGreek
- Local time13:142h ahead of the UK
- PlugsType C / FBring an adapter
- Drive on theRightOpposite to the UK
- Dialling code+30
Why go
Europe's oldest capital wears its 2,500 years lightly, stacking Ottoman lanes, neoclassical boulevards and street art beneath the ever-present Parthenon. Beyond the ruins waits one of the continent's liveliest food and rooftop-bar scenes — and the islands of the Saronic Gulf are barely an hour from Piraeus.
- Ideal stay
- 3–4 nights
- The vibe
- Ancient, gritty, sociable, sun-bleached
From our guides
The Athens Riviera is the city's best-kept open secret: the coastal tram and buses run from the centre past a string of bays to Vouliagmeni, where pine-fringed coves, beach clubs and a thermal lake do a convincing island impression forty minutes from the Acropolis. Do the Parthenon at opening time, swim by noon, then eat grilled fish in a seaside taverna as the sun drops into the Saronic Gulf. May, June and September give island-warm water without the August exodus.
Featured in Ten city breaks with a seriously good beach attached and Ten rooftop-bar cities for golden-hour drinks and Ten cocktail cities for a very grown-up bar crawl
Things to do
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The Acropolis & Parthenon
Climb the sacred rock at opening time to have Pericles's marble masterpiece, 2,500 years old and still supreme, nearly to yourself.
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Acropolis Museum
A glass-floored modern showcase where the Parthenon sculptures sit in Attic sunlight, the temple itself visible through the windows.
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Ancient Agora
Wander the birthplace of democracy, crowned by the Temple of Hephaestus — the best-preserved Doric temple in Greece.
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Plaka
Lose an afternoon in the "neighbourhood of the gods" — neoclassical façades, bougainvillaea and taverna tables tumbling down the slopes.
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Lycabettus at sunset
Ride the funicular to Athens's highest point as the city turns gold and the Acropolis lights flicker on.
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Monastiraki Square
A Byzantine church, an Ottoman mosque and the Acropolis in one camera frame — Athens's layered history in a single square.
Getting there
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Fly to
Spata-Artemida (ATH)
Nearest airport to Athens, about 19km away as the crow flies.
-
Then
To Athens
The metro runs from Athens International (ATH) to Syntagma in about forty minutes, and the airport express bus takes a little longer for less money.
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On the ground
Getting around
The historic centre is walkable and the metro is quick and clean; the coastal tram runs down to the Riviera beaches at Glyfada and Vouliagmeni in under an hour.
Public transport: Very good. Metro, tram and buses cover the city and the coast, and taxis are inexpensive for late nights.
Metro & city transport
The metro is quick, cheap and scenic — Syntagma and Acropolis stations double as mini-museums. A 90-minute ticket is €1.20, a day pass €4.10, and the 3-day tourist ticket (€20) includes the airport round trip:
Taxis & apps
Yellow taxis are everywhere and cheap by European standards — hail one, or book through an app. Uber here means UberTaxi (a licensed yellow cab arrives), and the old Beat app is now FREE NOW:
Car hire
Skip the car for the city — the centre is walkable, the metro quick and parking scarce. Hire one only for day trips to Cape Sounion's Temple of Poseidon or out to the Peloponnese:
Compare car hire pricesFerries to the islands
Piraeus is 20–25 minutes from the centre on the metro, and from there the whole Aegean opens up — Aegina in 40 minutes, Santorini overnight or by fast ferry. Summer sailings sell out, so book ahead:
Flights
Los Angeles Athens, Greece
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Roughly 13h 50m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices — the airport sits 33 km east of the city, with the metro and a flat-rate taxi both simple options.
Check dates and prices
Pick your departure date, then your return.
Search flightsNot sure when? Compare fares across a whole month.
Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights. An affiliate flight search will replace this later.
When to go
Daytime highs run from about 13°C in January to 34°C in July. Driest in July and October; wettest in December, with rain on about 9 days. The sea is warmest in August at around 28°C, coolest at 16°C.
The year at a glance — pick a month for detail
January13° · rain 8 days · sea 17°Cool with rain most weeks.
Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis). Highlighted months are warm and mostly dry — April to June and August to October. Live conditions from MET Norway, CC BY 4.0.
Where to stay
Rooftop-pool boutique hotels, a huge licensed apartment market and grand old names on Syntagma. Beach hotels sit separately along the southern coast.
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Best base overall
Koukaki
Below the Acropolis, residential, with good tavernas and the metro at Syngrou-Fix, a ten-minute walk from the entrance. Calm at night, which is exactly what central Athens usually is not.
Find stays in Koukaki -
Closest to the sights
Plaka and Monastiraki
The old streets under the rock, with the rooftop bars and the ruins on your doorstep. Also the most touristed few blocks in Greece, and prices reflect it.
Find stays in Plaka and Monastiraki -
Best for nightlife
Psyrri and Keramikos
Warehouse bars, courtyards and the best cocktail rooms, walking distance from Syntagma. Gritty in daylight, and a bad choice if you want early nights.
Find stays in Psyrri and Keramikos -
Best with children
Glyfada and Vouliagmeni
The Riviera coast, with beaches, the tram into town and space to breathe. You are forty minutes from the Acropolis, which suits a beach-first trip and not a museum one.
Find stays in Glyfada and Vouliagmeni
Worth knowing before you book: Rooftop views are worth paying for, but check the room actually faces the Acropolis rather than the bar. August is quieter in the city as Athenians leave for the islands.
Our picks in this destination
The area · Psyrri
Budget
City Circus Athens
Psyrri · boutique hostel
A cheerful boutique hostel spread across two listed nineteenth-century townhouses, with dorms, privates and a sociable rooftop.
View hotel
The area · Athinas Street
Mid-range
Attalos Hotel
Monastiraki · 3★
A long-running, honest three-star on market-lined Athinas Street whose roof garden delivers Acropolis views at a fraction of five-star tariffs.
View hotel
The area · Anafiotika, Plaka
Mid-range
Hotel Phaedra
Plaka · family-run
A modest, much-loved pension just below the Acropolis, where balconies overlook a Byzantine chapel and Plaka's quietest corner.
View hotel
The area · Temple of Olympian Zeus
Boutique
The Athens Gate Hotel
By the Temple of Olympian Zeus · 4★
A dependable four-star directly opposite Hadrian's Gate, with a panoramic roof-garden breakfast that earns its keep.
View hotel
Luxury
Hotel Grande Bretagne
Syntagma Square · 5★
Athens's grande dame since 1874, a palace on Syntagma whose rooftop restaurant frames the floodlit Acropolis.
View hotel
The area · Vouliagmeni
Luxury
Four Seasons Astir Palace
Vouliagmeni, Athens Riviera · 5★
The storied Astir Palace headland reborn — thirty pine-clad hectares, three private beaches and mid-century glamour on the Riviera.
View hotel
The area · Mitropoleos
Luxury
The Dolli at Acropolis
Plaka · 5★ boutique
A restored 1925 mansion turned 46-room hôtel-maison, with a rooftop pool gazing straight at the Parthenon.
View hotel
The area · Syntagma
Luxury
Electra Metropolis Athens
Syntagma · 5★
A polished retreat a stone's throw from Syntagma, crowned by a rooftop pool and restaurant with head-on Acropolis views.
View hotel
The area · Dionysiou Areopagitou
Luxury
AthensWas Design Hotel
Acropolis · 5★ design
A sleek 21-room design hotel on the marble promenade beneath the Acropolis, its rooftop restaurant at eye level with antiquity.
View hotelOr search everything else in Athens by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.
Good to know
- Book ahead
- Timed entry to the Acropolis should be reserved online in advance from spring to autumn. A combined ticket covers the Ancient Agora, Kerameikos, Hadrian's Library and the Roman Forum.
- Timing
- Midday in July and August is for museums, lunch or the sea, not for open archaeological sites. Extreme heat occasionally closes the Acropolis for a few hours.
- Pack this
- Shoes with grip. Centuries of foot traffic have polished the marble on the Acropolis and Filopappou Hill to something close to glass, and it is worse when damp.
- Cash or card
- Cards work almost everywhere, but small tavernas, kiosks and market stalls still prefer coins and notes. Keep a few euros for the odd cash-only bakery.
- Crowds
- Cruise ships dock at Piraeus through the summer, which loads the central sites between ten and two. Reverse the standard itinerary and you will barely notice them.
Similar places
Nearby destinations
Cape Sounion
Greece · 44km away →
The Peloponnese
Greece · 70km away →
Hydra
Greece · 75km away →
Little Venice
Mykonos, Greece · 152km away →
Milos
Greece · 156km away →
Mykonos
Greece · 157km away →Elsewhere in Greece
Related articles
Quick answers
When is the best time to visit Athens?
For warm, mostly dry days, April to June and August to October. That means highs of 20–34°C with rain on six days a month or fewer. Daytime highs run from about 13°C in January to 34°C in July. Driest in July and October; wettest in December, with rain on about 9 days. The sea is warmest in August at around 28°C, coolest at 16°C.
How long should I spend in Athens?
Our suggestion: 3–4 nights.
How do I get to Athens?
The metro runs from Athens International (ATH) to Syntagma in about forty minutes, and the airport express bus takes a little longer for less money.
Do I need a car in Athens?
No. Very good. Metro, tram and buses cover the city and the coast, and taxis are inexpensive for late nights.
What currency and language are used in Athens?
Currency: Euro (EUR). Language: Greek. Plugs: type C and F.
Who is Athens best for?
Best for culture seekers, foodies and nightlife. In a phrase: ancient, gritty, sociable, sun-bleached.