Athens

Athens is built around a limestone outcrop that has been continuously occupied for thousands of years. The Acropolis and its monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the ancient city spreads out below it as a near-continuous archaeological zone: the Agora, the Roman Forum, Hadrian's Library and the Temple of Olympian Zeus are all within a short walk of each other, linked by a pedestrian route around the base of the rock.

The rest of the city is twentieth-century and dense, filling the basin between four mountains and running down to the sea at Piraeus. That combination is the character of the place: marble ruins, apartment blocks, rooftop bars with a view of both, and a port that connects to most of the Aegean.

No other European capital puts this much of the ancient world inside walking distance, and the Acropolis Museum has changed how the sculptures are understood by showing them in daylight at the height and orientation they were carved for.

Athens is also the practical gateway to the Greek islands, and a few days here before or after a ferry is a better use of the time than treating the city as an airport transfer.

• The Acropolis, at opening. The Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Propylaia. There is no shade on the rock, and in summer the difference between 08:00 and midday is severe.
• The Acropolis Museum. Built at the foot of the hill over an excavated ancient quarter visible through the floor, with the Parthenon frieze displayed at full scale on the top floor facing the monument itself.
• The Ancient Agora. The civic centre of the classical city, with the well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus and the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos.
• The pedestrian promenade. Dionysiou Areopagitou and Apostolou Pavlou form a car-free walk around the south and west of the Acropolis, past the theatres and up towards Thiseio.
• Lykavittos Hill. The highest point in central Athens, reached on foot or by funicular, for the clearest view of the city and the Acropolis in profile.
• The National Archaeological Museum. Away from the tourist centre and holding the finds from across Greece, including the Mycenaean gold and the Antikythera mechanism.
• Anafiotika. A pocket of whitewashed island-style houses on the north slope of the Acropolis, built by nineteenth-century workers from Anafi.

April to early June and September to early November are the best windows: warm rather than hot, long daylight, and the archaeological sites bearable through the middle of the day.

July and August are genuinely hot, often well into the thirties, and the exposed sites are hard work after mid-morning. Many Athenians leave the city in August, which empties some neighbourhoods and closes some restaurants.

Winter is mild by northern European standards, with short spells of rain. Sites are quiet and opening hours shorter, and it is the cheapest time to visit.

Plaka and Monastiraki put you at the foot of the Acropolis and within walking distance of everything ancient. Plaka is prettier and quieter; Monastiraki is louder and better connected by metro.

Koukaki, south of the Acropolis Museum, is residential, walkable and generally better value, and has become the choice for repeat visitors.

Syntagma is the transport centre, with metro lines to the airport and the port. Psyrri and Exarchia are the nightlife and alternative districts, lively and not to everyone's taste late at night.

Plaka: the old quarter on the slopes below the Acropolis, with neoclassical houses, narrow lanes and Anafiotika above it.

Monastiraki: the flea market, the Roman Forum and Hadrian's Library, with rooftop bars facing the Acropolis.

Koukaki and Makrygianni: quiet residential streets south of the Acropolis Museum, with neighbourhood cafés and easy walking access to the sites.

Psyrri: a former workshop district turned into the densest concentration of bars and small restaurants in the centre.

Exarchia: student and political district north of the centre, with bookshops, music venues and street art.

Kolonaki: upmarket, on the slope below Lykavittos, with galleries and the Benaki Museum nearby.

The metro is clean, cheap and the fastest way across the city. Three lines cover the centre, the airport and the port at Piraeus, and stations such as Syntagma and Monastiraki display antiquities uncovered during construction.

The airport is connected by metro line 3 and by express buses that run through the night. Piraeus, for the island ferries, is the terminus of line 1 and also served by line 3.

Buses, trolleybuses and a tram to the coast fill the rest. The archaeological centre itself is walkable and largely pedestrianised; taxis and ride-hailing are inexpensive for short hops.

Athens eats late and outdoors. The standard shared table is a run of mezedes rather than a single main: dips, grilled vegetables, small fish, cheese, and whatever the kitchen has that day.

Souvlaki and gyros are the street staple and are taken seriously; the queue is usually a reliable guide. Bougatsa and koulouri handle breakfast.

A mezedopoleio or tsipouradiko serves small plates alongside ouzo, tsipouro or raki, and is where an evening usually starts. The Varvakios central market on Athinas Street is the place to see what the city actually cooks with.

Cape Sounion, at the tip of Attica, has the Temple of Poseidon on a headland above the sea and is the classic late-afternoon trip along the coast road.

Delphi sits on the slopes of Mount Parnassus a few hours away and is the most rewarding full-day excursion, with the sanctuary of Apollo and its museum.

Aegina, Agistri and Poros are close enough to Piraeus for a day on an island without an overnight. Nafplio, with Mycenae and Epidaurus nearby, works as a long day or better as an overnight.

Athens is one of the more affordable capitals in Western Europe. Eating is where that is most obvious: a table of mezedes with wine, or a souvlaki on the way home, both cost little. Metro fares are low and a multi-day ticket is rarely necessary.

Accommodation varies sharply with the view: rooms facing the Acropolis carry a clear premium, and moving one street back or one neighbourhood out changes the price considerably. A combined archaeological sites ticket covers several of the ancient sites over a few days and is worth it if you intend to see more than two.

Start at the Acropolis when it opens. Heat and crowds both build through the morning, and there is almost no shade on the rock.

The marble is slippery. Centuries of foot traffic have polished the paths and steps; smooth soles are a bad idea in any weather.

Carry water. Tap water in central Athens is drinkable and there are fountains at the main sites.

Ferries leave early. Most island departures from Piraeus are in the morning; allow real time for the metro and for finding the right gate, which is a long walk in a large port.

Eating hours are late. Restaurants fill from about nine in the evening, and a table at seven usually means an empty room.