On the edge of the Mediterranean, Greece is a popular place to go, with its glistening beaches to its historic mainland. Here are my adventures in the city of Athens...
DAY 1:
Arriving into Athens International Airport at around 11am or so, we were just in time to catch the train to head to the city. From the airport to the city centre it takes around 1 hour on the Metro. We were met by our Airbnb host at the train station who then escorted us to the apartment. One of the best things about Athens is that a lot of things are within walking distance from each other!
Our Airbnb in Athens - check out my Airbnb Blog for more information
Our first sightseeing spot in Athens was the National Archaeological Museum! The museum holds collections from more than 11,000 exhibits making it the largest archaeological museum in Greece and one of the most important museums in the world devoted to ancient Greek art. Entry into the National Archaeological Museum costs about €6, and with this you'll be able to find statues of famous Gods including Athena and Zeus as well as many more. After the museum it was almost getting dark, so we headed over to Syntagma Square located by the Greek Parliamentary building, and shortly went off to dinner.
Our first dinner was set at this beautifully decorated restaurant called Oikeio. As the foodies we are, we were so excited on tasting the Greek cuisine! For our first night we tried Tzatziki (which is like a yoghurt and cucumber dip), grilled Haloumi and Kokokythokeftedes (courgette balls). It was delicious and a great start to the holiday!
Dining at Oikeio
DAY 2:
Unfortunately the weather for our second day wasn't quite the best, but we didn't let this stop us, so we rearranged some plans and continued the sightseeing tour! We started off the day at the Kerameikos Cemetery - this is an ancient cemetery and is one of the most beautiful and least visited of the archaeological sites in downtown Athens. The Kerameikos Cemetery is open from 08:30-15:00.
Roaming through the Kerameikos Cemetery
One of my biggest recommendations about coming to Athens is to purchase the Athens Combined Ticket. At a price of €30, the ticket is valid for 5 days and includes entrance to the Acropolis and 6 more archaeological sites: Temple of Zeus, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Hadrian's Library, Kerameikos Cemetery and Lyceum of Aristotle. If you choose to purchase the Combined Ticket you will in fact be saving money if you end up going to all of these sites anyway. You can buy this ticket at any of the sites' entrance, and it will save you time incase there are queues!
Around the corner from the Kerameikos Cemetery is the famous Temple of Hephaestus. The Temple of Hephaestus is the best preserved ancient temple in Greece; it was dedicated to Hephaestus, the God of Fire and Athena the Goddess of Pottery and Crafts.
(Left) Front view of the Temple of Hephaestus (Middle) Side view (Right) Rear view of the temple
Entrance to the temple costs €8 (if you prefer the single entry rather than pay for the Combined Ticket) and is open from 08:00-15:00. The temple is in the same grounds as the Ancient Agora and the Church of the Apostles (€4 entry fee). The Ancient Agora was not just a market place it was also the political and judicial centre of the city. Entry to the Agora also includes entry to the Museum of the Ancient Agora.
In Athens you have both the Ancient Agora and the Roman Agora - the Roman Agora costs €4 to enter, and is open from 08:00-15:00 during weekdays and until 17:00 during weekends (you'll find that most places close around 3pm in the afternoon!) The agora was a large courtyard surrounded by stoas, shops and other commercial buildings - it was dedicated to Augustus and Julius Caesar as donors for its construction. Just beyond the agora, but within the boundary of the site, as it is today are the remains of the public toilets and the octagonal Tower of the Winds, built for astronomical purposes housing a hydraulic clock.
Hadrian's Library was the next place on the list, located next to the streets of Plaka (a place you must visit if you want to experience true traditional Greece). In the shadow of the Acropolis and its ancient temples, hillside Plaka has a village feel, with narrow cobblestone streets. Anyway, Hadrian's Library was a gift from the Roman Emperor Hadrian, hence its name, to the people of Athens. Without the Combined Ticket , entry costs €6. At the Hadrian's Library, the Acropolis is clearly visible as in most parts of the city (this is where we will be going tomorrow!)
Like I said, the day was fairly miserable with a little bit of rain, so we decided to have lunch before heading home. We went to a restaurant called Melilotos. We were a little disappointed because there wasn't many things on the menu which were traditionally Greek, however we decided to go for a Greek Salad, some fries and a lemon salad on toast with a poached egg. Later that evening we went hunting for Souvlakis and they were so so so delicious! We then got an early night sleep because the next day was going to be a long one!
DAY 3:
It was an early start to the day as we made our way to the Acropolis of Athens! To find out about our experience there, why don't you take a look at my blog: A day with the Gods:
After checking out everything there is to see on the slopes of the Acropolis it was time to head to the Temple of Zeus. However before that, we went to get some Greek Yoghurt. You have to go to a yoghurt bar called Fresko's and try the traditional Greek yoghurt with honey and walnuts - it is so delicious! (it didn't last long so we then carried on with our day).
The Temple of Olympian Zeus was home to the King of the Gods, God of the sky and famous for his lightning bolt. The original temple housed 104 Corinthian columns and of which only 15 remain standing to this day - 1 column can even be seen fallen down. To the entrance to the temple is Hadrian's Arch, a gate between the ancient city and the Roman city of Athens. Entry into the grounds costs just €2, and is available from 08:00-15:00 (until 19:30 during the summer).
The next place I was really looking forward to going to - the Panathenaic Stadium. It is the world's first Olympic Stadium ever to be built. We were walking, we were running in a stadium full of history! We ran around the track, climbed up the marble steps to see the view from the very top, walked through the athlete's tunnel and looked around the museum. The Panathenaic Stadium is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble, and can hold up to 50,000 people! In the museum you can find a collection of all the Olympic torches from previous Olympics; I was delighted to find the torch from the London 2012 Olympics there! Admission costs €5 for the site - don't forget to take a stand on the podium (1st place of course!)
The Panathenaic Stadium, including the tunnel and podium
And for the final venture of the day, we finished it how we started it, by hiking up Mount Lycabettus, the highest point of Athens. To catch the sunset we took the Funicular up the mountain to see the view of the city. At 300m (908ft), you can see for miles and miles. At the top you can find a quaint church and a viewing platform, it was the perfect place to see the sun set over Athens.
For dinner we went to try The Greco's Project where we had Moussaka (which is almost like a lasagne), zucchini fries and Gyros, one with chicken and one with pork. The two foods I really recommend having in Greece are Gyros and Souvlakis - the meat is delicious! This restaurant was amazing and the food was so good; it had been an incredible day and this was a perfect way to finish it off.
DAY 4:
Our last day in Athens, Greece and it was planned to be a relaxing one. We set out to the Mediterranean Sea - yes that's right, the beach in November! We took a stroll along the harbour at Flisvos Marina, dreamt of owning a million pound yacht and sunbathed on the beach. We spent most of the morning here and soon lunchtime was approaching...
(Left) At the Beach looking out to the Mediterranean Sea (Centre) Me on the Promenade (Right) Yachts along the Flisvos Marina
Lunchtime at the Aladdin Kebap Restaurant! We had delicious sandwiches with bread steamed from a wood oven, filled with chicken gyros, lettuce, tomato, potatoes and mayonnaise, handmade pies baked on the grill with roasted vegetables, mushrooms, ketchup, mustard and tahini sauce, tomato flavoured cous cous, and spricy spring rolls. We took the train back to the city centre because we had a very special appointment to attend to.
It was time to go to a traditional Polis Hammam Spa! After a really busy holiday jam-packed full of sightseeing, we felt it was necessary to do a bit of relaxing. You start off by sampling a cleansing drink, then the treatment of your choice, followed by Oriental tea and Turkish Delights! Here are some of the choices of treatments that they have to offer:
€10 - Sauna
€25 - Cellulite Massage
€25 - Cupping
€25 - Hammam-Turkish Steam Bath
€25 - Neck, Back, Waist Massage
€30 - Artis Polis Back Massage
€33 - Kesse Hammam
€35 - Yeni Yuzi Facial
€37 - Reflexology
€43 - Artis Polis Full Body Massage
€43 - Passa Hammam
€50 - Thai Massage
€50 - Shiatsu
€60 - Sultan Hammam
For more information, please check out their website at: www.polis-hammam.gr/en
To end the day and to end the vacation, we took some cocktails at the 360 Degrees Rooftop Bar, which had the perfect view of the Acropolis on the hill and Hadrian's Library just below us. It was a little chilly but we didn't let that ruin it for us. I had the Blockbuster Cocktail which contained: Vodka, Strawberry, Popcorn, Caramel, Aperol and Lime, and Maria had the Exotic Sun Cocktail which contained: Gin, Lychee, Melon, Guava, Mango, Passion Fruit and Lime. Before we got too drunk, we went home, so we would be ready to catch our morning flight back home the next day.
Here's a recap of all of the sights we saw on our trip to Athens, Greece:
360 Degrees Bar
Acropolis
Acropolis Museum
Aladdin Kebap Restaurant
Ancient Agora
Areopagus Hill
Church of the Apostles
Flisvos Park & Marina
Fresko Yoghurt Bar
Hadrian's Arch
Hadrian's Library
Kerameikos
Lycabettus Hill
Melilotos Restaurant
National Archaeological Museum
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Oikeio Restaurant
Panathenaic Stadium
Parthenon
Polis Hammam Bathhouse
Roman Agora
Temple of Athena
Temple of Hephaestus
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Theatre of Dionysus
The Greco's Project Restaurant
If you fancy giving the Greek cuisine a go, try some of these:
Baklava
Choriatiki (Greek Salad)
Dolmadakia (Stuffed leaves)
Feta Cheese
Frappe
Greek Yoghurt & Honey
Gyro
Haloumi Cheese
Halvas (Syrup pudding)
Kolokythokeftedes (Courgette balls)
Loukoumades (Donuts)
Moussaka
Olives & Oils
Retsina Wine
Souvlaki
Spanikopita (Spinach pie)
Tiropita (Cheese pie)
Tzatziki (Yoghurt & Cucumber dip)
Greece had been amazing, Athens had been amazing. It was really a place that I would consider moving to one day. The food was delicious and it really was an amazing city. I would recommend going to Athens so much; if mainland Greece was this beautiful I can't begin to imagine how nice the islands would be to go to!
Like I said before, make sure you check out my other blog on Greece: A day with the Gods to see my adventures upon the Acropolis! Until next time, bye for now!
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