One Day in Athens, Greece: What to Eat + Do

Look, Athens deserves more than a day or so of your attention. We’re not condoning this. But if the timing of your flights and ferries works against you, as it did for our family, you can still see—and eat—a lot. Here’s how to spend one day (and change) in Athens when you’re short on time.

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I had big plans for Athens. Besides being ground zero for Greek history, the city is home to some of Greece’s best foods and small traditional eateries, the type that tend to specialize in just one thing. Tiny gyro joints and historic dairy bars, family-owned bakeries and meze specialists, feta and olive oil shops. Bougatsa or loukoumades or peinirli specialists; heck, the rooftop cocktail bars—I wanted to hit them all. But I knew it would be impossible: Due to our family’s late afternoon-arriving flight and early ferry to Santorini two mornings later, we had just about a day and a half in Athens. (We gained an additional four morning hours when our departing ferry was canceled and replaced by a flight.)  

How do you eat and see the birthplace of Western democracy and souvlaki in just about 36 hours?

I was determined nonetheless, and spent a lot of time prior to our departure researching and carefully planning a route to hit up the history highlights and as many traditional Greek foods in Athens as possible. We were traveling with our two kids, age 8 and 11 at the time, so I was conscious of keeping this interesting for them. Fortunately they are very into Greek food and mythology, but this one-day itinerary was undeniably exhausting for all of us jet-lagged travelers. Still, we persevered and left Athens feeling we’d had an excellent experience—one we definitely want to add to on a return visit one day.   

Get your comfortable walking shoes on: Here’s how to see, and eat, Athens in one day (and change).

Click here for the quick-hit version of this itinerary!

 

 First Night in Athens: Souvlaki, Gelato, and Pnyx Hill

We arrived around 5pm local time to our Vrbo apartment rental on Diovounioti street in the Koukaki neighborhood (a great, central spot to be based, it turns out). We were utterly exhausted but knew we should keep ourselves up till a decent bedtime hour. Of course, one of the best ways to cope with jetlag and adjust to local time is to get outside and move. As I also had a huge agenda for us, this worked in my favor.

We dropped off our stuff and headed back out in search of food—we were starving. Souvlaki seemed the best first quick meal we could have, and I know when to trust my instincts. We walked about two blocks and grabbed an outdoor table at Kalyvas Family Grill (Dimitrakopoulou 91-93, G Olymbiou 10, map). We got pork gyros and souvlaki, some wrapped in pita with the works (tomato, onion, garlicky tzatziki, fries) and some not, just served with a side of oregano-dusted fries. My husband and I paired it with two Greek beers, and we all had a perfect “welcome to Athens” moment. We’d made it.

And we had to keep going. Our site for the night was Pnyx Hill, a literal hillside just north of us that’s famed for being the birthplace of the first democratic gatherings in Greece. It also happens to have a nice view of the Acropolis and we were fast approaching sunset.

On our way up Pnyx, we stopped at a few of the hill’s other famous sites: the rock-carved Prison of Socrates (said to have been where Socrates was imprisoned before his trial for impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens in 399 BC), the beautiful little Church of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris (which dates to about the 9^th century and has become a popular wedding site in Athens). The uphill walk felt great after the day of travel; the park was pretty and peaceful on this springtime evening.

Our final destination looked like nothing: an open, rocky, sloping field, gravelly in spots, with overgrown grass sprouting through cracks and around the tree-lined edges. Sure, it was a pretty view of the Acropolis at sunset, which likely explained the majority of the visitors hanging about—when we arrived, the Parthenon off in the distance was bathed in golden light. But the field, and its roped-off three-step bema, the concrete platform carved into the stone at one end, was actually what we’d come to see.

Dating to approximately the 5th century BC, this site was where Athenians gathered for their popular democratic assemblies. Here is the actual birthplace of democracy, friends! Pnyx, from the Greek word pyknos (meaning dense), could hold around 10K-15K people—adult men, specifically, because at this time democracy excluded women (and slaves). Everyone would gather on wooden benches in this open-air chamber to listen to the orator who stood on the bema. Speakers here included Aristides, Pericles, Demosthenes, and Themistocles.

We had heard that the acoustics are such that if you stand across the bald, dome-like field and raise your voice, the person on the bema could hear it—thus, every voice could be heard. My kids were excited to test this out, and while you cannot stand atop the bema, we stood near it and could indeed hear them decently well across the field. (Additionally, east of the bema, don’t miss the large rock carving that once held a since-relocated statue of Zeus and the smaller niches in the rock that held votives.)

When we’d had enough of this history experiment, we wandered back down to Koukaki and tried to get into ManiMani, one of several restaurants I’d bookmarked in the area, for dinner. Alas, we hadn’t booked and no tables were available. We walked a short way to another restaurant, but not before stopping for pre-dinner gelato at Django, which beckoned with flavors like smoked hazelnut, walnut sorbet, and Persian cream, fig, and pistachio. It was a worthwhile detour.

We found an outdoor table at the adorable corner restaurant Kalamaki, where we satisfied our just-arrived-in-Greece craving for a big old oregano-dusted Greek salad with the works: creamy feta, beautiful tomatoes, Kalamata olives, cucumbers, peppers, onions, capers, olive oil. Our kids enjoyed their “kalamaki,” aka skewers of pork and chicken; everything else was just OK, though we did very much appreciate the 3€ glasses of house red wine.

Morning in Athens: Koulouri, Pies, and Coffee

After a blissful night of sleep, we hit the ground running. First stop: the namesake koulouri (and other breakfast foods) plus coffee from Koulouri Bake House, around the corner from our Airbnb in Koukaki. Koulouri is a thin, round, sesame seed-topped bread that’s very similar to Turkey’s simit (don’t start the debate on which came first!). Koulouri tends to be made fresh at 24-hour takeout-only bakeries around the city (like the popular Koulouri tou Psirri) and then distributed to street stands. We chose this modern bakery since it was so close to home. It carries many types of crunchy koulouri—cheese, orange, cinnamon, almond, raisin, carrot—but we were after the traditional variety, and its natural pairing of super strong Greek coffee. It was dense, fresh, and delicious.

(Our kids were more interested in the chocolate chip-studded bread ring we also tried, and we all loved the simple olive-paste sandwich with tomato and cucumber.)

Breakfast part two came courtesy of Μαμά ψωμί aka Mama Psomi, an artisanal pita (pie) specialist just one block away. It’s takeout-only, so we bought a small tiropita (cheese pie) and a slice of spanakopita (spinach and cheese) to eat back at on our apartment’s terrace. Savory, crisp perfection. On our way we stopped at the old-school pool hall on our corner, Koukaki Billiards, for a second Greek coffee, unable to resist briefly joining the local old-timers gathered there while our kids played around on the pool table.

Satiated at last, we got back to the sights.

Midday in Athens: Panathenaic Stadium, Temples, Churches, Lunch

Since time was of the essence, and we knew we had plenty of steps ahead, we ordered a car (via the essential Free Now app) to go the short distance east to the Panathenaic Stadium. Built on the site of an ancient stadium (c. 330BC) used for the Panathenaic games (likely a rival competition to the Olympics), it hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. It is the only stadium in the world made completely of marble, and it’s absolutely beautiful—the stark contrast of the light-colored marble and black field is stunning.

After paying the 10-euro entry (kids under 6 are free), you can climb up to the top of the bleachers for an incredible view, wander around the stadium itself—go ahead and jog around the track!—take the requisite photos on the podium, and enter the small but fascinating museum featuring every Olympic torch and poster since 1896. Audio tours are available if you have the time (we did not, but still spent around 45 minutes here).

Next we walked west, toward the Acropolis, to quick-hit a couple more unbelievably ancient sites: the under-scaffolding Temple of Olympian Zeus—where we bought our 30-euro combo tickets for all the essential sites—and soaring Hadrian’s Arch. That took us to the pretty, touristy Plaka neighborhood, and all its attendant shops and restaurants. We spent a little time souvenir-shopping, got some gelato for the kids and freddo (iced coffee drink) for us at Fantastico Circo, and kept going.

[make a box to explain combo tix]

We swung by the 11^th-century Panagía Kapnikaréa Church—one of many gorgeous, petite old churches in the center of Athens—before heading for a snack: loukoumades, little fried dough balls soaked in honey and cinnamon, at Lukumádes. We had to wait 10 minutes or so for freshly fried doughnuts, but they were worth the wait. Sweet, sticky heaven. (Besides the traditional ones, you can try other varieties of loukoumades here: chocolate praline, pistachio praline, salted caramel, and more.)

Turned out dessert was an appetizer. We pushed a bit further north to 1886-established Varvakios Central Municipal Market and a quick lunch spot: Volvi, old-school purveyors of excellent souvlaki and soutzoukaki (cumin garlic meatballs), which we learned about via Culinary Backstreets. It’s just a tiny storefront at the entrance to the market with some tall tables and stools out front (and honestly it is easy to miss, as the signage says H BOΛBH).

We ordered one of each sandwich (pictured at very top), with some cold Greek beers: the classic pork souvlaki wrapped in pita bread (with sliced tomatoes, sliced red onions, parsley, oregano, paprika) and a beef soutzoukaki, also wrapped in pita with tomatoes, onion, and parsley. Here we had the option of having mustard sauce and chili flakes, rather than tzatziki, in our bread-wrapped meats, and we absolutely loved it.  

We continued north through Varvakios Central Municipal Market, ogling the butchers pounding their raw meats with cleavers, the fishmongers hawking their seafood, the vendors splaying out all manner of nuts, olives, herbs, and spices. But we didn’t dawdle—it was nearly 3pm and, according to my rough-sketched schedule, we were already running behind! We turned west and then south, heading back toward the Acropolis.

Afternoon in Athens: Bougatsa, Agoras, Acropolis Museum

There was more to see, and to eat. We made a quick stop at Bougatsadiko Psirri for its signature custard cream bougatsa: warm, flaky phyllo, filled with creamy custard and dusted with cinnamon and sugar (honey or chocolate are other options). Golden and crispy on the outside, warm and sweet inside—these are pretty spectacular. And you’ll likely be treated to a dough-pulling or –flipping show behind the glass counter while you wait. We took ours to go and ate it while we made our way to lively Monastiráki Square.

Next we dipped into Hadrian’s Library, created by Roman Emperor Hadrian in AD 132, for a peek at its striking columned façade and gate, and stopped by the Roman Agora, the smaller of Athens’ two popular 2,000-plus-year-old agoras, or public spaces. We briefly marveled at the ancient latrines and tried to imagine what they looked like when they were built in the 1st century AD. From there it was just a few minutes’ walk west to the Ancient Agora, the larger of Athens’ two popular agoras, or public spaces. We spent about 25 minutes at a site you could easily spend hours in, but we spent that time wandering its statues, temples, library, and stoas (porticos). 

Our plan for the rest of the day was to hit up The Acropolis Museum for context, and then go to the Acropolis itself around 6:15pm, when we’d heard it should be less crowded (in April it closes at 7:30pm). This was an ideal plan really—except it was a Monday, when the museum closes at 5pm instead of 8pm, as it does every other day. And only when we left the Ancient Agora  did we realize it was located on the opposite side of the Acropolis from the museum. We had a 15-minute walk and it was already 4pm.

Not to mention our feet were already aching from walking all day. This is when everyone broke down for 15 minutes, but we got through it!

The Acropolis Museum deserves more than 45 minutes of time—even the staff were confused as to why we’d enter this place at 4:15pm. It’s also not covered by the archaeological site combo ticket; it’s a separate entrance ticket. But it was still worth it, to see the Parthenon marble sculptures and the iconic Caryatids, the Temple of Athena Nike frieze, and other significant artifacts unearthed from the Acropolis. The kids especially loved the LEGO replica of the Acropolis!

Evening in Athens: Rooftop Cocktails, Acropolis, Dinner

After our hurried visit, we still had an hour to kill before our designed entrance time at the Acropolis. All that rushing only to wait! We made the most of it by checking off another to-do in Athens: Visit a rooftop bar. There are many of these, and while we weren’t physically near enough any of the ones I’d put on my map—Couleur Locale, 360 Cocktail Bar—but we walked about two blocks before finding one on our own, at the top of the Athens Gate Hotel.  

We couldn’t have found a better rooftop view of the Acropolis, plus great cocktails and just a great opportunity to sit down. The kids got their own special drinks (orange juice and a Shirley temple) and relished the comfortable sitting area. It was a truly restorative 45-minute break. Not only that, but I was able to borrow a phone charger from our sweet server, and she helped us with dinner plans.

You see, we hadn’t made any reservations because we were unsure of our exact dinner timing, but we knew, from our experience the night before, that we needed a reservation. I’d tried to reserve online for To Mavro Provato, a meze restaurant that’s quite popular among locals and visitors, but had no luck. And what’s the first restaurant this server recommended to us when we asked? To Mavro Provato.

We asked if she’d call them for us to try reserving (in Greek), and voilà, we got a 9pm reservation!

Dinner sorted, we headed over to the ancient temple complex known as the Acropolis, the main event. In April at least, a 6pm entrance ticket is an ideal time for those of us who don’t like getting up super early for an 8am arrival. The crowds were very thin, the weather was cool. For an archaeological site that has to cap visitors at 20K per day, the Acropolis was a very chill experience for us.

On the south slope of Acropolis hill, we first passed the gorgeous, crumbling Theatre of Dionysus, the world’s oldest theater (built in the 6th century BC), where ancient playwrights including Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes once presented their work. Then we made our way up to the iconic Parthenon, constructed beginning in 447 BC for the goddess Athena, significantly damaged in 1687 during the siege of Athens by Venetian forces. What a shame that this beautiful temple was so destroyed, but what remains feels all the more precious. We wandered around taking photos, admired the city views stretching all around us, and just tried to soak up the sheer history of it all. It’s truly hard to comprehend.

When we descended the hill around 7:15, we were spent, and hungry. We walked home for a brief spell, then took a car to dinner. To Mavro Provato was the perfect end to our epic day in Athens. We filled our outdoor table with mostly veggie-forward dishes: grilled haloumi, fava bean puree, Greek salad, grilled oyster mushrooms, Katiki Domokou (a soft goat/sheep cheese) salad, aubergine salad. A ditalini octopus salad was the tasty daily special, and we loved the kleftiko too, a pork dish with feta, herbs , and bell peppers cooked in parchment paper, served with fries. The menu’s very reasonably priced; all of these dishes fell between 3€-10€.

Safe to say we went home fully satiated and exhausted!

Bonus Morning in Athens: Greek Yogurt at Stani

Our scheduled early-morning ferry departure to Santorini was canceled due to high winds, and we were able to instead book a quicker flight to the island for later in the day. We now had time for a proper breakfast. This meant, I realized with glee, that we could hit up the place I most wanted to visit the day before but couldn’t make the detour: Stani, one of Athens’ very few remaining old-school family-owned dairy bars, located in the heart of the city just north of Omonia Square.

Stani was established in 1931 and sources its dairy from small local farms. It specializes, naturally, in traditional Greek yogurt, butter, rice pudding, pastries, and more. They do plates of eggs here with bread on the side (and sheep’s milk butter drenched in honey as well) that were perfect for the kids, but I came for the OG strained sheep’s milk yogurt served doused in honey. Thick and incredibly creamy, it has a subtle but distinct gamey, milky aroma and tart flavor that’s well-balanced by the sweet honey. I thoroughly enjoyed it. (Walnuts are another popular topping; cow’s milk yogurt is available too.)

The sliced galaktoboureko, crisp filo pastry filled with creamy custard, also called out to me, and it did not disappoint. With one last longing look at the rice puddings and spanakopita on offer, I knew it was time to say good-bye to Athens. We had a lot of eating and sightseeing ahead of us in Santorini and Naxos.

Until next time, Athens.

Athens Quick Hits: 36-Hour Itinerary

• Souvlaki + beer at Kalyvas Family Grill
• History + sunset at Pynx Hill
• Gelato at Django
• Dinner at Kalamaki

Morning 1:

• Koulouri + coffee at Koulouri Bake House
• Savory pita (pies) at Mama Psomi
• More coffee at Koukaki Billiards

Midday:

• Panathenaic Stadium
• Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch
• Shopping in Plaka
• Loukoumades at Lukumádes
• Souvlaki + soutzoukaki at Volvi
• Varvakios Central Municipal Market

Afternoon:

• Bougatsa at Bougatsadiko Psirri
• Monastiráki Square
• Hadrian’s Library
• Roman Agora, Ancient Agora
• Acropolis Museum

Night 2:

• Rooftop cocktails at Athens Gate Hotel
• The Acropolis
• Dinner at To Mavro Provato

Morning 2:

• Greek yogurt, eggs + galaktoboureko at Stani