Places to visit in Athens Greece

If you are arriving at Piraeus Port by cruise ship, this is the best way to visit all the famous sites of ancient and modern Athens. Offering a perfect overview of the modern city, this guided tour helps you get... your bearings if this is your first visit to the historical mecca of Athens.

Early in the morning, you are picked up from your cruise ship and driven to Athens’s city center to meet your group. Your first stop is at the Panathinaiko Stadium, where the first Olympic games took place in 1896. Then, pass by the Prime Minister's residence, Ex Royal Palace, and Zappeion, a conference and exhibition hall also used during the first Olympics.

Then on your way to the Acropolis, your guide points out more of the iconic buildings of Athens, including the Temple of Olympian Zeus, National Garden, Hadrian’s Arc, St. Paul’s Church, and Parliament. This gives you an excellent overview of the city in case you want to do more solo exploration later.

At the Acropolis, you visit Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Parthenon, and Erechtheion with its Porch of Maidens. Take a short, pleasant walk passing by Herodion and Dionysos Theater, in order to visit the new Acropolis Museum. Main attractions such as votives, artifacts of everyday life, statues from archaic period, Caryatids, and of course, the Parthenon hall with the metopes, the pediments, and the frieze are sure to impress you.

After a morning full of experiences and history, you have free time to explore the Plaka area on your own, or stop in for a bite of lunch at a local cafe if you're feeling hungry. Then head back to the port in time for your cruise ship to set sail.