The Acropolis & Parthenon
Go at opening time with a hat and water — the marble is slippery and the heat builds fast.
Athens
Acropolis light and old-town lanes
Best time
March – May & October – November
Gentle pace
2–3 slow days
Ideal for
City-break families · History lovers · First-time Greece
Athens is one of the world’s great cities, and lately one of its most charming — the Acropolis floating above the rooftops, the old lanes of Plaka restored and flower-filled, and a new generation of rooftop bars and markets giving the city a buzz it never had. It is also the perfect first stop for a Greek family trip: a couple of days here, then the islands.
With children, climb the Acropolis in the cool of the morning, lose yourselves in the Plaka lanes, and find a rooftop for sunset as the Parthenon lights up above the city.
Worth lingering over
The Acropolis Museum
Glass floors over ruins, a children’s trail, and the best air-conditioned hour in the city.
Plaka & Anafiotika
A village of whitewashed lanes beneath the rock — the prettiest wandering in Athens.
Hidden gem
Anafiotika, the island village on the rock
Tucked beneath the Acropolis, unknown to most visitors, lies Anafiotika — a tiny neighbourhood of whitewashed, flat-roofed houses built by islanders from Anafi who came to work on King Otto’s Athens in the 1840s. Wander the steep, flower-lined lanes and you could be on a Cycladic island, not in the middle of a capital. Cats on the steps, geraniums in old tins, and the Parthenon floating above the rooftops — it is the most unexpected quarter of the city.