Instead of “quick stop (one night) in Athens”, you could probably re-title this for “Athens for the non-history buff” or something like that. Lets dive right in!
Any trip to Greece, is incomplete without taking in the history in Athens.
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Where to stay
If you are only staying in Athens for a short time, like us, I would highly recommend staying near the Acropolis in the Plaka area of the city.
After a bit of research, we choose the AVA Hotel & Suites Athens. This small hotel is located in the ideal and lively area of the city in perfect walking distance to the main historical sites we wanted to visit. If you choose this hotel, look into the room on the top floor. While a basic room, the top floor room provides access to an entire rooftop terrace. Here we were able to take in our first views of the City (while drinking some complimentary Greek wine). The hotel offers a fantastic complimentary breakfast that you can enjoy prior to your Athens adventures. The staff was fantastic and if you are looking for a reasonably priced and safe hotel, I would highly recommend.
Where to eat
Exhausted from a long travel day but eager to explore, we ventured out to the Plaka pedestrian area on Makrigianni Street on the south side of the Acropolis and had our first meal in Greece. This would be the first of our daily Greek Salad and Tzatziki meals that we enjoyed every day of our trip. Makrigianni Street has a handful of fantastic restaurants to choose for a meal. After dinner, make sure you walk just a few steps closer to the Acropolis to see the ruins lit up in the dark of night.
Acropolis Tour
After our complimentary breakfast, we took the short stroll over to the south slope entrance of the Acropolis. After a bit of research we picked a audio tour with a fast pass that we bought via Viator. While this apparently works for most, we both had issues with the program. I would highly recommend doing a guided tour, instead of a self-led tour, if possible. The Acropolis is not to be missed. A few features include the Odeon of Herodes Atticus theatre, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and of course the Parthenon. After taking in the top of the Acropolis we took the north exit into the Ancient Agora area.
A note for the Acropolis: go early, like when it opens. You are going to be jet lagged and time zone messed up anyways. So, you might as well use this to your advantage to beat the crowds. We were there when it opened and had an incredible first hour and a half exploring the site. Then the cruise ship tours arrived. The crowds get big, fast, and this was in the shoulder season. The crowds spread out a bit but its just not near as pleasant as when it is empty.
To get absolutely incredible views of the entire Acropolis area, walk over to Areopagus Hill where you can hike up and take some incredible photos (like the one above).
After your Acropolis tour, make sure you explore and shop in the Plaka area. After a bit of shopping, had the hotel coordinate a car for to take us back to the airport for our short flight to Mykonos. Check out our blog post for Mykonos here!
What to pack
When it comes to packing, I would say to pack the usual for a warm weather vacation.
- Something nicer for dinner: flowy dresses and skirts for the ladies / linen button ups for the guys
- Something comfortable and sneakers for exploring the Acropolis
- Jean jacket or other light jacket option (if you are traveling in shoulder season, it can get cool in the evening)
Check out the best and cheapest travel tool for packing for a long trip in a carry-on suitcase.
Thoughts
To be honest, my expectations for Athens were not very high. It was one of those places that you just had to see if you were going to Greece. My husband and I are not city vacationers and neither of us are history buffs but we loved our time in Athens. The Acropolis is truly a site to see. You cannot get this kind of history in the United States. We thought is was incredible to be able to see that history right in front of you.
See our 10-night itinerary for how we got to Athens and how we got from Athens to Mykonos. And don’t forget to save this post for later on Pinterest:
This is the perfect post for me! We are planning a trip to Greece next year and I was putting together a list of things to see in Athens. Great recs on places to eat. Will definitely be saving this for later!