Top 10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Athens, Attica

March 3, 2022 Phylicia Berquist

Once known for smog, traffic and tacky architecture, Athens is a city reformed thanks to fortunes brought by the 2004 Summer Olympics. Spotless parks and streets, an ultra-modern subway, new freeways, an accessible airport and all signs in perfect English make the city easily negotiable. Meriting more than a stopover en route to the islands, sophisticated Athens sites include many pillars of Western history, from the Acropolis to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, as well as treasures in the National Archaeological Museum.
Restaurants in Athens

1. Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology

Pindarou 6, Athens 10671 Greece +30 21 1411 0044 [email protected] http://Kotsanas.com
Excellent
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5.0 based on 290 reviews

Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology

Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in the heart of Athens. In a unique historic Art Nouveau building (Unfortunately there is no access for people with disabilities because the building has been listed and unfortunately no relevant intervention can be made), Pindarou 6 and Akadimias St. in Kolonaki, with a total area of 700 square meters, guests will have the unique opportunity to get to know a relatively unknown aspect of Ancient Greek culture through the exhibition "The Hi-Tech Inventions of Ancient Greece – The origins of our modern technology", which includes approximately 100 selected exhibits, reconstructed inventions, from the robot-servant and the "cinema" of Philon to the automatic theater of Heron, and from the Hydraulic Clock of Ktesibios to the Antikythera Mechanism. At the same time, the same building will permanently house the independent exhibition of Ancient Greek Musical Instruments with 42 fully functional, reassembled reconstructed musical instruments.

Reviewed By 357alexm - Toronto, Canada

Very happy we went there. Exceeded our expectations. Not too big, but most of the artifacts are interactive. The young people working at the desk were very happy to guide us and explain the various artifacts. Going through this museum you realize how close the ancient Greeks came to discovering the steam engine and how close we were to having the industrial revolution two millennia before it actually happened.

2. Acropolis

via Dionysiou Areopagitou str., Athens 105 58 Greece +30 21 0321 4172 http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh351.jsp?obj_id=2384
Excellent
74%
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4.5 based on 35,632 reviews

Acropolis

The most famous site in all of Athens, this large hill lies in the center of the city and contains a cluster of ancient ruins.

Reviewed By DavidTis - Campbell, United States

Greek/World history comes alive. The hop on hop off bus is an excellent tour of the city of Athens and one of it's stops is the Acropolis. A must see for sure. Bring good walking shoes and your camera and scratch this one off your bucket list, if you like history you're gonna love the Acropolis!

3. Ancient Agora of Athens

Adrianou 24, Athens 105 55 Greece +30 21 0321 0185 [email protected] http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh355.jsp?obj_id=2485
Excellent
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4.5 based on 4,225 reviews

Ancient Agora of Athens

These ruins, located in the heart of modern Athens, were once the site of the marketplace in ancient times, a political, cultural and economic center of the ancient world.

Reviewed By EileenMtShasta - Mount Shasta, United States

The area is breathtaking to imagine the history but is mostly a field of rubble, though there are many informative signs. The museum has many important and interesting artifacts, like the baby toilet from the 2nd century BC! The most intact structure is the Temple of Hephaistos, but entrance was blocked. The visit was made much more meaningful due to a free audio tour I downloaded from online, by tour guide Rick Steves, so I highly recommend it.

4. Parthenon

Acropolis Top of Dionyssiou Areopagitou, Athens 105 58 Greece +30 21 0321 4172 [email protected] http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh355.jsp?obj_id=2384
Excellent
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4.5 based on 16,764 reviews

Parthenon

The majestic ruins of an ancient Greek building, known for its dignified white marble columns and perfect sense of proportion.

Reviewed By 223ravik - Bangalore District, India

We visited Acropolis today. It is amazing to see Parthenon with its rectangular structure consisting of 17 columns in length by 8 columns in width- a huge structure dedicated to mythological goddess Athena. It takes you back 2500 years and makes you wonder about the life of folks then and the events that unfolded later on! Do not miss out the story of the Flag - when the nazis came in 1941, a young Greek soldier refused to change the Greek flag, instead wrapped it around himself and leapt to his death. He is remembered and honored even today. There is so much to see in Acropolis- be sure you have at least 2.5 hours! I also loved the story regarding the competition between Athena and Poseidon, and how she won!!

5. Museum of Cycladic Art

4 Neofytou Douka str., Athens 106 74 Greece +30 21 0722 8321 [email protected] http://www.cycladic.gr/en
Excellent
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4.5 based on 1,189 reviews

Museum of Cycladic Art

A dynamic cultural institution in the centre of Athens, the Museum of Cycladic Art focuses on promoting the ancient cultures of the Aegean and Cyprus, with particular emphasis on Cycladic art of the third millennium BC. The Museum’s permanent collections include 3000 Cycladic, ancient Greek, and ancient Cypriot artefacts, witnesses to the cultures that flourished in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean from the fourth millennium BC to approximately the sixth century AD. The Museum of Cycladic Art’s temporary exhibitions focus on archaeology and modern and contemporary art with the aim to familiarize the public with important twentieth and twenty-first century artists and to explore the relations between ancient cultures and modern art. Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Thomas Struth, Louise Bourgeois, Sarah Lucas, Ugo Rondinone, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Ai Weiwei, and Cy Twombly are among the artists hosted.

Reviewed By Tiffanymd - Salida, United States

Special exhibit was amazing. Permanent collection also informative and inspiring. I especially liked the Cycladic floor.

6. National Archaeological Museum

Patision 44, Athens 106 82 Greece +30 21 3214 4800 [email protected] http://www.namuseum.gr
Excellent
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4.5 based on 7,806 reviews

National Archaeological Museum

Reviewed By tashak574

An extensive and fascinating museum with many unimaginable finds. It can be an overwhelming experience even with several wings closed. The collection shed a great deal of insight on the various movements in design during Greek history and shared really fascinating and well kept artifacts from points we learn about in history class. We’re talking arrow heads from the battle of Marathon. It’s a good time.

7. Benaki Museum

1 Koumbari Street, Athens 106 74 Greece +30 21 0367 1000 [email protected] http://www.benaki.org
Excellent
69%
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4.5 based on 1,501 reviews

Benaki Museum

The Benaki Museum is among the most extensive and innovative cultural organizations in Europa. Diverse cultures from all historical periods and geographical areas meet contemporary art across a network of venues all over Athens – and beyond. The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture presents the history and art of the Greek world from prehistory to the 20th century, through 6.000 objects arranged over four floors. Antonis Benakis (1873-1954) was a passionate art collector. He belonged to a cosmopolitan circle of connoisseurs and intellectuals in Alexandria, Egypt. Following his return to Athens and the death of his benefactor father Emmanuel, Antonis bequeathed to Greece his collections and parental home, which opened in April 1931 as the Benaki Museum. After a comprehensive refurbishment, the building reopened on 7 June 2000 as the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture while the remaining diverse collections have since been housed in new buildings (see Benaki Museum of Islamic Art).

Reviewed By Timotraveler - Helsinki, Finland

I have walked by this museum many times on my visits to Athens. It is close to the city center and Syntagma square and the Kolonaki area. I was totally amazed by the collection - it is well displayed and takes you on a historical tour of a collection of artifacts and art - best to start at the main floor and just follow the numbers for each rooms and this gives a great view or the development of the Athens and Greek region from ancient to more modern times. It was most fascinating and would definitely recommend this if you are there - it provides much more about the area then just the Parthenon. You can spend as much or as little time - but I would say a minimum of about 1 - 1.5 hours.

8. Theater of Dionysus

Mitseon 25, Athens 105 58 Greece +30 21 0322 4625 http://www.visit-ancient-greece.com/theatre-of-dionysus.html
Excellent
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4.5 based on 1,063 reviews

Theater of Dionysus

Reviewed By KimD904 - Tweed Heads, Australia

Another site that amazes you at its size and grandeur. The theatre is the first of its type ever built and still hosts some of the worlds great acts as well as being still in use for local Athenians to watch regular performances. Among the historic area of the Acropolis, this theatre would have certainly been a focal point in ancient times. Another ancient that you just go 'WOW' when you first see it.

9. Byzantine and Christian Museum

Leof. Vasilissis Sofias 22, Athens 10675 Greece +30 21 3213 9517 [email protected] http://www.byzantinemuseum.gr
Excellent
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4.5 based on 968 reviews

Byzantine and Christian Museum

Reviewed By Gordon_and_Sally_11 - Broken Hill, Australia

We visited this museum in July (still catching up on reviews) and thought it excellent. There is a wealth of artefacts to see - we took about 115 photos in just under two hours. Artefacts include icons, mosaics, pottery, glass, jewellery and sacrophagi. The museum is beautifully laid out, with the permanent exhibition arranged around five themes: (1) From the ancient world to Byzantium; (2) The Byzantine world; (3) Intellectual and artistic activity in the 15th century; (4) From Byzantium to the modern era; and (5) Byzantium and modern art. The museum is closed on Tuesdays from November to March. Photography without flash is permitted.

10. Herod Atticus Odeon

Dionissiou Areopagitou, Athens Greece +30 21 0324 1807 http://greekfestival.gr/en/home
Excellent
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4.5 based on 1,698 reviews

Herod Atticus Odeon

Second-century theater built into the hillside.

Reviewed By JLC-mtl2015 - Montreal, Canada

This is one of the two theater accessible on the slope of the Acropolis. This one is not the oldest but the one that has been renovated to welcome artists from around the world still today. The whole surrounding, the façade, the love story of Herodes Atticus, the city backstage and the Acropolis hill background makes this place way bigger than the 5,000 spectators capacity. No wonder why it is still active today and many musical performance have been held here. It provides a unique stage and show. While on the Acropolis site you can see also the Theater of Dionysus and on top of the Acropolis Hill, surrounding the Parthenon you can see the Temple of Athena Nike, the ruins of Propylaea and the Erechtheion. All this, for the price of 1 ticket. If you want tricks on how to skip the line see my review on the Acropolis.

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