Athens
"Don't go to Athens. Not much to see." That's pretty much all I heard while planning whether or not to go to this historic city. After deciding to go for two days, I could not be happier we visited.
Where to go when you're feeling ancient: The Acropolis
This seems somewhat obvious. It’s kinda the main thing to do here-if not the only thing. Just as the Acropolis was the center of the city thousands of years ago, modern-day Athens spreads from this rocky outcrop. Walking around the base is free, but if you want to head to the top where all the ancient buildings and monuments are, you have to pay a fee, and if memory serves me right, it was relatively cheap given that you are visiting one of the most important buildings of mankind. I won’t go into the history of the buildings you will find up there, such as the Parthenon, Temple of Nike, etc., because frankly, I’m not a historian and I forgot all the information I learned in my Architectural History class. Regardless, you have not actually experienced Athens unless you visited the Acropolis.
You’ve seen this building before, but seeing it in person gives a whole new level of appreciation-as long as you can make the trek up to the top!
Where to watch the sunset in the shadows of the most important building known to mankind: Areopagus
Just below the Acropolis is a rocky clearing in the trees that provides incredible views of the city, Acropolis and Aegean off in the distance. Grab a sandwich and a bottle of Greek wine (if you like that type of wine), find a comfortable rock, and enjoy the sunset over the sprawling metropolis of Greece’s capital city.
A nice stroll through the “woods” on the slopes of the Acropolis leads to a rocky cliff with views like this. And in all honesty, we found this place after getting lost!
Where to escape the random showers and have great Greek food in a cute spot: Yiasemi Café Bistro
With a very Instagrammable interior, cute décor, great food, and close proximity to the Acropolis (which is sort of a necessity in this city), Yiasemi is the perfect place for an afternoon snack, or light lunch like we had. There’s also a cute rooftop, but thanks to the poor weather on that day, we had to rush back down the spiral staircase to avoid our third shower of the day. This is an authentic restaurant that doesn’t overwhelm you with people standing at the door trying to get you inside. Instead, they let their service, food, and aesthetic speak for itself.
Where to go to taste the country's cuisine (and for free): Central Market
So we were looking for some food tours to take while we were in Athens because we both love Greek food (and realistically, if you don’t love Greek food, then you need to seriously reconsider the state of your tastebuds). After seeing several options, we noticed they all were centered around Central Market (and the adjacent vegetable market), so we decided to just go on our own instead. That ended up being a great choice, as we got to wander through the rows of hanging meats, crawling lobsters and headless chickens at our own pace, while still stopping to try all the different fruits, cheeses, nuts, and honeys we wanted. And plus, we were able to connect with the merchants, which made the whole visit feel more personal.
Take your pick
Where to eat a massive meal for less than two Capri cocktails (and get a view of that one famous building): Savvas
All around Monastriki Square are great rooftop restaurants and bars with even better views, so take your pick and enjoy a beer or two (I recommend Mythos beer)
This restaurant makes it on a bunch of lists for the best places to eat in Athens. All I will say about this restaurant is as follows: We each had 2 glasses of wine, a Greek yogurt drink, water (which is not cheap in Europe), along with a massive plate of zucchini fries, kebab plate, and falafel plate, plus a side of hummus and tzatiki-all for USD $40. Oh, and the Acropolis was lit up with all its beauty just behind the restaurant, framed perfectly from the windows of this perfect rooftop location.
Where to shop till you drop (I can't believe I wrote that, but I couldn't think of anything else): Plaka is the sort of the main shopping area if you want little, locally owned shops, most of which have lost their character and turned into the classic tourist shops, complete with pins, keychains, and penis shaped bottle openers (don’t know why, but this is a common thing in Greece). Ermou is the main shopping street of Athens, complete with all the shops you would expect (Berska, H&M, Mango, Massimo Dutti, etc.).
Where to get a comprehensive history lesson in an architectural gem of a building: The Acropolis Museum
This is the best museum I have ever been to. No questions asked. There is a clear, beautiful flow to the building to go along with a thorough explanation behind each artifact on display. Visiting this museum before going to the Acropolis essentially removes the need to have a tour guide because you’ll learn everything you need to learn in about a two hour visit. And architecturally, the museum is an absolute stunner, with extensive use of glass, peek-a-boo perspectives into ruins located under the building, and great views of the adjacent Acropolis itself. It’s replicated in the same dimensions of the Parthenon, adding to level of commitment this museum exemplifies for what it is showcasing.
I could have spent hours and hours on end in this museum had we not gone a few hours before closing time (which is actually probably the best time to go, along with early morning)
Where to go to train for the Olympics: The Olympic Stadium
Initially, we did not think we would have time to visit the site of the first modern Olympics, but we were efficient and had an hour to spare. Located at the end of a beautiful park, The Olympic Stadium is a beautiful stadium, and the fact that no one was there made it absolutely breathtaking. People actually come here to go for runs, and frankly, I can’t blame them. There was a certain energy to this spot that was almost intoxicating, with views of the Acropolis emerging over the top rows of this massive site. You can pay slightly extra for an audio tour, which provides good commentary on the history of this historic site, but I found the free pamphlet to be enough information to satisfy myself. You don’t need more than an hour here, but it is absolutely worth it (pro tip, go just before it closes, as it will be the emptiest and most beautiful).
You can hear yourself think in this beautiful ancient site-complete with views of the Acropolis
Athens, in summary: You walk around this city and you can see the difficulties the country is going through. You see the racism, especially towards Turkish people. You see the anti-government graffiti. It’s all there, front and center. This is by no means a city that is happy with its current state. I’ll never forget the vendor in the Central Market who, upon me asking him where a trash can was, told me, “this city is trash”. It’s an odd dynamic, something I was expecting to a degree but not quite on the level displayed. All that aside though, I never felt unsafe and in fact found the people here to be very interesting. At the end of the day, Athens is a beautiful city that houses some of humanities most important history, and there is subsequent pride that is inherent to the people of the city and the country. Stick to a one mile radius of the Acropolis, and Athens is beautiful, filled with Michelin’s starred restaurants, great rooftop bars, incredible architecture, five star hotels, and beautiful people. Go beyond that radius, and yeah, things get a little hairy. But don’t let that take away from the beauty that lies within the city. Athens has a reputation as nothing more than a place to connect you to the beautiful Greek aisles, whereas it is in fact a city that deserves your undivided attention for at least two days. Just know that Athens is also a huge cruise destination, so if you want to go to any of the sites and avoid thousands of tourists, go early (before 10) or late (after 6-if they are still open). But regardless of how crowded the city gets, you’ll find that you will love it for what it is.