Athens is beautiful and not for the faint of heart

Athens, Greece is really one of those very enchanting cities that sprawl out at your feet inviting you to walk. Each time we’ve been there – and we’ve been there four times now! – we are amazed at being able to go where we’ve gone before and always see something different. It is a vast city full of charm and alot to see and do. Athens is beautiful and not for the faint of heart.

Transportation

Arriving at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos airport you will be greeted with the usual options to get into the city. You can take a taxi. You can take a bus or you can take the train. The AIA website has a huge amount of information – and make sure you download the app for your phone. We have taken the train all the times we visited. It is so economical and so easy and they make it a real pleasurable journey. If you’re lucky, your car will either be slightly air conditioned and/or the windows open to let in a lovely breeze. Just remember to endorse your ticket before you get on so that you don’t get caught by the ticket police and fined.

As you near city centre, the train stops become much more frequent. The train will likely be quite full and you will be hoping that some of those people that are all stuck together to each other are going to get off soon and sometimes they do and sometimes they don’! The train links up to the metro stops at all the same stations so you have a seamless track into wherever you happen to be staying.

Walking has gotten us pretty well everywhere we needed to go, honest!

Accommodation

Our accommodation of choice is the Athenian Callirhoe Exclusive Hotel. You can book directly with them or through many different providers – we have used Agoda. There is a full breakfast each morning and it has very comfortable clean well appointed rooms. You are always well taken care of here. Bottles of water greet you along with a variety of levels of accommodation to choose from, depending on what your needs are and how many people are with you. In our last visit, we enjoyed a large suite upgrade and it was wonderful!

Eat

We’ve enjoyed alot of impromptu midday meals at local restaurants in Athens and have tended to enjoy the bars in the evenings. In the last couple visits we have been visiting rooftop bars. A great reference guide is The Rooftop Guide. Thea Terrace Bar is central, well appointed, and has amazing views of the Acropolis. We booked for just before sunset and enjoyed a full evening of drinks and snacks. Olympias, The Rooftop Bar also comes highly recommended from some fellow travellers, particularly for their amazing cocktails!

We’ve also enjoyed many a meal at our hotels Roof Garden Restaurant. The first time we visited Athens and stayed at the Athenian Callirhoe, this restaurant was uncovered and has an expansive, uninterrupted view of the Parthenon. It still has that view, but they have enclosed the space to ensure year round use of the garden restaurant. They’ve also expanded to a full menu of traditional favourites with some modern flair.

Athinaikon : excellent food in a modern, family restaurant setting. Serving sizes are large so be aware of how much you are ordering! It’s all delicious.

Athenee : Exquisite romantic restaurant just off Syntagma Square. We’ve enjoyed a couple lovely dinners inside the restaurant, and quick, tasty lunches outdoors in the square. Highly recommend!

Activities

Hop on hop off in and around Athens

Over the years we’ve seen a couple cycles of renovations in the hotel and we’ve also learned more about the area each time we explore a little bit further. This last year and September 2023 when in Athens we went a different walking route and realized we were only three blocks away from the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum! We spent many hours walking the streets this last visit and enjoying all the lively restaurants and bars. We enjoyed a couple of them as well!

In our first long visit to Athens in 2008 when we first visited Greece to island hop we were so concerned about not being able to get everywhere. We jumped on the metro every single time and had maps out to make sure we went everywhere we had noted. Now, we take it a bit easier and enjoy the ‘journey’ of our strolls, and what we see and do along the way is entirely up to us.

The usual sites – Acropolis, Parthenon, Acropolis Museum, Plaka, Monastiraki, Ancient Agora – are all must sees. A trip to Athens without walking the streets, monuments, exploring the museums, just wouldn’t be right! Every step in Athens you are reminded of how incredibly steeped in history this city is, and its importance to modern society.

Some highlights that we have from our times in Athens

Lycabettus Hill

Get to the top, ideally at sunset, to see the most photographic view of the Parthenon and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Walking the Agora

In the early morning grab a cup of coffee and have a great stroll through the Agora in the morning as locals are transiting through to their offices, and the workers are starting up for the day. It’s cool, tourists aren’t lined up anywhere, and there are ruins to view everywhere.

Shop and Eat Lunch in Kolonaki

Designer boutiques, excellent coffee shops and lovely cafes are just a bit of the draw. The high end local clientele, and the beautiful view of the rest of Athens as you stroll through this exclusive area is breath-taking!

Shop the Plaka

We would almost recommend window shopping here then going to other areas to purchase, but it is so much fun to haggle from shop to shop owner on the same t-shirts! My favorite shops in the Plaka are food shops and shoe shops. Absolutely so many, but, alot of fun to check out.

Have a cool drink or ice cream in Syntagma Square

You have likely walked through the square exiting the Metro, or coming into the centre of town and going off to the Plaka. This square leads somewhere special in all directions, and it has alot of ‘flavour’ whether from locals or from tourists. It’s worth it to just sit and people watch.

Piraeus

Feel very European by going to sunset drinks and dinner in Piraeus at a beautiful coastal restaurant. You can get there on the HOHO, or, take the Metro. Just make sure you know when the last one runs and that you are on it!

Shop at Attica

Just do it! I’ve had the purse and dress from there forever and the experience shopping there was great!

Out of Town

If you want to venture outside of Athens, there are some clear, stellar choices. Cape Sounion, south of Athens, is absolutely amazing to see in person, particularly the Temple of Poseidon. Round trip it is a fair chunk of time – it’s a full day trip. We recommend you secure a driver or sign up to a day tour, and enjoy lunch on the water and the other sites along the way. Another option is Delphi. It is also a long day trip. Highly recommend securing a private taxi so you aren’t slowed down by alot of stops not of your choosing.

Summary

Each time we’ve been to Athens, it’s been enroute to one of Greece’s islands: Santorini, Crete, and so on. At first glance, it is easy to think it is just a large city that one transits through. However, the history alone should draw you in. In addition, the diversity of the culture within the city is impressive. This is abundantly clear if you ride the metro and walk the different residential areas. Each time we visit Athens we are drawn into another part of its personality and we are looking forward to learning more! This is why Athens is beautiful and not for the faint of heart!

Enjoy!