24 Hours in Athens: Barely Scratching the Surface

This is a recount of the last day of my trip back in 2021. As I’m planning a similar overall trip in 2025 (but, sadly, skipping Greece), this day in Athens has been on my mind. 

I sigh with relief as my plane takes off from Tirana, Albania, bound for famed Greek capital. My departure from Tirana International Airport was one of the most nerve-wracking travel experiences I’d had. But thankfully I’d made it. Had I missed the flight, my time in Greece would have been cut even shorter. As it was, I would have but 24 hours in Athens before heading onward, back to the U.S.

My plane touches down at the Athens airport just before noon. I can’t wait to be walking the streets. There’s a certain thrill that comes with having so little time to explore. It at once invigorates me. When my time is limited, it urges me to make the most of it.

I trek into the city center on the metro, headed for the InterContinental Athens. The 5-star hotel is quite the digs for the single night. Unfortunately, the hotel doesn’t have a room ready, given that it’s just a bit after lunch.

Lunch. My stomach rumbles, reminding me that I haven’t eaten since Albania. Leaving the bags with the desk, I settle on Kalamakeri, a nearby Greek restaurant just a couple blocks from the InterContinental.

Lunch is excellent. The Greek salad hits the spot, and I enjoy dining outdoors on this pleasant fall day. Soon I’m back at the hotel and checked into my room. Now it’s time to explore.

Filopappou Hill: Beginning My 24 Hours in Athens

Rather than take the metro to the old city, I plan to hoof it along Filopappou Hill. My hope is for both excellent views, plus a first real sight of the Acropolis. But that will have to wait a bit, as my first sights consist mostly of graffiti as I make my way along the streets of Athens toward the hill.

I find a path headed up to the hill and am soon rewarded. The view of Athens stretching out before me is lovely — a white cityscape, the Aegean sea in the background, and the distant rocky islands and coastline rising sharply in the distance.

My hillside walk is further rewarded with my first real sight of the Acropolis. The rocky hilltop has been the center of Athens for over two millennia. I could imagine the ancient city spread out all around it. It’s impressive now. It would have been even more impressive over 2,000 years ago.

Soon another Athens landmark comes into view. I know this one by name, but nothing more. What I’m looking at is the Aeropagus — Mars Hill, as translated into English. But isn’t a hill at all. This ancient meeting place is simply a rock. One would suppose that the Acropolis would be the natural meeting place for important matters. But it was instead the Aeropagus. It offers excellent views of the old city and ancient ruins all around, which is where I am headed next.

The Agora and Monastiraki

With so much history and so little time, I settle for the best overview I can muster in just 24 hours of seeing Athens. Spread around the Aeropagus is the ancient Greek agora, the general meeting place of the city. There are plenty of ruins to see, but I don’t linger. The Orthodox church on the site stands out to me. Although small, it has a lovely structure. My mouth drops open when I realize it has been there for over a millennia.

A short walk away is the newer Roman Forum. Newer is highly relative, as it was also built over 2,000 years ago. The Gate of Athena Archegetis at its entrance impresses me.

The site is small, and I don’t spend much time here. But it is certainly worth a visit. I imagine what it would have looked like in centuries past, with its columned walks. As with all of old Athens, the Acropolis is ever-present in the background, towering above the city.

My sightseeing continues past Hadrian’s Library and into the heart of the Monisiraki neighborhood. While nearby Plaka can be thought of as the old city proper, there is still plenty to see in Monastiraki. And man is it bustling late in the day.

I pass by restaurants, eyeing a few to consider for dinner when I head back through. But with dusk approaching, I make my way to my final destination of the day — the Kerameikos Archaeological Site. It’s both ancient cemetery and city ruins. If you have to pick one or the other, the agora and forum are a better choice (and hopefully you have more than 24 hours in Athens to work with). But I still enjoy my time here. I only have a few minutes to see the museum, but it looks like it would greatly add to the experience.

For dinner, I pick one of the many restaurants along the Adrianou walk. It’s touristy, and I surely pay far more than needed. But it provides a view of the Acropolis as the sun sets. Soon the hill is bathed in artificial light. It’s appearance at night may be even more impressive than during the day.

I hop on the metro and return to the InterContinental. My final stop of the evening is Première, the hotel’s rooftop bar, where I enjoy a view of the city around me. It’s the perfect way to wind down my first half day in Athens. With an Acropolis tour booked for the next morning, I eagerly slip into bed and drift off to sleep.

Morning on the Acropolis

Morning starts early, and I sit down for breakfast at the InterContinental. I’d booked the earliest tour I could find, allowing me to maximize my remaining hours. They are precious few. I scarf down my plate from the buffet and head out the door.

I make a mistake first thing. Expecting the street tram to obey the right-hand-rule is a mistake on my part. I sprint across the platform to catch the next one headed in the correct direction. Fortunately, I make it to the tour meeting point just in time. My tour is with a relatively small group, and the guide is engaging. She piles the rich history of Athens on her eager audience as we make our way up the hill toward the Acropolis. First stop: the Odeon.

Built by the Romans as an impressive amphitheater, the Odeon is still used as such. I can’t help but think of Yanni’s “Live at the Acropolis” concert, a soundtrack that frequently serenaded my childhood. I can see why the Odeon is such a draw. It’s impressive.

Then it’s time for the climb. We wind up and around onto the Acropolis itself. If I thought the view from Filopappou Hill was good, this is far better. Athens soon spreads out around us on all sides. I can see why this was the center of life in the ancient city.

The modern city is immense. When Greece state was reestablished in the early 1800s, Athens was home to just 9,000 people. Now its urban area contains a few million. The change is wild.

Up Close and Personal with the Parthenon

My trip reaches its zenith — both literally and figuratively — at the Parthenon. The ancient temple stood on the spot for hundreds of years, dominating the city. You could have seen it from all angles. But eventually falling into disrepair, it became a ruin.

Greece is working to restore the Parthenon, which is a project that has to be painstakingly slow. We don’t build structures like this anymore.

I’m split on whether restoration is a good idea. While seeing the structure as it would have stood two thousand years ago, is a brilliant thought, restoration will lose another piece of the history.

Our tour guide turns us loose to explore. Besides circuiting the Parthenon and seeing the amazing city views to all sides, there are other structures to admire. Like the Parthenon, they were built to honor other mythological Greek gods. The Erechtheion is perhaps the most interesting of the bunch.

It’s insanely difficult to get photos without people. But I am determined to get a few. Looking back, I consider the effort worth it. If you have only 24 hours in Athens like I did, the Parthenon and other sights at the Acropolis are a must.

Moussaka and Making an Exit

I head down from the Acropolis, passing by some of the same ruins that I saw the previous day. I pay Monastiraki a second visit, taking a moment to step inside the Metropolitan Cathedral. Compared to everything else I’ve seen, it’s extremely new. It hasn’t even had it’s 200th birthday yet. I’m not Greek. Or Orthodox. But I do enjoy visiting beautiful Christian churches when I travel. Although lovely, I’m always reminded that the real church is God’s people, not a building. They are beautiful structures. But they are not where He dwells.

I wander for a bit longer, making my way into the Plaka neighborhood. This is the heart of the old city. I enjoy the quiet streets closer to the Acropolis mount. But it’s a total tourist trap. I wander for a bit, browsing the storefronts and grabbing a cup of tiramisu gelato. Which I didn’t know is a thing. It makes me hungry for an actual lunch, the last item on the agenda before I return to the InterContinental.

I decide I need something both new and quintessentially Greek. Although I’m one of the earliest patrons in the restaurant, they’re more than happy to serve me an excellent slice of moussaka. I’ve never had the dish. It’s delectable. A bit like an eggplant lasagna, but with a far different mix of spices and plenty of meat.

On the Road Again

I can’t linger. My heart wants to stay and see more of the city, but I have a plane to catch. My transit plans are disrupted as well, as I can’t return using the metro. The main roads in the center of Athens were closed, as was a portion of the metro, due to the Acropolis Rally. A taxi takes me to the airport, which costs €45 and takes 45 minutes. But I make my first Emirates flight with time to spare. 

As I sit an wait to board, I reflect on my brief time in the capital of Greece. What’s for certain is that 24 hours in Athens isn’t anywhere close to enough. A trip this short is almost criminal. I barely scratched the surface of what the city as to offer.

There are plenty of places I still want to visit in the world, but Greece is high on the list for a return trip.