Senior travel: Athens
An easier pace for an older traveller: how many stops fit in a day, which places are step-free, and what the guide says about getting around, medicines and stairs.
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Pace for a day
About 2 stops a day. 5 h out − 45 min rest, divided by an average visit of 97 min (from this city’s guide) + 30 min to move.
Places, easiest access first
- Temple of Olympian ZeusThe guide has no step-free answer for this one · about 35 min
- Panathenaic StadiumThe guide has no step-free answer for this one · about 60 min
- Ancient AgoraThe guide has no step-free answer for this one · about 90 min
- Mount LycabettusThe guide has no step-free answer for this one · about 90 min
- Acropolis MuseumThe guide has no step-free answer for this one · about 105 min
- AcropolisThe guide has no step-free answer for this one · about 120 min
- National Archaeological MuseumThe guide has no step-free answer for this one · about 180 min
Getting around in Athens
The ancient sites are the hard part: uneven marble, steps and slopes at the Acropolis, Agora and Kerameikos. The Acropolis has a lift for visitors with reduced mobility that needs advance arrangement; the modern city (metro, trams, malls) is reasonably step-free.
- Pavements:
- Narrow and often blocked by parked scooters and café tables in the centre; Plaka's lanes are stepped and cobbled.
- Metro and tram:
- Newer stations (lines 2 and 3) have lifts; older line 1 stations vary — check the station before relying on it.
- Ancient sites:
- Uneven, polished marble; the Acropolis lift needs a phone call or email ahead to arrange.
- Toilets:
- Accessible toilets in malls, museums and larger hotels; rare at street level in Plaka.
Medicines and health on the ground
The Greece guide lists no medicine paperwork. Check the official customs page for your medicines.
More: how much medicine to pack, medicine times across time zones.
Ask your insurer
Age limits and prices differ by policy and the guides do not hold them, so put these to the insurer before you buy.
- What is the oldest age the policy covers, at purchase and on the last day of the trip?
- Does the price or the cover change after a certain age?
- Are existing conditions covered, and what must be declared?
- Does the cover include medical evacuation and trip interruption?
Not medical advice. This page does not know anyone’s health. Ask a doctor before the trip, and carry a list of medicines and conditions.