How To Spend 3 Days In Athens

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So you’re considering a trip to Athens?! Then let me tell you how to best spend 3 days in Athens. But first I need to warn you….. Athens is AMAZING and you might just fall in love with it – just like I did!

3 days in Athens

This capital city has plenty to do, so make sure you get it all done, have time to reflect and relax, and enjoy yourself! Here’s my guide to how to spend 3 days in Athens! Let me know in the comments section below what you think, and if you’ve been before, what else you’d recommend!

Day One in Athens

Acropolis

The most important activity in Athens is definitely visiting the Acropolis! It is also the most touristy location in the world – or that’s how it feels during a visit there. However, we beat the tourist rush by getting up early (far too early for a vacation – but Acropolis!). The Acropolis opens at 8am, so make sure you arrive by 7:30am to get in line. If you arrive this early you’ll be one of the first!

Once 8am arrives, you can then buy your ticket and go in. The ticket buying takes a while as most people who’ve been standing in the line haven’t looked at the ticket options yet (come on people!!) and ask the ticket attendants lots of questions. Do them a favour and be prepared. Have your ticket option in mind, have the cash ready, and your process will be quick and ensure you are off on your way in no time. (We bought the €30 Acropolis ticket which included 7 other sites across Athens)

My BIGGEST Tip for the Acropolis: Once entering, march straight to the top – to see the Parthenon. When we visited, everyone stopped to take photos of the views on the walk up. Not us, we marched to the top and although we were about 30th into the sight, we were first to reach the Parthenon  – resulting in a killer view, photos without other people in them, and a few peaceful moments with this old structure before it all got crazy busy.

If you want to ultimate Acropolis experience, head to the top straight away and try like hell to be the first up! For me, it was a pretty special moment. We got our photos and then just stood wondering about the life of the people who came here when it was a new structure! The Parthenon was completed in 432BC – how crazy is that?! To think, it’s been standing here this whole time.

There are more amazing buildings at the Acropolis, like the Erechtheion and Odeon (theatre you see upon entering). A visit takes about an hour (or more), I think we spent until almost 10am at the Acropolis, by which stage the entire population of the world seemed to also be visiting. We were glad when we left, that we’d had our early morning visit to this amazing site.

Greek Yogurt

So our early rise meant we missed out on breakfast. After the Acropolis, we headed for a mid-morning brunch. Our mission? Greek yogurt. Nearby the Acropolis is a yogurt bar called Fresko. I had read online that it was one of the best Greek yogurt shops in Athens and I have to agree! Try the 10% yogurt with walnuts and honey (I added strawberries to mine!) – you will not be disappointed! €3 for a yummy bowl of yogurt, and €2 for a cappuccino.

Acropolis Museum

Our tummies full of yoghurt and time to get moving again – this time to the Acropolis Museum. As it was 35 degrees, we thought it best to seek some time indoors, and there’s no better museum in Athens for that than the Acropolis Museum (€5). This museum is grand, and expertly curated. The top floor for us was the most interesting – and I won’t spoil the surprise. There is also a very interesting movie shown on repeat about how the Acropolis was built which I highly recommend doing!

After our visit, it was time for the ultimate coffee pit-stop. We sat on the museum’s terrace cafe which overlooks the Acropolis (amazing!!) and had our first Athens coffee – the freddo cappuccino (€4.30 – the most expensive one of the trip!). Essentially just an iced coffee/latte to the rest of us, these cold cappuccinos are deliciously fluffy and creamy and the only way to drink coffee in Athens!

Souvlaki

All of this history had us hungry, so it was back to the same street Fresko was found on, this time, for our first greek kebab! Small Politics kebab shop serves the most amazing food – and it’s the cheapest lunch you can find in the city! Add an ice cold beer (cos – vacation) and some fries and you’re all set! This meal cost us €12, total.

Temple of Olympian Zeus

We relished our meal before getting back on the tourist track. Next stop – the Temple of Olympian Zeus. This place was my 2nd favourite place in the entire city! Another Parthenon-like building, this temple – which has mostly crumbled now, formerly had 104 columns – making it the grandest temple in Greece. Over the years it was pillaged and now has just 16 columns remaining. Though it’s grand-ness still remains..

Cocktails

Under the beating sun, we decided to call tourist-ing quits for the day and headed for some drinks. We walked to Monastiraki Square via the market stalls along the streets and found A For Athens cocktail bar (€7 cocktail + €3 beer). The view from their rooftop is unbeatable!

We could spot other rooftop bars from there, and decided to also try 360 degrees out whilst we were enjoying our afternoon relaxing – there are not much better views than these. (€9 cocktail x 2, €4 beer x 2)

Dinner

After the sun went down on our first day in Athens, we wandered around Plaka for somewhere to eat dinner.  On the Plaka stairs we found a restaurant with live Greek music and a table for 2 available and ordered all things Greek – Saganaki, Calamari, Souvlaki and our favourite Athens beers – Alpha. Dinner cost us €50 with tip.

See where else we have been and are going this year!

Day Two in Athens

Since we had an early morning on our first day in Athens, day two was a little slower. A sleep-in and some greek yogurt on our Airbnb balcony were had, before thoughts of the day ahead!

Panathenaic Stadium

Our airbnb was just 10 minutes walk from the Panathenaic Stadium, and so – this was our first activity on day two in Athens! I have always been a massive Olympics fan, even taking a class on it in college. And so coming to Athens and visiting the first site of the Modern Olympics was the most important sight to see whilst in Athens.

The Panathenaic Stadium is made entirely of marble! With your €5 entry, you get the audio guide for free – which really is a must to understand and appreciate this stadium. I was enthralled by the stories which were told over the audio guide. I left amazed and skipped out like a happy puppy.

Since it was SO HOT in Athens, we purchased 2 bottles of water and 2 ice drinks at the stadium before we wandered off – €10.

Syntagma Square

Our next stop was to wander the Athens National Gardens, a pause in front of the Zappeion, and over to Syntagma Square. We didn’t realise that on Sunday’s the guards do the special changing of the guards display – so we missed it. However on Sunday’s the guards do wear their special garb all day so we stopped to enjoy their fantastic outfits, before moving on for some lunch!

Souvlaki

This place must be visited when in Athens – Meatropoleous 3, on Syntagma Square is a great little restaurant serving cheap and cheerful souvlaki/kalamaki/kebabs and of course, ice cold beer. Our lunch was under €15 and incredibly delicious!

Coffee

From Syntagma Square you are in a really good position to meander the streets going nowhere in particular. We happened upon the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens on our wanderings, before stumbling upon Tailor Made Espresso Bar where we planted ourselves for an hour of relaxation.

Tailor Made is one of the hot spots for coffee in Athens, having all of those coffee gadgets and gizmo’s, turning into a cocktail bar in the evenings. Do stop here. Our coffee’s were regularly priced at €2 each!

Lycabettus Hill Viewpoint

Since the sky was clear, we decided to hop a taxi towards Lycabettus Hill. To get to the top you can walk, or take the cable car. As it was 35 degrees, you can bet we took the cable car! At €7.50 each return, it was money well spent! The cable car is actually a funicular inside a tunnel – so there’s no great view on your way up.

However, the view once up the top is magic. For us, waiting to go to this point until we had seen a fair chunk of Athens gave us a better perspective of where things were and what we could actually see.

Cocktail and Dinner

A short cab ride back to Monastiraki Square, it was time for a cocktail. This time we tried out Couleur Locale – a very hip rooftop cocktail bar that also overlooks the Acropolis. A divine margarita and beer later, it was time for our dinner. (€8 + €4)

We ate at another restaurant we happened upon with gorgeous outdoor lighting on their large terrace which had fans blowing. Since we wanted to try everything there is to eat Greek style – we opted for a Greek Taster Plate (moussaka, courgette balls and a few other items) to share for dinner, along with more saganaki and Greek salad. With wine and beer our dinner came to €35.

Day Three in Athens

We woke up on our last day in Athens after a bit of a sleep-in. After getting ourselves ready for the day, we packed our gear and had one last coffee on the balcony of our Airbnb. (Use my link for a discount on your first Airbnb booking!) We got a taxi via the Beat app down to Syntagma square where there is a left-luggage service and paid a grand total of €6 for our bags to stay there for the day.

Greek Yogurt

From there, we decided to log some steps and walked over to the greek yoghurt mecca, Stani. Stani is the oldest of its kind. A non-descript small patisserie shop with a few tables out front. Not the most romantic of scenes, I thought, as we walked up. However, we sat, and quickly ordered our breakfast – the house yoghurt (€3.80). It is made of sheeps milk and comes in a square shape with honey and walnuts on top – very classic Greek style. This yoghurt is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I’ve never had anything like it! Add this place to your Athens list now! Do not miss it.

After our yoghurt I have to admit, I was a little bit sad. It was my last greek yoghurt of our trip… and it was heavenly. We took the metro back to Monastiraki – 3 stops away, since the heat was just too much for the 15 minute walk.

Melissinos Handmade Sandals

Our goal at Monastiraki was to get sandals made by the famous poet sandal maker – Melissinos. The previous day we had spotted his store it was wildly busy. And as luck had it, we walked in with only 2 other ladies inside! Melissinos is an experience.

First you pick out a design of shoe from about 20 designs, then they fit the shoe completely to your foot. After a short wait for some glue and nails, you get your perfect-fit sandals handed to you, all for €40. The shoes will need 12 hours to let the glue take hold, so you wont be walking out of the store in them!

Ancient Agora

Next up – the Ancient Agora and the Temple of Apollo. After a slow morning it was time for our last historical sight of the trip, and we left a goodie for last! The Temple of Apollo houses some great art and offers a stunning view. On the same grounds is the Temple of Hephaistas! A miniature Acropolis looking building, this one is most remarkable for the fact it’s been standing there since 415BC!

Last Souvlaki

Hungry for our last souvlaki of our trip to Athens, we went to the famous Kostas for another epic meal. This one was a bit more peppery, and Kosta cuts the tomato slices into the souvlaki, not on a chopping board. This hole-in-the-wall souvlaki shop serves such excellent food – I am still thinking about how good it was!

I have to give a shout out to 2 Food Trippers, who's video of the Top 10 Souvlaki in Athens was the inspiration for all 3 of our souvlaki lunches!

Shopping

After out beer and souvlaki (€5) pause, we wandered through the shopping streets of Plaka one last time, picking up the items we’ve been eyeing 2 days earlier. A Greek collar-less shirt for my hunk (€20), a backpack (€40) and little handbag for me (€10) and we found ourselves back at Syntagma Square with time to pick up our bags and ride the train to the airport (€7.50).

Goodbye Athens

After airport check-in, we found time to consume our last Greek calories. An Alpha beer each (€5), and a frozen Greek yogurt each (€5) – though they don’t go together, nor did we need it. And with that, our trip to Athens was over!

So, there you have it, three jam packed days in Athens, full of sights, great food and drink, relaxing time, and a whole host of great memories!

Athens Trip Costs

The total costs for 3 days in Athens were:

Flights: €120 return Eindhoven to Athens
Airbnb: €54 each total for 3 nights (€18 each per night)
Dining: €213 total, €107.50 each for 3 days of food!
Shopping: €110 (€55 each)
Sightseeing: €47.50 each
Taxi/Train: €29.18 for 5 cab rides on Beat App (Athens most used taxi app), and €15 for both of us to get to Athens Airport = €44.18 total (€22.09 each)
Total: €406,09 each for all of that! Flights, Accommodation, Transport, Sightseeing, Shopping, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Drinks!

Now, are you heading to Athens?! Let me know below if you found this post helpful for how to spend your time during 3 days in Athens!

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About Lesley

Australian expat, married to a Dutch guy, living in Amsterdam. Previously lived in London for 3 years, too! Lover of travel, coffee, brunch, beaches, fresh flowers, and family. Now a new mum, navigating life with a baby!