Introduction
In this article we will talk about 10 Fun Things to Do with Kids in Athens. This is based on our experience what we had fun with and think it may be worth trying out while you are visiting or living in Athens. We will be breaking down the places by three factors:
- Cost
- Location
- Accessibility
- Entertainment value
- Overall experience
- Pros
Me and my wife have been travelling around the world the past 10 years. We currently live in both the US and Europe in particular Florida and Athens. We are both foodies and have 2 kids at a young age. So one of the most challenging things we always found was keeping the entertained and doing outings that we can share with them rather than going alone in a place like adults.
I have tried to keep this as concise as possible if you feel I should add more details one each section please let me know. Some of the pricing that is listed below may change so I suggest you always check the venues for more details on pricing before going. I’m going to link on each venue the details of their homepage so you can dig in as much as you want for pictures, times and pricing.
Allou Fan park
Cost
The cost is pretty average here it really depends on how many children you have. Overall with food passes and games you should be looking to spend on average approximately 20 euros per person.
Location
The location is fairly central in Piraeus. Depending on where you live public transportation may not be sufficient and you may need a car.
Accessibility
The accessibility is good there’s parking offered by the Theme park also it’s fairly easy to get there if you are following the public roads.
Entertainment value
The entertainment value for this is great. My kids simply love it, there’s a special park even for kids within the main park for ages up to 4 years old. So do not hesitate to take your toddler there too.
Overall experience
Overall I think this is a solid choice if you haven’t been it’s definitely worth going too.
Pros
- Good amount of theme park games
- Covers all ages starting at 2
- Good cleanliness (at least during Covid)
The official page can be found here.
Public Parks
Cost
The parks are completely free but usually around the area there are cafes and ice cream places where you can easily walk too so the cost entirely depends on you if you would like to pack your own food it would be free.
Location
Various locations pretty much in most neighborhoods of Athens.
Accessibility
Usually accessibility is good for parks because there’s a lot of locations.
Entertainment value
This entirely depends on your kids if they are social and enjoy playing with other kids they will have fun. My kids are very social so we love going to parks it’s at the top of our list.
Overall experience
I think this is the best value for your money and it’s something you can do as frequent as you want, especially if you are packing your own meals.
Pros
I list those in my conclusion paragraph here.
Attica Zoological Park
Cost
This can be pretty expensive if you have a family you can buy a family ticket pack which will run you approximately 60-70euros.
Location
The location is a bit off Athens so you will need a car to get there.
Accessibility
The Zoo is easily accessible with plenty of parking.
Entertainment value
My kids love the Zoo I believe it’s a good entertainment value since there’s a lot of diversity and things to see. Also from an educational point of view it’s good as the kids get to learn more stuff about animals.
Overall experience
The overall experience is generally good if you have some form of transportation. One thing I would recommend if the day is hot to go early to avoid the Sun.
Pros
- Has good educational factor
- Open environment which is good for these difficult Covid times
The official page can be found here.
National Park
Cost
There’s no cost here you may want to budget some money for getting drinks around the national park.
Location
The location is very central and easy to get too with public transportation.
Accessibility
Accessibility is good but do not plan to drive there as parking can be challenging. You’d have to find paid parking near it. If you are in the center it’s always easier to just go there with a Taxi or the Metro.
Entertainment value
This is more of a relaxed thing you will be doing with your family, it’s more of a nice walk to see things. Do not expect anything similar to Allou fan park for example.
Overall experience
Overall if you are in a mood for doing something relaxed and happen to be in the center this is a good idea.
Pros
- Open area
- Open for a lot of hours a day, flexible for your schedule
- Relaxed environment
The official page can be found here.
Farmaroo
Cost
The cost is a bit on the cheaper side so it would run you approximately 10euros per person really young kids do not pay.
Location
The location is off the center and you would need a car to get there.
Accessibility
It’s fairly remote location but there’s parking once you get there so that would not be an issue, expect some off-roading and curves on the drive to it.
Entertainment value
I believe the entertainment is fairly short and timed. Sure there’s events happening but the area is generally not that big. I also noticed some of the animals are not treated well so I was a bit disappointed at that. I’m not sure if this was situational or just an on-going thing but since I love animals I was a bit sensitive to it.
Overall experience
Overall if you are in for an adventure and want to enjoy a drive out there it may be worth doing. It’s definitely nice scenery and if you see it as a package I would still try it at least once.
Pros
- Scenic drive there
- Pretty fast to get in and out no wait or lines
Botanical Gardens
Cost
The cost for this is free as it’s a government owned. This may change in the future though I’ll try to keep this guide up to date.
Location
The location is fairly central and in a good spot so if you are in Athens you can go to it.
Accessibility
It’s very accessible you can use buses or metros to get to it.
Entertainment value
I personally like plans and nature so do my kids apparently. Even though it may seem boring I think you need to try it out as they may enjoy it!
Overall experience
Overall it’s a relaxed experience don’t expect any thrills but sometimes this is what you really want to do.
Pros
- Education factor for kids learn about plants
- Interesting for adults too
The official page can be found here.
Benaki Toy Museum
Cost
This will run you approximately 10 euros per person I think it’s a fair price for what you get to see. Kids may get a discount or be lower.
Location
Central the location is great if you live in Athens, if you are in the outskirts it may be a bit more tricky.
Accessibility
Accessibility is very good you can use the metro or a bus to get to it. I sometimes prefer taxi’s for that specific part of Athens as the traffic may be low at certain hours.
Entertainment value
This is very educational and relaxed experience. The kids will find it intriguing but if you go there more than once they may get bored of it but it’s definitely worth going once.
Overall experience
Overall I think this is a must try if you haven’t been before. It’s something unique that you can’t experience elsewhere and a lot of the things in there are fun to see even as an adult.
Pros
- Fun for adults and kids too, unique experience
- Very well maintained and organized to get around
The official page can be found here.
Beaches
Cost
Most beaches in Greece are public and completely free, typically you may rent an umbrella but that’s optional. Most public beaches let you pay for just your coffee or whatever you buy and don’t charge you anything extra for your umbrella on weekends it’s typical that you will have to pay for both. There are also private beaches which you need to pay an entrance fee and then things are free inside except your food and beverages.
Location
Most are in the southern part of Athens around the sea coast and generally easily accessible. If you want to go to the more distant scenic ones you need to drive there with your car.
Accessibility
Parking is pretty easy most of the times, if you go in the peak of summer and late you may have difficulty finding parking so I always recommend trying to be at the beach no later than 10:30. In any case you don’t want to go much later if you have kids as the sun is very strong.
Entertainment value
The beach is a lot of fun you can play ball, build sand castles, swim, rent paddle boards, do water sports such as ski, tubes or even rent water bicycles etc.
Overall experience
Overall it’s a great experience but do go prepared don’t just show up there. If you are a bigger family I recommend going to one of the organized beaches as it will make your life easier in terms of getting in and out and finding amenities such as bathrooms and restaurants.
Pros
- Combine fun with physical activity for both adults and kids
- Nice vibe and keeping healthy vitamin D levels
There’s no particular place I would link too but there’s some nice public beaches I will list here:
- Sounio Beach (requires car or arranged bus transport)
- Legrena Beach (requires a car)
- Lagonisi Beach
And some organized beaches:
- Voula
- Grand resort Lagonisi
- Varkiza Yabanaki Beach
Panathinaic Stadium
Cost
The admission for adults will run you about 5 euros per person and for kids it’s completely free (this may change).
Location
Central location easy to get too
Accessibility
Very accessible by all sorts of transportation you can take a taxi, bus, metro or even drive there, do not plan on driving as parking is very difficult there.
Entertainment value
Nice open area where kids can run and learn some stuff about where the Olympics were being done in ancient Greece.
Overall experience
Overall it’s a relaxed outing which you can let your children run around and see the area. This is not an excursion you can repeat easily as they will get bored out of it. But it’s definitely worth seeing at least once.
Pros
- Unique design and build
- Educational and relaxed environment
- Can easily go to other venues near by after
The official page can be found here.
Happy Train
Cost
This is fairly inexpensive prices for your kids are around 3 euros and for adults 5 euros.
Location
It can’t get anymore central this is it’s in a great spot.
Accessibility
Very accessible by all sorts of transportation you can take a taxi, bus, metro or even drive there. There’s a lot of parking lots in the area that you can pay for.
Entertainment value
My kids absolutely love this as cheesy as it may seem. Basically you get to ride around Athens in a fun way and do people watching the fact that it passes through so many people keeps their excitement factor high up.
Overall experience
Overall if you have not done this I highly recommend it. It’s one of those things that you can do over and over in repeat and the kids will love it. The reason for this is that there’s a lot of things happening and they change every time you go for the ride.
Pros
- Unique experience every time
- Easy to hop on and ride
The official page can be found here.
Conclusion
My personal favorite is surprisingly the public parks. I like it for various reasons listed below:
- It’s in an open area so these days with the risk of Covid and other viruses the risk of transmission is lower
- The kids have freedom to move around as they wish
- They get to interact with other kids and socialize
- As adults we get to socialize too
- It’s free who doesn’t like free stuff right?
- You can bring your own food
- There’s no set times you can go whenever you want (ideally not with sun)
Another honorable mention for me is the Happy Train and the National park for the reasons mentioned above.
If you have any questions, comments below I check periodically and try to answer them in the priority they come in.
Also if you have any corrections please do let me know and I’ll update the article with new updates or mistakes I did.
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Which is your favorite venue in Athens for kids?