Best 5 Free Things to Do in Athens
Today, I'm in Athens, Greece! So let’s take a look at everything we can do here for free!
When it comes to traveling on a budget, nothing is better than doing free stuff. There are a lot of free things to do in Athens that are definitely worth doing, so let’s take a look at the best free attractions you can find here.
National Gardens, a Grecian Treasure
The Athens National Gardens are spectacular. First of all, this is a huge area. You can walk around here for hours and you will be surrounded by trees, flowers and of course, because this is Athens, statues and ruins.
You will find random statues of ruins of things literally everywhere in this city. The gardens include super manicured, wide open areas and places where you're walking through trees. There's a lake that's really beautiful, covered pathways, fountains, picnic areas, it's just absolutely gorgeous. It's totally free and it's definitely worth seeing.
Beaches: On the Riveria, Darling
You should also try to get out to the beaches on the coast. Now, it is not easy to get out here. We can go over the transportation issues in Athens in another blog, but you will probably need to take a cab ride all the way out here...unless you want to spend a super long time on public transportation, which is not going to be the most awesome experience.
However, you will have an amazing experience at the beach, so you should definitely make it a point to get out here.
You will be on the Athens Riveria, which is awesome, and there are free beaches here that do not cost any admission. I went to Vouliagmeni Beach and there were free umbrellas, too, and it was super nice.
I highly recommend it, but I suggest you bring your own drinks and snacks. Also, please please wear lots of sunscreen and a sun hat. The Athens sun is no joke, and you want to have these things with you no matter where you go in the city. I saw a lot of pale people of European origin walking around Athens with absolutely awful sunburns that looked very painful, so use extra precautions against the sun here.
Hill Hikes, and the One Even I Didn't Avoid
The Acropolis is the most famous hill in Athens, but the city is actually made up of several hills. If you hike to the top of any of them, you are going to find some kind of historic thing to marvel at and you will have a nice view of the city.
Philopappos Hill is definitely one of the more popular hikes. The hike up the hill has some stairs, which are crumbling and actually more unsafe than just going up the side of the hill. It is a hike and you will put your legs into it, but I made it up the hill in a dress so it's honestly not that bad.
Just make sure you have some bottled water with you, because I did not and it was rough in that department. But this is a really nice hike to take because there are several ancient historical points of interest along the way and the view from the top is absolutely stunning.
You get an amazing look at the Parthenon from up here. Along the way, you'll see the ruins of the prison of Socrates, which is a really interesting spot because of its association with him. There's also a monument at the top. It is named for Prince Philopappas, who was very well loved by the people. The monument is made of marble and it's huge, so it's really nice.
The highest hill is Lycabettus, so it is quite a hike. There is a pretty chapel at the top that dates to the 1800s. The name means hill of the wolves, because it is said that wolves once roamed the top of the hill in ancient times. You can see the entire city from the top. I did not do this hike, so I can't speak on it but a lot of people do it.
There are several other hills that are smaller than these two and all of them are popular hikes. You can get some nice pictures by doing one of these.
Plaka, the Most Athens-y Part of Athens
The Plaka area of Athens is an entire experience. This is mostly a shopping area, and you will find a ton of stuff to buy here. There are also some really nice sidewalk cafes. But the entire area is absolutely beautiful. Many of the streets are marble, the architecture everywhere is beautiful, it’s really something to see.
It's really fun to be here. You will see a lot of stuff to buy, artwork on the sidewalks, street performers of all kinds, just everything. It's a great scene and it's all highly walkable. The streets are super narrow, so there isn't a ton of traffic.
I highly recommend it. When you see videos of people walking around Athens and it's all really beautiful and you’re just like “wow," those people are in Plaka.
Walking Around to See Free Stuff
Speaking of walking around in Athens, do it! For me, this is one of the best things to do in the city. Just walk around. You will go past all sorts of ancient history that’s just right on the street, you'll see amazing and interesting little shops, there will be street performers and you’ll see all kinds of other people from all over the world walking around, too.
You can see many of the most famous ruins of the city right at street level, even if you don’t pay admission to get up inside them. The Temple to Zeus, the Olympic Stadium, Hadrian’s Library, the Roman Agora, you can get a decent look at all of these without getting inside them and you can get some really incredible pictures of these areas right from the street.
Spend some time just walking around the city, and you’ll find a lot to discover.
You will certainly see street art while you’re walking around Athens. This is actually considered to be one of the main free attractions in Athens, just the street art itself, so keep your eyes peeled and get a look at it while you’re out walking around.
Honorable Mention: Churches, the More Modern Religion of Athens
There are also lots and lots of churches in Athens that have really amazing architecture. Many of these churches date to the time of the Ottoman occupation of Athens, so they were built in the 1400s to the 1800s. They’re really beautiful and you will see them everywhere as you’re exploring the city.
Churches are also free to walk inside if you want to take a better look, but you need to make sure that you’re dressed conservatively. Athens is a surprisingly conservative city. I mean considering that the ancient Greeks were as depraved and lecherous as you could ever imagine.
So, the general rule of thumb is: don’t walk into a church with bare shoulders or bare knees. Wear something long enough to cover your knees and something with sleeves enough to cover your shoulders, or wrap up in a shawl or something.
Enjoy all the free stuff you can see and experience in Athens to get more out of your trip here and make your budget go further.
I hope you’ll come back and continue having adventures with me in Athens!
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