At a glance
🚶 About 9 km
The whole day on foot, after the morning ride on Line 1.
💶 70–100€
Tickets per person in 2026, depending on how many sites you go into.
🎟️ Book ahead
Acropolis at 8:00 on hhticket.gr. The Acropolis Museum online or at the ticket desk.
👟 Shoes
The Acropolis marble and the rocks of the Areopagus are slippery.
🗺️ The day on the map, stop by stop
From Ioulianou 50 you walk 3 minutes to Victoria and take Line 1 to Thiseio, which is stop 1. From there on, the purple line shows the walking route, on streets and paths you can actually walk. The numbers show the order. Tap each stop to see the time.
07:30 — From Ioulianou 50 to Thissio
Walk 3 minutes to Victoria station and take Line 1 towards Piraeus. Three stops, no change, and you get off at Thissio. The Apostolou Pavlou pedestrian street climbs gently with the Ancient Agora on your left, and in 15 minutes you are at the main entrance of the Acropolis. A coffee in your hand is enough. A heavy breakfast will cost you on the climb.
The pedestrian street from Thiseio climbs gently, with the Ancient Agora on your left.
At the bend of the street the Rock comes into view. From here to the entrance it’s 10 minutes.
Photos: George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
08:00 — The Acropolis, before the heat and the tour groups
The first hour of the day is the quietest, with the clearest light. Book it early: the ticket costs €30 and entry is at a set time. The order is natural: Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Parthenon, Erechtheion, a lap of the walls for the view, and down by the south slope, above the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and past the Theatre of Dionysus. Allow two hours. All the details are in our Acropolis guide.
The way onto the Rock. In the morning you walk through without a queue.
To the right of the Propylaia, on the bastion.
The first view as soon as you pass the Propylaia.
The Caryatids here are copies. You’ll see the originals in two hours, at the museum.
On the way down the south slope, just before the exit.
Photos: Holger Uwe Schmitt (CC BY-SA 4.0), Lydia.comstock (CC BY-SA 4.0), George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0), HerrAdams (CC BY-SA 4.0), Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
💡 A stop most people walk past
On the way down the south slope, just before the Theatre of Dionysus, is the Asklepieion, the sanctuary of the god of medicine. Most people walk past without stopping, eyes still on the Parthenon. Stand there for two minutes. That is where the place takes on a human scale.
10:15 — Acropolis Museum
The south exit brings you out on Dionysiou Areopagitou, and the Acropolis Museum is opposite. The ticket costs €20 and is separate. After the Rock, the museum puts what you saw in order: the Caryatids, the korai of the Archaic Gallery and, on the third floor, the frieze with the Parthenon across from the glass. Ninety minutes is a realistic limit. Save your coffee for the second-floor terrace.
Coming out of the south entrance, the museum is two minutes across the street.
This is how you see it from the Rock: right below the south slope.
On the third floor, the temple you just saw is behind the glass.
Photos: George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0), Roderich Kahn (CC BY-SA 4.0), Bob Jenkin (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
12:00 — Lunch in Plaka or Koukaki
- Plaka: from Dionysiou Areopagitou you enter Plaka by Tripodon Street. Choose a taverna with shade and light dishes, because the Agora is waiting.
- Koukaki: south of the museum, five minutes on foot. Quieter and quicker, if you want to keep the pace.
The oldest street in Plaka. You enter it from Dionysiou Areopagitou.
Plaka’s tavernas set their tables on the steps, in the shade.
A little higher up, below the Rock, the street goes quiet.
Photos: George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0), Jpatokal (CC BY-SA 4.0), northernsky7007 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
If you have an extra half hour, climb up to Anafiotika, the whitewashed alleys below the Rock. They were built in the 19th century by builders from the island of Anafi, and they feel like a piece of the Cyclades inside the city.
The island-style alleys below the Rock. Five minutes from Plaka.
From May to October Anafiotika fills with flowers.
From the highest point of Anafiotika, above the tiled roofs.
Photos: Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0), Zde (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
13:30 — Ancient Agora and the Temple of Hephaestus
From Plaka you walk down in 10 minutes to the south entrance of the Ancient Agora, next to the Holy Apostles. The ticket costs €20. The Temple of Hephaestus is the most intact ancient temple in Athens. The museum in the Stoa of Attalos has the ostraka with the names of exiled politicians and part of the machine that picked jurors by lot. In summer the stoa is the coolest spot of the midday.
The 10th-century church marks the south entrance of the Agora.
The best-preserved ancient temple in the city, on the rise at the west end.
On the ground floor, the Agora museum.
At midday in summer, the coolest spot.
Photos: Jebulon (CC0), Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0), Julian Lupyan (CC0), JPRoy2101 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
15:15 — Roman Agora, Hadrian’s Library and a coffee
Leave by the main entrance of the Agora, on Adrianou Street. Five minutes east is the Roman Agora with the Tower of the Winds, and next to Monastiraki Hadrian’s Library. They cost €10 each, and you can see a fair amount through the railings. If you are tired, look at them from outside.
Then sit down. Monastiraki and Psyrri have cafés on every corner. It does not matter if it is not the coolest place in town. What matters is that you really stop, for twenty minutes.
You can see the Tower of the Winds from the pedestrian street outside too.
The front is on Areos Street, next to the metro.
The mosque, the station and the Rock above the rooftops. Cafés on every corner.
Photos: Zde (CC BY-SA 4.0), Badseed (CC BY-SA 3.0), George E. Koronaios (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons
17:00 — Olympieion and Hadrian’s Arch
Cross Plaka to the south-east, a 20-minute walk, to Amalias Avenue. Hadrian’s Arch stands on the pavement and needs no ticket. Behind it, in the fenced site of the Olympieion, 15 of the 104 columns of the largest temple of ancient Athens still stand. The ticket costs €20. In winter the site closes early in the afternoon, so then move this stop before the Agora.
If you still have energy, the Panathenaic Stadium is 10 minutes further east. Otherwise, save your legs for the sunset.
On Amalias Avenue. No ticket needed.
From inside the Olympieion, in the same frame.
Fifteen columns standing, one lying on the ground.
Ten minutes east, if you still have the energy.
Photos: George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0), Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0), Jebulon (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons
Sunset — the Areopagus
From the Olympieion you cross Plaka again and climb the Areopagus, the bare rock below the entrance of the Acropolis. It has no ticket and no opening hours. In summer the sun sets around 20:30, in winter just after 17:00. Go half an hour early to find a spot. Stay until the Acropolis lights come on. Climb down with your phone torch on, because the rock is slippery.
The metal staircase is the safe way up. The carved steps next to it are slippery.
Mid-October, just after 18:00.
The sun sets behind this hill.
Photos: Angels Apartments archive (October 2026)
21:00 — Dinner and the way back
- Psyrri or Monastiraki: lively in the evening, and Monastiraki station for the way back is right there.
- Thissio and Agion Asomaton: quieter, with a view of the Acropolis from some tables.
- Koukaki: if you want to eat below the Rock without moving again.
The way back is easy: from Monastiraki, Line 1 brings you to Victoria in two stops. By taxi, the ride to Ioulianou 50 takes about 10 minutes without traffic.
The heart of Psyrri. It fills up after 21:00.
Between Thiseio and Psyrri, quieter.
The shopping street, from Plaka to Monastiraki.
If you want one last walk before the metro.
From here, Line 1 towards Kifisia, two stops to Victoria.
Photos: Palickap (CC BY-SA 4.0), George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0), Yair-haklai (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where it is in relation to the apartment
📍 From Angels Athens to the centre · Plaka and the Acropolis
See at a glance how to get there from the apartment at Ioulianou 50. Drag the map and zoom in for details.
What the day costs
| Option | Sites | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| The essentials | Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Ancient Agora | 70€ |
| The whole plan | The essentials plus the Roman Agora and the Olympieion | 100€ |
| 1st or 3rd Sunday, November–March | Archaeological sites free, only the Acropolis Museum is paid | 20€ |
Metro: one ticket in the morning and one in the evening. On free days, such as the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the winter months, the archaeological sites charge nothing, but the crowds double.
The calmer version
If you cannot manage that much walking, drop the Roman Agora and the Olympieion. You are left with the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, the Ancient Agora, a walk in Plaka and sunset on the Areopagus. That is enough to remember the day, not just count it in stops.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work on a Monday?
Yes, but on Mondays the Acropolis Museum closes at 17:00. Go there in the morning, straight after the Rock, as we suggest.
What changes in winter?
The Acropolis and the Ancient Agora close around 17:00, but the Olympieion, the Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library close at 15:00. See the smaller monuments before lunch, and go up the Areopagus around 16:45 for the sunset.
With children?
Drop two sites and keep the Acropolis, the museum and Anafiotika. Children love the alleys and the ramp with the glass floor.
Do I need a taxi?
No. After the Acropolis everything is 5–20 minutes apart on foot, and Line 1 takes you back.
— Kathy
