Enchanting Athens, Greece · A Travel Guide Through the Eyes of a Local
Something mesmerizing happens when you walk the modern streets set among one of the oldest cities in our history books. Where thoughts and ideas bloomed in the most enchanting way thousands of years ago, so impactful that we still chase its philosophies. An area that has seen nearly every form of government known to this day: monarchy, democracy, socialism, capitalism, even communism. There’s a gift here for every seeker and like most difficult rare beauties, it starts from within.
If you enjoy traveling from a local’s point of view, that goes beyond tourist attractions and into the heart of the city, then this Athens travel guide is for you.
Below you will find valuable tips to help you plan your journey to Athens, Greece!
How to get there:
We traveled from New York City and found an incredible deal via Travel Pirates a few months before our trip that had me shocked. I traveled to Greece in 2016 around the same time, March, and both of our tickets combined cost us less than my ticket had cost back then. If you have flexibility, I highly recommend keeping an eye on these deals on Travel Pirates and through their Facebook page. They won the World Traveler Award in 2018 for their best travel deals on vacation packages, flights, and hotels. They are the World’s Leading Travel Deals Website.
“If happiness is the goal – and it should be – then adventure should be a top priority”
Richard Branson
As far as airlines go, it’s a long flight (9 hours there, 10+ hours back to NYC) and comfort should be among your top priorities. From my experience, I preferred Turkish Airlines because of the quality of service and comfortability plus they’re very generous to the amount and weights of your luggage. This time around we flew with Emirates, which is what I would give the second prize to.
Where to stay:
There are many excellent options of places to stay from hotels that you can find in the range of 75€ up to a few hundred Euros for Hotel Grande Bretagne if you’re looking for a grand luxury style. There are also many great options on Airbnb for places as low as 40€ per night with views of the Acropolis with a central location.
Thanks to a kind offer from the Greek National Tourism Organization we stayed at Pallas Athena Grecotel Boutique Hotel Athens. It was a perfect home base since it was central in downtown Athens with a short walk to attractions like the Acropolis, Plaka, museums, and more.
Each room at the Pallas Athena Grecotel is uniquely different and inspired by the craft of local artists – from street style to magnificent giant sculptures like our blue hippo. They incorporate many of the beautiful aspects of Greek life from featuring local artists that are for sale to offering local products in the lobby, the minibar, and the breakfast buffet which was an excellent place to start each day.
The boutique hotel has a big Crete influence including the food with their famous “
How to get around:
As with most old cities with its steep hills and all, walking is the primary way that people get around. In the streets, there are many small cars and a lot of motorbikes. The Uber app works here, but the cars are metered taxis which is still a good option for late nights and longer journeys – like to and from the airport which was about 30€. The metro and bus system is very easy to understand and reliable to use.
One thing that has changed since my last visit
One of the greatest things we did on our trip was to contact a local and experience Athens through their eyes. This Is My Athens is a great program where you “get matched with enthusiastic volunteers waiting to share their insider tips with you.”
Our local tour guide was Athanasios and he showed us a number of the places we’re about to mention. He seems like a bit of a local celebrity as we went around town many people stopped us to say hello. In the days after our tour, we ended up seeing him in a few places too!
What to do:
Athens is a generally a safe city and whether it’s during the day or at night – there is a lot of things to do. Do be careful of your personal belongings as you would in any major city like not leaving your cell phone on your table if you’re eating outside.
Visit the Acropolis early on in your trip, invest in the 5-day pass. You’ll be able to return as often as you like and it gives you access to 5 other ancient grounds as well (see map image below). If you have a student ID and/or press credentials – bring them with you as admission prices are cut in half. Students get access to this pass for €15, the general admission is €30.
There are many ways to hike up to the Acropolis and the journey is magical itself. Once you’re in, you’re surrounded by centuries of architecture. While there is evidence that people lived on the hill for up to 6,000 years, the earliest of the main structures we know today, The Parthenon, was built about 2,500 years ago honoring Athena. In the years since, it was turned into a church, a cathedral, a mosque, and finally, it was where the Ottomans stored their ammunition. In 1687, a cannonball hit some gunpowder being stored and the explosion led to the ruins as we see them today, besides the restoration efforts.
There is an interesting story I read that traces back to the original sacred Olive Tree that was once gifted and planted by the goddess Athena herself in which named this great city, Athens. This sacred Olive Tree has been replanted from an original branch and is located on the west porch of the Erectheion in the Acropolis.
The area around the Erechtheion was considered the most sacred of the Acropolis. The Erechtheion was a complex marble building in the Ionic order, an exceptional artwork. The eastern part of the Temple was dedicated to Athena, whilst the western part was dedicated to local hero Boutes, Hephaistos and other gods and heroes. Thus, the Erechtheion was a temple with multiple functions, housing older and newer cults, and the site of the ‘Sacred Tokens’, the marks made by Poseidon’s trident and the olive tree, the gift of Athena to the city of Athens.
The Acropolis Museum
Spend an afternoon in Plaka, a charming village that sits in the shadows of the Acropolis. Plaka has narrow cobblestone streets that are filled with family-owned tavernas, cafes, shops, art, mini-museums and more. When going up to the Acropolis, I enjoy the route through Plaka.
Below the Acropolis sits the rock of Areopagos. The steps are very slippery so be careful when you climb them, but the breathtaking scenery is worth every step. Here you’re greeted with a spectacular panoramic view of Athens and the cities surrounding the Acropolis – Agora,
This place can get pretty romantic so don’t be shy to grab a bottle of wine, some hors d’oeuvres and your true love for an unforgettable sunset leaving behind a city full of sparkling lights under the stars.
At the Temple of Zeus, you should literally stop and smell the flowers. This is one of my favorite grounds to lay my head besides flowers and smile. This land was originally dedicated to Gaia, the earth mother, around 4,000 BC and later dedicated to Zeus. The temple was grand and ornate as the marble ceiling tiles were cut thin enough for sunlight to shine through each of the 1,000 tiles to illuminate the 40-foot tall statue of Zeus made of gold and ivory atop a wooden base. You can imagine why it was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
The National garden is larger than you expect and a beautiful place to reflect. If you’re a bird lover, you’ll be surprised at the types of birds you’ll see. You can often see many colorful parrots flying around and landing on the 7,000 trees and 40,000 bushes made up of 519 different species and varieties from around the world. Many locals use the beautiful scenery as a backdrop to their daily exercise.
The Academy of Athens is one of the more glorious buildings of modern Athens. When the modern city was created in the mid 1800s, it was important to some of the wealthy benefactors to honor the historic achievements of the scholars and philosophers of ancient Athens. This is clear in the neoclassical style of the building and also the statues of Socrates and Plato that greet you as you walk up the first set of steps. As a nod to the ancient gods, statues of Apollo and Athens on the pillars behind the great philosophers.
Where to dine & drink:
We started each morning having breakfast at our hotel, the Pallas Athena, and it truly was the best way to start the day.
Coffee lover alert: If you’re coffee obsessed like us, you’ll love the flavors of Freddo Cappuccino – either hot or cold, I think what makes it so special is that they blend the sugar with the milk.
Not only is the restaurant one of Athens must dine experiences, it’s also a taste of local. Even if you aren’t’ staying there, I recommend stopping by for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Their food is locally sourced including specialities from the island of Crete.
One of my favorite places to sip coffee and enjoy the colorful atmosphere is Noel’s. They have their own version of the Freddo cappuccino and it’s extremely delicious. They add a kick of spirit and garnish it with cardamom – the aroma of the spice is what I imagine heaven to smell like.
Address: Kolokotroni 59B, Athina 105 62, Greece
Thanks to Athanasios’ recommendation, we had lunch at a signless tavern the locals call Diporto — which translates to ‘two doors’. Since it’s located on a corner, it has has a door with stairs leading down on both sides of the corner.
This place feels like stepping into your welcoming neighbor’s kitchen where there is no menu and the food is whatever they’re serving that day. Diporto holds a great deal of history, for starters it is as it was from the late 1800s. The food is full of flavor and unlike anything I’ve tried before. The chickpea soup doused with olive oil was unreal, and while I was faced with my biggest culinary fear, octopus, Jeff said it was the most tender and delicious he’s ever tried. What sets this place apart from similar taverna style places is that the wine is actually aged in these very barrels they’re served from.
Address: Sokratous 9 &, Theatrou, Athina 105 52, Greece
Diporto is located smack in the middle of what is – at least by day – one of the Athens’ most fascinating areas, home to a variety of specialized marketplaces. Varvakeios, one of the few of its kind in Europe, is the city’s largest fish and meat market, in operation since 1886. Around this enormous, chaotic market, where vendors try to outdo each other in shouting, lies Athens’ traditional center of trade, with streets devoted to specific merchandise: hardware stores and bric-a-brac on Athinas Street; spices, cheeses, kitchen equipment and plants on Evripidou and Sofokleous; doorknobs on Vissis (yes, there is a street dedicated solely to doorknobs).
— Culinary Backstreets
Klepsidra is a restaurant located on stairs below the Acropolis in Plaka. This was a place we wished we could go back to over and over again. The view here is amongst our favorite from the trip, it’s awe-inspiring to be able to look out as the sun gently sets over the city while enjoying incredible food and excellent service. Our waiter was constantly cracking subtle jokes in the most confusing and entertaining way.
Order yourself one of these – Rakometo – an interesting spin on a very strong Greek spirit. It’s served hot with honey and cinnamon aromas that go perfectly with any dish you order. We had the special, the hero platter. Other greek sprits to try are Tsipouro and Oinomelo!
Address: Klepsidras, Athina 105 56, Greece
Diodos is located right outside the gates of Agora, the old city where Socrates once walked the roads. Get a table outside and ask for a view of the Acropolis, seeing the way it sits from Agora is really enchanting. To imagine it is the same view that Socrates would have had.
Most menus have translations in English and don’t be shy to ask for recommendations. The Athenians show love and welcome you through their food, the hospitality feels like a warm hug. At Diodos, we ordered ouzo, potato salad, and fried zucchini — something about it is so good and sweet.
Address: Adrianou 19, Athina 105 55, Greece
Everywhere you go, you must order the Greek Salad. This combination of cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, lemon, and feta is unbelievable. There is a strip in Monastiraki that has some of the best kabobs and calls itself the birthplace of these dishes. I’ve tried a few of them but my favorite go-to is O Thanasis Kebab Lunch.
Address: Mitropoleos 69, Athina 105 55, Greece.
Diogenes in Plaka is the perfect corner for a drink and appetizers. My tip is to always go for the local spirits, wines, and beers when you can. It gives you a better sense of what it’s like to eat like a local. Also, the grape leaves are dynamite here. They are stuffed with rice and ground meat and covered with some sort of lemon sauce.
Address: Lisikratous, Athina 105 58, Greece
Further out in Athens, pass the city centers are what they call their suburbs. My favorite local neighborhood is
Stop by the ancient Panathenaic Stadium or Kallimarmaro (also known as the original Olympian Stadium) and for those who are fans of the Olympics, you can even go down onto the track and take your picture on top of the medal platform or jog around the track. This structure is incredible and stands as the world’s only all-marble stadium and the only to host 3 Olympics.
Insider Tip: There’s a secret viewing spot that locals boast about and it’s absolutely free. To get there, there are two routes – but the easiest one to explain is through the stadium.
Once you get to the top of the stairs, get out onto the outer tracks and go down to the end. From there you’ll find a secret entrance to the park. Hike it up and enjoy! Sunsets are magical here too.
I encourage you to take a dip in Athens nightlife. Ask around for a place to enjoy traditional music and when you’re there, order yourself a bottle of wine and don’t be shy to enjoy it with a pack of cigarettes. Majority of the places in Athens are smoker friendly.
Do go out dancing like to Lohan Nightclub, the majority of the clubs are on the same street of Iera Odos or “The Sacred Way.” They do have a cover charge of about 10€, but then once you go in, you get a free drink, so essentially they have a 1 drink minimum. We went on a Friday night and it was their “Blackout” party where they turn the lights off, turn on the laser show, and a DJ with MC sets the tone while gogo dancers entertain the crowd.
As for bars, there are many places that you can sip on a delicious cocktail among beautiful designs. You must check out KUKO’s which gets filled with a trendy crowd as well as Clumsies – which has been ranked the 6th best bar in the entire world. It’s an experience just to watch them mix the drinks!
KUKO’s Address: Kalamiotou 4, Athina 105 63, Greece
Clumsies Address: Praxitelous 30, Athina 105 61, Greece
For the best gelato in Athens, every local will direct you to DaVinci Artisan Gelato. This place is unreal and there are a few locations around Athens, be ready and plan on going back! There are so many things on the menu that will have you drooling for it for years to come.
Speaking of sweets, a few stores down from DaVinci Artisan Gelato is Hans & Gretel. Here you’ll find incredible rose flavored ice cream that you can eat from freshly rolled dough cups.
DaVinci Artisinal Gelato Address: Adrianou 50, Athina 105 55, Greece
Hans & Gretel Address: Adrianou 48, Athina 105 58, Greece
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”
– Pericles
From secret book shops, cafes, to restaurants and breathtaking viewing posts — Athens is filled with history and depth. There are many places I haven’t mentioned that we also enjoyed on our trip. If you’re looking for anything in particular, drop a comment below and I’ll direct you.
There is something about Greece and its antiquity that affects me – makes me thirsty to expand my understanding of the world around me and within. One of the great Greek philosophers once said, which I relate to …
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
Heraclitus
There are many versions of a story, but the one that matters most is the one you allow yourself to see.
