10 Things to Do in Athens on a Small Budget

Getting around with OASA, the Athens public transit network, is a fantastic way to see the entire city without spending a great deal of money. It's among the largest mass transit systems in Greece and consists of a bus network, streetcar system, Metro line and suburban rail system. A single ticket covers the entire system and is valid for any number of trips for 90 minutes. Students and seniors get a discount.

You can also purchase a day pass, a 3-day ticket or a 5-day ticket to give you unlimited use of the transportation system. It is incredibly reliable, covers the city and many outlying neighborhoods, and costs far less than taxi cabs or rideshares.

The Athens Card is a gateway to seeing tons of local historic sites, museums and tours, and offers steep discounts on many local attractions and restaurants. The card comes in 3 levels: bronze, silver and gold. All offer free entrance to the Acropolis and its museum, 3 city sightseeing tour hop-on/hop-off lines, and discounts (10% bronze, 15% silver, 20% gold) on many popular land tours in the greater region.

At the higher levels, you get such features as unlimited public transportation, dinner shows with live music, and other perks. The top level gives you access to a full day cruise, a day tour to Delphi or a day tour to Mycenae and Epidaurus (your choice).

The Athens Free Walking Tour is a popular way to see the city and hear about more than 4,000 years of history and tales that aren't in guidebooks. This modern metropolis is a thriving national capital, but it's also the home of ancient deities like its namesake Athena and great heroes like Theseus. This city has been called the Cradle of Western Civilization, and a free tour with an expert English-speaking guide gives you an inside look at its deep and wondrous legacy as well as showing you many hidden gems other tours overlook.

The tour takes a leisurely 2 hours to complete. It sets off just a 10-minute bus ride south of the city centre.

The Parthenon is one of the most iconic structures in all of Greece, a vast temple dedicated to Athena that was completed in 438 BCE. It has served as the treasury of the Athenian empire, a place of worship and even the site of a battle that saw the temple nearly destroyed in the Middle Ages. It's among the most complete Greek temples surviving from the ancient world, largely due to restoration and preservation efforts that began in 1975 and are continually ongoing.

Tours carry varying costs depending on what's involved and whether they are fully guided. None are exceptionally expensive, however. It's about a 15-minute bus ride south of the city centre.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, more properly called the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation, and colloquially called the Mētrópolis, is the cathedral seat of the Archbishopric of Athens and Greece. This historic church dates to Christmas Day 1842 and was constructed using marble from 72 demolished churches. Construction took 20 years to complete. Today it is a major landmark of the city and the site of weddings, funerals and important religious ceremonies. It also houses many historic reliquaries, icons, paintings and other artwork.

You can take guided tours of the church or explore it on your own. It's only a 10-minute bus ride south of the city centre, but it is a functioning church so visitors should be respectful.

Filopappou Hill is a green area and monument that is a favorite viewpoint promenade of locals and visitors alike, offering astounding historic and panoramic views of the city. From this promenade, you can capture views of the Acropolis, the city below, the Aegean Sea and the surrounding regions. While here, you can also see ancient structures, carvings, statues and artwork. The walk up the hill is along a scenic paved path where some of the great speakers and philosophers of the ancient world once trod.

You can take a guided tour of the hill or just climb the path to enjoy the site yourself. It's easy to reach, only about a 20-minute walk southwest from central Athens.

The changing of the guards at the Greek Parliament building is a sight to behold, on par with those of the Vatican and Buckingham Palace and taking place hourly. The ceremony occurs before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which honors those who bled or died in service but are nameless in the rolls of history. This monument was dedicated on National Day in 1932. The guards are forbidden to talk or move except during the hourly change.

After witnessing the changing of the guard, you can tour the Parliament house. Highlights include stunning stained glass, an amphitheatrical main chamber and historic rooms, all inside a gorgeous neoclassical building that's just 8 minutes south of the city centre.

Lake Vouliagmeni is in the heart of the Athenian Riviera and offers idyllic surroundings with brackish waters caused by rare geological phenomena, fed by the ocean and hot springs. The lake is surrounded by lush vegetation, and features vast underwater tunnels. These tunnels are one of the lake's famed features, and you can tour them to see an amazing aquatic paradise with tons of unique and unusual organisms, including molluscs, sponges and a type of sea anemone unique to this area.

You can take a spa trip to bathe in the refreshing mineral waters that are reputed to have healing properties. It's about 30 minutes south of the city centre.

The Monastiraki Flea Market in the city centre is a great spot to catch local color while exploring a grand bazaar and market with local arts, crafts, food and fun. It becomes a typical flea market on Sundays when locals sell their secondhand wares, but most days it's a vast open-air shopping area with conventional shops selling souvenirs, costume jewelry, arts and crafts made by local artisans from paintings and drawings to woodworks and icons. You can also find modern treasures here like brand-name clothes, CDs, 1st-edition books and others.

At this vibrant bazaar, the biggest trick is telling what's fake from what's real. It's a fun opportunity to window shop, and you might even find a hidden treasure.

Gyros and souvlaki in Athens are a staple of local cuisine and are arguably the 2 most iconic Greek dishes you can try while on your vacation sojourn here. Fortunately, this lamb-on-pita dish with creamy tzatziki sauce and its marinated meat-skewer companion can be found on almost every street corner in the city. Both are, essentially, the Greek version of fast food. Some of the most popular spots to grab these delicious dishes include Savvas, Bairaktaris Taverna, Lefteris o Politis, Smile Restaurant, Prodorpion and O Thanasis.

The big difference between gyros and souvlaki is that gyros are typically made with sliced meat from a rotisserie, while souvlaki are broiled on a skewer. To get the full Greek experience, try both!