Athens is an ancient and grand city, there is definitely much to see there. If you visit this city with children, they would have an unforgettable experience for a lifetime from touching the mystery of past centuries. In addition, the sights of Athens will be interesting to schoolchildren, attaching them to the historical values of the past.
The locals are very sociable, kind and loyal to tourists. Many of them speak English. For 1 euro, you can buy a tourist map of Athens, where it is possible to find all the sights. In addition, there are many signs for tourists. In the center of Athens, near Monastiraki, there is a wonderful Royal Park, which will be especially interesting for small children.
If you want to sit in a cafe in an adult company, there are children’s entertainment centers everywhere. Having paid 6 euros, you can safely leave the child under the supervision of experienced “nannies”, where they will look after children and entertain them with different games. For 12 euros, you can leave the child for a few hours, if you need to go on a tour without kids, to spend time in the hairdresser’s salon or to go shopping. In order to find such centers, look for the ‘PAIDOTOPOS’ sign.
In Athens, there are many places to visit with children. In addition to the majestic ruins and museums, which, at first glance, seem to be interesting only to adults, Athens is ready to welcome kids, who love entertainment, teenagers, who respect the achievements of modern technology, and in general all children, who are ready to learn something new. To charm the children, this city has prepared many surprises, and to discover them systematically, without missing a single one, we offer you to rent a car in Athens Airport.
Syntagma Square
On the Syntagma Square, next to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, adults and children will be very interested to see the colorful guard. Men are dressed in the costumes of national soldiers, shoes are especially brightly perceived by the audience, as they look like home slippers with large pompoms, worn on white leggings.
The guards are carrying bat, like tin soldiers, and do not blink their eyes, even if a bird sits on their head. It is not recommended to take pictures with them or to talk to them, otherwise, you will be marched out from the square. By the way, you need to see the changing of the guard – a very beautiful and fascinating sight. An elite unit of infantrymen (the euzone) bear the guard. The uniform, with elements of a traditional Greek costume, was specially developed for the guard. Changing of the guard takes place every hour. On Sundays and on holidays, the ritual takes on even more solemn view, as a military musical ensemble takes part in it.
Moreover, at the Syntagma metro station, you can admire a small archaeological museum. Just getting out of the subway car, you will see amazing exhibits under the glass – this is truly the most unique subway in the world.
ALLOU FAN PARK amusement park
Leave the funniest entertainment (the Allou Fun Park amusement park) for the evening, as it is closed in the morning. Here, both kids and adults, would be cheered and given a lot of impressions. Among the entertainment – a huge Ferris wheel, roller coaster, white water rafting, racing circuit and much more.
The amusement park is divided into two parts with two different entrances – the first for older children and adults, the second – for parents with children from 2 to 10 years. Two parts of the park look almost the same – the same shooting galleries, carousels, various entertaining slides, swings, locomotives, boats and many other entertainments, but the second part is ‘in miniature’. It is especially interesting to visit the amusement park after dark, when everything is sparkling and the music is playing. It is very beautiful, your children will be delighted.
Entrance to the park is free. You enter the park, choose rides and pay for each separately – 2-3 euros. If you want to spend there the whole day with your children – you can buy a bracelet for 15 euros and visit any ride during the day.
Athens Zoo
The vacation with children in Greece, as in any other country, should include the visit to local zoo. This zoo, although relatively young, would give a head start to many European zoos. Here, a unique collection of birds is collected – after all, originally, the zoo was intended to be a bird park and a variety of birds here is amazing.
The park runs from 9.00 until late at night. Now, there are animals as well in the park. They live in spacious aviaries. In the zoo, you can see many funny scenes: how the bears splash in a pond, how a small hippo grazes gravely next to his mother, how the marmots dig their burrows. Moreover, there is even a dolphinarium here – the performances of dolphins never leave the spectators indifferent. Children will be in full delight in the zoo – crawling turtles are everywhere, shows are held, there are places to sit, relax, eat and play with the kids on the grass.
The ticket for adults costs 15 euros, for children (3-15 years) – 11 euros, visits for children younger 3 years are free. It is possible to spent literally the whole day in the zoo. You could save considerably if there are two adults and the same number of children – you will pay 48 euros, if there are two adults and three children – the ticket will cost 58 euros.
Tip: On Sunday, it’s better to come to the zoo later, as there are a lot of people before dinner, and you can stand in line for half an hour in order to just enter the zoo. It is better to choose sports clothes and footwear, as the sand is everywhere and walking will not be comfortable on high heels.
By the way, there is an interesting cave with traditional stalactites and stalagmites next to the zoo, which works until 15.00. The ticket costs 5 euros.
Planetarium
It is simply necessary to visit this planetarium with the child, because it is the pride of Athens and one of the world’s best planetariums. Here, along with the child, you will be captured by magnificent pictures in 3D format, and your impressions will not be forgotten for a long time even after your departure from Greece.
It is considered one of the world’s best planetariums in terms of technical equipment. Its main feature is a huge spherical dome, which shows films dedicated to the exploration of outer space. The diameter of the dome is 25 meters, and the surface area is over 900 square meters. Using ultra-modern digital equipment, a picture of such clarity and volume is projected onto the dome that gives the impression of flying to the stars and traveling through other planets: this result is achieved thanks to a 3D format with a 360 ° overview of the image.
The text of the film is in Greek and English, but even without the knowledge of the language, you could be impressed by the amazing video effects.
The planetarium runs daily from 9.30 to 14.30. At the weekend, it opens at 10.30 and closes at 16.30, ticket costs 6 euros.
