One Day In Athens: The Ultimate Itinerary To Make The Most Out Of Your Athens, Greece Day Trip
Beautiful Athens. The booming city that is centered upon the Acropolis on the hill that is filled to the brim with history, culture, and delicious food. The cradle of our western civilization as we know it, this is a must see for history buffs and food lovers alike! We have listed the top sites for your one day stay in Athens, as well as how much time to plan for and the price so you can fully plan ahead.
Is One Day Enough For Athens?
But is one day in Athens even enough?? I am here to tell you that it is absolutely possible to hit a lot of the most popular sites in just one day. Athens itself is basically a museum with many of the major sites close together, and minor sites at basically every corner! Of course you won’t be able to see everything or be able to spend hours per site, but you can get a basic understanding of the history and the locations in limited time.
Where To Stay If You Only Have One Day In Athens
If you are trying to see as much as you can in Athens in only one day, I would highly recommend staying in the city near the sites to save travel time! We recommend staying in the Plaka. The Plaka is an old neighborhood below the Acropolis with the cutest pedestrian streets lined with restaurants and shops. There are many Airbnb’s and hotels to choose from. We enjoyed walking the streets and eating in the adorable street cafes for breakfast during our stay! Staying here helped us save on travel time and got us to the sites earlier so we could beat the crowds and the heat!
How To Get Around Athens
After you are in the city everything is close enough to walk. In our opinion it eliminated another element of planning and stress to not have to figure out and plan around additional transportation, though I am sure the break from walking was nice. In all we walked about 9 miles during our one day in Athens.
To navigate between sites, we found that Google Maps had excellent walking directions. We would just plug in the next location on our list and follow the directions there!
Pro Tip: Download the map while you are on WiFi so you don’t need to use international data or get a different sim card while there!
Top Sites To Visit With One Day In Athens
There is so much to see and learn in Athens, but with your time being limited to just one day you need to prioritize locations. Here are the most popular places to visit in Athens
- Ancient Agora with Temple of Hephaestus and the Museum*
- Hadrian’s Library*
- Monastiraki Street Flea Markets (free)
- Hadrian’s Arch or Gate (free)
- Temple of Zeus*
- National Gardens (free)
- The Acropolis*
- Roman Agora*
*These sites are included in the combined ticket that is 30 Euros a person.
We recommend getting an early start so you can beat the rush and the heat! We were closest to the Ancient Agora so we began there.
Ancient Agora
The Ancient Agora is an archeological site in the heart of historic Athens. Entrance into the site gives you access to the Museum onsite, ruins, a Byzantine Chapel, and the Temple of Hephaestus. The grounds are beautiful with a mix of ancient city ruins, trees, and a view of the Acropolis. Be sure not to miss the museum which is located in the restored Stoa of Attalos (the building with all the pillars). The top floor lined with statues and other artistic remains.
TIME: This one can depend on a lot of factors such as if you like to read all the plaques and how much time you spend looking at all the ruins around the grounds or in the museum. If you are quick you can get a quick look at everything in about 30 minutes to an hour. If you want to take more in, plan on an hour to two hours.
PRICE: Entrance is 8 Euros a person for the regular adult pass or is included in the combined ticket.
*Walking time to from Ancient Agora to Hadrian’s Library is 3-4 minutes*
Hadrian’s Library
Hadrian’s library is an archeological site with a large building with columns and a church. It is quite impressive to see, even just from the gate on the Monastiraki.
TIME: You could probably spend anywhere from 15-45 minutes at this site.
PRICE: Full adult ticket price is 6 Euros, or it is included in the combined ticket.
*Walking time from Hadrian’s Library to the Monastiraki Square or Flea Markets is about 1 minute*
Monastiraki
Monastiraki is neighborhood or area in Athens with pedestrian walkways that are lined with flea markets. This is a great place to buy souvenirs, but it also just fun to walk through.
We decided to buy some spices and olive oil to bring back home so we could capture some of the great tastes of Greece!
TIME: You can spend as much or little time here as you’d like. You can walk down the street (or even just give it a glance) or you can get some lunch and do some shopping. We ate lunch in this area and got some souvenirs. Both took about an hour and a half.
PRICE: Free
*Walking time to Hadrian’s Arch is about 15 minutes*
Hadrian’s Arch (or Hadrian’s Gate)
Hadrian’s Arch is a large arch you can see on along the walkway of the street. Is is not gated and charges no admission, but rather is something you can see along your way to the Temple of Zeus.
TIME: 1-5 minutes – this is a site you don’t have to really stop at or walk around much.
PRICE: Free.
*Walking time to Zeus’ Temple is 1 minute*
Temple of the Olympian Zeus
The Temple of Zeus was closed for construction during our visit, so be sure to make sure it is open for admission. The impressively tall columns can be viewed well from outside the gates and the grounds aren’t nearly as large others like the Acropolis or the Agora. This is one you can plan on not spending too much time at, and possibly just walking by instead of paying for admission.
TIME: 10-30 minutes
PRICE: Admission is 6 Euros for the regular adult pass or is included in the combined ticket.
*Walking time to the edge of the National Garden is about 8 minutes – be sure to stop and look at the Roman Bath archeological remains along the way*
National Garden
The National Garden is located by the Temple of Zeus. Picture a smaller version of Central Park with walking paths, fountains, spots to sit, ponds, and beautiful trees, bushes, and flowers. During the spring is probably the best time to go, but during summer was still very nice. This is a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and take a few moments to enjoy more quiet scenery while resting your feet.
TIME: You can spend anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours here, depending on how far into the path you go and how much time you spend resting.
PRICE: Free
*Walking time to the Acropolis is about 20 minutes*
The Acropolis
You can’t miss the Acropolis! It is located on the hill in the middle of the city and has several ruins on top, such as the famous Parthenon, and around it, such as impressive Theater of Dionysis. Being the most popular and impressive landmark, it can get very busy and hot. This is something you should probably do first (not last like we did) if it is a hot day due to there being very little sun and a longer incline. There is a place to refill your water bottle at the top!
TIME: This will likely be your most time-intensive activity. Plan around 2+ hours.
PRICE: 20 Euros a ticket for the regular adult pass or is included in the combined ticket.
*Walking time from the bottom of the Acropolis to the Roman Agora is around 7 minutes*
Roman Agora
The Roman Agora is an archeological site with ruins of what a city space anciently used for markets and other events. You can see some of the Roman Agora from outside the gates if you don’t want to spend the time walking throughout the site. On site there is also the “Tower of the Winds” that is well persevered and impressive to view.
TIME: 30 minutes to an hour
PRICE: 8 Euros for a regular ticket or included in the combined ticket.
Buying Tickets
You can buy tickets at sites or get tickets ahead of time with tours from GetYourGuide, skip-the-line tickets, tickets with guides or audio guides or get the combination ticket! SO MANY OPTIONS! There is no “right” answer to which tickets to get, and all depends on what you like or how much time you would like to spend at each site. Tours with guides will take more time, but give more information. If you want to go more in depth on the history, then this is a great way!
We went at a time with not very many visitors so the “skip-the-line” tickets would not have been worth the price. The combined ticket, once bought, also acts as a sort of “skip the line” ticket since you don’t have to wait at the ticket booth lines.
All of the site ticket booths accept credit cards or contactless payments, as well as cash (in Euros). You can buy the combined ticket at any of the site ticket booths, so it is best to get it at one of the less busy sites (basically just not at the Acropolis).
Is It Worth It To Buy The Combined Ticket For Only One Day?
If you are going to more than 2 sites (including the Acropolis) then you do save money by getting the combined ticket. Another advantage is being able to skip the line to buy tickets at the sites, which can get long during the busy season. The pass is also good for 5 days if you are spending more than one day in Athens.
The combined ticket gets you into:
- The Acropolis (and the North and South slopes)
- The Ancient Agora and its museum
- Temple of the Olympian Zeus (Known as Olympieio)
- Roman Agora and Tower of the Winds
- Hadrian’s Library
- Aristotle’s Lyceum (Lykein Archeological site)
- Kerameikos and its archeological museum
Bonus: What Should I Add If I Have More Time?
If you are spending more than one day one other “must see” not included in our guide is the Acropolis Museum. This is a place that you could spend hours at looking at all the artifacts and information.
If you are wanting to get more pictures for Instagram (we know how it goes ?) you can also find some great viewpoints to get beautiful pictures with the Acropolis in the background like Mount Lycabettus.
What To Pack For Your Athens Adventure
Some things I to remember on your packing list:
- Water Bottle – During the summer months it gets very hot in Athens! It is most convenient to just carry around your water bottle and fill it up at sites. Also remember that you have to pay for your water at restaurants in Greece!
- Comfortable Walking Shoes – Plan on doing lots of walking in Athens. We clocked about 9 miles during our one day in Athens and I will admit that my feet were hurting by the end of the day!
- Money Belt – Athens is known for the theft and pick pocketing, so save yourself some stress and put your money and valuables in a money belt that can be put under your clothes. We bought a cheap one from Walmart similar to this one for under $10 that we used our entire vacation.
- Universal Power Adapter – the outlets in Greece are different than the United States! If you are planning on charging any electronics during your stay, you will need to get a power adapter.
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