Visiting Athens felt like a dream. The history, culture, and beauty attracted me to this Mediterranean destination for as long as I can remember.

Growing up I learned about the Ancient Greeks in school. I still find myself fascinated by their mythology. Millennials, you probably remember falling in love with Greece through movies like Hercules, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, or Mamma Mia.

While studying abroad in 2013, I had the opportunity to take a 5-day trip to Athens. This was part of a longer 18-day trip that included stops in France, Italy, Greece, and Germany. Since I knew this was likely a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Greece I agonized about what to include on the itinerary.

I wanted to make sure I saw the main historic sites but also hoped to experience some of Greece’s natural beauty. Additionally, I was a young college kid on a budget, so that was a major factor in the itinerary decisions.

By the time I visited Greece, I had already spent 5 months living in Europe. At this point, I was fairly confident in my travel and navigation skills. However, Greece was very different than the other places I had previously visited in Europe.

The language was a challenging factor in Greece. In many other major European cities, I could communicate with English and a few essential phrases in the country’s native language. However, many people in Athens did not speak English so this added a new challenge. Luckily, most signs in the major transportation centers included English.

My trip to Greece also fell around the time of Athens’s economic crisis and related violence. Many people questioned if I would be safe during my trip.

Luckily I did not experience any protests during the week. However, fewer tourists visited Athens during this time. So, I often ran into the same people at different historic sites. This also caused reduced prices at many attractions, so it was very affordable to visit Athens at that time.

If you ever question the safety of a travel destination, do some research to decide for yourself if it is appropriate to visit at the time. The US Department of State’s website lists areas under travel warnings and this is a valuable resource if you feel concerned about the area you are planning to visit. That all being said, I never felt unsafe in Greece and I had an enriching experience visiting this beautiful country.

Planning a trip to Greece is exciting (but sometimes frustrating and confusing.) Many Greek travel websites do not translate perfectly into English. And with so many historic sites, it can be difficult to decide which ones to visit.

Below are my 5 absolute must-see places for your first time in Athens. These gave me a great taste of the city. I hope this helps as you plan a trip to this unique ancient destination.

Acropolis

No trip to Athens would be complete without a visit to the famous Acropolis. I’m sure the Parthenon alone draws many visitors to Athens.

The buildings located on the Acropolis date to the 5th century BC. BC! I mean let that just sink in for a second. For thousands of years, people have seen these buildings that you can still visit today. Coming from the US where I get excited to see buildings that were built in the 1700s, I almost can’t fully understand that I was looking at ruins from buildings that were built thousands of years ago.

The Acropolis was my main priority when visiting Athens, so I was prepared to pay a steep fee to visit this site. To my surprise, the tickets were very reasonably priced. I purchased the packaged ticket, which included admittance to a few different sites, including the Acropolis and the Agora.

Since I was a European student (I was studying abroad at a British University) I was able to purchase a reduced pass that cost €15 (about $18.50 US dollars). Even without the discount, a full priced pass is an incredible deal at €30 ($37 US dollars). I cannot recommend this pass enough. It is valid for 5 days and was the most affordable way to visit many of the city’s the historic sites. I purchased my pass at the main ticket booth for the Acropolis.

The view from the Acropolis was breathtaking. Seeing Athens from the vantage point really helped me understand why this was such an important site to the Ancient Greeks. On the Acropolis, you will see the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of the Athena Nike, and the Theater of Dionysus.

Visiting the Parthenon was a major bucket list item that I was so happy and surprised to complete by age 21! Seriously, if the Acropolis alone doesn’t convince you to take a trip to Athens, I am not sure what will. The incredible cultural and historical importance of this site could be felt as I walked around the ruins.

Plaka

The cute neighborhood of Plaka lies at the foot of the Acropolis. Take some time to wander these narrow streets and gaze at the colors all around you. The vibrant trees, bright flowers, and colorful houses play beautifully against the clear blue skies.

Plaka is home to the new Acropolis Museum which is extremely fascinating. This modern museum boasts an incredible view up to the Acropolis and houses some of the ruins from this historic site.

However, the museum is the center of some interesting controversy. Many of the displays in the Acropolis Museum are replicas. The British Museum actually houses a significant amount of Greece’s artifacts. Most of these artifacts were removed by British explorers without Greece’s permission. But, this mostly occurred in the 19th century when Greece allowed their historic sites to fall into disarray. This has been a subject of contention between the Greeks and the British for many years.

Until recently, the British argued that the Greeks did not have a proper museum to display their artifacts. However, now that the Acropolis Museum exists they could house these Greek artifacts. This opens a really interesting debate about museums all over the world that house artifacts from different countries. I am not sure where I stand on this issue, but it does allow for some heated conversations.

In addition to the Acropolis Museum, there are many cute cafes and restaurants in Plaka, so this makes for a great lunch spot after visiting the Acropolis. It is not every day you can enjoy some delicious Greek food under the shadow of the Acropolis. I highly recommend spending some time exploring this historic neighborhood.

Panathenaic Stadium

To say I geeked out at the Panathenaic Stadium would be a bit of an understatement. Being an avid runner for most of my life, I was very excited to visit this stadium. I mean, this country invented the marathon and the Olympics! Without the influence of the ancient Greeks, who knows if long distance running would be such a popular sport today.

The modern Panathenaic Stadium was built in 1896. It is a recreation of the original stadium that first stood on the same site in the 4th century BC! The 1896 iteration was built to house the first modern Olympic games. This stadium was also the site of the finish line for the 2004 Olympic marathon.

Purchase your stadium tickets on site. They cost 5€ for adults (roughly $6.00 US dollars) or 2€ (about $2.50 US dollars) for students and adults 65 and older. This ticket allows access to the stadium, track, vaulted passage, and an exhibit that houses Olympic torches.

Jogging on the track is welcomed and encouraged. So feel free to bring your running shoes and take a few laps around the historic track! I also suggest that you get a workout in by climbing to the top of the stadium seats. Here you can see an incredible view of Athens.

From the top of the stadium, you can see the Acropolis, Filopappos Hill, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and Lycabettus Hill. Spend some time sitting and enjoying the view from the top.

This stadium stands out as a highlight of my time in Athens. Even if you are not an athlete, it is amazing to stand in such a historic and culturally important site. Pay the affordable entrance fee and experience the view from the stadium’s top row.

Temple of Hephaestus

This is one of the most well-preserved temples in Athens. Walking around this site it is hard to believe the temple was built in the 5th century BC. Hephaestus was the Greek god of fire and metalworking. This temple has been used for various purposes including as a Greek Orthodox church, which allowed for the structure to be maintained.

You will find the Temple on the Ancient Agora (included in the multi-site pass). Just a short walk from the Acropolis, so combine it with your visit to the Parthenon.

I especially enjoyed this temple because it allowed me to picture what the other ruins looked like in their original forms.

This temple helped me appreciate the incredible architectural skills the ancient Greeks possessed. I mean, the Ancient Greek’s didn’t have modern technology to build these temples. This just shows the ingenuity, skill, and knowledge of the ancient Athenians.

Aegina

On my 4-day trip to Greece, I split my time between Athens and Aegina. I had originally planned to spend 1 day in Aegina, but after a few hours on the island, I decided I needed to return. It was also surprisingly easy to fit all of Athens’s major tourist attractions into 2 days. Aegina is a small island located 17 miles from Athens.

I took the metro to the Piraeus stop, which is located across from the port. Although Athens can feel run down and dirty, the metro system is clean, efficient, and rivals those in other major world cities. Before the 2004 Olympic Games, the metro received some much-needed improvements.

I purchased tickets for the Nova ferry once I arrived at the port. Ferries run frequently and are very inexpensive. There are a few different options so you can shop around to find the time and price that works best for you. Make sure you purchase a round-trip ticket so you can get back to Athens!

The ferry took a little over an hour and offered incredible views along the way. Once I arrived on the island I explored for a while before finding a small beach that offered chair and umbrella rentals. I spent most of my time on the island relaxing in the chairs and swimming in the water. The island was not very crowded so I felt like I was enjoying a private beach on a gorgeous Greek island.

The beach had a small snack shack that offered food and drinks. There are also some beachfront restaurants and cafes around the island.

Whether you decide to just soak up the sun or wander the cute streets, be sure to check out this island. Since it is incredibly accessible from Athens, it makes for the perfect day trip. I honestly could not believe how stunning this beach was. I had never been anywhere quite this beautiful before.

If you are planning a trip to Athens, I hope this helped you shape your itinerary. If you were not currently planning a trip to this city, maybe this swayed you to add Athens to your bucket list! Have you been to Athens? Are there any places you would recommend to first-timers? Let me know in the comments below!