Travelling to Athens

on 23 October 2024 at 11:13 am

Athens should be on your bucket-list, it is steeped in ancient history, artefacts, and delicious food. Wandering through the city, you’ll be astounded to find yourself standing in front of ruins dating back to 2AD and beyond.

Separating the history from the city, there is so much to see and do. It’s the perfect place for a little end-of-summer, beginning-of-autumn getaway, guaranteed to bask in sunshine. Our temperatures from October 2-5, 2024, ranged between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius. After leaving rainy, grey-skied London, it was a tonic to soak up the sun.

My friend bought us each a copy of the DK Top 10 Athens guidebook, which was helpful for planning which sites and places we wanted to visit. The information and maps proved useful as we explored the city, especially since our phones often lost signal, making the old-school maps a lifesaver.

In just four days, we accomplished a lot, including a visit to the Greek island of Aegina, which was ambitious but very easy to reach.

On day one, we checked into the Lotus Inn. The staff couldn’t have been more helpful, accommodating, and knowledgeable throughout our stay, and the location was perfect for walking to all the sites we wanted to see. Athens, like any city, has something for everyone, catering to all budgets—whether you prefer an Airbnb or a city center hotel.

You can each plan your own adventures and visit the sights that interest you most. Below, I’ve shared some handy tips we picked up along the way.

How to Use the Athenian Metro

Getting around on the Metro is super easy and a great way to connect to the airport. When you arrive, just head out of the terminal, cross the road, and go up the stairs. If you exit with the lift on your left like we did, just walk a little further, and you’ll spot the stairs to the Metro. A single ticket from the airport costs €9, and the ticket machines are straightforward to use—you can even switch the instructions to your preferred language! You can pay in cash or tap and pay with your contactless cards. Just to give you a heads-up, a taxi from Monastiraki to the airport costs about €46, so taking the Metro is a much better deal and helps you dodge that pesky city center traffic!

Taking the Metro to the Airport on Your Return Journey

For your return trip, keep in mind that there’s only one airport train every 25 minutes. We didn’t hear any announcements in English about which train was the airport train, and the display board was glitchy, so some letters were missing. Thankfully, the locals were incredibly friendly and helped us out when we were confused!

The airport is the last stop, but the second-to-last station has an airport sign etched in stone, which made us jump off the train one stop too early—oops! I felt a bit silly, but there’s a taxi rank right at the station entrance, and it only cost us €15 to get to the terminal. It saved us from dragging our bags around! The taxi driver even shared that he had a seasoned businessman do the same thing just a couple of days before, which made me feel a little better about my mix-up!

Getting Around

If you’re staying nearby, walking is a lovely way to explore the sights. If you venture a bit further out or need to hop on the Metro, a single ticket is just €1.20 for 90 minutes. If your journey takes longer than that, don’t worry! You can simply get off at the next station, grab another 90-minute ticket, and hop back on. If you’re just hitting the main attractions, you probably won’t need to top up, but there’s also a convenient 24-hour ticket option if you’re planning to do a lot of exploring.

My friend and I love to walk, so we only used the Metro to get to and from the airport and to Piraeus for our ferry to Aegina. Ports can be a bit overwhelming, but a kind local let us know that the ferries leave just across the road from the Piraeus Metro station. It was such an easy and economical way to get to the port, costing only €1.20 each way!

Walking

We noticed that, unlike in the UK, there aren’t many brown signs directing you to the sights. Maybe it’s because Athens is such an ancient city, or perhaps most people navigate using their phones (which we tried, but the signal dropped out often). So, be sure to have a paper map or some screenshots of the places you want to visit, just in case your signal lets you down!

Time for Each Sight

If you can, check online or in a physical guidebook to get an idea of how long you should spend at each sight. This will help you plan better, as it takes into account busy times, queues, and crowds.

Staying centrally also helped us manage our time. The city is compact—about 6.5 km long, according to ChatGPT—but don’t be fooled! You’ll need ample time at each destination, and you might not see everything on your list if you’re only there for a few days.

You can also use your 90-minute Metro card on the tram, but unfortunately, they weren’t going where we needed to at the times we wanted. They did look efficient, though!

The Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum

We visited the Acropolis on Day 1. My thinking was that if we got this must-see marvel out of the way, anything else we did would just be a bonus. The entry ticket for the Acropolis is €20, or you can buy a combined ticket for €30 that gives you access to five other sights. However, the Acropolis Museum is NOT included in that combined ticket, contrary to what the staff selling it may tell you.

You’ll need to purchase a separate ticket for the Acropolis Museum, which costs €15 at the main entrance. I must admit, I was quite annoyed when the lady in the booth at the Acropolis told us the combined ticket would cover the museum. I even spoke to her in Greek and pointed across the road to the museum, but she was adamant that the €30 ticket was the one to buy for access.

We only found out that the combined ticket wasn’t valid for the museum when we tried to scan it at the entrance. There’s a barcode at the bottom of the printed ticket that opens the glass swing doors, but no amount of explaining that we’d been misled worked (all in Greek, of course). The museum and the Acropolis are operated by separate entities, and when I finally expressed my frustration about being misled, the response was simply, “Welcome to Greece!”

I reminded myself that the civil servants working in ticket booths could be posted anywhere in Greece, and only after seven years can they request a position close to home. While that shouldn’t excuse poor customer service, being away from family for so long might make anyone a little less congenial!

The Acropolis Museum stays open later than the Acropolis on certain days, so it’s a good idea to visit the Acropolis first and then pop over to the museum afterward. We were lucky to go a bit later in the afternoon and managed to avoid the usual crowds.

The Acropolis Museum

I had a lovely chat with a staff member on the third floor who explained that the museum was designed to showcase every aspect of the temples’ structure. The building is constructed to represent the four walls of the temples. Another gentleman on the ground floor advised us to start at -1, the basement level, which you can access by going outside and to the left of the building. If you’re short on time, you can take the lift to the second floor and then walk up the last flight of stairs to reach the third floor.

The third floor contains the friezes, the second floor has the café and reading rooms, the first floor features artifacts from the excavations and statues, and the ground floor showcases finds from the Acropolis slopes. The -1 basement level displays the foundations and artifacts that have been uncovered. As you walk around the museum, you really get a sense of where the artifacts belong and how they fit within the original structures.

Restaurants

I love a personal recommendation! Sure, you can sift through reviews, but where chefs choose to eat on their precious days off holds more weight for me. A) They love good food, and B) Their time is valuable. My list from friends and family was long, but sadly, with our tight schedule, we didn’t have time to linger over long meals. My friend had breakfast at the hotel (I’m more of a coffee-in-the-morning person), and we either sat down for lunch to escape the midday sun or slumped into a seat after a long day of sightseeing. Our planned evening outfits, unfortunately, didn’t see the light of day!

Restaurants

One of my favorite recommendations came from my friend Nikos Roussos, who is a partner in the fabulous restaurants Opso and Kima in Marylebone, London. Nikos splits his time between Athens and London, and he suggested we try the fish sandwich at Atlantikos. It was incredible! Our hotel was less than 100 meters away from this tiny eatery tucked away down an alley—definitely the kind of place you wouldn’t find unless you knew about it.

The fish sandwich featured two sea bass fillets encased in very thin, crispy pita bread, topped with fresh tomato slices and thinly sliced red onions, all with a hint of what I think was a mix of Dijon and French mustard. It was so light, and the unexpected touch of mustard complemented the fish beautifully. I spritzed a little lemon juice over my sandwich, and it was so good that we popped back on our last day for another one!

Now, let’s talk about their chips. They were thin, but not overly crisp—just perfect 1 cm rounds cooked in olive oil. They were sweet, with a soft center and a crispy exterior. So moreish! We also tried the fried calamari, which was fresh and delicious, just like the fish sandwich. It was all very reasonably priced. Thanks, Nikos, for the amazing recommendation—I’m planning to recreate that sandwich for my family!

Here are some other recommendations Nikos gave us that we’ve stored for another visit:

Nikos’s food at both his restaurants is renowned, and their Greek restaurant, Funky Gourmet, holds 2 Michelin stars. So if you find yourself in Marylebone and missing Greece, pop into Opso or Kima—you won’t be disappointed!
Skotadis on the island of Aegina
Soil, a 1 Michelin-starred restaurant
Linou Soumpasis K Sia, listed in the Michelin guide
For brunch, try The Gatsby Athens
Atlantikos,a tiny eatery on a small street with small plates to share and that amazing fish sandwich
Trigono in Pangrati
Pezoulas, a tiny fish tavern
Travolta, a fish tavern listed in the world’s 50 best
Peristeri seafood restaurant
Geco Athens, which is very nice and posh
Souvlaki Kostas—go early for lunch around 12:00, as their souvlaki sells out quickly!
Tiki Bar, a great spot for a drink after visiting the Acropolis

Other Places on My List

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to some places I had on my list:

Bougatsadiko Thessaloniki—I wanted to try their custard tart, but our hotel buffet was so excellent that I didn’t feel too bad about missing it.
Haris from Kiehl’s in Canary Wharf recommended his favorite restaurant, Mavros Gatos.
Ktistakis Loukoumades —since 1912, their Greek doughnuts are like no other! They’re small, deep-fried rounds dipped in thick sugar syrup. The modern way is to top them with chocolate or caramel, but the traditional ones are the ones to try.
Le Greche for ice cream
Mokka is the best place in Athens to see how traditional Greek coffee is made, located on Athinas Street, right next to the Varvakios food market.

Athens left a deep imprint on my heart, thanks to my friend’s generosity and kindness, and the wonderful people we chatted to along the way. Locals, Roman Catholic priests touring the Byzantine Museum, a lady from Ireland who worked for the Inland Revenue, a woman whose husband studied in Birmingham, and their son who went to Durham—all shared their stories with us. I spoke to so many open-hearted people, who generously offered their time, travel tips and advice. Getting a locals inside scoop while you’re on holiday really makes a difference! So try and chat to people you will be surprised by their kindness. I know many non-Greek speakers find Athenians to be busy, but if you approach those who aren’t in a hurry, with a broad smile, you’ll get the information you need.

A few snaps: