Climb Lycabettus hill
Legend has it that the hill was created from a rock dropped by the goddess Athena who wanted to build a temple as close as she could to the heavens. The walk will take around 20 minutes, with rewards of panoramic views across to the Acropolis and the sea beyond.

Watch the changing of the guard
In Syntagma Square. The Evzone guards, who wear pleated skirts, long socks and bobbles on their shoes, goose-step past each other in a 15-minute changing of the guard ceremony that takes place in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the parliament building.

Wander the bazaar in Monastiraki
The 19th-century covered market houses regiments of butchers’ counters and marble shelves of ice-coated fish, while outside, alleys reminiscent of an oriental souk are stacked with highly-specialised stalls selling anything from pistachios to buckets of olives and slabs of cheese.

Acropolis views at Thissio
Sit, relax and enjoy one of the best views of the Acropolis from the large pedestrianised square on the corner of Apostolou Pavlou, in Thissio. The rock of the Acropolis rises above the trees, crowned by the Parthenon, and looks at its best in the golden, late-afternoon light.

The national gardens
Take refuge in the shade of the 15-hectare national gardens, once the private gardens of the presidential palace, and stocked with plants from all over the world. Rest and picnic on one of the numerous benches or stroll past tall date palms and ponds filled with ducks and terrapins.