Is Athens guide in two days It will help you prepare a trip to this city with more than 3000 years of history, making the most of the available time. Although we know that a weekend or 2 days, at first it may seem like little time to get to know the city well, we assure you that if you optimize the routes on foot, you can visit all the most interesting places in Athens.
After touring the popular neighborhoods of Plaka and Monastiraki on the first day, visiting the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus and climbing to the viewpoint of Mount Lycabettus, on this second day in Athens you will visit the trendy neighborhood of Psiri, the Acropolis Museum, Sintagma Square and Filopapos Hill, among many other things.
Based on the experience of the time we spent in the city during our trip to Greece, we leave you this practical guide to Athens in 2 days. We start!
Recommended hotel in Athens
Our recommended accommodation for visiting Athens on a weekend or two days is the Phaedra Hotel, located in the picturesque Plaka district, a few meters from the entrance to the Acropolis. In addition to having the best location to visit the city, it has an excellent quality / price ratio and views of the Acropolis from the terrace.
For more information on the best hotels and neighborhoods we recommend you check this post of where to stay in Athens.
Transfer from the airport to the hotel or to the center of Athens
The best ways to get to your hotel or downtown from the airport, located more than 30 kilometers away, are:
- Meter: Line 3, which runs from 6: 35h to 23: 35h, will take you to the center in about 40 minutes for about 8 euros per person.
- Bus: The 4 bus lines, which operate 24 hours a day, will take you to the center in one hour for 6 euros. One of the bus lines connects the airport with the port of Piraeus, where you can connect with a ferry to the Greek Islands.
- Cab: For a price of about 40 euros, it can be a good alternative if you are not staying near a bus or subway stop.
- Private transport: With a price similar to the taxi, it is the most comfortable option since a driver will wait for you at the airport, which will take you to the door of your hotel. You can book it here.
For more information about the transfer you can consult this post on how to go from the Athens airport to the center.
Tips for Athens
- It is highly recommended, in a city with so much history and archaeological sites with few well-preserved ruins, book this free tour of Athens Free! With guide in Spanish.
- Keep in mind that despite the reputation of insecurity and dirty, the city has undergone a transformation in recent years that will make you completely change this vision.
- If you have little time you can book the Athens tourist bus, which passes through the main tourist attractions of the city.
- Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot. You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
You can find more recommendations in this post of tips to travel to Athens essential.
First day in Athens
The route of the first day of Athens in two days It begins with the visit to the Acropolis of Athens, which opens at 8 in the morning. In addition to enjoying its impressive Parthenon, on the premises you cannot miss the Dionysus Theater, the entrance of the Propylaea, the Odeon of Attic Herod, the temple of Erechtheion and that of Athena Niké.
An interesting option to know the whole history of each Acropolis building is to book this guided tour in Spanish, which includes a tour of the main attractions of the city.
When you go down the hill, you can climb to the top of the small mount of the Aerópago from where you can enjoy unique views of the Acropolis.
Aerópago Hill
The route of Athens in 2 days Continue with a walk through the famous Plaka neighborhood until you reach the Temple of Zeus, one of the most essential places to see in Athens. In addition to seeing the impressive Corinthian columns of the temple, here you can not miss the great 20 meter high Adriano door, which is located right next to it.
When you leave the temple, you will walk again through the narrow streets of the Plaka neighborhood, discovering its most special places such as the Agia Ekaterini church, the Tripods street, the Lisícrates Monument and the Mnisikleous stairs.
From this same neighborhood you can take the old Adrianou shopping street to reach the popular Monastiraki Square, one of the best known places in the city, which has a great atmosphere and good views of the Acropolis.
The Monastiraki neighborhood in Athens on a weekend
At this point in the route through Athens, before continuing with more visits, we recommend you try traditional Greek food in one of the restaurants, All That Jatz or Kallipateira, both among the most recommended in the city.
In the afternoon the Athens on a weekend It begins with a tour of the Pazari and Yusurúm markets and the Pandrosou and Ifestou shopping streets, located around the Monastiraki Square.
Very close to this square is also the Roman Agora, which has several prominent buildings such as the Hadrian's Library, the Tower of the Winds and the Athena Arquegetis Gate, which you can not miss either.
A few meters from the Roman Agora is the Ancient Agora, in which the Temple of Hephaestus is its main claim.
After all these visits, you will head to Mount Lycabettus, located 2 kilometers from the center, to see the best sunset in the city, from the best viewpoint.
Lycabettus Hill
Going down the Lycabettus hill, you can return to the Plaka neighborhood by taxi or on foot, to enjoy the great atmosphere of bars and terraces of Kidathineon street and its adjacent ones. After the ride, nothing better than a good traditional meal dinner at Liondi or Arcadia, two of our favorite restaurants in the neighborhood.
To end the first day of Athens in two days You can take a pleasant walk to the Aerópago Hill, to see the illuminated Acropolis.
(Extended information of the first day here)
Map of the first day of Athens in two days
What to see in Athens in two days
The route of the second day of what to see in Athens in two days It starts early in the morning going up the Filopapo Hill. From its top 147 meters high, you will have stunning views of the Acropolis and the Piraeus neighborhood with the Aegean sea in the background. Keep in mind that the climb is quite easy and you will have several viewpoints to rest until you reach the highest point, where there is a monument in honor of the Roman consul Cayo Julio Filopapo, so it is not necessary to have a special physical form.
Filopappou Hill
After going down the hill, we recommend you take a walk through the small Anafiótica neighborhood, located on a hillside of the Acropolis and which has recently become one of the best known and most visited in the city. Among its narrow streets, old churches such as Santa Sofía and small white and blue houses, you will move for a moment in the beautiful villages of some of the best Greek islands.
At the end of the walk you will head to the Acropolis Museum of Athens, the most visited and important city in which during the tour of its modern rooms full of sculptures and pieces of the ancient Acropolis, such as the fantastic Caryatids, it is one of The best things to do in Athens.
Do not forget before leaving, approach the terrace bar, from where there are beautiful views of the Acropolis of Athens.
A good option to know the history of the most important pieces of the museum is to book this guided tour in Spanish, which also includes a route through the most essential places in the city.
Acropolis Museum
The route of Athens in 2 days Continue with a pleasant walk between trees and shrubs of numerous varieties, from the National Garden of Athens. Crossing this park with several ponds you will reach the mythical Panathinaiko Stadium, where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. The stadium built entirely in white marble can be seen quite well from the outside thanks to the fact that it has a part without a stand, although for sports lovers, it may be more interesting to take a guided tour and step on the stadium.
Panathinaiko Stadium
When you leave the stadium, you will cross the National Garden of Athens again to reach one of the most famous squares in the city, Sintagma Square. This large space, where numerous historical events and manifestations of the city have taken place, has on one of its sides, the Greek Parliament, where every half an hour is made an original changing of the guard next to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Changing of the Guard
Before continuing with the route of Athens on a weekend and considering the time it is, we recommend you regain strength based on delicious gyros and souvlakis, in the recommended restaurant The Greco's Project, located very close to the Sintagma Square.
After lunch you can continue along Mitropoleos Street until you reach Mitropoli, the Orthodox Cathedral of Athens, which has beautiful Byzantine frescoes inside. Next to the cathedral, there is a small Byzantine church built at the end of the 12th century, which we are sure, will leave you speechless.
Byzantine Church
From the cathedral you can link the route with the Ermou shopping street, one of the most important in the city, which will take you to the beautiful church of Panagua Kapnikarea. Continuing along Ermou Street you will arrive at Monastiraki Square, where Athinas Street begins that connects with the Central Market, our favorite in the city.
This traditional market, located in a neoclassical building of the nineteenth century, will bring you closer to the true personality of the city and the life of the Athenians that you can meet when passing through the meat and fish stalls, while listening to the shouts of the vendors offering the product. Keep in mind that the schedule is from 7 am to 6 pm from Monday to Saturday and on Sundays it is closed to fit your visit with the opening hours.
Outside there is also a market for fruits, vegetables and dried fruit stands, local sweets and delicious Greek olives, for which it is highly recommended to walk.
Central Market, one of the places to visit in Athens
To finish the Athens in 2 days, nothing better than spending the last hours of the day and the first hours of the night in Psiri, the fashionable district of Athens. Known as the SoHo of Athens, in this neighborhood you can look for an original garment or gift in its design stores and have a drink in one of its bars with a terrace in addition to going to one of the places where people are concentrated, which are not other than the Plaza de the Heroes and above all, Anargiron Street.
Psiri neighborhood
After the first contact with this neighborhood, we recommend you finish the day in Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani, one of the best restaurants in Athens, where the Spanish owner will serve you a delicious Mediterranean homemade meal, made with fresh products.
If you have one more day, you can follow this guide from Athens in 3 days.
Map of Athens in 2 days
Do you want to organize a trip to Athens in 2 days?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to Athens here
The best hotels at the best prices in Athens: here
Book the best tours and excursions in Athens in Spanish here
Book your airport transfer⇆Atenas here
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Athens guide in one day
Rent your car to travel around Greece at the best price here
The best offers of Flights to Athens here
The best hotels at the best prices in Athens: here
Book the best tours and excursions in Athens in Spanish here
Book your airport transfer⇆Atenas here
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Athens guide in one day
Rent your car to travel around Greece at the best price here
