10 Best Family Things to Do in Athens

Astir Beach (Παραλία Αστέρας) offers a vast stretch of crystal-clear turquoise waters and soft white sand at a private beach club that's loaded with amenities. Athens has beaches aplenty to enjoy on your family holiday, and Astir is one of the best. If you've spent several days museum hopping or viewing historic sites, catching some rays on the shore is a great way to recharge the batteries. Astir Beach is a private beach club, which means it carries a cost, but the amenities make up for it in a big way.

Also on the beach, you'll find the Temple of Apollo Zoster with elegant thrones and marble altars. It's about 30 minutes south of the city centre.

Allou! Fun Park is among the most popular family destinations in Athens with tons of classic theme park fun from rides and games to carnival eats and entertainment. You can experience a 4D theatre, ride a wild mouse coaster, enjoy water rapids and ride a gigantic Ferris wheel. You can experience a bone-chilling haunted house, or for the littlest ones, Kidom has unique games and activities just for younger children. You'll also experience live concerts and shows, and when it's time to eat, you can choose from tons of cafes and restaurants in the park.

This is a vast, classic amusement park with all the amenities. It's only 10 minutes south of the city centre.

The Museum of Illusions Athens is a branch of an international museum dedicated to engaging and fooling the senses with science, biology, psychology and maths. You'll be educated and amazed when you find yourself standing on solid ground yet floating in thin air, exploring rooms where the entire world spins and you don't know which way is up, and experiencing a place where you seem to be stuck to the ceiling. Every room here seems in some way to challenge or violate the laws of physics, and it's all wildly fun.

Every exhibit here is interactive in some way, making it ideal for kids to engage their creativity. It's also right in the city centre.

The National Garden is a lovely, peaceful spot to reconnect as a family among 500 species of plants from all over the world, plus a mini zoo and playground. The park also features 2 duck ponds where you can walk along the shores or just sit in peace by the serene waters. Many locals enjoy coming here for picnics, to go jogging and hiking, or to kick back with a good book.

Speaking of books, the gardens also feature a children's library that has reading rooms, music rooms, a film room and even a fairy tale room. This spot will let the kids' imaginations run wild. It's in the heart of the city centre.

PLAYMOBIL FunPark Athens is the ultimate play park for young children, featuring rides, games and the chance to create their own PLAYMOBIL adventures. Kids can interact with life-size PLAYMOBIL figures at the entrance of the playground representing pirates, knights, princesses, fairies, monsters and even the great mythological figures of Greece from heroes to gods and goddesses. Kids can enter life-sized castles featuring dragons and knights. They can explore pyramids or police stations, visit toy farms and have all sorts of imaginary adventures.

Kids are always supervised by trained staff, so it's completely safe. Book tickets in advance, as it gets crowded. The park is 30 minutes south of the city centre.

The Museum Ship Averof is a floating naval museum where you can climb aboard a battleship that was once the crown jewel of the Greek Navy and explore naval history. This battleship served in both World Wars between 1910 and 1952. It saw the Balkan Wars and helped transport refugees in 1922. It's one of the only armoured cruisers in the entire world. It was once affectionately called Barba Yiorgis, or Papa George, in honour of its emotional significance to Greece.

This is your chance to see an undefeated juggernaut in naval history up close. You can explore the entire ship, fore to aft, bridge, stores and engine room. It's only 15 minutes south of the city centre.

A children's tour of the Acropolis allows you to see one of the most important historical sites in the entire world and experience a museum dedicated to its archaeological excavation. The Acropolis dates to the 5th century BCE and is an ancient citadel overlooking Athens. You'll see temples to ancient gods, the Odeon of Herodes, the Theatre of Dionysus and many other iconic sites, including the Parthenon. Just next door is the Acropolis museum, and a combined tour is available to explore both. Kids love this spot for the scale model of the Acropolis built from LEGOs.

You can also see the excavation of an ancient neighbourhood through a glass floor. It's 10 minutes south of the city centre.

Adventure Park in Malakasa offers tons of opportunities for outdoor adventure with climbing, flying, crawling and swinging through a verdant canopy at various heights for different ages. The highest point in the park, best for teens and adults, rises to 15 metres. Various routes here are marked for different difficulty and skill levels, so even beginners can get a pulse-pounding thrill. From rope climbs to zip lines, extreme adventure options here are nearly endless. Staff members are on hand to train and help little kids make the most of their fun.

The park is great for kids as young as 3, and safety is always paramount. It's about a 30-minute drive south of the city centre.

The Ellinikon Experience Park offers more than 70,000 square metres of urban park space with places to hike, run, play and get wet in the summer. This vast urban park offers endless green space and a delightful water maze where you can dance, run and play as you try to find your way through an interactive fountain that shoots up hundreds of water jets. You can connect with nature as you play and escape in a forest playground area. At the Zen garden, you can awaken your senses and reconnect with the world. The outdoor fitness area lets you work out in the forest.

The park offers exciting experiences for everyone. It's 15 minutes south of the city centre.

Aquapolis Athens is a thrilling water park that offers everything from relaxing beaches to soaking-wet thrill rides and has something for every age. The King Cobra slide is a scary water slide that takes you into the maw of a giant serpent. The Adrenaline Speed Zone is filled with rip-roaring water slides that will have you rocketing around curves and racing down chutes. The Beach lets you kick back and relax, while the Family Adventure Zone offers splash-able fun for family members of every age from 1 to 100.

You can book your tickets online for ultimate convenience and to beat the lines at the gate. It's about 27 minutes south of the city centre.