2 Days in Athens: How to See the Best of Athens!

Here is how to spend 2 days in Athens to allow you to see the best of what Athens has to offer with limited time! See the incredible historic sites, great acropolis views (from multiple places!), and visit the best neighborhoods!

• Day 1: Walking Tour (With Philopappos Hill, Roman Forum, Monstraki Square & more), Panathenaic Stadium and Lycabettus Hill
• Day 2: Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Psirri & Plaka Neighborhoods

Morning: Walking Tour- Roman Forum, Hadrian’s Library, Philopappos Hill, & More

I (typically) love a free walking tour on my first day in a new city! It gives a good layout of the city, a good bit of history and starts the city break off right!

Athens is no exception, especially due to the extent of history the city has! We booked out tour with New Athens Free Tours. The tours are technically free to join, and then at the end you will tip what you deem fitting for your guide!

The walking tour does a GREAT job of covering important places in Athens that you will want to see anyway.

The walking tour covers things like the Roman Forum (outside, no entry), the Ancient Agora, Hadrian’s Library (outside, no entry), Plaka neighborhood and more!

• Start time: 10 am
• Duration: 2.5-3 hours
• Meeting Point: Our tour began in Monstraki Square, but according to the site, it starts at the Statue of Theseus. Either way, you should get an email that confirms your meeting point!

Our tour ended on Philopappos Hill, which is another must-visit spot in Athens! Here you can see where democracy began at the remnants of the Athenian Ecclesia, the Prison of Socrates and multiple viewpoints that overlook the acropolis!

Afternoon: Panathenaic Stadium (aka Kallimarmaro)

After your walking tour, head to Panathenaic Stadium to see the place of the first modern olympic games! It is the only stadium in the world made completely of marble.

The stadium is located about 20-30 minutes from Philopappos Hill, depending on if you want to walk the whole thing or take the metro part of the way (25 minutes with metro, 32 minutes walking only.)

If you are any kind of fan of the Olympics, this is cool to see!

• Cost: 10 euros (~$11.50)- purchased onsite
• Duration: 1-2 hours, depending on how long you want to stay
• Upon entry, you get an audioguide that will give you more history of the stadium

Evening: Lycabettus Hill

After visiting the iconic stadium, metro to Lycabettus Hill funicular! Lycabettus Hill has one of the best views of the entirety of Athens!

You CAN walk up the hill for free, but it is quite the incline. So, I recommend taking the short, affordable funicular to the top 🙂

• The funicular runs every 30 minutes from 9:00 am to 1:30 am
• 10 euros round-trip per person that can be purchased on site

Morning: Acropolis & Ancient Agora

Have a history-filled morning!

Acropolis & Parthenon

Climbing to the Acropolis is a MUST DO in Athens and has to be included in your 2 days in Athens, especially if this is your first time in Athens. However, know that this is the most popular thing to do in Athens as well, so I recommend getting there when it opens at 8am!

We were there at 8am and still had to wait in line to get tickets to enter. So, I recommend GETTING YOUR TICKETS ONLINE ahead of time so you don’t have to wait to purchase.

Prepare for at least 2 hours to climb the hill, take in the views of the Parthenon and climb back down.

Pre-Book Tickets to the Acropolis and Parthenon!

Ancient Agora

After visiting the acropolis and Areopagus Hill, head to the Ancient Agora. If there were ever an important place from the history of Ancient Greece, this is it!

The Ancient Agora was the center of the Athenian Democracy and was home to political and social functions. People you may recognize such as Pericles, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle frequented the Ancient Agora in the 4th and 5th centuries BC!

The Ancient Agora is also home to the very well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus, which can only be accessed with a ticket to the agora.

Book Tickets to the Ancient Agora (with audio guide)

Guided Tour of the Acropolis and Ancient agora

The Acropolis and Ancient Agora are FULL of some of the richest history in Athens. However, if you don’t KNOW the history of them, it can take away from the significance of them.

This is especially true for the Ancient Agora. While it is full of pieces that date back to as far as 3,000 BC, if you don’t know what the pieces are and their significance, it kind of takes away from the experience. This is what happened to us 🙃

We really thought it was cool to see the pieces, but we thought if there were anywhere we needed a guide with the knowlege, it was the Ancient Agora.

If I were to do this again, I would have booked a guided tour of the Acropolis and Ancient Agora together!

Afternoon: Psirri & Plaka neighborhoods

From the Ancient Agora, head to the Psirri neighborhood. This area has a lot of restaurant options and is a great spot to stop for lunch. It also has cute streets and architecture to walk around and see.

This is also home to the famous Little Kook cafe, a quirky little cafe that is normally DECKED OUT in Alice in Wonderland decor. If its not full of Alice in Wonderland, it is loaded with seasonal decor.

Whether you go in for food, dessert, a drink or don’t go in at all, it is interesting to at least stop by!

You will likely visit at least some of Plaka Neighborhood if you take the walking tour. But, you may not get a lot of time there, so you can return to see more if you’d like.

The famous Anafiotika neighborhood with the white-washed buildings are located in Plaka Neighborhood!

Afternoon Alternative: Cooking Class!

Add an interactive activity to your 2 days in Athens! Instead of heading back to see more of Plaka neighborhood, an alternative option is to take a cooking class (located in Psirri neighborhood). I regret not taking a cooking class while in Greece!

Athens has some really highly-rated cooking classes that look so fun!

The Two Highest-Rated Options:

Cooking Class with a Rooftop View of the Acropolis– Located in the Psirri neighborhood, you will cook traditional pies, tziki sauce and throw together a traditional Greek salad! Then, enjoy your handmade dinner with views of the acropolis lit up at night!

Local Market Visit with Cooking Class & Wine– Also located in the Psirri neighborhood. You will walk to the local market with your chef to pick out ingredients and then cook traditional meals such as pies, Dolmades, an eggplant dish, tziki sauce and a dessert. Wine is included while cooking!

Evening: Rooftop Views

Whether you opt for a cooking class or not, you should end your day in Athens with a rooftop view of the city and the acropolis at night!

A couple of popular options for rooftop views are:

• A for Athens- Cocktail bar and restaurant with Acropolis views just above Monstraki Square
• 360 Degrees Rooftop Bar- Bar and restaurant also located near Monstraki Square

I would reserve a table ahead of time for these!

Final Thoughts on our 2 Days in Athens