The Best 2 Days in Athens Itinerary for First-Timers
This 2 days in Athens itinerary helps you plan a short visit to Greece full of ancient ruins, museums and the best city views.
From the famous Acropolis and Parthenon to top-rated museums to pretty squares and streets featured on postcards, this 2 day Athens itinerary packs in the best of the storied city. You’ll get your fill of Greek legends as you hop from ruin to ruin, but there will be plenty of time for sampling baklava, shopping for leather sandals, and snapping sunset shots, too.
We’re arranged this Athens 2 day itinerary to hit the top highlights right away, so if you linger a little too long on the first day, you’ll have an easier time narrowing down what’s left.
There’s also a diverse range of things to do in Athens listed. If you know you would rather hike, or visit museums, or shop, you can devote more time to those activities and less to the ones that don’t sound as appealing.
After perusing all the ancient ruins, marbled arenas, historic neighborhoods, and killer views below, be sure to scroll down to the bottom for tips for visiting Athens, like where to buy a discounted combo ticket and how to get around.
This 10-day Greece itinerary includes Athens and the Greek Islands.
The Best 2 Days in Athens Itinerary for First-Timers
Plan a weekend in Athens with this compact guide to the city. We’ve highlighted the top things to do in Athens for first timers, plus tips for where to find the best views and where to stay.
Day 1 — Ruins and Sightseeing
Head straight for the highlights for the first of two days in Athens. The Acropolis and surrounding ruins are in a compact area, so walking from site to site will ensure you don’t miss any hidden gems along the way.
You can mix up the order, but we recommend the Acropolis first thing in the morning since it’s the busiest, the museum or lunch in Plaka around the hottest time of the day, and the rest of the ruins in the afternoon before heading to Monastiraki Square or back to Areopagus for sunset. If you only have one day in Athens, we recommend following the itinerary for this first day.
Traveling from Athens to Santorini? Check out this Santorini itinerary with the top things to do.
Areopagus Hill
Next to the Acropolis on the northwest side, this rocky outcrop once served as a meeting place for an ancient Athenian advisory council and court. There’s little in the way of markers or historical info here, but you can climb to the top for views or to watch the sunset.
Acropolis
The Acropolis is an absolute must on a 2 days in Athens itinerary. This hard-to-miss landmark of Athens perches on a rocky hill, its ancient remains visible throughout town. With roots to the 5th century BC, the citadel holds well-known buildings like the Parthenon, with its signature Doric columns, and the Temple of Athena Nike, dedicated to the city’s patron goddess.
At the top, you’ll also see the ruins of the Erechtheion, built for Athena and Poseidon, and the Propylaea, a marbled entryway to the site. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a Roman amphitheater from the 2nd century, sits on the southwestern hillside and still hosts performances. The stone remains of the Theatre of Dionysus on the southeastern slope dates back even further to the 6th century BC.
As the most famous destination in the city, the Acropolis draws big crowds, so visiting first thing in the morning or just before closing is essential to avoid traffic at the top. You can enter from the west just past Areopagus hill or from the southeast across the street from the Acropolis Museum.
If you purchase the combo pass for the historic sites ahead of time from one of the less busy attractions, you’ll save time waiting in the ticket line here. Scroll down to our “tips” section for more info on the pass.
Plan to spend a couple of hours exploring the ruins here.
Acropolis Museum
This museum at the foot of the Acropolis serves to store artifacts discovered at the famous site. Pieces here span from the Bronze Age to the Byzantine Empire.
Beneath the museum are excavations from the ancient neighborhood that surrounds it, and visitors can see the remains in their natural state in a few spots. There is an entry fee that is not included with your Acropolis ticket. Check prices and opening hours here.
Plaka and Anafiotika
The Plaka neighborhood is the perfect spot to head for lunch during your 2 days in Athens. Sidewalk eateries and souvenir shops line the stone streets and narrow alleys of the Plaka district, which sits below the Acropolis hill to the northeast.
It’s a great area to explore during the midday heat, popping indoors to browse jewelry and clay magnets or stopping to eat under shady awnings. Within Plaka, the hillside Anafiotika neighborhood mimics a Greek island village with its white walls and cubic buildings.
Roman Agora
Dating to the 1st century BC, this ancient marketplace is said to have been built with funds from Julius Caesar and Augustus. In its heyday, an open courtyard was surrounded by shops and public walkways. Among the ruins stands what’s called the Tower of the Winds, an octagon-shaped clock tower of sorts that held a weather vane and sundial.
I spent about an hour walking around the ruins here.
Hadrian’s Library
Built by the Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century, this structure once would have stored scrolls and hosted lectures, with grounds that included a courtyard and pool. The site now holds a restored wall, a few of the 100 columns, and the remains of various churches built here over the centuries.
An hour is usually enough time to see the ruins here.
Ancient Agora of Athens
The legacy of the Agora of Athens spans thousands of years — it’s been used as some form of a residential zone or public space since around 3000 BC. The ruins of the complex outline a former gathering place used for social, commercial, religious and political purposes.
The columned Temple of Hephaestus from the 400s BC still stands here, one of the best-preserved ancient Greek structures of its kind. Visitors also can check out museum displays in the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos, once a marketplace.
This is a must-see during your 2 days in Athens and I recommend setting aside a couple of hours for your visit.
Monastiraki Square
Monastiraki Square serves as the central gathering zone for the neighborhood on the northern side of the Acropolis. The streets around it cram in souvenir shops, handmade craft vendors, open-air cafes, and a flea market. Elevated restaurants ringing the square offer panoramic windows and rooftop dining to take advantage of the breathtaking view — Acropolis hill with the city abuzz before it.
I recommend securing a table here just before sunset to soak up the daylight and twilight. The A for Athens restaurant and bar has one of the best views directly across the square from the hill (it’s where the first photo in this 2 day Athens itinerary was taken).
Day 2 — Museum and Walking Tours
A few more ruins, a marbled Olympic stadium, one of the city’s top museums and the tallest downtown mountain are all on the agenda for the second of your 2 days in Athens. It’s about 3 miles to walk the whole thing (with great rest stops at the garden and square), but consider riding the bus or trolley from Syntagma to the National Archeology Museum and conserving your strength to summit Lycabettus for sunset.
Panathenaic Stadium
Built on the grounds of an ancient arena, the Panathenaic Stadium hosted the first modern-day Olympics at the end of the 19th century. The building was designed with its legacy in mind, constructed of marble from Mount Pentelicus outside the city. For a fee, you can tour the stadium with an audio guide and run on the track.
Hadrian’s Arch
The Arch of Hadrian, or Hadrian’s Gate, still stands in the spot where it was erected in the 2nd century. It once served as a sort of entryway from an ancient road to the Temple of Olympian Zeus and surrounding structures.
In the present day, a busy street runs by it on one side, and pedestrian walkways on the other. It’s mostly just a quick photo stop for tourists, and if you angle your camera right, you can capture the Acropolis through the gate’s arch.
Temple of Olympian Zeus
The giant columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus speak to how impressive this structure must once have been, though not much of it remains upright. Completed in the 2nd century during the time of Roman Emperor Hadrian, it was one of the biggest temples of its time. More than a dozen columns still stand, and from the grounds, you can also see the Acropolis.
National Garden
A breath of fresh air in the midst of the city, the Athens National Garden holds hundreds of plant varieties and thousands of trees, from cypress to palms to eucalyptus. The duck ponds and shady benches are perfect for taking a little break from all the ruin-hopping and chowing down on a snack or picnic lunch from one of the street vendors.
Syntagma Square
An open public space with grassy lawns, benches and a central fountain, Syntagma Square is great for a quick rest in a bustling part of the city. It’s located across the street from the Hellenic Parliament building (once the Royal Palace).
In front of the palace, the Presidential Guard attends to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier — hourly shift movements take place throughout the week while a ceremonial changing of the guard happens weekly on Sundays at 11 a.m.
National Archeological Museum
The highly-rated National Archeological Museum holds a treasure trove of Greek artifacts. With more than 11,000 exhibits, the collection here spans the Stone and Bronze Ages to late antiquity (the time just before the Middle Ages). There are pieces from the Aegean and Peloponnese islands, the city of Troy, and even Egypt in the form of metalworks, sculptures, statues, vases, and other crafts.
If you want to visit a museum during your 2 days in Athens, this one is a great choice. Popping inside for a couple of hours can also be a nice break from the sun in the middle of a summer day.
Mount Lycabettus
The tallest peak in central Athens, Mount Lycabettus offers unparalleled views of the cityscape and the Acropolis from nearly 1,000 feet high. For a bit of exercise, you can climb up via hiking trails and stairs, which can take about 30 minutes to an hour depending on your fitness level.
For a fee, a cable car also shuffles tourists up to the viewing platform and tiny white church at the top. There’s also a cafe and restaurant with views. Folks like to come up here around sunset for the panoramas that stretch all the way out to sea. Visiting Mount Lycabettus at sunset can help maximize your time during a 2 days in Athens trip.
Tips for Visiting Athens
1. Buy a combo ticket. If you make it to all the ruins on this 2 day Athens itinerary, it will be cheaper to purchase the combo pass offered at ticket offices over individual admission (unless visiting in winter when the Acropolis is deeply discounted). For 30 euro, you get one entry each to the Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Hadrian’s Library, Roman Agora, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Archaeological Site of Lykeion, and Kerameikos over a period of five days.
The pass is available from the ticket booth at these sites. If you buy it at one of the less-busy ones near the Acropolis (like the Roman Agora or Temple or Hadrian’s Library) you’ll save time over waiting in line at the city’s most popular ruin.
2. Start early in the day. Both to avoid the crowds and the afternoon sun in summer, it’s beneficial to head out for sightseeing first thing in the morning. Sites like the Acropolis get packed midday, plus the heat can be intense up on the hill with no shade around noon. Use the hottest time of day for visiting museums, lunching, or resting up for more sightseeing later in the afternoon.
3. Stay near the Acropolis. While you might find better deals outside the central city, selecting a hotel near the Acropolis will put everything on this agenda in close walking distance, which is essential on a short Athens 2 day itinerary. There are plenty of budget-friendly options in the heart of town, too.
If you do stay a bit further out, try to pick something near a metro station so you can get downtown quickly.
4. Walk around the city. There are plenty of public transit options in Athens — subway, buses, trolleys — but walking around means stumbling into random ruins, pretty neighborhoods, and other hidden gems. Most of the highlights are close together anyways and the exercise will help you work up an appetite for all the spanakopita and souvlaki.
Where to Stay in Athens
What to Pack for Athens
This packing list for Greece will help you prep for a vacation to Athens. It includes info on what kind of weather and activities you should plan for and Greek outfit inspiration. Below are a couple of things I recommend for a 2 days in Athens trip.
How Long to Spend in Athens
Is two days in Athens enough time? As in most major cities, you could spend a full week in Athens if you wanted to. There is millennia of history to discover around every corner!
A 2 day Athens itinerary is enough time, though, to see the top attractions like the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora. If you only have a weekend in Athens or are visiting on a longer trip to the Greek islands, you’ll still be able to see plenty in just a couple of days.
