Athens rises to the occasion

After the summer heat, this city of antiquity comes into its own. It’s cooler, calmer and well attuned to the needs of the moment, says Helen Iatrou

The Greek capital is a ghost town in August, its inhabitants decamped to the coast or to their home towns for a respite from the relentless summer heat. By September, most have returned, reinvigorating the city with the intoxicating buzz that has transformed it into one of Europe’s most visitor-friendly destinations, where ancient monuments comfortably coexist with a youthful, live-in-the-now attitude.

Athens makes an appealing city break in the current climate, in the autumn or any time. Life is lived outdoors pretty much year-round – from its historical sites and squares to its open-air restaurants and cafés. The pocket-sized city centre is easily walkable, so public transport can be avoided.

When the Acropolis reopened in midMay, along with the city’s other archaeological sites, the smart few Athenians who took the opportunity to scramble up the marble steps to the Parthenon had the fifth-century-BC monument almost completely to themselves. In the absence of cruise passengers, visitor numbers to the sacred rock dedicated to goddess Athena remain low – well below the 2,200-person limit imposed as part of Covid-19 precautions, particularly in the early morning.

Grab a sesame bagel-like koulouri for breakfast from a street vendor and arrive at 8am for the site’s opening, while it’s still comfortably cool. Book tickets online for the Acropolis (odysseus.culture.gr; open daily 8am8pm,