Athens is truly a remarkable city to visit. Once the hub of philosophy and democracy, it is now a busy metropolis with ancient ruins around every corner. Seriously, just take a little stroll around the city and you will stumble upon many ancient artifacts. If you love history like I do, you surely will not be bored in Athens. We spent 5 days in Athens and it was a perfect amount of time to see all of the highlights.

Where to Stay:

We stayed at the Stratos Vassilikos Hotel in Athens and had a wonderful stay there! In fact this staff was so accommodating to us when we missed our flight back to the USA and had to stay an extra night.

Pros:

Very large room and bathroom with all the amenities you would need
A very large breakfast buffet that is included with your stay
Very affordable rates
24/7 Concierge that is remarkably helpful
Hotel Restaurant with room service available and there is a hotel bar with Happy Hour specials
There is a grocery store and convenience store across the street.

Cons:

This hotel is a little further out from the city center. If you plan on using the Metro while in Athens, which I suggest, it is about a 10 minute walk from the nearest metro station, Megaro Mousikis. Once on the metro you can quickly get around town. If that is too far of a walk for you the concierge will arrange a taxi for you or you can use the Beat app

How to Get Around:

Metro
- Athens has a great Metro system that is very affordable. A 5 day metro card for the city is about $10. The metro can get you to and from the airport as well as the Port of Piraeus. There are user friendly kiosks in the metro stations to get the tickets.
  - Important Stops:
    - Akropolis: Here you can get to the Acropolis Museum, the Parthenon and the Plaka
    - Monastiraki: Monastiraki Flea Market, Hadrian’s Library, Roman Forum and the Ancient Agora
    - Syntagma: Syntagma Square, Parliament, and the National Gardens
Beat
- This is a similar app like Uber to call taxis for you. We never rode in a classic taxi while in Greece because they seemed to be hustling a bit. This app took the worry out of being over charged.
Hop on Hop off Bus
- The Hop-on-Hop-Off Bus Tour is a fairly inexpensive way to get around town while having an audio guide in your preferred language. We took these buses one day and they were not very crowded, air conditioned, and made frequent stops (so you don’t have to worry about waiting around for a bus).
Walking
- Don’t underestimate walking around this historic city! There are artifacts every where you look, things you may miss if you are in a taxi.

Top Sights to See

Athens is filled with so many fun things to do! These are some of my most favorite places we visited!

The Acropolis: This is the most iconic sight in Athens and well worth a visit. Allow a few hours to visit the Acropolis and Parthenon. I recommend going first thing in the morning. It is a long walk to the top of the Acropolis and you will want to avoid the heat. Also wear sensible shoes! It is very windy and the ground is very slippery at the top of the Acropolis and we are many people trip and fall! Be careful! (Tickets cost 20€)

The Acropolis Museum: Right near the Acropolis is the new Acropolis Museum. This museum is beautiful and gives you a lot of insight into the history of this iconic structure. I recommend hitting the Museum before you go to the Acropolis (we went the day before). (Tickets cost 10€)

Plaka: The Plaka is a historic shopping area near the Acropolis. We had so much fun strolling the marble streets here!

National Archeological Museum: This is a huge museum that provides so much insight into Greek history! It is also the home to many famous art pieces like the bronze statue of Poseidon. (Tickets cost 10€)

Walking Food Tour: This was one of our favorite things we did in Athens. Our guide was so knowagable of Greek history and our group was so fun! Also the price is well worth the amount of food you get! Absolutely delicious. (Check ticket availability here)

Ancient Agora: This is another well preserved ancient ruin! There is a little museum on this site with a replica Agora you can walk through. (Tickets cost 8€)