Greece has been on our bucketlist for some time and we finally made it there this past summer (August 2017) on a birthday trip with my sister. We couldn’t wait to see the ruins in Athens – the beautiful white buildings dotted with blue rooftops in Santorini, the island beaches, and the Mediterranean sunsets. Let me tell you, we were not disappointed.
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Weather in Athens
Feelin' Hot Hot Hot!
Athens, my friend, you are hot…really hot! We arrived to a toasty 34 degree Celcius morning in Athens and it didn’t take long to realize that our t-shirts and leggings were not going to cut it for very long (Mark’s edit: just to be clear, the sisters were in leggings 🙂 ).
Athens from the Airport
Quick tip on getting to Athens from the airport: we used Welcome Pickups who had someone at the airport to greet us with a personalized sign; “Tianna’s Young AF tour 2017” in celebration of my sister’s 30th birthday and the inspiration for our trip. We liked them so much we booked them for pick up from the Ferry in Santorini as well.
Where to Stay in Athens
Where we stayed: When we strolled up to our hotel 18 Micon Street it was well before normal check-in (a recurring theme on this trip); which not surprisingly meant that our room was not ready. Luckily, the staff were so friendly and worked to quickly have a room ready for us within an hour.
We were super impressed with the staff at the hotel. They were very attentive and so helpful. The hotel itself was a fairly new boutique type space that was great mix of modern and rustic. We just loved it!
Bonus: the location was perfect with lots of shops and restaurants nearby. It was also a very short walk from the Monastiraki Flea Market which has several winding streets full of shops, restaurants and souvenirs.
The short wait for our room gave us just enough time to explore the area and get a cappucinno to re-energize (beyond needed after a 10hr flight) before we sweat to death in our Lululemons.
Spending A Day in Athens
We basically got a whirlwind tour of Athens before we began island hoping. In fact, I think we were in the city for under 24 hours total so we just got a glimpse of what the city has to offer and a sampling of greek wine to start the birthday trip off right.
We started our day with shopping and lunch in the Monastiraki Flea Market. There are so many shops to check out full of antiques, souvenirs, sunglasses, sandals, hats, and more. Mark and I always buy a Christmas ornament from every place we visit and this was the perfect place to do that. Tianna even got a beautiful pair of malechite earrings for a reasonable price.
Of course with such a short time to spend in the city we had to see the Parthenon. We chose to walk there which was not a very long walk but it was hot so definitely bring water.
As we walked the grounds, Mark channeled his inner Plato – you know, putting his philosophy degree to some sort of use. While for me, images of the Disney movie Hercules kept coming to mind and I was half hoping someone would break into song while we wandered around the gigantic ruins of the temple.
Athens Top Tip
Walk Carefully at the Parthenon
Random Tip: Before we left home, Mark’s mom kept telling us about the slippery steps up to the Parthenon and we were questioning what she was talking about. I can honestly say it might be something you cannot understand until you get there.
When you feel the smooth stone walkway under your feet and imagine all the feet that must have come before yours to create such smoothness while you also worry about whether a concussion on day one will ruin your trip. Moral of the story: practical footwear is a must as you marvel at all this ancient landmark has to offer.
What to Eat in Athens
We ended our tour of Athens with dinner at Cinque Wine & Deli Bar and I can’t rave about this place enough. They serve wine flights and charcuterie (two of my favourite things). Their flights are all made up of different greek wines; white flights, red flights or flights from various regions of Greece. The food was so fresh and to top off all this greatness the service was phenomenal.
And did I mention wine flights! (Insert responsible drinking disclaimer here!!)
One of the selling points when we chose the restaurant is it was literally stumbling distance from our hotel. And we really could not have found a better way to end our short stay in Athens before heading off to party some more in Mykonos.
Just Enough Time for the Highlights of Athens
Yes, we only saw a small amount of the city. In fact our Welcome Pickup driver suggested many things we could have done with more time: The changing of the guard we heard is not to be missed. Given the chance we will definitely be back to have a deeper Athens experience.
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