Although not a lot, playgrounds in Athens do exist. In combination with the pleasant climate and safety of the city, outside play is therefore possible for everyone and all year around. This post tells you more about the importance of play. It will also tell you more about the playgrounds in Athens and where to find them.
Why I wrote this
Athens is an amazing city — but with kids, you need places where they can just run, climb, and reset.
I lived in Athens with my children and tested these playgrounds myself: which ones are shaded, which are stroller-friendly, and which are actually pleasant for parents too.
This list is for families who want to enjoy Athens without melting down halfway through the day.
Which playground should you choose? (Quick guide)
- Best with toddlers: National Gardens, Flisvos Marina, Stavros Niarchos – fenced, soft ground
- Best shade in summer: National Gardens – trees + benches
- Best near sightseeing: National Gardens, Filopapou Hill,Acropolis Playground – combine with Acropolis / walk
- Best café nearby: National Gardens, Stavros Niarchos – coffee + toilets
Playgrounds in Athens: free and available everywhere
Every city neighborhood, every square, and every district, inside the city center, offers some kind of playground or play area with toys and green. Most of them are fenced and some have guards too. Because of the warm weather and the long summer night evenings, the playgrounds in Athens usually offer a water faucet and evenings lights. Most have soft flooring in the shape of rubber tiles or sand.
Playgrounds in Athens
The playgrounds in Athens are in most cases clean and safe. The Athenian municipality has placed information signs at most of the city’s public playgrounds. Here you will find opening/closing hours and a contact number to report any broken or unsafe toys. Some public playgrounds are huge and next to the sea. Others are small and green, hidden away in between the concrete jungle. Some are state-of-the-art wooden play parks, like the ones in the green ex-pat neighborhoods of Filothei or Kifissia. Below are some of the best in Athens.
The playground at Acropolis
My kids loved this one because…its so natural
The playground in Ragava Olive Grove or Ragava Park, at the foot of the Acropolis, has recently opened its gates to Athenians and visitors, offering a new recreational area for children. The park has a two-level playground with international safety standards. Spanning 2,440 square meters under the eastern side of the Acropolis, the playground is for both toddlers and teenagers.
On the lower level, preschool and school-age children can enjoy playing with a wooden house and a wooden horse with a carriage for role-playing. There is also a “nest” type swing and sensory sound and communication play areas, along with a stone seating area constructed for parents and caregivers. The first level is also wheelchair accessible.
The upper level, designed for preschool, school-age, and teenage children, features equipment with a circular route for climbing, balancing, and sliding activities. There is also a space for group games.
The playground in Athens’ National Garden
Why families like it: Good stop after sightseeing — plenty of benches for parents
The city’s National Garden offers an innovative and safe open space for children of all ages. The recently refurbished playground, suitable for preschool, school children, and teenagers, includes new play equipment such as swings, slides, and specially shaped structures.
The playground is now divided into three sections:
- Preschool Paradise: Designed for preschool children, it offers equipment for swinging, sliding, climbing, balancing, bouncing, and sensory play with natural materials like water and sand. It’s also inclusive, with ramps for children using movement support equipment.
- Central Play Hub: Created for preschool, school-age children and teenagers, it has equipment for swinging, sliding, climbing, and spinning. A pyramid-shaped structure and a castle-like hill structure beckon adventurers.
- Eastern Delight: This area includes rotating and swinging equipment for preschool and school-age children, with unique features like a ‘nest’ seat swing and an unconventional spinning mill.
The playground’s sustainable design integrates natural materials such as wood, shock-absorbing surfacing, and surface water absorption, while surrounding tall pine trees provide natural shading.
The south side of the playground is an extension of the hill that is home to ‘Amalia’s Rock‘ from where a small hill of one-meter-high horizontal tree trunks has been created and offers views of the playground.
The Ellinikon Experience Park
The Ellinikon Experience Park is located at the former Athens airport in Glyfada at a space of 6,200,000 sqm. The Ellinikon Park is an urban park with zen corners, a fitness area, and a magnificent playground. The unique combination of abundant nature and aviation heritage created a fun space for education and exploration. Operating hours: Mon – Sun, 17:00 – 21:00.
Why families like it: Great for summer with water fun
The Athens’ Akadimia Platonos playground
The inner-city playground at the Akadimia Platonos is recently renovated and accessible to children with disabilities. The play area, which includes recreational and sports facilities, protective surfaces, safety-tested materials and hardware, modern play equipment, and fencing, is located in the heart of the Plato Academy park.
Playground Finopoulou Hill
A new children’s playground is set to open at Finopoulou Hill in the heart of Athens, creating a safe and green space for play and social gathering. The playground will follow modern safety standards, incorporate environmentally friendly materials and enhance the hill’s role as a recreational and social hub for families.
This initiative is part of a broader effort to bring greenery back to Athens’ urban core. High-quality public spaces also boost urban tourism, as parks and playgrounds make the city more attractive to families and city-break visitors. Finopoulou Hill, surrounded by Valtinon, Kallistis, Momferatou, and Ierapetras streets, forms a natural extension of Pedion tou Areos and Evelpidon Park.
Inclusive playgrounds in Athens
In 2025, several new playgrounds designed for children with disabilities have been developed in the wider Piraeus area, providing accessible and inclusive play areas.
The playgrounds, designed to be safe and fully accessible for children with disabilities and their families, are located in the following municipalities:
– Nikaia – Agios Ioannis Rentis: A 740-square-meter playground in the Katrakio Theater courtyard.
– Piraeus: A 718-square-meter playground in the northwestern part of Georgios Gennimatas Square.
– Korydallos: A 550-square-meter playground at Agios Georgios public square.
– Keratsini – Drapetsona: A 480-square-meter playground at Akti Krakari in the Lipasmata area.
– Perama: A 466-square-meter playground on the south side of Pontion Square
Athens center also recently unveiled modern, fully renovated playgrounds in Rizoupoli and Agios Nikolaos Acharnon. The upgraded play areas are located at Alsos Prompona (1,166 sq.m.) and the corner of Pafou and Michail Voda streets (378 sq.m.).
Each playground offers age-appropriate, inclusive equipment designed to engage children of varying abilities, featuring slides, swings, seesaws, and carousels.
Both sites are equipped with rubber safety flooring, accessible walkways, shaded zones, benches for parents and guardians, drinking fountains, trash bins, lighting, and full accessibility for children with disabilities.
The benefits of Outdoor Play
Many parents today spent their children riding their bikes and playing games like baseball or dodgeball on side streets and in neighbors’ backyards or on the streets. Many children today spend much of their time indoors, playing games on their tablets or watching television. The American Academy of Pediatrics says lots of unstructured outdoor play is critical to the health of children, though many have experienced a marked decline in the time they spend in free play.
Outdoor play gives children the opportunity to run, jump, climb, and more, all of which provide aerobic exercise and strength training. Outdoor play also strengthens the immune system and improves vitamin D levels, which can provide protection from osteoporosis and health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Play Reduces Anxiety
It is recommended that children get moderate to vigorous activity that adds up to at least an hour per day. And did you know that outdoor play can also reduce stress?! Children can also experience stress or suffer from conditions like depression or anxiety. These issues are becoming more common for today’s children, who have busy schedules with school and extracurricular activities.
Physical activity in the form of outdoor play can help kids to reduce this stress. Outdoor play is also important for intellectual and social development. Outdoor play helps children to focus better in a classroom setting and to enhance readiness for learning, easing the transition to school. It also encourages learning and problem-solving skills, which can help children perform better in the classroom.
The importance of play
The importance of play has been researched often. Unstructured outdoor play also promotes creativity, which children can apply to their academic learning, helping them see the material in another way. Outdoor play also gives children opportunities to learn how to work in groups, including learning how to share, how to negotiate, and how to resolve conflicts. And whilst the children are playing, parents have a chance to meet other parents and to socialize too!
Visiting Athens with kids?
I also share family-friendly walks, tours, and real-life tips from living here with my children — not just highlights, but what actually works:
Parks in Athens for endless ours of play
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