Skip the crowds, catch the sunshine, see the sights: why spring is ideal for Athens

If Athens and the Acropolis are on your bucket list but you’re put off by the thought of intense heat and insane crowds, this is your sign to go right now. Because springtime is the best time to visit Athens.

Usually when I step off a plane in Athens, it’s summertime. That sort of punch-you-in-the-lungs heat that you never get in the UK. It’s always a bit of a shock to the system.

It can easily hit 40 degrees in high season Athens. And in fact the only thing saving Athens from being completely unbearable is the breeze that blows off the Aegean Sea. Many Athenians abandon the city for the islands in summer, because it’s so hot inland. That should tell you something.

My springtime experience…

Firstly, I’ve had a very decent ride with Aegean (complimentary hot Greek meal and drinks, clean A360 plane with good legroom). Arriving into Athens on easyJet is a lot less easy on the old 50-plus bod, it has to be said. I’m Aegean all the way from now on.

It’s heavenly stepping off the plane

Not unlike an early summer’s day in England – everything is warm, but has a light, green feeling. You can take a deep breath, draw in the fresh air, everything verdant and new, rather than the heat of summer when it’s all overripe, heavy and cloying like a black banana.

It’s early March and it’s the first time I’ve done Athens so early in the year. Before I even leave the runway and get into the airport I’m a convert.

First stop in my short trip is the hotel

I’m staying at the famous and beautifully elegant Hotel Grande Bretagne in Syntagma Square. One of the best five-star residences in Athens, and arguably the most famous, the hotel celebrated 150 years in 2024. It’s actually a Marriott now, but don’t let that put you off; it’s also a Luxury Collection hotel and retains its stately standing, with beautifully appointed bedrooms, excellent bars and restaurants, luxey pools and spa amenities, and that feeling I always want from a grande dame.

It has all its individual charm, great service, and feels every inch the traditional five star. My room also has a great view, plus the most exciting snackie drawer and well-stocked mini-bar I’ve seen in a hotel room for a long time. Bravo.

We arrive at the hotel in the late afternoon – there are a few of us travelling together – and once we’ve showered and changed, we’re all ready for some fun.

First things first; a drink in Alexander’s Bar at the hotel. This is a great place to start the evening – the bar and lounge are furnished with a nod to both Greek culture and the British theme of the hotel. I try not to feel too colonial.

The hotel, incidentally, has great views of the Acropolis. There’s an outdoor pool with stunning views of the hill and the buildings. Inside Alexander’s, there’s also an atrium where you can sit ‘outside’ and enjoy a peaceful oasis slap bang in the middle of one of the noisiest cities in the world. Cocktails all round, and then we’re definitely ready for some food. We head out into the Athens nightlife.

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Time for dinner and we’re off to Ergon

This is a place I’ve been wanting to visit for ages, so I’m thrilled to be at Ergon House. This isn’t just a restaurant. It’s a deli, a place to stay… a place to eat and drink and relax. The inside is set in a vast light atrium space, and the ethos is very much about local farmers and producers, seasonal foods and sustainable agriculture.

There’s even a ‘vertical orchard’ stretching up one wall of the 25-metre atrium which is worth the trip alone to have a look at. Incorporating the latest advancements in hydroponics and aquaponics, it serves as a 2.0 farming field, growing seasonal herbs such as oregano, basil, and rosemary. Unfortunately my photograph of it was awful, but you can see it on their website.

As you’d probably imagine from a place with these credentials, the food here is stunning. We pile into a range of different smaller plates; dolmades, Greek salad, khachapuri (that bread boat thing with cheese and egg in the middle), mad cheese pastries… but seeing as we’re sat right in the middle of one of the best butcheries in Athens, the obvious choice here is from the fresh meat counter.

You can pick things to eat from the deli and butchery counters – it’s an immersive eating experience – so I went for some lamb chops which were on the specials board. Sublime. And to finish off, at the insistence of the team at the restaurant, a vast quantity of local piney liqueur, Mastika, made from tree resin. This is an acquired taste, but a good digestif.

Safe to say we weren’t moving at any kind of speed after that lot, and we slid happily into digesting, chatting, and enjoying the buzz of an Athens just waking up from winter.

However, I’ll sleep when I’m dead…

I’m only in Athens for a short time so I’m making the most of it. I’ve been recommended a bar called The Bank Job. I feel it’s my duty to try it out, and my travelling chums are keen to support this noble effort. It’s only a short walk from Ergon (what did we do before Google maps?), and we’re glad we made the effort.

As you might guess, it’s in an old bank vault, with drinking spaces both inside and out, and it’s gently busy. We enjoy some really outstanding cocktails, and some freebies from the owner. I’d love to tell you his name but by this point things are delightfully hazy. Deciding to call it a night, and not ruin the next day, I slide off around 1am. Apparently I’m becoming more sensible in my advancing years.

Not sensible enough to avoid a thick head the next morning unfortunately…

But sensible enough to get up, shower, enjoy a decent breakfast and get to the Acropolis at a very reasonable hour. The site is open from 8am and I’m there before 9, because I’m wondering if there might be a bit of a queue, even at this time of the year. However, I wasn’t prepared for it to be so quiet. We paid our money, got our tickets and slipped straight through.

Once on the site I could count the number of people there on one hand. It was slightly bizarre. I’ve been before but only in summertime, which is brutal. It’s so busy you can barely see the ground under your feet for crowds around you, let alone the ancient wonders.

This, then, is possibly the best reason of all to come in springtime. Late February/early March (avoiding that sneaky half term towards the end of the month) and probably well into April is prime time if you want to really see the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and so on. Not to mention a smog-free view of the city, laid out around you. It’s breathtaking, no exaggeration. Do it.

Leaving the Acropolis we pottered down the hill

Already slowing into Greece pace – siga, siga, for those who know – which roughly means ‘slowly, slowly’. By this point it’s around 17 degrees, and the streets are littered with jolly dogs and watchful cats enjoying the gentle spring warmth. I pat a few lazily wagging curs. They sniff me hopefully for treats, and I wonder how they cope in the blazing summer heat. I guess they’re used to it. The road is cobbled and in very good nick. It’s also very clean.

Next up, the Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museum is relatively new, having opened in 2009 after a fierce architectural competition – CAD-bags at dawn, one assumes. It’s actually a lovely job, architecturally-speaking. Modern and minimalist, the design lends more than a nod to the stately Acropolis architecture on the hill behind it. And there is a lot of glass. The windows are coated and the antiquities positioned so there’s no sun damage. But the lighting throughout the building is a joy.

The museum incorporates an ancient Athenian village, built around it to both preserve and display it. Discovered during an excavation, this 4,000-square-metre insight into ancient Athenian living can be seen from the viewing platforms. And somewhat disconcertingly through the glass floors.

Upstairs you enter an extraordinary space, filled with statues and pottery findings from past civilisations, leading up to the Roman Empire. Move through and you can get up close and personal with a couple of caryatids, sculpted women who for a couple of thousand years bore the weight of the Erechtheion. And there are the strangely humbling Parthenon statues upstairs in the glass gallery. It’s quite the ride, and a must-see for archaeologist enthusiasts.

At the museum I joined a tour group

So I could traipse round and understand what I was looking at. The guide however spent half the time telling everyone how terrible the British were for stealing things. A fair point, I’ll concede, but not something I can personally fix whilst on a mini break. And her endless ranting made it impossible to enjoy the treasures. Eventually I got fed up of being told off for something I hadn’t actually done myself, and went off piste, abandoning the group. I wasn’t the only one to ditch, either.

Happier walking around at my own pace, and feeling less like a dog with its tail between its legs, I drifted through the beautiful statuary in a happy little dream. The museum is well laid out and enjoyable to walk around. But like any museum, one hits a limit eventually – or at least my lower back does – and it’s time to stop the drifting.

Thankfully, there’s a very good restaurant on site. Time for some lunch after my busy morning. Obviously the vast meal of last night and hearty breakfast of earlier haven’t quite done the trick because I’m all over this lunch like a cheap suit. Excellent wine makes my cheeks pink, and I work my way through both spanakopita and Greek salad, followed by some kind of slow cooked beef thing (not stifado) with potatoes.

I’ve impressed even myself. I’ve also knocked myself flat on my back – I grab a taxi and head back to the hotel. Time for a nap.

My ‘nap’ ends up being an all-nighter

I ended up feeling so fat and happy in bed that I stayed there. I ordered a bit of room service, and had a good night’s sleep. In the morning, we left early, and my only regret is that I didn’t get to explore the hotel further. I had wanted to swim in the pools, eat in the restaurants. But it was a flying visit, and hopefully I’ll be able to go back.

More than anything, I would urge anyone keen to see the ancient treasures of Athens to go right now, before it gets any hotter. I am here to tell you that – for this kind of experience – springtime is the best time to go to Athens.