Athens travel info

Climb the stairs out of Monastiraki metro and the Parthenon is right there, hanging over the square on its rock. The first time, it looks unreal. Under a 2,400-year-old temple you get souvenir shops, grill smoke, orange trees and scooter horns all at once. In Athens the ancient city isn't behind museum glass; it floats above the neighbourhood rooftops.

The sightseeing core is tiny. Watch the guard change at Syntagma Square, follow the whitewashed lanes of Plaka uphill to the Acropolis gate, then come down through the Monastiraki flea market to the tavernas of Psyrri, all on foot. At sunset, climb Filopappou or Lycabettus hill and watch the marble turn pink; later, have a drink on a rooftop bar facing the floodlit Acropolis. And the trip doesn't have to end in the city: ride the metro to Piraeus and the ferries to Santorini and Mykonos are waiting.

From outside Europe you'll usually change planes once on the way. Summer is properly hot: July and August average 34°C by day, heatwaves push past 40°C, and the Acropolis sometimes shuts at midday. Sort out three things before you go: a timed Acropolis ticket, the climate resilience fee your hotel adds on, and the odds of a strike.

Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos) (ATH)