Kids need room to run, and this city has more green space than its concrete reputation suggests. This list covers the parks, groves, forested hills and playgrounds we'd send a family to, from shaded city gardens with swings to pine forest on the edge of town. Pack water and snacks, and go early or late on hot days.
A protected pine and cypress forest on the slopes of Mount Hymettus, crossed by footpaths, cycling routes and viewpoints, most of them north of the monastery.
At its center is Kaisariani Monastery, whose church dates to around 1100 and is painted inside with frescoes from 1682. Plane trees, poplars and an olive grove surround it, along with the old refectory and a Byzantine bath house.
Once the summer retreat of the Greek royal family, Tatoi is a protected forest of Aleppo pines, cypresses and plane trees, with 40 historic buildings spread across the grounds.
Kids can walk, bike or picnic on the trails, see the palace from outside, visit the royal cemetery, or head to the artificial Kithara lake for a view over the whole Attica basin.
Veikou Grove is a 25-hectare wooded park on the northwest slopes of the Tourkovounia hills, run by the municipality of Galatsi. Kids get playgrounds, a skateboard track, small soccer and basketball courts, and outdoor gym equipment.
The grounds also hold the municipal pool, tennis and pétanque courts, cafés, a summer cinema and an open-air theater that stages shows in summer.
Attiko Alsos spreads over two rocky hills of the Tourkovounia, replanted with pine and cypress groves on the site of old quarries. Paths for walking and running lead to viewpoints, the best facing south over Athens to Piraeus and the Saronic islands.
Kids get tennis, basketball, volleyball and 5x5 soccer courts, a playground for preschoolers, and summer shows at the open-air theater and cinema.
Goudi Park sits on the grounds of the old Goudi army barracks, now lawns, tall trees and sports grounds. Its standout is a 300-meter stream that starts as a small waterfall by the children's playground and runs north, under two wooden bridges, toward a preserved two-story building that once housed the army command.
Football fields, tennis courts and outdoor fitness equipment line the paths, which suit bikes and long walks.
Pedion tou Areos is a 27.7-hectare park of pine-shaded paths, fountains, a rose garden and a botanical garden, designed in 1934 to honor the heroes of the 1821 revolution, 21 of whom stand as marble busts.
The main playground sits under the pines at the eastern end by Protomagias Square, mostly swings and low slides. A smaller toddler playground has a play ship, swings, a slide and a seesaw.
Flisvos Park is a long stretch of seafront parkland on Poseidonos Avenue, between the beach and Flisvos Marina. Its fenced playground is split into zones by age, with bouncy castles, pirate ships, trampolines, slides and climbing frames. One 1,000-square-meter structure has ramps for children with disabilities.
Beyond the play areas are walking and cycling paths, outdoor fitness stations, basketball courts and a small wooden amphitheater.
A fenced municipal playground on Poseidonos Avenue, between Flisvos Park and the marina. It is split into six areas: a toddler zone, a big-kid zone, walking paths, a sports field with outdoor gym equipment and mini soccer and basketball courts, an 80-seat wooden amphitheater, and a canteen.
The centerpiece is a 1,000-square-meter frame of slides and lofts, alongside swings, castles, towers and boats.
The Experience Park is the first open part of the Ellinikon redevelopment, on the site of the city's old airport. Its 75 acres hold about 900 trees, 80,000 plants and three plazas.
Kids head for the Forest Playground, built from wooden climbing structures, and the Water Maze, a walk-in fountain of water jets and light. There is also a zen garden and outdoor fitness equipment.
Parnitha is the highest mountain in Attica, rising to 1,413 m at its Karavola summit, and much of it has been a national park since 1961. A network of trails and forest roads runs through Greek fir and pine forest, past springs, streams and rocky cliffs.
It is the only place in southern Greece where red deer still live wild, and over 1,000 plant species grow here.
Syngrou Estate spans about 95 hectares, most of it the Syngrou Forest: Aleppo pine and cypress, and one of the last natural forests in Attica. Tracks for running, rollerblading and cycling include a 6 km perimeter trail, alongside a football pitch, a playground and picnic spots.
Ernst Ziller designed the Syngros tower and the Gothic-style chapel of St Andrew. A Beekeeping Museum shows rare hives.
Founded in 1961 and run with the University of Athens, the Diomedes Botanical Garden holds about 3,000 kinds of plants and is a protected wildlife refuge for mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Paths wind through cultivated and wild planting and past water features.
It is a garden for walking and looking rather than a park: kids play only in the areas set aside for it.
One of the last wildlife refuges in the Athens basin, this park centers on six man-made lakes linked by an artificial canal, a stopover for water birds that lost their wetlands elsewhere.
The Hellenic Ornithological Society has recorded 175 bird species here and runs environmental programs on site. The rest is varied planting with space for long walks and bike rides.
A fenced grove of pines and cypresses planted in the 1920s, about 5 hectares of dense shade in the middle of Nea Smyrni. Kids get a playground, outdoor chess, two fountains and dovecotes housing hundreds of pigeons.
A bike lane runs the whole perimeter path, handy for scooters and first bikes. Inside there's a canteen and an open-air theater that holds about 2,500 people.
Philopappos Hill, the ancient Hill of the Muses, rises southwest of the Acropolis under pines, olives and cypresses. Stone paths and resting terraces laid by architect Dimitris Pikionis in the 1950s climb to the Philopappos Monument, the 2nd-century mausoleum of a Roman consul.
On the way, kids can look into the rock-cut caves known as the "Prison of Socrates" and stop at the small church of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris.
The National Garden is a 19th-century English-style park behind the Parliament, with winding paths, small bridges and about 6,600 trees. Kids head for the duck pond and goldfish pond, then the playground and the Children's Library. A small Botanical Museum, a sundial and Roman ruins add a little history.
Bikes and scooters can't be ridden inside, which keeps the paths calm for toddlers on foot.
Stavros Niarchos Park is the 21-hectare green space around the Renzo Piano-designed cultural center that houses the Greek National Opera and the National Library. Kids can run the Great Lawn, try the Sound Garden, find their way through the Labyrinth and play at the playgrounds.
Fountains in the seawater canal dance to music through the day. It is the world's largest public Mediterranean garden.
Kids need room to run, and this city has more green space than its concrete reputation suggests. This list covers the parks, groves, forested hills and playgrounds we'd send a family to, from shaded city gardens with swings to pine forest on the edge of town. Pack water and snacks, and go early or late on hot days.
A protected pine and cypress forest on the slopes of Mount Hymettus, crossed by footpaths, cycling routes and viewpoints, most of them north of the monastery.
At its center is Kaisariani Monastery, whose church dates to around 1100 and is painted inside with frescoes from 1682. Plane trees, poplars and an olive grove surround it, along with the old refectory and a Byzantine bath house.
Once the summer retreat of the Greek royal family, Tatoi is a protected forest of Aleppo pines, cypresses and plane trees, with 40 historic buildings spread across the grounds.
Kids can walk, bike or picnic on the trails, see the palace from outside, visit the royal cemetery, or head to the artificial Kithara lake for a view over the whole Attica basin.
Veikou Grove is a 25-hectare wooded park on the northwest slopes of the Tourkovounia hills, run by the municipality of Galatsi. Kids get playgrounds, a skateboard track, small soccer and basketball courts, and outdoor gym equipment.
The grounds also hold the municipal pool, tennis and pétanque courts, cafés, a summer cinema and an open-air theater that stages shows in summer.
Attiko Alsos spreads over two rocky hills of the Tourkovounia, replanted with pine and cypress groves on the site of old quarries. Paths for walking and running lead to viewpoints, the best facing south over Athens to Piraeus and the Saronic islands.
Kids get tennis, basketball, volleyball and 5x5 soccer courts, a playground for preschoolers, and summer shows at the open-air theater and cinema.
Goudi Park sits on the grounds of the old Goudi army barracks, now lawns, tall trees and sports grounds. Its standout is a 300-meter stream that starts as a small waterfall by the children's playground and runs north, under two wooden bridges, toward a preserved two-story building that once housed the army command.
Football fields, tennis courts and outdoor fitness equipment line the paths, which suit bikes and long walks.
Pedion tou Areos is a 27.7-hectare park of pine-shaded paths, fountains, a rose garden and a botanical garden, designed in 1934 to honor the heroes of the 1821 revolution, 21 of whom stand as marble busts.
The main playground sits under the pines at the eastern end by Protomagias Square, mostly swings and low slides. A smaller toddler playground has a play ship, swings, a slide and a seesaw.
Flisvos Park is a long stretch of seafront parkland on Poseidonos Avenue, between the beach and Flisvos Marina. Its fenced playground is split into zones by age, with bouncy castles, pirate ships, trampolines, slides and climbing frames. One 1,000-square-meter structure has ramps for children with disabilities.
Beyond the play areas are walking and cycling paths, outdoor fitness stations, basketball courts and a small wooden amphitheater.
A fenced municipal playground on Poseidonos Avenue, between Flisvos Park and the marina. It is split into six areas: a toddler zone, a big-kid zone, walking paths, a sports field with outdoor gym equipment and mini soccer and basketball courts, an 80-seat wooden amphitheater, and a canteen.
The centerpiece is a 1,000-square-meter frame of slides and lofts, alongside swings, castles, towers and boats.
The Experience Park is the first open part of the Ellinikon redevelopment, on the site of the city's old airport. Its 75 acres hold about 900 trees, 80,000 plants and three plazas.
Kids head for the Forest Playground, built from wooden climbing structures, and the Water Maze, a walk-in fountain of water jets and light. There is also a zen garden and outdoor fitness equipment.
Parnitha is the highest mountain in Attica, rising to 1,413 m at its Karavola summit, and much of it has been a national park since 1961. A network of trails and forest roads runs through Greek fir and pine forest, past springs, streams and rocky cliffs.
It is the only place in southern Greece where red deer still live wild, and over 1,000 plant species grow here.
Syngrou Estate spans about 95 hectares, most of it the Syngrou Forest: Aleppo pine and cypress, and one of the last natural forests in Attica. Tracks for running, rollerblading and cycling include a 6 km perimeter trail, alongside a football pitch, a playground and picnic spots.
Ernst Ziller designed the Syngros tower and the Gothic-style chapel of St Andrew. A Beekeeping Museum shows rare hives.
Founded in 1961 and run with the University of Athens, the Diomedes Botanical Garden holds about 3,000 kinds of plants and is a protected wildlife refuge for mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Paths wind through cultivated and wild planting and past water features.
It is a garden for walking and looking rather than a park: kids play only in the areas set aside for it.
One of the last wildlife refuges in the Athens basin, this park centers on six man-made lakes linked by an artificial canal, a stopover for water birds that lost their wetlands elsewhere.
The Hellenic Ornithological Society has recorded 175 bird species here and runs environmental programs on site. The rest is varied planting with space for long walks and bike rides.
A fenced grove of pines and cypresses planted in the 1920s, about 5 hectares of dense shade in the middle of Nea Smyrni. Kids get a playground, outdoor chess, two fountains and dovecotes housing hundreds of pigeons.
A bike lane runs the whole perimeter path, handy for scooters and first bikes. Inside there's a canteen and an open-air theater that holds about 2,500 people.
Philopappos Hill, the ancient Hill of the Muses, rises southwest of the Acropolis under pines, olives and cypresses. Stone paths and resting terraces laid by architect Dimitris Pikionis in the 1950s climb to the Philopappos Monument, the 2nd-century mausoleum of a Roman consul.
On the way, kids can look into the rock-cut caves known as the "Prison of Socrates" and stop at the small church of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris.
The National Garden is a 19th-century English-style park behind the Parliament, with winding paths, small bridges and about 6,600 trees. Kids head for the duck pond and goldfish pond, then the playground and the Children's Library. A small Botanical Museum, a sundial and Roman ruins add a little history.
Bikes and scooters can't be ridden inside, which keeps the paths calm for toddlers on foot.
Stavros Niarchos Park is the 21-hectare green space around the Renzo Piano-designed cultural center that houses the Greek National Opera and the National Library. Kids can run the Great Lawn, try the Sound Garden, find their way through the Labyrinth and play at the playgrounds.
Fountains in the seawater canal dance to music through the day. It is the world's largest public Mediterranean garden.
