The European Earthquake Monitoring Centre recorded the quake's epicentre at 22 km northwest of the Greek capital city.
Reuters reported that people were running from buildings in panic while high rise towers had been evacuated.
This is believed to be the first earthquake to hit Athens since the deadly one in 1999 - which left 143 people dead, 700 injured and 70,000 buildings damaged.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage and reports say the tremors did not last long.

Iran confirms death of security chief Larijani
Washington targets Iran's fortified missile sites near Hormuz
Israeli strikes in central Beirut kill 10 people, Lebanese authorities say
Israel military says its tank fire hit UN Lebanon base, regrets incident
Trump says NATO's refusal to help on Iran is 'very foolish'
