Athens is a city filled with so much history and is rich in culture. It is such an easy city to get around by using their metro system. There are also taxis over the city and there is an app called grab that makes it easy to call a cab. We would use grab to call taxis when we went out to the beach clubs and it made getting to and from where we stayed a lot easier. You are also able to get to different Greek islands from the port Piraeus (I used this port a couple of times during my trip). After being in Athens for basically 2 months here are my top 5 places to see:
1. Temple of Poseidon, Sounion
As a group, we took a bus to go visit this historical site that is about 45 mins to an hour outside of Athens on the coast. Many people go visit this site to watch the sunset as well which I’ve heard is beautiful to see. We went during the day and went to the beach as well as seeing the temple. I highly suggest doing this we really enjoyed this day. The admission fee into the temple is around 8 euros. The pebble beach that we went to was around Laurio-Sounio. It was off a TINY side road and to find a more secluded beach like this would be easiest if you rented a car. There was a little cafe up top where you could change and get something to drink and a snack. Then you walk down these stairs to the beach.
2. Rooftop Bars
Downtown, we enjoyed two bars that had wonderful views of the Acropolis. They both had a relaxing environment and were easy to talk with one another while having an amazing view. We went to A for Athens and 360. Of course there are many bars around Athens and some fun clubs that are open during the summer, one we went to was Akanthus. Above is a picture we took at 360.
3. Monastiraki
This neighborhood has a wide variety of shopping and different places to eat as well. There is also different sites to see including Hadrian’s Library and the Ancient Agora. While walking around this neighborhood you can hear music playing at night, there’s a flea market during the day (don’t be afraid to haggle) and there are so many different options to choose from to eat. Would recommend for dessert visiting Little Kook’s, Nancy’s Sweet Home and Loukoumades.
4. Beach Day
There are so many different beach clubs around Glyfada and Vouliagmeni that are perfect for a relaxing day at the beach. We chose to go to Krabo Beach which had chairs to rent and you could order food and drinks as well while having the water just a few steps away. Just find a spot you’ll enjoy and have a great day at the beach!
5. Acropolis
Of course, no trip would be complete without a stop at one of the most iconic places. I went twice to this site while in Greece and would highly suggest visiting in the morning right when they open up. If you’re visiting during the summer it will not be as hot in the morning than in the afternoon and there will be less people. Warning you now there is a little climb to the entrance but it is not very difficult. If you are a student do not forget your school ID because you can get 50% off your ticket and you can get into the Acropolis museum for free. We took advantage of this deal and visited the museum to see more artifacts (I went twice since it was free and I do not even like museums which is why more are not listed in my top five).
BONUS: For another day trip go see Meteora, it is stunning and yes, it is possible to see in one day either by taking a car and driving or by using trains. It is about 4-5 hours north of Athens and I booked a tour to Meteora . They booked the train for me and met me in Kalabaka to take me to the different monasteries. I was not alone on this tour there were about 5 or so other people on it as well and I was not the only solo traveler which was nice. To note, I am not getting paid to promote their tours. I just want to spread the word about them because they were very exceptional.
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