Is Athens Expensive to Visit?

No, Athens is not an expensive place to visit. Recently I’ve been to Norway, Iceland, Amsterdam, Finland and Greece. Greece by far, was the cheapest place and it had the best food, I might add. Is Athens expensive? Is Greece on a whole expensive? A little bit. The fancier flashy islands like Santorini and stuff could range a little higher, but we are talking about Athens here.

In this article I am going to answer the question, how expensive is Athens. Most of the famous attractions and ancient temples and ruins are extremely affordable. When you plan your Athens itinerary, there are a few things that every traveler wants to experience in this busy city. Things like the Acropolis and the Museum. I am going to tell you how expensive each thing to do is, How expensive is food in Athens and how expensive is accommodation in Athens.

How much should I budget per day in Athens?
Budget traveler: around €50–€80 per day excluding flights.
Mid-range traveler: around €100–€180 per day.
Comfort/luxury traveler: €200+ per day.

What costs the most?
Accommodation, rooftop bars, fancy restaurants, private tours, and airport transfers.

What is cheap?
Gyros, souvlaki, bakeries, walking neighborhoods, public transport, gardens, and several ancient sites

Cost of Accommodation in Athens

There are so many Airbnbs in Athens that look great and are affordable. I stayed in an Airbnb when I was in Athens that cost $103 per night split among 5 people and it was a luxury penthouse. The average cost for a 2 bedroom Airbnb in Athens is between $70 and $150 per night. I think that is insanely cheap for a place to stay in the Capital.

I recommend staying in an Airbnb because it is cheaper than a hotel and most of the time you’ll be out of the apartment exploring anyway. To save money, just try to get something nice and central to everything in the city and that’s cheap, that’s it.

Here are the prices of some of the average and popular places to stay in Athens:

• 1. Herodion Hotel 8.9 rating – This hotel is located right next to the Acropolis, which is the main attraction in Athens, which would be convenient for you. It’s walkable to all the major sites and places to visit. There’s a rooftop terrace view of the Parthenon and it has quiet clean rooms. The price range is about €200–€250 per night for 2 guests.
• 2. Electra Rythms Athens 8.7 rating – This hotel is situated in Syntagma Square and very central for popping out for a bite to eat or to see some Ancient Greek sites. It has easy access to Plaka, Monastiraki and museums. Reviews say the customer service here is great by the way. It costs €200 per night for 2 guests.
• 3. A for Athens 9.0 rating – This hotel is located in the old town in Monastiraki Square. There’s a rooftop bar with views of the Acropolis. It’s a lively area and very close to nightlife and restaurants. It might get noisy though. The price is €188–€200 per night for 2 guests.
• 4. Athenswas Design Hotel 9.1 rating – Located in the pedestrian zone near the Acropolis on Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. As the name suggests, it’s very modern and stylish. Staying here make you feel luxurious without paying luxury prices. A night here goes for €250 per night for 2 guests.
• 5. Coco-Mat Athens BC 8.9 rating – Another hotel located near the Acropolis with modern rooms and they say they use natural materials. I don’t know what that means. There’s a rooftop pool and clean night time views of the Acropolis. There’s a gym and a proper breakfast. The price of a room here for 2 people is €232–€250 per night.

How expensive are things to do in Athens

Acropolis and Parthenon

Tickets for the Acropolis and Parthenon are €36. The Acropolis is a must see for all people visiting Athens. It’s the most popular attraction by far and it’s also relatively cheap. Book tickets online here to skip long lines and get in and out early.

The Acropolis is an ancient citadel where you can see many old ruins like the Parthenon, temple of Athena Nike, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Theatre of Dionysus and others. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site. You can take loads of pictures and videos and just immerse yourself in your Athens trip really.

Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis museum is a separate cost from the Acropolis, it doesn’t come together when you ask for an Acropolis ticket, unless you specifically buy a combo ticket. A ticket costs just $25 and it’s open from 9 am to 8 pm. Buy this ticket online also to skip the line. If you want a combo ticket, with Acropolis + Museum with audio guide, that’s $84.88. If you’re looking around for different guided tours where someone takes you through all these places and tell you about the history and everything you see, that will always vary in price. Every tour guide has their own prices based on what they think they offer.

Ancient Agora

The Ancient Agora is another one of Athens’ popular attractions and displays similar artifacts like statues, old temple ruins and a large garden. A ticket for the ancient Agora costa $13 per person online. Purchase tickets for the Agora online here. The main things you want to see in the Agora are Temple of Hephaestus, Stoa of Attalos and the Agora Museum.

The Agora is a quick and easy place to see. It never should require a guide. There are boards on most artifacts explaining what they are and how old each thing is.

The Agora is considered the birthplace of democracy and use to be the place where all the important philosophers and politicians would meet.

National Archaeological Museum

Admission for the National Archeological Museum is $14 per person. It’s open Tuesday: 1 pm to 8 pm and Wednesday – Monday: 8:30 pm to 3:30 pm. You can buy tickets for the museum online here. The NAM is one of the best museums in the world. On their website they boast having the richest collection of original artistic works of ancient Greek civilization. Lot’s of naked statues and penises.

Panathenaic Stadium

General admission tickets for the Panathenaic Stadium costs $11. This nicely shaped masterpiece is a stadium that hosted the first modern Olympics. This is a multipurpose stadium that hosts a variety of attractions and is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. The modern stadium is built in the shape of a horseshoe. The ancient stadium was constructed around 330 BC and was more of a rectangle compared to what it is today. Try to listen to the audio guide that you get with the ticket. It’s exciting to be there in person and learn about it’s history at the same time.

Zappeion Hall and Garden

This activity is 100% free! Just like many of my favorite things to do in Athens. Wander around in the gardens and just explore and take pictures of everything. The Garden is about 83000 square meters of trees. The hall itself was built in the 1800s.

Explore Plaka and Monastiraki on Foot

Probably my favorite thing to do in Athens is to just leave my Airbnb and start walking. Walking Athens is an extremely walkable city and exploring on foot is one of the best ways to see and experience everything fully. I love that you get to be involved in everything. You smell the food, hear the people, see shopping items up close, walk into the occasional bakery and cafe to sit and eat for a while. I can spend hours doing this in Athens.

Of course all of this is absolutely free. But, what you’re looking for more importantly is the cost of purchasing things around Athens. Things like coffee, pastries, food in general. I would say that Athens is an affordable city in terms of food. It costs about $3 for a baked pie pastry in Diogines Bakery. All meals are always less than $20. A Gyro or Souvlake is about $5. Coffee and beer are $4.50 to $6 depending on where you drink. Rooftop bars tend to be more expensive.

I would never have thought that a fine dining Michelin star experience, with 15 courses and wine, would cost only $118. This restaurant is called Herve. The food was impeccable, the service was equally as great and the whole thing was a proper fine dining experience. This put into perspective how cheap Athens is compared to other capital cities in Europe.

How expensive is Transport in Athens

In Athens, our usual Uber would cost about $7 per ride. That’s insanely cheap. Metro bus tickets cost $3 and the tickets can be reused more than once sometimes. If you’re taking a n airport taxi it could run you about $40. That airport taxi is probably the most relatively expensive thing in Athens. My Athens metro safety tips should help you feel at ease when taking public transport.

So, is Athens expensive for tourists? No it’s not. Even if you do all the touristy things you see online and all the attractions, it’s still cheap. I think what could potentially hike up your budget would be just eating at too much fancy restaurants. Keep it fancy only a few times or once. Other times, just eat street food. It tastes better anyway.