How many nights should travellers spend in Athens?
Most first-timers should give Athens at least two nights, and three is easier if ruins and museums matter. One rushed night often turns the city into traffic, heat and a single monument queue.
Answer
Athens does not need to dominate a Greece trip, but it deserves enough space to be more than a transfer. Two nights can cover the Acropolis area, a proper meal or two and a neighbourhood wander. Three nights lets you add a museum, slower evenings and a better sense of the city without feeling like you have abandoned the islands. The wrong version is arriving late, racing to the Acropolis in the worst heat, then leaving before Athens has had any chance to work. Give it enough time or keep the stop honest and call it transit.