Shhh don’t tell anyone but Athens is one of my favourite European cities…it’s authentic, charming and there is a dose of history around every corner. We only had 48 hours in Athens on this occasion however we put it to good use by *cough* relaxing and eating.
We arrived late afternoon in Athens and caught a taxi from the airport (beware of the taxi drivers; we were pretty firm with our driver after he tried it on…just the once!) and checked into the Intercontinental Athens (not my favourite hotel in Athens and will write a review one day; it felt a bit dated, soulless and the service was mixed).
The first night we had access to the Intercontinental Club lounge where we enjoyed a light supper via the nibbles in the lounge and a few drinks while appreciating the view over the city.
The next morning we had a full day…to be fair we’ve done a number of the touristy things in Athens that you really should tick off on a visit to the city so we decided to climb a hill to get another view over the city from the Hill of the Muses…
…it’s pretty wonderful up there…
…with great views over the city…
…make sure you wear sensible shoes as it’s not stable ground.
After our stroll up a hill, we managed to end up in a middle of a religious procession that we had no idea about…thankfully a lovely old Greek lady grabbed me and explained that it was a particular saints day and we were close to her church (I have a funny feeling it was Catherine but I could be just making that up!) but it’s one of the reasons why I love Athens – the culture, history, religion and the friendly people that stop and chat to you…we held hands as she explained everything. A truly lovely moment that I will cherish.
G decided that he needed a ride on a segway and I wasn’t really feeling up for a segway tour so while he whizzed around seeing the city from different vantage points (he really loved this tour!)...I used my feet and just lost myself in the streets of Athens…
…photographing the hell out of it…
…the city felt a tad festive which surprised me (never thought of Christmas and Greece together before…doh!)…
…Athens at times does remind me of Paris…
…pretty in pink to make the boys wink!
The city felt empty of tourists, it was November so it was nice to chat to shop keepers and one in particular stopped me when he saw that my camera was on manual mode not auto…he loved photography so we had a chat…the Greeks love to chat.
I managed to photograph myself a few doors of course!
Unfortunately I had fibroid issues on this day (once you overheat, it’s game over!) and ended up having to change my entire bottom half in the smallest and smelliest toilet in all of Athens…the joys of not being able to flush paper down the toilet makes public toilets reek even more than usual! I’m still pretty proud of myself balancing on one shoe while trying to pull off and chuck on jeans in what felt like a tiny cage. I survived to tell the tale!
I did ponder about buying a pair of slippers…I haven’t succumbed yet but next time a pair of these bad boys are coming home with me…along with another 25 litres of olive oil.
After a quick walk back to the hotel, a shower and a brisk walk to the Hotel Grande Bretagne as I was meeting G for afternoon tea…
…G wanted to make sure that the Grande Bretagne in Athens still made the best scones in the whole world…
…they were rigorously tested (don’t ask me why the napkin ended up there…the shirt desperately needed a iron and he needed a trim as well which I was nagging him about)…they still hold the number one spot so if you’re a gluten eating monster then you need to make sure you pop in and taste their scones and their gluten free afternoon tea is pretty good as well!
We decided to head up to the terrace bar at the hotel which offers fabulous views over Athens…
…and then watch the sunset…
…I managed to get over my fear of flying rats (joking…still totally petrified of birds! And I forgot to focus the darn thing on the bird…doh!)…
…they make a rather tasty mocktail if you’re that way inclined which I am!
The following morning I decided to head out again to discover some more beauty spots around the historical centre of Athens…
…Athens is famous for it’s street art…
…in between ducking inside a few art shops, Athens does some seriously good art if you like bright bold striking colours (which I do!)….and yes there is a lot of graffiti as well…
…Athens is fabulous for people watching as it’s full of funny little characters like this gentleman who gave me a wink when I dropped in a few coins; traditional Greek music and possibly helping someone out is good for the soul (you never know a persons circumstances)…
…I found all this just by walking around the touristy area of Athens…
…I love a colourful destination…
…Athens does make me smile and I thought to myself, hmmm 48 hours in Athens really isn’t enough even on my 4th visit to the city! I stumbled on a few ancient ruins…
…another man entertaining the small crowd of only me…
…and just kept wandering around (I managed to find myself a few cushion covers and a load of olive oil…yes I’m officially old!).
Travel Tips for Athens, Greece
- The historical centre of Athens is quite compact so you can walk around with slightly pretty shoes if you fancy (just don’t do heels!)
- I’ve stayed at a few hotels in Athens and my favourite is the Hotel Grande Bretagne (great location, lovely service, iconic hotel which is part of the Starwood chain of hotels) or there is the Intercontinental Athens (IHG chain of hotels) which is more business focussed and takes approximately 10 minutes to walk into the historic centre.
- A taxi will cost you 38 euros from the airport to downtown Athens and this is a fixed rate but could change so check the board at the taxi stand – some taxi drivers will try and play funny buggers so I suggest having two 20 euro notes available rather than a 50 euro note and don’t listen to their bollocks about riots closing roads in central Athens – they just don’t want to take you all the way into the city
- You can catch the metro or buses from the airport which takes approximately an hour and is a cheaper alternative.
- If you are looking for a day trip from Athens then I would suggest Nafplio, the Islands of the Saronic Gulf or the Poseidon Temple which are all worth while and I’ve visited them all. Plus I have a load more Athens tips here including where to buy Greek Sandals and another great view point.
- Athens is really quite hip and it’s slowly becoming a foodie hotspot – Greek food is on the rise; simple but tasty flavours and you can easily find gluten free options!
- The Hotel Grande Bretagne offer a lovely afternoon tea in their Winter Garden which is definitely worth checking out.
- Athens is often dubbed as boring and overlooked as an entry / exit point for the Greek Islands; I always suggest 48 hours in Athens to really discover an authentic European city where history, locals and tourists mingle making it a great alternative city break destination. Athens won’t be for everyone but I love it!
xx
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