The hustle and bustle of Athens was busy around me as I cruised through people going about their daily business. It’s a different side of Greece in comparison to what I’d seen before, car horns honked and people scurried about on the unsteady, haphazard pavements as I sat calmly in the slick Mercedes taxi taking me to my home for the next 2 days. This is the first city journey that I had embarked on solo, and although my nerves were raw my excitement was more. This post is a quick insight into how I spent my three days, my highlights and what I would change next time round.
Day One
My first day I decided to do a self-guided walking tour of Central Athens South, this area is overlooked by the Acropolis and is the home of many buildings that were critical to ancient Athens. It has some of the oldest inhabited areas of the city and is full of culture and history. I walked 10km this day and spent from 10 am until dusk wandering the streets, roughly following a path I had mapped out the night before whilst trying to conceal my map reading as to not look too much like a tourist.
First was The Acropolis, the site itself is very well maintained and allows free entry to students, providing you have a student card, much like many things in Athens. There is really no necessity to get a tour guide, as the maps on the site pretty much direct you and have all the information you need to know on signs if you can be bothered to read. I then visited the Ancient Agora & Tower of the Winds, which is a rather unassuming archaeological site and probably requires either a bit more knowledge and research, I did my research before and after and kind of enjoyed the mystery of not knowing everything.
Monastiraki & The Flea Market are round the corner from the ancient Agora and are vibrant, lively and generally has a good vibe, this is an incredible place to wander around and browse the stalls providing you know how to hold your own, haggle and make friends. I spent my time talking to locals and getting to know the area and the people and enjoying the eclectic mix of market clothing stalls, chic jewellery shops, all varying types of street food and tavernas and old heaped bookstores. The Temple of Olympian Zeus is a short walk away to which I came across accidentally, again it's a large site that doesn't really make much sense without a tour guide or knowledge so, I admit, I was confused and didn't really understand a lot here but appreciated the beauty and intrigue of the place all as much.
On my journey back to the flat I was staying in I visited the Acropolis Museum, for an hour as it was closing soon, I wandered around and although having a tour guide would be incredible and give you an in-depth understanding and appreciation, the way the museum is set out and the beauty of the artefacts and building itself is hard to deny and the Parthenon room is pretty self-explanatory.
I returned a seized the opportunity to climb Filopappos Hill, sit facing the water and experience the beautiful sunset over Athens, something that is my most highly recommended as the golden hour if you want to catch all of it is breathtaking!
Day Two
I Woke up, got ready and sharply headed to the Acropolis Museum for Brunch, although the food choice here is limited it is delicious none the less, they have a harpist who plays around this time and the view is unbeatable as you look up on the Acropolis through the humongous glass panes. I then walked what seemed like a long way, but this is because I got lost and doubted myself, turned around and turned around again, to the Byzantine Museum which is next to the War Museum.
I gave the War Museum a miss as it’s not my thing but they are literally next door to one another so easy to go to both if you want to! The Byzantine Museum is an unassuming place that extends underground to house both history and culture, although mostly filled with school kids it is quiet and calm and has a lovely cafe for lunch and takes a good 2 hours to see everything, they have changing exhibitions with one resident exhibition. I walked along the main road a further two minutes to come to the Museum of Cycladic Art, this museum is incredibly well thought out with each level progressing through a different level of Greek history, although the stairs are a killer the museum itself is quiet and fascinating. This was by far one of the highlights of my trip. I’m a gift shop fiend and I have to say that this gift shop was one of the best I have ever been to in a museum, it was discounted entry for students to the museum and I would highly recommend it!
Although I was rapidly running out of time I squeezed in the Benaki Museum, which is a massive expanse of floors housing Greek arts and crafts, costumes, jewellery and a vast array of other items that span over 5,000 years of Greece. This museum is incredibly complex and quite confusing at times so for this I suggest getting a guided tour or at least a programme to make the most of your time here! Across the road from the Museums is the National Gardens, although it was quickly becoming night my walk through the gardens was calming and quite zen; it is like a labyrinth of trees, plants, a small series of enclosures with goats, peacocks, ducks and geese and a beautiful ‘oasis’ of ponds that are reminiscent of an M.C. Escher painting. My walk through here ended my final day beautifully and gave me the opportunity to venture through the vibrant streets of south Central Athens in the early evening as the city begins to come alive.
My highlights:
The Acropolis
Sunset on Filopappos Hill
The Museum of Cycladic Art
Walking the city
To get a great idea of Athens (and mainland Greece) to plan my trip I bought Eyewitness Travel: Greece, Athens & The Mainland.
If you’re travelling in a group build your itinerary together with the app ‘Travefy’
Finally I visited in January, when the numbers of tourists are low and the city is relatively quiet. There are some things that make it worth visiting in the summer months like open air cinemas, the weather and if you enjoy a buzzing tourist atmosphere but I would 100% suggest going in the late winter/early spring months.
P.S. Don’t forget your student card!