Athens is a city of ruins – so much history but at the same time you can still see the impact the economy took. Even most of the modern buildings look run down which I didn’t expect so much from the capital city – usually there are areas that are deprived but Athens felt like that throughout 90% of the city. This isn’t to discourage you from going, as we did enjoy the trip and seeing the historic sites but do be cautious. Definitely stay closer to the centre in the safer areas.
But before we get into the details, this blog has various links embedded so you can quickly access the things I talk about. Some of those links may be affiliate meaning I earn some commission through them however this is a disclaimer that this does not influence my opinion. I will still share my honest thoughts and only recommend what I would do myself.
We flew from Edinburgh to Athens in November, with EasyJet for around £100 each (return). From the airport we got their train/metro which you can get to by following the signs in the airport. You can buy a return ticket from the booths – it costs around 16 euros.
Our hotel was ‘Attalos Hotel’ which was close to the main square and the train station, the area felt okay but we still stayed cautious. We stayed for 3 nights which cost us around £160. There are cheaper options however, please read the reviews to find out about the safety of the area. The hotel is linked – just make sure to change to your dates for accurate pricing!
The weather was surprisingly pleasant of around 19 degrees Celsius – a lot better than the weather in the UK!
The trip was quite relaxing, with things to do but definitely at a slower pace than many of our other trips.
DAY 1
Main Square – pretty with many souvenir shops
Acropolis – this combo ticket from GetYourGuide is £30 and gives you access to the Acropolis and 6 Archaeological sites + saves you waiting at the cash desk for a ticket
When you exit the Acropolis grounds, there is a rocky view point nearby – you will see steps and many people there. It’s a nice view especially for photos:
Ancient Agora (included in ticket)
We then had a few drinks in the evening at our hotel rooftop bar because of the nice view
DAY 2
We started the day with a cafe across the hotel and then headed to a Mastiha shop which has a variety of mastic products which are local to Greece.
We then headed to the top of the hill in this photo:
The cable car cost us around 20 euros each and you can buy the tickets at the desk.
We made a reservation at the restaurant ‘Orizontes Lycabettus’ which is at the top of the hill with a view. This is on the pricey side as it’s the only restaurant at the top but we enjoyed the food and the view. I would recommend making a reservation if you’re interested.
Sunset and food with a view
We finished off the day with souvenir shopping as the next day we only had time for breakfast before heading out to the airport.
Other Attractions (we considered but didn’t have the time)
- Food tour
- Cooking class
- Hop on and off bus
- Day trip – Hydra, Poros and Aegina
- Day trip – Cape Sounion and Temple of Poseidon
Feel free to ask any questions in the comments 🙂
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