(I'm shortie in the middle)
I recently returned from a 5-day trip to Athens in Greece with my school Classics and Art Department. In those 5 days we saw all there is in the city worth seeing and walked around 30 miles over 3 days! I thought I'd do a 'The Traveller' post on 10 things to see//eat//do in Athens. As we were a group of 30 we had a coach to take us on trips out, so I wil note how far things are away from the city but it's worth going with a group for discounted fares and day trips out without ridiculous petrol bills too!
1, EAT: Thissio View Restaurant, Thession - we ate a set meal every night at this restaurant and the food was delicious, the service was excellent and from the menus online (here) the normal menu looks good too! The views of the Acropolis from the top floor are impecable, and we watched the moon rise over the Parthenon every night.
2, SEE: The Acropolis + Museum - an exposed place which is always covered in tourists but is well worth a trip to, the Athenian Acropolis is close to the city centre (15 minute walk) and the sights of the Parthenon and temples are outstanding. The museum has only been built recently and they are re-building the Parthenon, with the marble they are finding, within the museum and have left gaps where the Elgin Marbles will eventually be returned to and live.
3, EAT: The Gods Restaurant - a five-minute walk from the Acropolis is The Gods Restaurant with an upstairs balcony where you can sit and where we ate a Mezedes (like tapas) lunch of mouth-watering Greek dishes such as Spanakopita (spinach pie) and Stuffed Fig Leaves.
4, SEE: Museum in the Station, Parliament Sq. - the Athens Metro system is pretty new and when they were building under Parliament they found many artefacts so rather than transport them to a museum they made a museum within the station - you can see a wall cut-out with layers of different eras and a grave with a skeleton in it!
5, SEE: The Changing of the Guards, Parliament Sq. - every half an hour the beautifully dressed guards perform a special dance which is very fun(ny) to watch. Apparently, the guards are chosen especially from the army and are only the most handsome and tall.
6, DO: Ride the Happy Train - this little red train (with open sides mind) takes you on a journey through the old town and onto the main roads (eek!) but is a great way to see a lot of the city without completely killing your feet.
7, SEE: Churches - we visited the Panagia Gorgoepikoos which means our lady who hear quickly where some very lovely old women gave us cake - they bake cakes and have them blessed to a saint and they are eaten to help them find something they have lost. We also say the cathedral and Kapnikarea churches, which are both beautiful and worth a look in.
8, EAT: Gregorys Cafe - these are dotted all over the town, and provide cheap, simple food which is perfect at a lunchtime (PS if you're looking for WiFi these are also good, the password for each restaurant is 'gregorys')
9, SEE: Museums - The National Archaeological Museum is a huge building which you could spend a whole day exploring, and the Cycladic Art Museum has some beautiful intriguing exhibits. Also, The Benaki Museum is said to be very good but our plane was delayed so we were unable to visit it.
10, SEE: Temple of Poseidon, Cape Sounion - located right at the edge of the Attica peninsula and around 2 hours from Athens, Cape Sounion is a beautiful place to watch the sunset and see this amazing temple built for Poseidon when he lost Athens to Athena. The journey along the coastline is stunning, with clear blue waters and beaches along the way.
A cheeky extra if you have time would be the Sanctuary at Delphi which is around 4 hours away from Athens but the views and ruins are just beautiful and it would be disappointing to go all that way and not see Delphi.
Overall, my trip was wonderful, if you count out waiting 30 mins at Heathrow whilst my bag waited to be checked only to be handed back to me with no checks or anything *grr* and puking all over myself after a turbulent plane ride (thank God I'm a paranoid packer and had spare clothes!). The trip in general was so good, and our hotel (The Jason Inn) was great with breakfast on the roof with great views of the city.
Have you been to Athens?
Love, E X
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