New York to Athens from $389

🌍 About Athens

Athens is more than the Acropolis, though you should see it early before the heat and the queues. The real surprise sits on its northeast slope: Anafiotika, a knot of whitewashed cube houses with flat roofs and unnamed lanes, built in the 1800s by stonemasons from the island of Anafi who came to work on King Otto's palace and recreated their Cycladic village in the city. Eat souvlaki the way Athenians actually do — grilled meat and chips wrapped in pita, cheap and everywhere — and don't skip the central Varvakios meat-and-fish market. Come April–May or late September–October: warm, dry, and far thinner crowds. Avoid July–August, when it hits 35°C-plus, smog settles in, and locals flee to the islands. Winter is mild and the cheapest fares of all.