Day trip in Athens

The flight that lands in Athens originates where?

The flight out of Athens goes to...?

Depending on what that is will affect what procedural formalities you will have to clear on arrival and departure and thus your actual time to do any touring

@joe32F

Leaving from Toronto Canada to Athens. Connecting flight to Crete.

Would I have to go through customs leaving the airport and then again on my way back for my connection?

You would do 'customs', i.e. immigration/passport control and customs on arrival in Athens.

For Athens to Crete it is a 'domestic' flight, similar to a flight between Toronto and Vancouver.

If you have separate bookings and you have checked luggage you will have to retrieve and then recheck your baggage. How far ahead of time you can drop it off for the flight to Crete is up to the airline. You may need to factor in time to leave baggage at a storage service and then retrieve it.

Assuming your inbound flight arrives on time you may have time to get into the city, find a restaurant with a view of the Acropolis, have lunch and head back to the airport.

Regardless of the mode of transport you choose ( I used the Metro) allowing at least an hour each way would be prudent

You could easily do the National Archeology Museum. You take the Metro from the Airport (10 E) to either Victory or another stop. The NAM is an easy walk from several stops. I'd say that 3-4 hours is enough.

The metro to the centre takes 40 minutes and the timetable is here

https://www.athensairporttaxi.com/metro/timetable-from-airport

If, as Paul suggests, you wanted to get to the National Archaeology Museum you need to change at Monastiraki for Victoria.

If you are more interested in sites than museums Monastiraki metro is right underneath the Acropolis. Assuming you land on time then you’ve got at least three hours so visiting the Acropolis is possible, although depending on time of year you might spend a lot of your time queuing.

If you are happy to look from a distance a better plan might be just to walk round the pedestrianised streets which circle the Acropolis.

Alan

Goinh to the Acropolis would be ideal. But it may have long lines and be crowded in mid day.
The National Archaeology Museum is wonderful but if you are in Athens you really want to see the Acropolis, at least from the bottom.

So split the difference. Go to the Acropolis museum. It has the best views of the Acropolis and is right next to it - so you can walk around the area, and see artifacts about it, and get a snack at the museum cafe with great views.

Thank you all for your input. I found out that my luggage will automatically be taken to the connecting plane, so luckily I don't have to worry about that.
The musuem sounds like a great alternative to walking the grounds of the Acropolis. I think this is the route I will go.
Thanks again,
Toni

You have made an excellent choice. The NAM is a wonder. We really enjoyed it. We were there about 10 days ago.