• Book an e-ticket first, even on free weekdays: entry is by online ticket only, through the main gate on Iera Odos, and one ticket covers up to 5 people
• Closed on high fire-risk days: at fire risk level 4 or 5 the garden shuts (at level 4 only the snack bar area by the entrance stays open), so check the day's fire map before going
• No balls, bikes or dogs: strollers are fine, kids under 15 must stay with an adult, and mosquito repellent is recommended

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.