Quick answer
This Athens city break is 7 nights at Hotel Grande Bretagne on Syntagma Square, with return economy flights from the UK, daily breakfast and private airport transfers. It starts from £420 per person based on two sharing, for January 2027 departures. A week leaves room for Delphi, Sounion or an island as well as the city itself. The holiday is protected under ATOL 10713.
Athens rewards time on foot. The ancient sites, markets and tavernas of the centre sit close together, and the metro covers the few places that lie further out.
This trip suits travellers who want history, food and walking rather than a beach, including anyone happy to spend a morning in one museum and an evening over a long dinner. It also suits anyone who has only seen Athens on the way to an island. It is less suited to families after a pool-and-beach holiday or anyone planning big nights out.
Why You'll Love It
Day by Day
Land at Athens International Airport and transfer to Hotel Grande Bretagne. Keep the first evening close to the hotel: the GB Roof Garden restaurant looks across the city to the Acropolis, which is floodlit after dark. Across the square, the Evzones of the Presidential Guard stand at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of Parliament and change every hour, on the hour.
Start early on the Acropolis, passing through the Propylaia to the Parthenon and the Erechtheion. There is little shade on the rock, so take water and a hat even in the cooler months. Spend the afternoon at the Ancient Agora below the rock, or rest back at the hotel.
The Acropolis Museum stands at the foot of the rock. Its top-floor gallery sets out the Parthenon frieze in sequence, with the temple visible through the glass walls. The museum stays open until 22:00 on Fridays, so an evening visit is possible. Afterwards, eat in the neighbouring Koukaki district.
Spend the morning at the National Archaeological Museum, home to the gold mask of Agamemnon and the Antikythera Mechanism. Allow at least three hours, as the collection is large. Head back through the Monastiraki flea market and stay on in Psyrri for dinner.
Cape Sounion lies at the southern tip of Attica, where the Temple of Poseidon stands on a headland above the Aegean. The Doric temple standing today was built in about 444–440 BC from local marble, on the foundations of an earlier temple destroyed by the Persians. A smaller sanctuary of Athena sits on a low hill about 400 m to the north-east.
Take the metro to the port of Piraeus, then the coastal tram south to Glyfada for a seafront lunch, and a taxi on to Vouliagmeni. Lake Vouliagmeni, fed by underground springs, is a popular place to swim. The tram from Syntagma, changing at Pikrodafni, is a slower way to reach Glyfada.
Keep the day free for anything you missed, or climb Lycabettus Hill for the widest view across the city. Pack the evening before, as morning flights can mean an early start. Your transfer to Athens International Airport follows the next day, timed to your flight home.
Where You'll Stay
5-star hotel
A Luxury Collection hotel on Syntagma Square, open since 1874, with 320 rooms and suites. The room category is confirmed when you book. The seventh-floor rooftop pool is for residents and opens from April until about the end of October, weather permitting, so it is closed on November to March stays. The GB Spa is temporarily closed for renovation, with some treatments offered in first-floor rooms.
All prices are per person based on two adults sharing. Includes return flights and accommodation. Click any month to enquire.
| ✈ Flights | Return flights from UK included |
| 🧳 Baggage | 23kg checked baggage |
| 🏛 Hotel | 7 nights accommodation |
| 🚌 Transfers | Private airport transfers |
| ✈ Airport Taxes | All airport taxes included |
| 💳 Deposit | 30% per person to secure booking |
Plenty of Athens city breaks are short. This one is a week from one base.
For the ancient city alone, yes. The Acropolis, the Agora, the two big museums and Plaka fit into three full days. A week gives each its own early start and keeps a spare day for rain. If the classic sights are all you want, ask us about a shorter stay. A Thessaloniki city break is our other Greek city option. Our Greece holidays cover the islands, and our luxury holidays for couples pair sightseeing with a beach.
Do the Acropolis on your first full day. Leave by the north slope through Anafiotika, lanes built in the 19th century by craftsmen from the island of Anafi, into Plaka and on to Monastiraki. Ifestou Street's flea market is busiest on Sunday mornings.
On summer heatwave days the Ministry of Culture has shut the Acropolis from 12:00 to 17:00, admitting ticket holders after 17:00. From May, keep one day flexible.
The other four days suit trips a city break in Athens rarely fits in. Ferries, coaches and site tickets are paid locally.
| Day trip | Journey | How to get there |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Sounion | About 70 km, half a day, best at sunset | Public coach, tour or private driver |
| Delphi | About 180 km, about 3 hours each way | KTEL coach from Liosion Street terminal, tour or driver |
| Aegina | 40 minutes to 1 hour 25 by ferry | Ferry from Piraeus (metro Line 1) |
| Hydra | 1 hour 20 to 2 hours, car-free harbour town | Fast ferry from Piraeus |
Of the months on sale, October is the last warm one, with highs of 23°C and the Acropolis open until 18:30, then 18:00 from mid-month. November to March averages 12°C to 18°C, with winter hours of 08:00 to 17:00. December is wettest, at about 69 mm. April reaches about 20°C.
Winter suits a museum-led week, with a wet afternoon spent at the National Archaeological Museum. The catch is short daylight, so set off early on day trips.
For city breaks to Athens later in 2027, May averages 26°C. July and August average about 33°C, and July heatwaves have passed 40°C, so walking the sites is far easier in spring and autumn.
Direct flights take 3h35 to 3h55 from Heathrow and 3h45 to 4h10 from Manchester. Greece is 2 hours ahead of the UK all year.
British passport holders can spend 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area without a visa. The passport needs an issue date within the last 10 years and at least 3 months' validity beyond your exit date. The EU Entry/Exit System is running, but Greece has said it will not take fingerprints or photos from UK travellers. ETIAS has no start date yet.
State sites are free on 28 October and 18 April. Syntagma is the city's main square for demonstrations, which the FCDO expects on 1 May, 17 November and 6 December, so allow extra time then. Watch for pickpockets on the metro.
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