DAY ONE

Start your morning at the Acropolis before the crowds and heat arrive – the Parthenon’s proportions only reveal themselves properly in the early light, when the stone shifts from white to a warm honey gold. Don’t miss the Erechtheion, whose famous Caryatid porch replaces conventional columns with sculpted female figures that have stood guard over the city for two and a half thousand years, or the small but remarkably intact Temple of Athena Nike – it was from the cliff beside this spot that the mythological King Aegeus threw himself into the sea on seeing his son’s black sail, believing Theseus lost.

Walk the ancient Peripatos path around the Acropolis perimeter for panoramic views across Athens and glimpses of the lesser-known Cave of Pan and Theatre of Dionysus below – the oldest theatre in the world and the birthplace of Greek tragedy.

Time for lunch. Dionysos has long been a classic Acropolis-view address, though Thanasis near Monastiraki draws queues for some of Athens’ best souvlaki. Mani Mani presents something slightly calmer, serving traditional Peloponnesian dishes inside an elegant neoclassical building just below the Acropolis Museum.

This afternoon works well across three sites in easy walking distance of each other – the Acropolis Museum, the Ancient Agora where Socrates once taught and Plaka. The Temple of Hephaestus in the Agora is worth particular attention; unlike the Parthenon it remains largely intact, which gives a clearer picture of how these buildings originally looked and functioned.

As evening falls, the rooftop bar at A for Athens in Monastiraki is one of the city’s best places to watch the Parthenon illuminate at dusk, with uninterrupted views across the Acropolis, the National Observatory and the hillside neighbourhood of Anafiotika below. Meanwhile, Baba au Rum in Psyrri has appeared on the world’s best bar lists since 2009 and is one of the neighbourhood’s most dependable cocktail spots despite the increasingly tourist-heavy bars surrounding it.

Dinner awaits at CTC Urban Gastronomy, where Greek cooking heads in more inventive directions. Karamanlidika tou Fani, meanwhile, is hard to beat for a meze feast developed around Greece’s exceptional cured meats and regional cheeses.

DAY TWO

Begin your morning at the National Archaeological Museum, whose collection forms the foundation of how much of the ancient Greek world is understood today. The gold Mask of Agamemnon and the bronze Zeus of Artemision are among its most arresting pieces, though the Antikythera Mechanism – an ancient device capable of tracking astronomical movements with startling complexity – often leaves the strongest impression once you realise what it actually is.

Those interested in Byzantine history should continue on to the nearby Byzantine and Christian Museum, where icons, mosaics and religious artefacts trace the long transition from classical antiquity into medieval Greece.

Lunchtime beckons at Varvakios Agora, Athens’ central market, where fishmongers, butchers and spice stalls spill out beneath iron-framed ceilings that have changed very little over the years. The tiny tavernas tucked between the market counters serve some of the freshest food in the city, usually created from whatever arrived that morning from the surrounding stalls – as honest a lunch as Athens can deliver.

Your afternoon begins at Syntagma Square, where the neoclassical Parliament Building overlooks modern Athens’ busiest gathering point. Time your visit around the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the Evzones perform their highly choreographed ceremonial march each hour in traditional uniform and pom-pom shoes known as tsarouchia. The full regiment ceremony at 11am each Sunday is worth planning around if your visit allows.

From here, walk through the National Gardens towards Kolonaki for a cooler route through to the Benaki Museum, whose collection spans the full arc of Greek history through one family’s remarkable acquisitions. The Museum of Cycladic Art nearby is worth an hour for its haunting marble figurines alone – minimal, abstract forms that influenced Picasso and Modigliani in ways that become obvious once you’re standing in front of them.

As evening arrives, the kafeneio culture of Athens’ older neighbourhoods is still one of the easiest ways to observe everyday Athenian life – Greek coffee, backgammon and long conversations taking place beneath the trees well into the night. Dexameni in Kolonaki is one of the city’s best-known examples, particularly once locals begin gathering around the outdoor tables after dark.

For dinner, Spondi’s Michelin-starred garden restaurant in Pangrati is the city’s most established fine dining address – French technique applied to exceptional seasonal produce, in a courtyard that earns the taxi ride across the city. Kuzina on Adrianou Street serves inventive Greek cooking with rooftop views across the Ancient Agora. Family run Oineas in Psyrri is a more casual encounter – regional dishes and home-style cooking made for sharing slowly over several hours beneath vintage posters and patterned tiles.

DAY THREE

Your final morning is best spent leaving the city behind for a while. The coastal drive to Cape Sounion follows the Athens Riviera past marinas, small beaches and steep limestone cliffs before eventually arriving at the Temple of Poseidon, positioned high above the Aegean at the southernmost point of the Attica peninsula – where Lord Byron carved his name into the marble during his Grand Tour in the early 19th century.

If time allows, stop first at Lake Vouliagmeni, a geologically heated mineral-rich lake hidden between pine trees and limestone rock, where small fish nibble at the skin in a natural treatment that has been drawing Athenians here since antiquity – helped along by the fact the water stays warm enough year-round to make even winter swims somewhat tempting.

A special lunch at Ithaki in Vouliagmeni, perched on a clifftop above Astir Beach, with a menu that moves between fresh seafood, French technique and subtle Japanese influences – the kind of place Athenians bring friends they want to impress. Akrotiri nearby keeps things more relaxed, with long seafood meze meals that have no real urgency to end.

Afternoon adventures continue with a swim at one of the nearby coves before continuing down towards Sounion. The coastline here sits apart from central Athens, with walking paths and rocky swimming spots appearing unexpectedly between the beaches and headlands.

Early evening is best spent at the Temple of Poseidon, where timing your arrival carefully rewards you with one of the finest sunsets in Attica. As the light drops across the water, the Doric columns take on the same warm honey tones as the Parthenon marble back in Athens – only here the setting feels far more exposed, with sea, wind and open horizon in every direction.

For your farewell dinner, head back to the city, where Varoulko Seaside in the Mikrolimano marina at Piraeus makes a fitting final meal. Chef Lefteris Lazarou became the first Greek chef to receive a Michelin star in 2002 and has been celebrating the catch of the day, served overlooking the fishing boats, ever since. Strofi at the foot of the Acropolis has been open since 1975 – Nureyev and Maria Callas once dined here after performances at the nearby Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and the rooftop terrace offers one of the closest dining views of the illuminated Parthenon in the city. Or the Old Tavern of Psaras in Plaka, established in 1898 and still operating in the same vine-covered building on the Acropolis slopes – Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and George Seferis among the guests who have eaten here over the years.

Travel/weather note: Summer temperatures in Athens can become intense by mid-afternoon, particularly around exposed archaeological sites, so light, breathable clothing, water and a slower pace during the hottest hours make a considerable difference. If your visit coincides with the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, which runs through the summer months, performances inside ancient theatres are worth planning around.