In a few weeks we are going to Greece for six days with our DCs 12, 9 and 8. We have booked a villa on the coast about two hours from Athens and we all can’t wait to relax and enjoy the sun after a hectic year. We are now debating whether to spend a day seeing the sights in Athens. Unfortunately it won’t work out to do it on the first or last day so we will have to do a midweek day trip. DH and to some extent my middle son enjoy history but as a family we tend to enjoy active/exploring or beachy holidays rather than museums and guided tours. We hate crowds and queues. My DCs are generally curious types but they do not early mornings, long drives, heat, crowds and queues. I will admit the thought of using a precious day of our holiday to traipse around crowded ruins in 33-degree weather with three moaning kids makes me want to cry. But of course Athens has enormous cultural/historical significance and I feel guilty at the thought of missing it. If it is something the kids are likely to enjoy or in some way benefit from I am fully capable of putting on a happy face and doing my best to keep them interested. Can anyone who has done a day trip to Athens shed some light on whether it is likely to be worth it? I can honestly say that I got nothing out of the many many stately homes and museums and old churches I was dragged to as a child and in fact I hated every second of it. I’m not even sure my parents enjoyed it but they felt like they “should” do it. Does Athens fall into that category? Any recommendations of how to make it bearable enjoyable with moany preteens?