With my mother, we decided to make a one week trip (beginning of February) to the Greek capital. So here is a little guide of our visits and restaurants if you ever want to go to Athens too.
We arrived on a Saturday evening at the Athens airport. To get to our hotel which is in the Omonia district (a district that is supposedly not well known at night but we were not bothered during our stay), we took the metro. It costs about 10€ per person to get to the city center with a 40 minutes ride.
PS : there is a 1 hour time difference with France
Day 1
Our first day in Athens was a Sunday. Unfortunately, there are not many stores and restaurants open on this day (maybe in summer it is open).
We decided to visit the archaeological museum which on the internet was paying but against all odds was free for everyone this day. It is very beautiful to see. We stayed there for about 2 hours. Then we went to the Pedion Tou Aeros park, which is very beautiful but not reassuring while we were inside.
Day 2
We wanted to do the acropolis but it was closed because of snow. So, we changed our plans to go to the Syntagma square where we attended the changing of the guard at noon.
Then, we went to the national garden which has a small zoo (we had seen there geese, ducks, goats and birds), to the Zappeion which is a splendid monument, to the Olympia, also called Temple of Zeus, to the Panathenian stadium (the stadium of the first Olympic games) and the cemetery. The latter is magnificent and worth the detour. I don't really like cemeteries, but I really enjoyed my experience in Athens.
On the other hand, for the Olympia, it was closed (for the same reasons as the acropolis because it belongs to the same archaeological site). For those who are interested, the tickets for the temple of Zeus are in high season (spring and summer) at 8€, in low season (winter and autumn) at 4€ and there is also a 30€ ticket for 7 archaeological sites including the temple of Zeus, the Parthenon, the two agoras and 3 other sites. Unfortunately for us, the temple of Zeus was under construction.
Little advice: walk around the city center, there are beautiful buildings to see, especially churches and cathedrals.
Day 3
We went to the acropolis. To get there, you have to go through small streets. The easiest way not to get lost is to follow the road or to put the map on your phone and follow the GPS. For adults, the price of the ticket is 10€ in low season and for children under 25, it's free. On the other hand, it seems to me that it's free for people under 25 all year long. Then after having taken pictures of the Parthenon, the temple of Nike and the theater of Dionysus, we went to the Acropolis museum (10€ for adults, free for under 25 years old).
In the afternoon, we continued to visit the archaeological sites with the ancient agora and the Roman agora. The ancient agora (entrance 10€ in high season, 5€ in low season for the adults, free for the under 25 years old) has magnificent monuments notably the temple of Hephaestus, and a small museum called Stoa. On the other hand, for the Roman agora, the price is 4€ in low season and 8€ in high season for adults and free for under 25 years old, but the site is very small and does not deserve to pay so much knowing that you can see it through the gates. I went to visit it alone, my mother not wanting to pay 4€ to stay there for 4 minutes.
Then, I wanted to visit Hadrian's bookshop but it was closing at 2:40 pm. The price is 6€ in high season and 3€ in low season for adults and free for children under 25. So, instead, we went to Ermou street, which is the shopping street where you can find stores like Stradivarius, Bershka, Mango, Sephora or Pull&Bear.
Fun fact: cabs in Athens are yellow
Day 4
As it was a sunny day, we decided to go to the Lycabette mountain to see the view of Athens. Be careful, it climbs! But it is magnificent. We can see everything and especially the acropolis. We can do it at night but we preferred to do it in the morning.
Then, in the afternoon we visited the districts of Evangelismos, Kolonaki and Plaka. My preference goes to the district of Plaka because the small streets are splendid and sometimes we fall on splendid churches.
In the Evangelismos district there is the war museum, the Byzantine museum and the archaeological site of Lyceum (2€ or 4€ the entrance for adults according to the low or high season, free for the less than 25 years old).
Day 5
We made the district of Gazi, Psyri and Thiseio. I found the district of Gazi not so good, having preferred the district of Thiseio. It is in this neighborhood that the archaeological site of Kerameikos is located, which costs 4€ in low season (I don't have the price for high season but normally it is double as with the other sites, and free for children under 25). We had a hard time finding the entrance because the entrances to these sites are never indicated.
Then we visited the hill of Philopappos which is also located in Thiseio. It contains the monument to Philopappos, the prison of Socrates, the hill of the nymphs and the hill of Pnyx. As well as many other things. It's free and you can have a view of the Parthenon just in front if you climb a little bit in the park.
PS: in the district of Psyri, there is a museum of illusion, the entrance is 11€ for adults
PPS: there are a lot of mandarins and cats in Greece.
Day 6
Since the weather was not good, we didn't do much. We started the morning with a visit to the archaeological site of Lyceum, which costs 2€ instead of 4€ for adults and free for under 25 years old, and then we visited a little bit the neighborhood of Evangelismos until Moussikis. Then, in the afternoon, we walked around the streets of Makrygianni and Plaka.
PS: the low season is from November 1st to March 31st for those who are interested
Day 7
In the morning, since it was our last day, we took the opportunity to do some shopping in Ermou street. Then, we walked in the streets of Plaka before lunch.
I advise you to visit the archeological sites during the week because we noticed while passing in front of some sites that there were more people on Saturdays (at least for the big sites like the Parthenon and the ancient agora). So if you want to avoid waiting too much in the queue, it is better to do it during the week.
Then in the afternoon we took the metro to Monastiraki to go to the port of Piraeus. It is very beautiful to see. There is of course the port and beaches to visit but we were especially surprised by the beautiful churches we could see, especially the one around the garden of Tinan.
Day 8
It's the day of departure. Since it's Sunday, the subways have more waiting time (15 min waiting time between each subway for syntagma - airport, 10 min for the subway Omonia - syntagma)
You have to keep your ticket until the end because to get out of the metro you have to scan the ticket.
In Athens, you can easily eat for less than 10€ per person. Restaurants and supermarkets are much cheaper than in France.
We discovered some addresses that are worth a visit:
Grillaki (Panepistimiou 60, Athens 10678): you can eat salads, meat kebabs, wraps, for less than 10€ per person for a complete and balanced meal.
Coffee island (they are everywhere in Athens): it's a bit like a Starbucks but much cheaper. To tell you the truth, I took a milkshake and I paid only 2,20€. The choice of flavors for the milkshakes are: vanilla, chocolate or strawberry.
Cave of Acropolis (Epimenidou 2, 105 58 Athens): located next to the acropolis, in the small streets of Plaka, this restaurant is one of the best where we ate during this trip. It's not very expensive and above all, it's delicious. Moreover, the place is decorated in a traditional way and the menu is translated in French (in addition to Greek and English).
Photo Credits: Amélie Marmonier
Comments