Things to do in Athens & the Peloponnese

At the Acropolis & Parthenon, walk up through the Propylaea to the Parthenon, the Erechtheion with its Caryatids and the Temple of Athena Nike, then see the original Caryatids and a glass-floored excavation of an ancient neighbourhood at the Acropolis Museum below. The Ancient Agora & Temple of Hephaestus preserve the civic heart of ancient Athens and the rebuilt Stoa of Attalos, the Temple of Olympian Zeus still has 15 Corinthian columns beside Hadrian's Gate, the National Archaeological Museum is Greece's largest, and at the marble Panathenaic Stadium of the first modern Olympics you can run on the track. Wander the Plaka & Anafiotika Lanes below the Acropolis, take the cable car or the stairs for the Lycabettus Hill Views, look out over Athens and the Saronic Gulf from the Lighthouse in Stavros Niarchos Park, and head down the coast for the sunset at the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion. In the Peloponnese, enter Mycenae through the Lion Gate, test the famous acoustics of the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, visit Ancient Olympia, where the ancient Olympic Games were held, and climb the 999 steps of the Palamidi Fortress above Nafplio Old Town and its sea fortress Bourtzi.

Good to knowIn winter (November to March) the Acropolis opens 8:00–17:00 with last entry 20 minutes before closing, and both the Acropolis and the National Archaeological Museum are free on the first and third Sunday of those months. Many sites close mid-afternoon in winter, including the Temple of Olympian Zeus (15:00) and Mycenae, Ancient Olympia and the Palamidi Fortress (15:30), so start early, while the Acropolis Museum stays open later on Fridays and weekends. The Panathenaic Stadium ticket includes an audio guide with languages including Japanese, Korean and Chinese, and single tickets cover both site and museum at Mycenae, Epidaurus and Ancient Olympia.