Four days in Athens

[Ginfa]

We will be spending four days in Athens - late August (I know if will be boiling!) with our 2 teens. I wilk also be there in a Sunday which is my birthday - looking for any ideas of good tours, restaurants/rooftop bars and any good vintage shopping areas please

My main tip is catch a ferry from Piraeus and escape the relentless heat on one of the nearby small islands. Plenty of lovely tavernas to be found.

I did four days a few years ago with DD2 just after her GCSEs.
best thing we did was to get a two day pass on the tourist buses.
we really got to know the city and where able to hop on and off as we wanted.
for us we loved the flea market.
id recommend doing the whole bus tour first to orientate yourself.

Follow the path around the Acropolis past the museum, it winds through a park with lots of tavernas and bars where you can while away a couple of hours people watching with a crisp glass of white (if that’s your thing). It’s nicely shaded so helps with the heat too.

Ive just come back from Athens for a 5 day break. Absolutely loved it. I know it will be hot but I would recommend doing an acropolis tour (we used Viator) and book for 8.00am in the morning. The guide took it nice and steady and found us as much shade as possible. Also, a 48hour pass on the hop on-hop off tourist bus so you can see sights or use it to get back to hotel etc. They had a stop 500m from our hotel.

Plaka is full of shops and little lanes, tavernas etc - very quaint and the old town of Athens.

As you are there on a Sunday, then definitely worth seeing the changing of the guard at 11.00am - it is with a live marching band and very theatrical. Again, the hop on bus has a bus stop here (I think there are about 14 stops in total).

I am not sure your tastes in food but we went to a restaurant called the Black Duck and it was divine. It is set in a garden setting and very different from the tourist tavernas.

The flea market is in Monastiraki Square.

I’d add the Acropolis Museum, worth visiting before the Acropolis, plus it’s air conditioned. And Panathenaic Stadium, although that has very little shade. We had a five pm Acropolis slot with zero queue, though this was back in latter part of April. Out of left field but the Inventions Museum just a couple of minutes from Syntaga Square was fascinating.

While the full changing of the guard ceremony happens on Sunday morning, the guard changes every hour so you could go and have a watch of the shorter ceremony at any point. It’s worth it and much less crowded than on a Sunday.

Athens centre is quite compact but there’s lots to see and do. Pace yourselves as the heat will be brutal in August.

In Monastiraki Sq there are a few bars with rooftop tables to watch the sun setting and the Acropolis light up.
Thissio metro station has lots of restaurants about and great views of the Acropolis too. Plaka is the touristy old town bit.
Piraeus is the world’s greatest port - we love to start a journey there just watching some of the enormous ships setting off and coming in. The metro runs out to there. You can take a fast ferry (around 50 minutes) to Aegina (island) which is pretty. There are a couple of companies to use with quite a few sailings between them. It will be a bit fresher on Aegina.
There are also glitzy beaches in Athens at Glyfada and Vouliagmeni. The Metro/buses run out as far as Glyfada - it doesn’t take too long.

Recently did 5 days in Athens with young teens

Acropolis & Acropolis Museum a must, 5pm is a good entry time for Acropolis to avoid too much heat & crowds (must pre book). Or even later if you don’t want to spend too long

Thiseo outdoor cinema is charming & made a good stop after the Acropolis

We had 1 night on Hydra - lovely and highly recommend this.

Wish we’d done a half or full day sailboat tour down the Athens riviera - pricey but would make a great birthday treat

Recommend Koukaki as a good area to stay. Or Thiseo possibly