As a longtime resident of Athens I must have visited the Acropolis at least 30 times. They say that you never forget the first time but my most memorable visit was in May 2020, the day after a two-month lockdown during the Covid pandemic. The Greek borders were still closed so my seven-year-old and I had a private audience with one of the wonders of the world.
Antiquities are a constant calming presence amid the relentless traffic, excitable energy and hot-headed grit of the capital. The Acropolis will suddenly appear between the tangle of concrete apartments, glowing like a mirage. In the National Garden the sculpted stumps of marble columns serve as benches. An ancient road runs through the wooded trails of Philopappou Hill, where you can see the grooves made by cart wheels centuries ago. The whole city centre is punctuated with astonishing temples and ruins, many of them connected by pedestrian boulevards.
Venture further afield and you’ll be rewarded with dazzling ruins in even more unexpected places, such as the dusty, postindustrial town of Eleusina and the vineyards and olive groves of Vravrona. Don’t be daunted by the tricky access to these lesser-known sites outside the city proper — they are totally worth the schlep.
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1. The Acropolis
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus in the Acropolis
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With the last of the scaffolding around the Parthenon scheduled to be removed this summer after decades of detailed restoration work, this year is a great time to revisit the Acropolis. Ancient and modern Athens gravitate around this architectural masterpiece and philosophical lodestone, which has lost none of its ability to inspire awe despite the 20,000 visitors a day who clamber up the Rock in peak season. Go as early or as late as you can to avoid the worst of the crowding and the midday heat. Better still, time your visit to watch a solemn troop of the Evzones, elite presidential guards, raise the Greek flag above the Acropolis just after sunrise on Sunday mornings or lower it before sunset the same day. Be sure to visit the Acropolis Museum after the temple to put the whole complex into context — and to make up your own mind about the issue of repatriating the Parthenon frieze from Britain (£17; theacropolismuseum.gr).
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2. The Pnyx
The Pnyx steps are where democracy was born
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Athenians are up in arms over the Ministry of Culture’s plans to fence off and commercialise the Pnyx, the plateau on Philopappou Hill where the first democratic assemblies were held. For now the speaker’s corner of Athens is free and easy to access via the magical marble and mosaic walkways laid by the folk architect Dimitris Pikionis in the 1950s. It’s the perfect setting for yoga, a sunset picnic or simply to contemplate the tides of history on the vema, the rough-hewn rocky dais where Pericles and Themistocles once held forth, while admiring the very same view of the Parthenon.
3. The Ancient Agora
The Temple of Hephaestus in Agora
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Once the beating heart of city life, the Ancient Agora contains a multitude of marvels scattered in a rambling archaeological park in the foothills of the Acropolis. The amazingly well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus and the photogenic Stoa of Attalos steal the limelight but it’s the telling, intimate details about daily routines and rituals in ancient Athens that are truly moving: clay shards inscribed with the names of ostracised citizens, a machine used to randomly select jurors, personal ornaments buried with the dead and elegant amphorae stamped with the provenance of the olive oil or wine that they once contained (£17; hhticket.gr).
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4. Theatre of Zea
The Theatre of Zea is nestled amongst modern apartment blocks
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There will probably be more cats than tourists prowling the aisles of this amphitheatre in the backyard of the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus. Built in the 2nd century BC, the theatre is now surrounded by modern apartment buildings and alfresco funerary monuments (often draped in friendly felines). The compact museum feels like a charming discovery far from the crowds at more popular sites — the bronze statues of Athena, Artemis and Apollo were unearthed in 1959 during works on the Piraeus sewage system (£9).
5. Temple of Poseidon
The Temple of Poseidon sits atop Cape Sounion
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Whether or not Lord Byron was really crass enough to carve his name into one of the columns at “Sunium’s marbled steep” is debatable but this clifftop temple overlooking the Aegean certainly inspired him to wax lyrical. Go at sundown and you’ll agree: “There is a rapture on the lonely shore/ By the deep sea, and music in its roar” (£17). The coastal drive to Sounion, about an hour’s drive from downtown Athens, is exhilarating too — stop for grilled fish at one of the tavernas on Agia Marina Bay or for a dip at Legrena beach.
Where to stay for easy access to the sites
The Dolli hotel has fabulous views of the Acropolis
Some of the glamorous, creamy-hued rooms at the Dolli hotel have Acropolis views framed by their huge windows. All guests at this 1920s landmark have access to the small but perfectly positioned rooftop pool, which is like diving into a CGI version of the Parthenon. The hotel can arrange after-hours tours of the Acropolis Museum and kayaking adventures at Cape Sounion, just below the Temple of Poseidon (B&B doubles from £718; thedolli.com).
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SV Acropolis Residence is a more affordable but equally stylish option that sleeps up to six. The former home and atelier of Spyros Vassiliou, known as “the painter of Athens”, this peaceful residence has a private courtyard with an outdoor hot tub — perfect after hiking around the Acropolis, a couple of blocks away (one night’s self-catering from £250; svacropolis.com).
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Have we missed any? Let us know in the comments