Two Days in Athens — The Acropolis, Plaka, and a Beer We Still Think About

Athens wasn’t the main event of our Greece trip — that came later, in Zakynthos and Santorini. But we gave the city two days, stayed in an Airbnb, and came away with some of our most vivid memories of the whole trip. Here’s what we’d tell anyone planning a short stop in Athens.

🏛️ The Acropolis — Go Early, or Suffer

We booked a guided tour of the Acropolis, which we’d recommend — having a guide who can put the history in context makes the whole experience significantly richer. What we wouldn’t recommend is going in the middle of a Greek summer afternoon. We did. We deeply regret it.

The Acropolis sits exposed on a hill with almost no shade. In July and August, the heat is relentless — the kind that bounces off ancient white marble directly into your face. We made it up, took in the Parthenon, absorbed as much as the temperature allowed, and then collectively decided we’d seen enough and started heading back down. There’s no shame in that. The heat genuinely wins.

☀️ Acropolis Heat Survival Tips

• Go first thing in the morning — gates open at 8am, be there then
• Avoid visiting between 11am and 4pm in summer — the heat is brutal
• Bring at least 1.5 litres of water per person
• Wear a hat and sunscreen — there is almost no shade on the hill
• Comfortable shoes are essential — the ancient stone paths are uneven
• Book tickets in advance online — queues can be very long in peak season

📋 Acropolis Practical Info Opening hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM (summer) | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (winter)
Admission: €20 (full price) | Free for EU citizens under 25
Combined ticket: includes Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Kerameikos and more
👉 Google Maps

🏘️ Plaka — The Real Highlight

Here’s the thing nobody told us: the walk down from the Acropolis through Plaka is better than the Acropolis itself. Or at least, it’s the part we remember more warmly.

Plaka is Athens’ oldest neighbourhood — a maze of narrow pedestrian streets tumbling down the northern slope of the Acropolis hill, lined with bougainvillea, tavernas, small shops, and the kind of unhurried atmosphere that makes you slow down whether you intend to or not. After the exposed heat of the hilltop, stepping into Plaka’s shaded alleyways felt like stepping into relief.

The streets are genuinely beautiful — painted doors, cats on windowsills, the smell of grilled meat drifting from every direction. We wandered without much of a plan, which is exactly the right way to do it. Plaka rewards getting slightly lost.

🍺 Taverna Platanos — A Beer Worth Remembering

At the bottom of Plaka, we found Taverna Platanos. One of the oldest tavernas in Athens, established in 1932, it sits on a quiet pedestrianised square shaded by a large plane tree — platanos means plane tree in Greek. The kind of place that hasn’t tried to reinvent itself and doesn’t need to.

We sat down, ordered cold draft beers, and didn’t move for a while. After the heat of the Acropolis and the walk through Plaka, that beer was one of the best things we’ve ever tasted. Not because it was anything special — just draft lager — but because the timing, the setting, the shade, and the relief of being off our feet made it perfect. It’s one of those travel moments that sounds unremarkable written down and was completely unforgettable in person.

We also ate — Greek salad, tzatziki, souvlaki — and it was exactly what you want after a hot morning of sightseeing. Simple, fresh, and honest.

📋 Taverna Platanos Address: 4 Diogenous Street, Plaka, Athens
Established: 1932 — one of the oldest tavernas in Plaka
Price range: €15–25 per person
👉 Google Maps

🥗 What to Eat in Athens

Greek food is one of the great underrated cuisines. Simple ingredients, excellent quality, and flavours that are somehow both familiar and completely their own. These are the dishes we’d order every time:

🍽️ Essential Athens Food

• Greek salad (Horiatiki) — tomato, cucumber, olives, feta, olive oil. Sounds simple, tastes completely different when the ingredients are actually good
• Tzatziki — cool, garlicky yogurt dip with cucumber. Essential alongside anything grilled, and particularly good when you’re overheated
• Souvlaki — grilled meat skewers with pita and sauce. Best eaten at a street souvlaki spot rather than a tourist restaurant
• Moussaka — layered aubergine, minced meat and béchamel. The taverna version is always better than anything you’ve had outside Greece

🏨 Where We Stayed — Airbnb

We only had two nights in Athens before moving on to Zakynthos, so we opted for an Airbnb rather than a hotel. For a short city stay it worked perfectly — more space, a kitchen for breakfast, and a more local feel than a tourist-district hotel. For longer stays, the Plaka and Monastiraki areas put you closest to the main sights.

✅ Tips for Two Days in Athens

• Do the Acropolis on your first morning — early, before the heat and crowds build
• Walk down through Plaka afterwards — it’s the best part of the day
• Eat at a taverna away from the main tourist squares — better food, better prices
• Athens is very walkable — the main sights are all within a short walk of each other
• Two days is enough to see the highlights — but you could easily spend more time here
• Summer in Athens is genuinely very hot — plan all outdoor activities for morning or evening

✅ Final Thoughts

Athens surprised us. We went expecting a busy, slightly chaotic city with one famous hill and left genuinely charmed — by Plaka, by the food, by the way the city wears its history so naturally. Two days felt short. We’d go back for longer.

Next up from our Greece trip: Zakynthos and Santorini — coming soon.