Athens in 3 days: a weekend for two

Then take the slow lap: the Erechtheion's carved caryatids, and views over the whole city from the edge of the rock. There is very little shade up top, so carry water and sun protection. A combined ticket covering the Acropolis and several nearby sites pays off if you'll see more than one.

In the afternoon, drift down into Plaka, whose narrow lanes and small squares turn charming as the day-trippers thin toward evening.

Its glass-walled galleries hold the sculptures and friezes taken down from the site, in air-conditioned calm, with the Acropolis itself visible through the windows above you. It is a short walk from the Acropolis entrance; budget about an hour and a half.

The Ancient Agora is quieter and greener than the Acropolis, with the Temple of Hephaestus at one end and the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos, now a small museum, at the other. Shaded paths and olive trees make it an easy midday visit, and the combined Acropolis ticket usually covers it.

Before sunset, find a rooftop bar around Monastiraki or Plaka. The skyline is low, so a few stories up gives you the whole rock as its floodlights come on.

Swap the Agora for the Monastiraki flea market, a sprawl of antiques, records and secondhand oddities spilling out from the square of the same name. It is livelier and looser, and close enough to the rooftop bars that the evening stays the same. Weekend mornings are busiest, and most stalls expect you to bargain.

Late afternoon is quiet enough to feel like your own lookout, and the summit chapel and small café give you reasons to linger.

For the last evening, take the short metro ride to Piraeus and walk Mikrolimano, the small marina where fish tavernas set tables right beside the bobbing boats. Go later, once it cools, and trade ruins for open water and the day's catch.

If a climb feels like too much on the last day, wander the National Garden behind the Greek Parliament: shaded, winding paths, small ponds and a duck pond café, right downtown. It is free, with entrances along Vasilissis Amalias and Vasilissis Sofias avenues.