Is Athens Worth Visiting?

Athens gave the world democracy, philosophy, and theater, and it remains one of the few cities where you can walk the same paved streets that Socrates and Aristotle once used to teach.

Athens centers on the Acropolis, the fortified hilltop crowned by the Parthenon, and the neighborhood built directly into its slopes, Plaka, has been continuously inhabited for roughly 2,500 years, making it the city's oldest district. The Acropolis Museum, built over an active excavation site visitors can walk through, holds thousands of artifacts recovered from the hill, including five of the six original Caryatid statues, and the ancient Agora nearby, once the city's civic and commercial center, still holds the well preserved Temple of Hephaestus.

Anafiotika, tucked into Plaka's upper reaches, was built in the 1800s by workers from the island of Anafi who recreated the whitewashed, cube-shaped houses of their home island on the slopes of the Acropolis, giving central Athens a corner that looks like the Cyclades. Monastiraki, just below, runs a flea market most days of the week and gives way to Psiri, known for nightlife, and to Syntagma Square, where the changing of the guard takes place in front of the Greek Parliament.

The National Archaeological Museum holds one of the world's most significant collections of Greek antiquities, spanning from prehistory through the Roman period, and traditional tavernas across Plaka and the surrounding districts serve dishes like moussaka and horiatiki salad alongside souvlaki from street vendors found on nearly every corner. Lycabettus Hill, the highest point in the city center, gives a full view over Athens and the Saronic Gulf from a funicular ride or a steady uphill walk.

Athens has its own international airport with direct flights from across the world, and the city's metro connects most major sites and neighborhoods without needing a car. It suits history lovers, food travelers, and first-time visitors to Greece alike, and most people need at least three to four days to properly cover everything the Acropolis, its museums, and the surrounding neighborhoods have to offer.