With kids · Athens · Greece
Athens with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Calidius, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Athens suits children who enjoy stories of gods and heroes: the Acropolis Museum's glass floors, sprinting on the Panathenaic Stadium track and the Evzones' slow-motion guard change all appeal. Summer heat is the main challenge, so plan the ruins for early morning and give afternoons to the National Garden, the Stavros Niarchos park or the beach. Top picks: Acropolis Museum, Panathenaic Stadium and Changing of the Guard at Syntagma. Families usually base themselves in Koukaki and Makrygianni.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Koukaki and Makrygianni
- Rainy-day options
- 1
- Busiest months
- June–July
Best things to do with kids
Museum · Makrygianni
1.Acropolis Museum
Bernard Tschumi's glass-and-concrete museum stands about 300 metres from the Acropolis over excavated ancient streets, visible through glass floors. The top-floor Parthenon Gallery lays out the surviving frieze in the same orientation as the temple, with plaster casts marking the pieces held in London, and five of the original Caryatids stand together on the first floor.
Visit after the Acropolis, when you can match the sculptures to the places you have just seen, and have a drink on the café terrace facing the Parthenon.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Kids
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Landmark · Pangrati
2.Panathenaic Stadium
This horseshoe stadium, built entirely of marble, was restored on its ancient site for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. You can walk or run the track, sit in the royal seats and see a small exhibition of Olympic torches and posters. It is still the finish line of the Athens Marathon.
The audio guide comes with the ticket; children love sprinting down the track, and the top rows give a view to the Acropolis.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- History
- Iconic
- Active
Experience · Syntagma
3.Changing of the Guard at Syntagma
Evzones of the Presidential Guard, in pleated kilts, tasselled caps and pom-pom clogs, stand at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier below the Hellenic Parliament. The guard changes every hour in a slow, high-stepping ceremony, and a larger ceremony with a band takes place on Sunday mornings.
Stand at the top of the steps on the square opposite for the clearest view, and arrive a few minutes before the hour.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Iconic
- History
Garden · Syntagma
4.National Garden
Queen Amalia's 19th-century royal garden behind the Parliament is a shaded park of about 15 hectares, with palms, ponds of turtles and ducks, a small animal enclosure and a children's library. It leads on to the Zappeion hall and towards the Panathenaic Stadium.
Use it as a shady route between Syntagma and the Panathenaic Stadium on hot afternoons.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Architecture · Kallithea
5.Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
Renzo Piano's complex near the coast south of the centre houses the Greek National Opera and the National Library of Greece beneath a huge solar canopy, with a sloping park, a long canal and a rooftop Lighthouse looking towards the Acropolis and the sea. The park, canal and terraces are free to visit.
Go in the late afternoon, walk up to the Lighthouse for sunset, then stay for a drink by the canal or an evening performance.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Kids
- Views
- Outdoors
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Historic site · Thiseio
6.Ancient Agora and Temple of Hephaestus
The marketplace and civic heart of classical Athens, where Socrates taught, is now a shaded archaeological park. The Doric Temple of Hephaestus on its western hill is one of the best-preserved Greek temples anywhere, and the rebuilt Stoa of Attalos houses a museum of everyday finds, from voting shards to a child's potty.
Enter from Adrianou Street in Monastiraki and climb to the Temple of Hephaestus for a view of the Acropolis across the Agora.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Outdoors
- Kids
Rainy-day ideas
- Acropolis Museum — Visit after the Acropolis, when you can match the sculptures to the places you have just seen, and have a drink on the café terrace facing the Parthenon.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples, families and quiet stays
Koukaki and Makrygianni
South of the Acropolis, Makrygianni holds the Acropolis Museum and the pedestrian Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade, while Koukaki behind it is a calm residential grid of cafés, bakeries and good-value apartments. Both are a short walk from the Acropolis's main gate and Philopappos Hill, with Akropoli and Syngrou-Fix metro stations close by.
- Good
- Shortest walk to the Acropolis entrance; Local cafés and bakeries; Quiet nights
- Watch out
- Fewer late-night options; Hilly streets towards Philopappos
- Nearby
- Acropolis Museum, Acropolis, Philopappos Hill, Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Family travel tips
- Children often get free or reduced entry at state sites and museums; carry passports as proof of age.
- Strollers struggle on the Acropolis and the marble paths, so bring a baby carrier for the ruins.
- The tram to the coast is an easy outing, with beaches and playgrounds along the seafront at Palaio Faliro.
- Pack hats, sunscreen and water; shade is scarce at archaeological sites from May to September.
- Greek families eat late, and children are welcome in tavernas well after 10pm.
Day trips for families
- Aegina (About 40–75 minutes by ferry) — The closest of the Saronic islands is known for its pistachios, a harbourfront of fishing boats and the Temple of Aphaia on a pine-covered hilltop.
- Nafplio and Epidaurus (About 2–2.5 hours by bus) — Greece's first capital after independence has Venetian mansions, marble-paved streets and the Palamidi fortress at the top of a long stone stairway.
- Corinth Canal and Ancient Corinth (About 1–1.5 hours by train or car) — The 6.4 km canal, cut through solid rock and opened in 1893, has sheer walls up to about 90 metres high; you can look straight down from the bridge at Isthmos.
When to go with children
The best months overall are April–June and September–October. June–July are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Athens good for kids?
Athens suits children who enjoy stories of gods and heroes: the Acropolis Museum's glass floors, sprinting on the Panathenaic Stadium track and the Evzones' slow-motion guard change all appeal. Summer heat is the main challenge, so plan the ruins for early morning and give afternoons to the National Garden, the Stavros Niarchos park or the beach.
+What can kids do in Athens?
Acropolis Museum, Panathenaic Stadium, Changing of the Guard at Syntagma, National Garden and Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
+Where should families stay in Athens?
Koukaki and Makrygianni: Residential streets with cafés beside the Acropolis Museum.