15 Hours in Athens

When we were planning our trip to Greece we decided pretty early on we mainly wanted to stay on an island instead of spending a ton of time on the main land. We only had a week and our main goal was a get away to enjoy food, scenery, and not focus on a jam-packed itinerary. Our original plan was to bookend our trip with two half days in Athens, but following good flight deals, we ended up going from Santorini to Rome instead of back to Athens. This means we only had a half day to take in what Athens had to offer.

After a full day of stressful travel(at least on my end, thanks standby), we met up at our hotel in the heart of Athens and found a little pie shop to have lunch. This is where we got our first glimpse of Greek hospitality. We ordered 2 savory pies to go, and while we waited we also got to sample the blueberry, apple, and lemon custard pies as well. Yes, please, and thank you. We had ourselves a mini picnic in a nearby square and then plotted the rest of our afternoon/evening.

Like 99.9% of tourists in Athens, the main site we wanted to see was The Acropolis. We decided to just get tickets for the Acropolis and not the combo ticket for multiple sights. If you are planning on being in Athens for more than one day, definitely opt for the combo ticket. Fun Fact: For the longest time I used Acropolis and Parthenon interchangeably, BUT Acropolis refers to the citadel on top of a hill (so multiple structures) and the Parthenon is specifically the large column filled temple to Athena. At the base of the Acropolis you will find the Theater of Dionysus, which is thought to be the world’s first theater. Originally holding up to 17,000 people today you are able to walk into the unblocked sections and sit where people have been enjoying live performance since the 6th century BCE.

Of all the ancient Acropolis structures in Greece, the Athens citadel is the most complete. One of the most impressive structures on the way to the top is The Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Built in 161 AD (and restored in the 1950s) this 5,000 seat theater is still in use today. It’s hosted concerts by Elton John, Sting, Pavarotti, as well as many other Greek and international acts. If you are in Athens in the summer, definitely check out the event schedule.

 Once you reach the top of the Acropolis you will see the crowing jewel: The Parthenon. Built in 447 BCE the Parthenon was originally built as a temple to honor the goddess Athena. Over the years it has also served as a church, a mosque, and a military lookout. Today, you can only observe it from the outside. It’s currently in it’s 42nd year of restoration. Restoring one brick can take up to 3 months and they use marble from the original quarry used in 447 BCE.

If you want to get a good picture of the Parthenon without people, patience is key. It will always have crowds of people so wait for a gap between groups to quick snap a pic, or try coming up with some interesting angles. I waited a solid 5 minutes for the break in foot traffic to take the above photo.

Some other highlights to see in the Acropolis are the Erechtheion (shown above), the Propylaia, and the Temple of Athena Nike. Plus don’t forget to fully take in the 360 degree views of Athens.

From a logistical standpoint the rocks in the Acropolis are very well worn from centuries of foot traffic, so wear shoes with a good tread (and avoid if it’s raining). Also, there is almost no shade on top of the hill, so plan accordingly.

I wish I could tell you that in our short time in Athens we crammed lots of other sight seeing things into the itinerary, but that’s definitely not my travel style. My favorite part of traveling is generally just wandering city streets and getting a feel of the local vibe and culture. So after seeing the Acropolis we wandered through the neighborhoods of Plaka, Monastiraki, and Syntagma. We ended up in the National Gardens where we were able to get out of the sun and sit and catch up. Apparently there is a small petting zoo in the park too, so if you are traveling with kids this could be a good stop. We ended our time in Athens by eating an amazing dinner at Avocado, indulging in gelato and going to bed at a reasonable time since we had to wake up at 3:30 am to catch our flight.

And it wouldn’t be a travel post by me unless I told you more about where we ate, so my favorites from our short time:

The Pie Shop (Voulis 16): As stated above, we got savory hand pies to take away for lunch and they were filling and delicious. Plus the Greek hospitality couldn’t be beat!

Avocado (Nikis 30): This is where we ate our dinner. They are a vegetarian and vegan restaurant in the Syntagma neighborhood. We shared the Parmigiana di Zucchini and Rumi's Dream, which were incredible. They also had a variety of fresh juices that were delicious.

Le Greche (Mitropoleos 16): Gelato! A constant staple of my travels is ice cream or gelato and Le Greche didn’t disappoint! High quality ingredients and interesting flavors. I definitely would have come back multiple times if our stay was longer.

Feyrouz (Karori 23 & Aiolou Str): This was our original plan for dinner, but they weren’t open when we were ready to eat. I’m adding it anyways because it looks amazing. Fresh ingredients and homemade dishes inspired by the Middle East. This place is definitely on my list for the next time I’m in Athens.

So that was it for our short and sweet time in Athens. After reading different accounts of the city I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Athens. Obviously there are many things I didn’t get the chance to experience in such a short amount of time, so tell me what I missed below!