Open House Athens: 70 buildings open for free one weekend in April

🏛️ Until the next Open House Athens (estimate)

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The dates are announced on the organisers’ website. In recent years the tours have taken place on a weekend in early or mid-April.

One weekend in spring, buildings you usually only see from outside open their doors: private homes, offices, libraries, old mansions, interwar apartment blocks. Open House Athens shows them for free with volunteer guides, no booking needed. In 2026 it took place for the 13th time, on 4 and 5 April, with more than 70 buildings. In 2027 we expect the tours around Saturday 3 April and Sunday 4 April (estimate; the dates have not been announced). Below you will find how it works, what opened in recent years and how to plan your day.

At a glance

One weekend

Early or mid-April. In 2026: 4–5 April. In 2025: 5–6 April.

0€

All tours are free, no booking, first come, first served.

70+ buildings

All over Athens and Piraeus, with about 500 volunteers in 2025.

QR code

You create it for free on the organisers’ website, about a week before.

How it works

Open House started in London in 1992 and today takes place in dozens of cities. The idea is simple: for two days the city becomes an open museum of architecture. In Athens each building has its own hours, and the tours are in small groups led by volunteers. In 2026 there were tours in English in every building.

You don’t book a place. You do, however, create a personal digital pass with a QR code on the Open House Athens website, which opens about a week before. The QR code gives you no priority; you queue like everyone else. At the popular buildings the queue fills up early, so start with the one you want most.

What opens

The list changes every year. To give you an idea, in 2025 the buildings that opened included the Gennadius Library of the American School, the Iliou Melathron, the British School, the Old Stock Exchange on Sofokleous Street, the Melas Mansion on Kotzia Square and the Piraeus Tower. In 2026 the list also included the Athens Concert Hall, with tours on Sunday 12:00–16:00.

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The façade of the Gennadius Library with its marble Ionic columns and flag, behind lawns and olive trees — Gennadius Library
Of the American School of Classical Studies, opened in 1926. One of the most important libraries on Greece in the world.

The stepped path leading up to the entrance of the Gennadius Library between cypress trees — The entrance from the garden
The building was designed by John Van Pelt and W. Stuart Thomson.

The neoclassical Iliou Melathron on Panepistimiou Street behind trees — Iliou Melathron
Schliemann’s house, by Ernst Ziller, 1881. Today the Numismatic Museum.

The three-storey Melas Mansion with its corner tower, on Kotzia Square — Melas Mansion
Also by Ziller, 1874, on Kotzia Square. It was once the Post Office.

The façade of the Old Stock Exchange with its tall columns on Sofokleous Street — Old Stock Exchange
On Sofokleous Street, from 1931. The Athens Stock Exchange operated here from 1934 to 2005.

The tall Piraeus Tower above the port buildings, with the sea in front — Piraeus Tower
The port’s skyscraper, built from 1972 and completely renovated in 2021–2023.

Marble steps with a steel handrail and hanging orange flowers in the garden of the Athens Concert Hall — Athens Concert Hall
The garden of the Concert Hall. In 2026 the tours here lasted about 45 minutes.

Photos: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra (CC BY 2.0), Katolophyromai (CC BY 4.0), George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0), C messier (CC BY-SA 4.0), GianniM (CC BY-SA 3.0), StrangeTraveler (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.

The week before: walks and workshops

The building tours are the highlight, but the programme starts the weekend before. In 2026 «Open Walks» and «Made in Athens» took place on 28 and 29 March: themed walks through neighbourhoods, and studios of photographers, ceramicists and jewellers opening to the public. «Open School» for schools and «Open Office», with architecture firms welcoming visitors, followed.

One of the favourite walks is Kypseli, around Fokionos Negri, just a 15-minute walk from Ioulianou 50. The neighbourhood has some of the most beautiful interwar apartment blocks in Athens, with rounded corners and marble entrances. In 2025 there was also an evening walk about building lighting, at the Stoa Hippokratous, the National Theatre and the Fresh hotel, in the centre.

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A white modernist apartment block in Kypseli with a rounded corner and long balconies — Lanara apartment block, Kypseli
Rounded corners and long continuous balconies are the signature of interwar Kypseli.

The pedestrian street and park of Fokionos Negri with trees, flower beds and cafés — Fokionos Negri
The tree-lined pedestrian street in the middle of Kypseli. The walks usually start here.

Tall trees and greenery on Fokionos Negri with apartment blocks on both sides — Among the apartment blocks
Look up: the entrances and balconies tell the story of the neighbourhood.

Photos: Dimboukas (public domain), C messier (CC BY-SA 4.0), DIMSFIKAS (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons.

How to plan your day

Pick 3–4 buildings close to each other. With the queues, you won’t manage more in a day.
Start with the most popular one as soon as it opens. Private homes and rooftops fill up first.
Have the QR code on your phone and a charged battery.
From Victoria, Line 1 takes you one stop to Omonia, near Kotzia Square and Sofokleous Street, and without a change to Piraeus. Kypseli is within walking distance.

Kathy’s tip: on Saturday do the centre on foot, from Kotzia Square to Panepistimiou Street; on Sunday go further, to the American School or to Piraeus. The small, little-known buildings on the list usually have the shortest queues and the nicest surprises.

Frequently asked questions

When is Open House Athens in 2027?

The dates have not been announced yet. Based on recent years, we expect the tours on a weekend in April, probably Saturday 3 April and Sunday 4 April (estimate), with the walks the weekend before.

Do I need to book?

No. Entry is first come, first served. You only need the free QR code from the organisers’ website.

Are there tours in English?

Yes. In 2025 and 2026 there were tours in English in every building.

Can I go with children?

Yes, but some buildings have many stairs or narrow spaces. Read each building’s description before you set off.

Which buildings open this year?

The list is published before the event on the Open House Athens website. Each year has a different theme: «Future Heritage» in 2025, «Emerging City» in 2026.

— Kathy