When our daughter started to learn about ancient Athens in her Grade 6 class, we knew it was the perfect time for a family trip to Greece! We started our 2-week Greece vacation by spending three exciting days in Athens with kids.
We covered a lot of ground over our three days in Athens with kids – it’s safe to say we saw all of the highlights! We made sure to do the top attractions the right way with an excellent private tour of the Acropolis, Parthenon & the Parthenon Museum.
For the rest of the things to do in Athens with kids, we walked all over ancient Athens, visiting all of the top sights, ensuring that our daughter got to see everything she learned in school.
Even without an education angle, Athens is an amazing place to visit with kids! In fact, it’s near the top of our favorite family-friendly cities in Europe. To help you plan your own family trip to Athens, here is what we got up to during our 3-day visit:
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Day 1 in Athens with Kids
Our flight arrived in Athens at 10:30 AM. When traveling internationally with kids, I love having our airport transportation prearranged, so had a Welcome Pickups transfer waiting for our flight just outside the arrivals exit.
After checking into our hotel, we set out on foot in search of lunch. We found a pedestrian-only street on the way towards the Acropolis which had a bunch of restaurants. We ended up getting falafel wraps at Fallafellas – they were delicious!
Our only goal for our first afternoon in Athens was to get some fresh air and exercise to help overcome jet lag. We found the perfect walking trail on AllTrails which circumnavigates the Acropolis, which turned out to be really nice introduction to the city.
We passed several archeological sites along the way to the Roman Agora, including Hadrian’s Library with many impressive columns. The Sanctuary of the Nymph and the adjacent Odeon of Herodes Atticus (a nice marble theatre) were also especially interesting.
Philopappos Hill
Once we reached the far side of the Acropolis hill, we took some time to explore the historic Philopappos Hill. Our daughter had learned about Pynx Hill in school as it is the birth place of democracy. It was exciting to see the speakers platform where early speakers would come to share their opinions. The views of the Parthenon are very good from here as well! No wonder they chose this spot – it’s very special.
We continued our way up the hill to the Philopappos Monument, which appears to be the very top of the hill. The monument was ok, but the angled view of the Parthenon was amazing. The view from the monument allows you to see both the front and the sides of the Parthenon, which gives a complete view of the historic complex.
Day 2 in Athens with Kids
Acropolis & Parthenon Private Tour
We woke up early on our first full day in Athens to eat an early buffet breakfast at our hotel. We had to get ready early as we needed to meet our tour guide at 8:30 AM for our private tour of the Acropolis & Parthenon. Given our daughter just learned about Ancient Athens in school earlier this year, we were all very excited for this family-friendly tour!
Our tour guide was great with our kids, giving them each their own Greek god persona. Our son was Poseidon, while our daughter was Athena. This turned out to be important later in the tour as these two Greek gods played an important role in the history of the Parthenon.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
We began our Acropolis tour with an aerial view of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, which we saw from below on our self-guided walking tour of Athens the day before. Almost 2,000 years old, this incredible marble amphitheatre is still in use today, hosting major artists such as Elton John, Frank Sinatra, etc.
Propylaea
We continued our walk upwards toward the Acropolis Plateau along the well-worn marble path towards the Propylaea, a temple-like entrance grand enough for the Acropolis. The small, but impressive Ionic Temple of Athena Nike is perched up high on the right.
The Parthenon
As we emerged from the Propylaea, the Parthenon comes into full view – a truly breathtaking sight. Such an iconic Athens landmark, the Parthenon does not disappoint!
Our tour guide walked us along all four sides of the Parthenon, each of which has its own story, and remarkably, tells its own story. Celine and I had each been to the Parthenon before without a guide, and it’s amazing how much more interesting it is when you have someone who can share the fascinating history with you.
Erechtheion
Long ago, Poseidon (god of the sea) and Athena (goddess of wisdom and war) both wanted to be the patron deity of a new city in Greece. To settle the dispute, Zeus declared that each god would offer a gift to the people, and they would choose whose gift was best.
Poseidon offered a spring of salt water, while Athena planted the first olive tree right where the Erechtheion is today. Athena won the contest and today the city is known as Athens, and the olive tree is still thriving.
The Erechtheion is also famous for being the home of the Porch of the Caryatids, where six statues of beautiful women stand.
The Acropolis Museum
We finished our private tour with a visit to the Acropolis Museum. It’s interesting to note that much of what you see outdoors on the Parthenon are actually replicas, with the originals being kept safe inside the Acropolis Museum.
The top floor of the Acropolis Museum mirrors the exterior layout of the Parthenon. The north side of the museum mimics the north side of the Parthenon, etc.
Along each of the four sections of this part of the Acropolis Museum, you’ll see the originals and some replicas of the famous Parthenon Frieze (the inner artwork) and the Metopes (the artwork visible on the outside upper band of the building).
Aside from the crown-jewel top floor of the museum, other highlight we enjoyed was walking over a glass floor, looking at an excavated ancient Athens neighborhood below.
Recommended Tour
If you want to teach your kids about ancient Athens, we highly recommend getting a private tour of the Acropolis & Parthenon.
Ancient Greek Agora
After an amazing lunch in the beautiful neighborhood of Plaka, we made our way to the Ancient Greek Agora – another landmark our daughter recently studied as part of her Grade 6 curriculum.
Highlights of our self-guided walking tour of the ancient Greek Agora included:
Temple of Hephaestus
The Temple of Hephaestus is clearly visible from the Acropolis and stands out as one of the best-preserved ancient temples in Athens (and all of Greece). With all four sides fully intact, the beautiful and impressive Temple of Hephaestus gives you a real feel for what the much bigger Parthenon would feel like if it was complete.
Stoa of Attalos
For us, the real attraction of the Stoa of Attalos was the long row of pillars – the sun was shining behind the pillars, casting a long row of pillar shadows – a very beautiful effect!
The Stoa of Attalos also houses the Museum of the Agora, but to be honest, we were a little museum-ed out after the Acropolis Museum, so we skipped it.
For us, the best part of the Ancient Greek Agora was simply wandering around and trying to imagine what life was like back then. The agora was an important part of ancient life in Athens, and it was fun to use our imaginations to try and bring it to life.
Day 3 in Athens with Kids
Lycabettus Hill
When our Acropolis tour guide discovered we enjoy being active with our kids, she recommended we climb up Lycabettus Hill. This popular viewpoint offers a different Athens viewpoint than we enjoyed on our first day on Philopappos Hill. In fact, it’s nearly the exact opposite view.
It was a 20-minute walk from our Athens hotel to the walking trail up Lycabettus Hill. It’s quite a popular activity, with lots of locals and tourists alike getting a workout in to enjoy this Acropolis viewpoint.
With only 100 m / 330 feet of elevation gain, it’s not a super tall hill, but it doesn’t take long before you start enjoying the views. Almost immediately you can see the Parthenon atop the Acropolis. Then you can see the Olympic Stadium and the Temple of Zeus ruins.
The viewing platform at the top affords you excellent 360° views of Athens, from the northern outskirts of Athens, to the Aegean Sea and the Greek islands beyond. There’s a café at the top if you want to reward yourselves for a job well done.
National Garden of Athens
We hadn’t yet seen the Athens attractions east of the Acropolis, so we walked from Lycabettus Hill, through an affluent neighborhood to the National Garden of Athens. This large, well treed park is a wonderful oasis of green in an otherwise hectic and noisy big European city.
We visited Athens in mid-April and were really happy to see that many of the beautiful trees in the National Garden of Athens were in full bloom. Back home in Canada, everything was still white or brown, so an early taste of spring is always welcome!
We randomly explored the park and made many fun discoveries, from fish ponds, frog ponds, turtle ponds, a flock of green parakeets flying high above, and more.
The one attraction within the National Garden of Athens we intentionally sought out was the farm animals, but we instantly regretted it. This is a sad little zoo, with small cages. The world knows better now – this outdated zoo should be vastly improved or dismantled. Skip this attraction.
Changing of the Guard at Syntagma Square
The National Gardens of Athens are right next to the Hellenic Parliament Building, so we meandered over at the top of the hour to watch the famous changing of the guards. We got there about 15 minutes early and got the last of the front row seats.
There are two Presidential Guards (Evzones) who stand guard at the front of the Parliament Building. For an hour at a time, these two soldiers stand motionless – it’s an amazing feat!
At the top of each hour, these two Presidential Guards are replaced with two new ones. The changing of the guard ceremony is a lot of fun for kids of all ages.
First of all, the guards wear shoes which will amuse the kids (even though they are not supposed to be funny), and the ceremony itself has a lot of fun movements. If you are in the area, it’s worth a stop to see the Changing of the Guard at Syntagma Square.
Temple of Olympian Zeus
The Temple of Olympian Zeus rests just south of the National Gardens of Athens, so we made our way there after the changing of the guards.
As of April 1, 2025, Athens no longer sells combo tickets which give you access to the Acropolis and seven other major Athens attractions, including the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Given we’ve seen this temple from many different vantage points during our family trip to Athens so far, and to be honest, there’s not much to it besides a few remaining pillars, we decided not to spend the 60€ that it would have cost us to get in.
Compare these two vantage points for the Temple of Olympian Zeus – the first from the Acropolis, and the second from outside the fence:
Based on the number of people walking around the fence on the outside, many people agreed with our assessment.
Panathenaic Stadium
Dating back to the 4th century BC, the Panathenaic Stadium is one of the most important sporting venues in the entire world. Similar to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, we could enjoy the view of the stadium very well from the outside, so we passed on paying to get in.
Perhaps we were just bitter being there just a few days after they stopped selling the combo ticket, but I was perfectly happy to have 90 extra euros in my pocket – I didn’t feel we missed out on much at all.
Window Shopping on Ermou Street
We finished our final day in Athens with kids by walking along the historic marble cobblestone Ermou Street. This enormously busy street is one of the most popular pedestrian-only shopping streets in Athens. It’s full of high-end shops and souvenir stores.
We’re not big shoppers, but we enjoyed the atmosphere and the fun people watching. There’s plenty of fun buskers to enjoy too!
Bonus: Day Trip to Delphi
The above Athens itinerary was based on the first three days of our family trip to Greece. Towards the end of our trip, we went hiking in Meteora with kids, but eventually had to return to Athens for our flight home. On our way from Meteora to Athens, we stopped at Delphi, and we were so blown away that we felt compelled to include it here as it’s a popular day trip from Athens.
Just a few hours’ drive from the city, Delphi offers families the chance to explore some of Greece’s most impressive ancient ruins, including the Temple of Apollo and the ancient theater. The setting is truly spectacular – perched on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, the ruins overlook a sweeping valley of olive groves and rugged mountains.
Kids can learn about Greek mythology while wandering the site’s pathways and enjoying the fresh mountain air. It’s a perfect blend of history, culture, and nature that makes the trip exciting for all ages.
Recommended Tour
If you want to show your kids some Greek culture as well as experience the natural beauty of Greece, don’t miss out on a day trip to Delphi with kids.
Getting from the Athens Airport to Central Athens
The Athens Airport is about a 45 minute drive from central Athens. It’s easy to grab a flat-rate taxi from the airport to central Athens, but if any of your kids require a child seat, it’s not that easy.
One option we have used often on our family trips to Europe is to book an airport transfer through Welcome Pickups. At roughly the same price as a taxi, you can pre-book an airport transfer with child seats.
This option sure beats bringing you child seat from home. We’ve used Welcome Pickups many times, including on this trip to Athens, and we are always grateful for how easy it is.
Book a Welcome Pickup Airport Transfer To Your Hotel
Where We Stayed in Athens
For our two nights in Athens with kids, we stayed at the Colors Hotel Athens, just a few blocks north of the main tourist zone. We chose to stay here as it was one of the few hotel options in Athens which had a true 2-bedroom option for our family.
We have found through our travels that we all sleep better when we have our own spaces to sleep. This is especially important after trans-Atlantic travel, when we are all a bit jetlagged and overly tired. The hotel not only had 2 separate bedrooms, but they made up the sofa bed in the main room, so we all had our own place to sleep.
The free breakfast buffet at the Colors Hotel Athens was exceptional – the best of our entire 2-week family trip to Greece. The selection of local breakfast options was wide, and the quality was great.
Hotel Recommendation
Colors Athens Hotel
We really enjoyed our stay at the Colors Hotel in Athens and would recommend it to your family as well.
Follow Along on our Family Trip to Greece
We had an amazing three days in Athens with kids, but our family vacation in Greece didn’t end there! At the end of our final day in Athens, we took an overnight ferry to Heraklion, where we began our 5 days in Crete with kids! While on this amazing islands, we enjoyed the incredible family-friendly beaches on Crete, along with some amazing kid-friendly hikes on Crete.
After Crete, we finished our time on the Greek Islands with two days on Santorini with kids. Our family trip to Greece concluded with two days of hiking in Meteora with kids.
Worried About Greek Food For Kids?
Worried about what your kids will eat in Greece? We can help in two ways! First check out our guide to Greek food for picky eaters, then grab a copy of our printable Greek Food Scavenger Hunt for Kids. This checklist of kid-friendly Greek foods turns mealtimes into a fun adventure – picky eater approved!
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
Dan Brewer is an intrepid family travel blogger with a passion for exploring the world's most captivating destinations. With 62 countries under his belt and a sense of wanderlust that knows no bounds, he has made it his life's mission to share his travel experiences and insights with fellow families who love to travel.
When Dan isn't traveling with his wife and kids, he's either out enjoying the Canadian Rockies he calls home or working on one of his three travel sites (Family Can Travel, Travel Banff Canada and Ultimate Sports Road Trip).