If you have a combo ticket from Hellenic Heritage (which I recommend), Hadrian's Library is worth popping into and if you'll likely be near it at some point. We were staying in Plaka area and I think we walked by dozens of times. It'll take no more than 15 minutes and you may get to see some tortoises wandering through the grasses.

Hadrian's Library was created by Roman Emperor Hadrian in AD 132 on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens. I didn’t go in, jus took photos for outside. Didn’t see too many people inside it too.

Most (but not all) of what you see at Hadrian’s Library can also be seen from street level for free. I might would not have paid the €6 to go inside but it was included in the combo Acropolis ticket so we took advantage of that. It’s excellent value and I’d highly recommend it. Built in AD 132, the library was one of Hadrian’s grandest and most impressive buildings but only a fraction is left. Originally, it stood about 120m long by 80m wide, with a series of rooms that housed a library, music rooms and lecture rooms. Rows of niches held over 17,000 books, scrolls, documents and papyri. Most documents were in the form of papyrus scrolls and ranged from literary works in Greek and Roman, to legal and administrative documents, and official state archive papers. The scrolls were held in wooden boxes or partitions which sat in the niches. It was all designed around a central, enclosed ornamental pool and garden. We imagined people strolling the tranquil gardens, deeply engaged in thoughtful, esoteric discussions. What you see here today are just sections of it. The largest section standing is the western wall. The imposing row of monolithic marble columns formed the portico and entrance. The column shafts were made of green coloured Karystos marble and were topped with Corinthian columns in contrasting fine, white Pentelic marble. There are also remains of the Main East Room and two small auditoria. However it was hard to get a fix on the original layout because most of it is in ruins. In addition to the library there are several other ruins to see. These are: i) Church of Asomatos - all that’s left is some intriguing frescoes of saints’ faces on the library’s façade ii) 5th century Tetraconch / Megali Panagia Church - this is the larger set of remains, with a group of 4 columns, gateway, floor mosaics and foundations in the centre of the grounds iii) Museum & Statue of Nike - temporarily closed when we were there There are some decent information boards around the site which are very helpful. TICKET: Entry is €6 (€3 in winter) but the combo ticket is €30 and includes entry to the Acropolis, the Library and 5 other sites. GETTING THERE: The Library is very centrally located and is within easy walking distance of the other main sights. The entrance is alongside the bustling Monastiraki Square, near the Metro.

This is a little-known gem close to Monastraki Square. The ruins reinforce the layering of Athens bullt by Hadrian at the peak of the Roman Empire. If you're on a budget, they can reasonably be viewed without entry (on day I visited, the box office attendants seemed to be more concerned with gossiping than selling tickets). However, the entry fee is not too steep. Overall, patrons of his site (including myself) seeemed to be hard-core lovers of ruins rather than those simply trying to cross something of their bucket list. So if your one of these, you'll really enjoy this site.

When we visited the area on a Friday afternoon we were surprised to find out it was closed by the time we got there. The library is only opened from 8 am to 3 pm everyday so plan accordingly if you'd like to see. The library itself is in ruins and dates back to the second century. Tickets in high season are 8 euros and low season are 4 euros. I believe there is a combo ticket to get in here along with the Acropolis but we felt most of the sites (including this one) were a bit small and could be enjoyed from the outside. The area is full of cats as well and apparently pickpockets according to some signage so best to be careful and keep your valuables secured. The closest metro is Monastiraki which is a few steps away. There are also many shops, restaurants and cafes nearby.

I actually enjoyed my time at Hadrian's Library. It's not really worth it to go inside (it is 3 euro for under 25) for the exception of taking a picture with Hadrian's Gate, which is an absolutely gorgeous structure. I would recommend walking to the gate, taking a picture, on your way to the agora or acropolis.