At a glance
2 May 2027
Easter Sunday. Monday 3 May is also a public holiday.
30 April
Good Friday. The Epitaphios processions leave the churches in the evening.
00:00
The Resurrection, at midnight between Holy Saturday and Sunday, with candles and fireworks.
13 minutes
From Ioulianou 50 to the Taxiarches in Pedion tou Areos, on foot.
The churches easiest to reach from Ioulianou 50
The order is based on the time from the apartment. All of them have an Epitaphios on Good Friday and the Resurrection on Holy Saturday. Each parish announces the exact times a few days before; the Epitaphios procession usually starts in the evening, after sunset.
Taxiarches: the Epitaphios inside Pedion tou Areos
The church of the Pammegistoi Taxiarches (the Archangels) is inside the park, with its entrance from Moustoxydi Street. It dates from the 16th or 17th century, long before the park was made, and stands near the monument to the Sacred Band. In its grounds is the cenotaph of Alexandros Ypsilantis.
On Good Friday the Epitaphios does not go out onto a road with cars. The procession passes along the park paths, under the trees, and people's candles light the way. It is the quietest procession in the area and the closest: you don't need the metro, and you won't lose time in traffic.
The procession of the Taxiarches passes under the pines of Pedion tou Areos. People follow close behind.
The Epitaphios is carried by men of the parish, who change places along the way.
The cross and the banners go in front, outside the church. People light their candles from the church.
Before the procession people come by to venerate it. The women of the parish decorate it with flowers.
The marble cenotaph of Alexandros Ypsilantis, with the church behind the trees on the left.
It stands in the grounds of the church of the Taxiarches.
On Good Friday these paths fill with candles. Bring one with a paper cup against the wind.
Epitaphios of the Taxiarches, Pedion tou Areos. Park photos: Angels Apartments archive.
How to get from Ioulianou 50 to the Taxiarches
- Ioulianou 50 → Pedion tou Areos: walk east, cross Patission and Mavrommataion and enter the park.
- Inside the park: keep going east, towards Moustoxydi Street. The church is near the monument to the Sacred Band.
- In total about 1 km, 13 minutes.
🕯️ From Ioulianou 50 to the Taxiarches
About 1 km on foot, half of it inside the park. Tap the Taxiarches to open the route in Google Maps.
In the centre: Aiolou and the Metropolis
On pedestrian Aiolou Street, two churches a few metres apart bring out an Epitaphios: Agia Irini and Panagia Chrysospiliotissa. Their processions are among the loveliest in the centre, because the street is narrow and people stand in two rows with their candles.
The Metropolis of Athens, five minutes further south, has the most formal procession. It is accompanied by the Philharmonic of the Municipality of Athens, and behind the Epitaphios walk the clergy and public figures. At the Resurrection, Mitropoleos Square fills up long before midnight. If you want to see the Epitaphios without being jostled, stand in one of the streets on its route and not in the square.
The square's Easter decorations, April 2019. On Resurrection night it is packed solid.
The Metropolis procession is accompanied by the Philharmonic of the Municipality of Athens.
Aiolou 36. Its Epitaphios comes out onto the pedestrian street, among the shops.
Photos: George E. Koronaios, Christos Koudounis, FocalPoint, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to get from Ioulianou 50 to the Metropolis and Aiolou
- Ioulianou 50 → Victoria station: 3 minutes on foot.
- Line 1 (green): towards Piraeus, two stops to Monastiraki, 8 minutes.
- Monastiraki → Agia Irini: go up Ermou and turn into Aiolou, about 300 metres.
- Monastiraki → Metropolis: from Monastiraki square take Mitropoleos Street, about 400 metres.
⛪ From Ioulianou 50 to the Metropolis
Line 1 to Monastiraki, then a few minutes on foot. Tap the Metropolis to open the route in Google Maps.
Plaka, Anafiotika and Thissio
Plaka has small churches, each with its own Epitaphios, and the processions pass through alleys where no car fits:
- Agioi Anargyroi, Erechtheos 18: the Epitaphios climbs up to Anafiotika, among the whitewashed little houses below the Acropolis.
- Agia Aikaterini, Chairefontos 10: one of the oldest churches in Athens, with a procession through the alleys of Plaka.
- Agios Nikolaos Rangavas, Prytaneiou 1: in upper Plaka, a little quieter.
- Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris, Thissio: the Epitaphios passes along pedestrian Apostolou Pavlou, with the Acropolis lit up opposite.
- Agia Triada, Filellinon: the Russian church of Athens, with services in Russian and baskets of Easter food brought for blessing.
If you have one evening, go down to Monastiraki around 21:00 and walk towards Plaka. At some corner you will meet an Epitaphios, and very likely a second one a little further up.
Good Friday 2025, in Tzitzifies. The same picture repeats in every neighbourhood of Athens.
The women of the parish decorate it with flowers on the morning of Good Friday. Many people pass underneath it for a blessing.
Photos: Pavlos1988 and Mainstream2004, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lycabettus: the Resurrection with a view over the whole city
Agios Georgios stands on the top of Lycabettus, at 277 metres. On Resurrection night, from its courtyard you see the fireworks light up over all the parishes of Athens at once. A little lower down the slope is the little church of Agioi Isidoroi, which holds its own service.
The climb from Evangelismos station takes about 15 minutes, with steps on the last stretch. Go up before 23:00, because the courtyard is small. Bring a torch for the way down. For the funicular on Aristippou Street, check the Holy Saturday times before relying on it; more in the guide to Lycabettus.
The courtyard holds few people. Go up early for the Resurrection.
Photo: Jebulon, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
How to get from Ioulianou 50 to Lycabettus
- Ioulianou 50 → Victoria station: 3 minutes on foot.
- Line 1 to Omonia, Line 2 to Syntagma, Line 3 towards the Airport one stop to Evangelismos.
- Evangelismos → Agios Georgios: uphill through Kolonaki and along the hill path, about 1.1 km, 15 minutes.
⛰️ From Ioulianou 50 to Lycabettus
Metro to Evangelismos and the climb on foot. Tap Agios Georgios to open the route in Google Maps.
Outside the centre: Kaisariani and Rafina
The Epitaphios of Kaisariani Monastery, on the slopes of Mount Hymettus, comes out in daylight, around 12:00 noon on Good Friday, and passes among the pines around the monastery. It is the only one you see in daylight, and afterwards you still have time for an evening Epitaphios in the centre. By taxi from Ioulianou 50 it takes about half an hour.
In Rafina the Epitaphios of Panagia Pantovasilissa passes beside the sea, looking over the harbour. The KTEL bus to Rafina leaves from outside Nomismatokopio station on Line 3.
The Holy Week programme
| Day 2027 | What happens |
|---|---|
| Palm Sunday, 25 April | Churches hand out vagia, little crosses made of palm leaves, and bay leaves. |
| Holy Thursday, 29 April | In the morning the red eggs are dyed. In the evening the Twelve Gospels are read and the Crucified is brought out into the middle of the church. |
| Good Friday, 30 April | In the morning the Epitaphios is decorated and the Deposition from the Cross takes place. In the evening, the procession through the streets. A day of mourning: many people fast strictly. |
| Holy Saturday, 1 May | In the afternoon the Holy Light arrives from Jerusalem. At 00:00 the Resurrection, «Christos Anesti», the bells and the fireworks. Then, magiritsa. |
| Easter Sunday, 2 May | Lamb on the spit from the morning, kokoretsi, egg cracking. In the afternoon, the Vespers of Love. |
| Easter Monday, 3 May | Public holiday. The city is still empty; many Athenians are in their villages. |
Resurrection night
The Holy Light is lit at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and arrives by plane at «Eleftherios Venizelos» airport on the afternoon of Holy Saturday. In 2026 it landed at 19:30, received with the honours of a head of state, and from there it was taken to the churches of Athens and by flights all over the country.
Shortly before midnight all the lights in the church go out. The priest comes out with a lit candle and chants «Defte lavete fos» (Come, receive the light). The flame passes from candle to candle all the way out into the street. At 12:00 comes «Christos Anesti» (Christ is risen), the bells ring and the fireworks go off. Everyone kisses and says «Christos Anesti» — the reply is «Alithos Anesti» (Truly He is risen).
Then people walk home with their candle lit, taking care that it doesn't go out. With the flame they make a sooty cross above the door. Keep your distance from the children with firecrackers in the courtyard; they are part of the night, but they make a lot of noise.
Resurrection 2025 in Kallithea. People don't fit inside and stand in the courtyard.
The flame passes from candle to candle. Get a candle from the stall outside the church.
The clock shows 12:00 and the sky fills with fireworks.
With a long exposure, the candles of people walking home become lines of light.
Thousands of lanterns on the village rooftops on Good Friday, 2018.
Photos: Magnus.chronicles (CC BY 4.0), Cyan Star (CC BY-SA 4.0), Georgios Liakopoulos (CC BY-SA 3.0), Georgios Michos (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.
Easter in Athens on video
An Easter weekend in the streets of Athens
Video: Bob Corley, YouTube.
The Easter table
After the Resurrection families go home for magiritsa, a soup of lamb offal, lettuce and dill, thickened with egg-lemon. It breaks the Lenten fast. On Sunday, from the morning, the spits are lit in courtyards and on rooftops: a whole lamb, and kokoretsi beside it.
The table always has red eggs and tsoureki with mahlepi and mastic. Koulourakia biscuits are also baked during Holy Week. In the pastry shops and bakeries of Athens tsourekia appear weeks before; in Holy Week there are queues.
Tsoureki, red eggs, magiritsa and the church candle.
It is dyed on Holy Thursday. The red is the blood of Christ, the egg is life.
One says «Christos Anesti», the other «Alithos Anesti», and they knock the tips of their eggs together. Try it below.
Besides the red ones, many homes also make eggs with patterns, for decoration.
A bakery in Athens, March 2026. The Easter tsourekia come out early.
It is eaten after midnight, on the way back from church. If you don't fancy it, many tavernas also serve grilled meat.
The spit turns from morning to midday. In the old days by hand, today usually with a motor.
Tavernas on Monastiraki square roast lambs in the street on Easter Sunday, in front of the metro station. Two stops from Victoria.
Soldiers turn the spits by hand. The custom hasn't changed much.
The whole family poses with glasses in hand, while the children turn the spits. This was always the heart of the celebration.
Photos: ΙΣΧΣΝΙΚΑ-888 (CC BY-SA 3.0), FocalPoint (CC BY-SA 4.0), Z thomas (CC BY-SA 4.0), Andrew Dalby (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.
Crack an egg yourself
Egg cracking has rules. One person says «Christos Anesti» and knocks the tip of their egg against the tip of the other's egg, who replies «Alithos Anesti». Whoever's egg stays whole turns it round and cracks with the other end. Whoever keeps their egg unbroken to the end, they say, will have a good year.
Easter in the rest of Greece
If you want to leave Athens for Easter, every region has its own custom:
- Corfu, botides: on the morning of Holy Saturday, at the First Resurrection, the bells ring and hundreds of clay pots full of water are thrown from the balconies of the old town into the streets.
- Chios, rocket war: in Vrontados, on Resurrection night, the parishioners of Agios Markos and Panagia Erythiani fire thousands of rockets at each other's bell tower.
- Leonidio: at the moment of the Resurrection the sky fills with hundreds of paper hot-air balloons on reed frames. The custom began around 1910.
- Hydra: the Epitaphios is carried into the sea, where the service is read, and on Sunday they burn an effigy of Judas.
- Santorini, Pyrgos: on Good Friday the village lights thousands of lanterns on its rooftops.
Pentofanaro square, Holy Saturday 11 April 2026, just after 11:00.
The balconies are decked with red cloths. People wait from early on for a spot.
Vrontados, Holy Saturday 2015. The buildings around are covered with protective netting.
Photos: Gkaridis0 (CC BY 4.0), Dimitris Tachynakos (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.
What is open at Easter
During Holy Week shops work on holiday hours. In 2026 the Athens Traders Association recommended 09:00–21:00 Monday to Thursday, 13:00–19:00 on Good Friday and 09:00–15:00 on Holy Saturday. On Easter Sunday and Monday they are closed. Buy bread and tsoureki by Saturday noon.
The Acropolis is closed on Easter Sunday; for Good Friday and Holy Saturday check the hours for the day. In 2027 May Day falls on Holy Saturday. In such years the holiday may be moved by decision of the Ministry of Labour; in 2021, when the same happened, it was moved for the public sector to Tuesday 4 May.
Tip: many Athenians leave for their villages. The city empties from Thursday to Tuesday, and taxis and KTEL buses fill up on Wednesday and Thursday. On Easter Sunday book a table at a taverna early; those that stay open have the spit going and fill up from 13:00.
Frequently asked questions
When is Easter in 2027?
On Sunday 2 May 2027. Good Friday is on 30 April and the Resurrection at midnight on Saturday 1 May.
Which Epitaphios is closest to Ioulianou 50?
The one of the Taxiarches, inside Pedion tou Areos. About 1 km, a 13-minute walk, no metro.
Can I go into the church if I am not Orthodox?
Yes. The services are open to everyone. Dress simply, with covered shoulders, and hold a candle like everyone else.
Where do I find a candle?
Outside every church there is a stall with candles. The decorated Easter candles (lambades) are sold at kiosks, supermarkets and toy shops during Holy Week.
What do we say at the Resurrection?
«Christos Anesti» (Christ is risen), and the reply «Alithos Anesti» (Truly He is risen). From Sunday until the Ascension, 40 days later, many people greet each other this way instead of «kalimera».
Where is the best view of the Resurrection?
From Lycabettus, at Agios Georgios. You see the fireworks of the whole city at once.
Are restaurants open on Easter Sunday?
Quite a few tavernas are, usually with a spit. Many small places close, so book a table in advance.
Can I visit the Acropolis at Easter?
Not on Easter Sunday, when it is closed. On the other days check the hours on the official website.
— Kathy
