Things to do in Athens

Three days. One for the Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Ancient Agora and Plaka. One for the National Archaeological Museum and Kerameikos cemetery. A third for a day trip to Cape Sounion (Temple of Poseidon) or Aegina island. Add another for hiking up Mount Lycabettus and exploring Exarcheia.

The Acropolis at opening time (8 a.m.) before the cruise crowds arrive — climb via the Areopagus rock for the dramatic angle, see the Parthenon, the caryatids of the Erechtheion and the Theatre of Dionysus on the way down. Continue straight to the Acropolis Museum for the full context.

Exarcheia for anarchist street art, indie bookshops and political graffiti — Greece's bohemian heart. Koukaki south of the Acropolis is the gentrified-but-still-real neighbourhood (Veikou street). Anafiotika is a Cycladic-style village pocket inside Plaka; walk up the steps from the Roman Agora.

Souvlaki (skewer of meat in a pita) from Kostas or Thanasis. Mezze at a meyhane in Psiri — taramasalata, fava, octopus. Gyros for late-night. Frappé coffee at any kafenio. Tsipouro (clear grape spirit) with cold cuts. Bougatsa (sweet custard pie) for breakfast.

Three metro lines all clean and modern (line 1 to Piraeus is the airport-piraeus combo). Trams along the coast. The walkable centre is compact — Acropolis to Syntagma in 20 minutes. Avoid driving (taxis are cheap when you need them). Walking up Lycabettus or the funicular for sunset is essential.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre south of the centre — Renzo Piano's huge cultural complex with the national opera and library, a long shallow canal running through it and a green roof you can walk up. Free events most evenings. Tram T6 from Syntagma takes 25 minutes.