While planning for a vacation in Greece, the first thought that probably would come to your mind is this. How many days is enough for Athens? Well that’s a million dollar question. Because going by what I read, many travelers use Athens as their touch point before heading off to the other islands. Here is our suggestion though. Please don’t make this mistake. Athens is awesome and certainly the greenest place in the whole of Greece. And the perfect destination to experience and understand Greek history. So here is our plan for you on how to spend 4 days in Athens, Greece that will please your senses.
How to travel in Athens
Once you are landing in Athens airport and you have just two pieces of luggage that you can carry yourself, head straight to the metro station. That is what we did. Otherwise you can avail a cab for a drop to your hotel from the airport.
The metro is the most convenient and cost effective way to go around exploring the city. Plus you could opt for a hop-on-hop-off bus for a day to have a good look of the city and beyond to the beaches. There are two operators in the city and we opted for the one which offered an additional day free and had three routes covering the whole of Athens. And actually we never used the metro except from the airport because the hop-on-hop-off buses touch almost all important locations that matter.
Where to stay in Athens
Try and book your accommodation in and around Athinas Street which is right at the center of all the action. Be it the happening Monastiraki Square, the hop-on-hop-off stop or the three top archaeological landmarks next to it. We had booked our stay in Blend hotel a lovely 4* property located on Vissis street which was just a five min walk from Monastiraki metro station. And it was such a lovely neighborhood with many hotels that would suit your budget. Syntagma Square is the other option that you could consider being right in the center and not far away from Monastiraki Square.
Book your Athens Hotel & Activities here on Travelwisesr Holidays
And now the Plan
Day One
Check-in to your hotel
Rest a while
Head out for some coffee
Walk around the neighborhood
Then settle for a dinner of your choice
Day 2
Start the day with a sumptuous breakfast at your hotel
Walk to the Hop-on-hop-off nearest stop
Head to Acropolis stop
Experience the magical Acropolis Hills & Parthenon
Take this complete virtual journey to Acropolis Hills & Parthenon
Head to Piraeus Beaches for the afternoon
And enjoy the views
Find a cozy spot
Swim, relax and eat
Head to an Indian Restaurant for dinner
However if you are a traveling foodie like me but wish to try out something else instead of an Indian dinner, here is a complete Athens Greece Food Guide for you to check out and then decide on your choicest destinations.
Day 3
Head to ‘Monastiraki Square’ after breakfast
Visit ‘Hadrian’s Library’
‘Ancient Agora’ next
And then ‘Roman Agora’
Have a quick street-side restaurant lunch
Take a spin on Hop-on-hop-off for more landmarks
Stop at ‘National Historical Museum’
Walk to Syntagma Square
‘Syntagma Square’, the heart of the city
‘Old Royal Palace’
Walk to ‘Temple of Olympian Zeus’
Take a leisurely stroll to ‘Panathenaic Stadium’
And next to ‘The Ancient Gymnasia of Athens & the Lykeion’
Must Read: History & beauty of the 7 Archaeological Sites of Athens
Dinner in foodie’s delight Aiolou Street
Day 4
A morning walk on empty streets
Exploring the Old City of ‘Plaka’ after breakfast
Have an authentic Greek Lunch in a Plaka restaurant
Shopping in ‘Monastiraki Square Flea Market’
And some souvenirs & Jewelry
A relaxed evening walk on Athinas Street
Before settling down in Hard Rock Cafe
Also Read: 3 Happening Neighborhoods of Athens
We frankly didn’t except Athens to be such a rocking destination. But it certainly turned out to be one. And we loved it. Be it the wonderful people, hospitality, the narrow cobbled streets, great Greek food, the landmarks, shopping and the ease of moving around. But the icing on the cake certainly was The Magnificent Seven Archaeological Sites of Athens and not just Acropolis that most people think and talk about.
If you loved this Athens 4 days plan, forward to friends & PIN it for later!
I like the sound of taking a metro from the airport and it’s cheaper compared to a cab. Also, that hop on hop of bus stops at lots of interesting places in town. Every day in Athens seems full with history and food. What a great visit!
Yes Umiko it was wonderful exploring Athens. And going around is super easy if you are staying in the center of town.
Athens is the capital of Greece and one of my favorite bucket list destinations and your 4 day trip looked a fascinating one covering some of the iconic landmarks of the city like the Acropolis, temple of Olympian Zeus, Parthenon, Hadrian’s library. And the hop on hop off bus tour is very convenient for reaching the major sightseeing spots and also walking across the cobbled street side cafes to enjoy authentic Greek food and shopping at the Monastiraki square.
It looks like you had a great time in Athens and you explored the capital of Athens at a slow pace. I would love to see the Acropolis myself, when I was a child I used to love the Legends of Olympus and all those temples I would read about are there. The two Agoras look very interesting as well. I would love to spend some time on the Piraeus beach as well, to relax after visiting the monuments.
Yes Joanna it was a completely relaxed holiday. And we loved it.
It is so refreshing to read a 4 day itinerary for Athens. Most bloggers suggest to do everything in 2 or even 1 day. But I love it, that you also suggest an afternoon at the beach, sipping coffee in a coffeeshop and do some shopping at the fleamarket. That is the way to explore a city, for sure.
Yes Natascha. This time we planned to have a relaxed holidays with no hurry in the world.
Greece’s capital city of Athens appears to be a terrific and delightful place to visit. There are many tourist attractions to discover, delicious meals to try, stunning views to admire, adventures to partake in, and much more. Thank you for providing this information; I will surely bookmark it for future use.
Thanks Maria you found this story guide useful.
You sure saw a lot on your 4 days in Athens. I agree with you that it is worth a stop before heading off the the Greek Islands. We would try the hop-on-hop-off bus to get our bearings. But good to know the subway is also a good choice to get around. Definitely time we headed back to discover more of the archaeological sites.
Yes Linda Athens is an eye opener as far as Greek history is concerned.
Greence is amazing, and especially Athens. You’re right — there is so much to see and do here and it’s easy to fill up four days. The Acropolis is absolutely a must see as well as walking the streets, eating at any of the sidewalk cafes, and visiting the museums. We did find it easy to navigate via subway but did a lot of walking as well. We included a side trip to Delphi, which was fascinating. So sorry we didn’t make it to any beaches near Athens however.
Completely agree Tami. We did miss visiting Delphi though.
Thank you for this very detailed post. This is super helpful for first-time visitors like me. Love the idea of having an authentic Greek Lunch in a Plaka restaurant. Will definitely keep this in mind.
Thanks Clarice.
So great to see an itinerary that explores this stunning city for more than just a day. There is so much to do and see here from history, to food, to exploring the modern culture and the landscape… I’d have to find time to fit in Piraeus beach
Yeah Nicole it’s certainly worth staying a longer period in Athens. We feel like going back again.
Athens is the capital of Greece and one of my favorite bucket list destinations and your 4 day trip looked a fascinating one covering some of the iconic landmarks of the city like the Acropolis, temple of Olympian Zeus, Parthenon, Hadrian’s library. And the hop on hop off bus tour is very convenient for reaching the major sightseeing spots and also walking across the cobbled street side cafes to enjoy authentic Greek food and shopping at the Monastiraki square.
Yes Puloma you must visit sometime.