Most visitors to Athens head straight for the Acropolis. Give yourself a little more time and you will find a city of quiet backstreets, courtyard bars, lesser-known ancient sites and small museums. Here are some places to start.
Anafiotika and the backstreets of Plaka
Anafiotika is a tiny neighbourhood on the north-eastern slopes of the Acropolis. It was built in the 19th century by workers from the island of Anafi, and its whitewashed houses and narrow stairways feel like a Cycladic village in the middle of the city.
Around it, the backstreets of Plaka are calmer than the main shopping lanes. Neoclassical houses, bougainvillea and hidden courtyards line the way, with small cafés and craft shops selling handmade jewellery and ceramics.
Psyrri and its street art
Psyrri is known for its street art, cafés and small shops. Murals cover many of its walls, and the neighbouring districts of Exarchia and Metaxourgeio add political and more reflective work. Street art changes all the time, so each visit is different.
Food off the main squares
Step away from the busiest squares to find small family-run tavernas in areas such as Psyrri and Koukaki. Try moussaka with a glass of retsina, a wine flavoured with Aleppo pine resin. In Piraeus, seafood tavernas serve grilled octopus with lemon and olive oil. For something sweet, look for loukoumades, small fried dough balls soaked in honey syrup.
The central market, Varvakios Agora, is worth a wander for its spices, cheeses and olives. The stallholders are usually happy to tell you how to enjoy what they sell.
Evenings like a local
Six d.o.g.s, on Avramiotou Street in Monastiraki, is a bar, arts space and live music venue with a garden hidden at the back.
Bios, on Pireos Street in Kerameikos, is a cultural centre with a rooftop bar that looks towards the Acropolis. It hosts films, concerts and DJ nights.
In Psyrri, hidden in an arcade off Leokoriou Street, Cantina Social is a relaxed bar for an informal night out.
Taf (The Art Foundation), on Normanou Street in Monastiraki, has a gallery, a design shop and a bar around a courtyard.
Lesser-known ancient sites
Kerameikos was the main cemetery of ancient Athens. It is a peaceful, green site with carved tombstones and sculpture, and the Sacred Way to Eleusis ran through it.
The Ancient Agora, the heart of public life in classical Athens, was a marketplace and a centre of politics. Its quieter corners are scattered with the remains of temples, stoas and public buildings.
The Tower of the Winds, an octagonal monument from the 1st century BC, stands in the Roman Agora. It was linked to timekeeping and the winds.
Farther out in Attica, the Sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron was an important religious centre in antiquity and makes a calm half-day trip.
Gardens and green spaces
The Diomedes Botanic Garden lies on the western edge of the city. Covering 186 hectares (about 460 acres), it is the largest botanic garden in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Philopappos Hill has winding paths, views of the Acropolis and the Monument of Philopappos at the top. In the centre, the National Garden, created for Queen Amalia in the 19th century, offers shaded paths and ponds.
Smaller museums
The Benaki Museum’s Islamic art collection is housed in Kerameikos, with ceramics, textiles and manuscripts. The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture covers Greek history from antiquity to the 20th century in a neoclassical mansion. The Byzantine and Christian Museum holds icons, frescoes and mosaics in a garden setting. The Ilias Lalaounis Jewellery Museum, near the Acropolis, shows historical and modern jewellery.
A day beyond the city
For a change from the streets, our day cruise leaves Marina Zeas in Piraeus at 09:00 for free time on Agistri and Aegina, a swim stop and a Greek lunch on board, returning around 19:00.