36 hours in Athens, Greece with a kid

36 hours isn’t enough in Athens, one of the world’s oldest cities. When guidebooks say to skip the ancient city, we say spend a week exploring. Ancient ruins near subway stations, stray cats everywhere, world-class street art, quality coffee and food, there’s a lot to experience in Athens.

Here are the recommendations after spending 36-too-short-hours in Athens with my wife, six-year-old daughter, and two friends. (Declaring it a new favorite city, we all vowed to return, which we did for a month in August 2025. Recommendations from that trip have been added below.)

• All carbonara at Oroscopo, a spacious restaurant with European dishes and superv service.
• “The Benedict” (eggs Benedict with crispy onions) from Philos Athens, a design-forward restaurant in a 1930s artist studio.
• Breakfast of poached eggs on koulouri (Greek ring-shaped sesame bread) with Greek yogurt and chili butter at Ergon Agora Restaurant, an award-winning restaurant with a market selling fresh produce, seafood, and other local goods.
• Chicken gyro at Ambrosia – Souvlaki, a no-frills Greek restaurant recommended by our local host.
• Ice cream from Kokkion Monastiraki, an ice cream shop with unique flavors like chocolate with orange peel and pepper.
• Loukoumades (Greek doughnut holes) and vegetable risotto at Ama Lachei, a small plates restaurant with a spacious outdoor patio.
• Pavlova gelato from Le Greche, a small gelato shop along a main street.
• Poached eggs at Picky Brunch & Specialty Coffee, a popular brunch restaurant with a beautiful courtyard.
• Pork gyro from Grill & Pita, a tiny shop run by a friendly man. Tasty Corner also makes a quality pork gyro.
• Sea bass from Thinalos Seafood Restaurant, a local restaurant with fresh seafood on display.
• Shrimp pasta at Piscis, a top-rated waterfront seafood restaurant in Piraeus, a port city just outside of Athens.
• Turkey and tahini sandwich at The Black Salami Microbakery, a popular bakery with innovative sandwiches.
• Zucchini pie from Salero, a spacious restaurant inside a 1930s Bauhaus building.

Drink:

• Cocktails at Meno Male, a small Italian restaurant with excellent burrata with marmalade. Another top-rated place for cocktails is acclaimed The Clumsies. Noel is another worthy spot for cocktails.
• Freddo latte from Samba Coffee Roaster, a corner coffee shop with outdoor seating.
• Latte from Taf Coffee, a small cafe with attentive service on a block of other cafes.
• “Verano Azul” cocktail with tequila, melon sorbet, orange liqueur, and sparkling wine at BarroNegro, a Mexican-inspired cocktail bar.

Do:

• Climb plant-lined stairs (often with city cats resting) in Pangrati, a neighborhood east of many of the tourist sites.
• Hike up Lycabettus Hill, a popular hill with trails and a funicular with sunset views of Athens.
• Island hop with All Day Cruise, a ship that takes you to several islands in the Saronic Gulf.
• Pick up fresh produce from the Wednesday morning-early afternoon farmers market along Psaron in Metaxourgeio.
• Shop at local stores for trinkets, clothes, and more at the Athens Flea Market. (To see murals decorating storefronts, go just after sunrise before the shops open.) Also, stop by Think Pig, a small git shop with art and other goods.
• Take your kids to The Ellinikon Experience Park, an adventure playground with a zipline and large splash pad on the site of the old airport.
• Taste test honey and olive oil at Melira, a shop selling honey from a third-generation bee farm and local olive oil.
• Visit the Panathenaic Stadium, the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
• Walk along tiny, steep streets in Anafiotika, a neighborhood with views just north of the Acropolis. (If you go, be quiet and respectful.)
• Wander the First Cemetery of Athens, a spacious cemetery that was established in 1837 as the city’s first and official burial ground.

See:

• 360-view of the city from the rooftop gardens and lookout at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, a cultural hub with the national library, a theatre, and more.
• Acropolis lit at night from a nearby rooftop. (We did this from a friend’s flat’s balcony, but there are many rooftop restaurants and bars with the same view.) We paid to see the Acropolis up close, but it’s pricey and overrated in my opinion.
• Acropolis Museum, a giant museum preserving ancient ruins.
• Fairytale-themed cafe Little Kook with ornate decorations and displays.
• Ruins everywhere. (We decided to not buy tickets to see them up close as many can be found for free in stores, near subway stations, etc.)
• Street art on almost every block, but especially in Exarcheia, a progressive neighborhood with bookstores, cafes, and more.
• Sunrise from Areopagus Hill, the site of the Apostle Paul’s sermon in Acts 17.
• Turtles in a pond within the Athens National Garden, a large park with trails, a playground, ruins, and more.