In 2015 my partner and I spent a weekend in Greece to celebrate the union of 2 very lovely people. We arrived in Athens in the wee hours of the morning the day of their wedding and after much celebration late into the night we awoke the next day to take in as much as we could in 24 hours! These are 5 things you absolutely must do when you visit Athens, Greece.
Eat
Number 1 (and most important), eat! But don't just eat anywhere, avoid the tourist traps and eat where the locals do. One of our lovely Greek friends guided us to an incredible restaurant near our airbnb. The food was so amazing we didn't manage to take a single picture of it all (probably the truest test of an amazing meal these days)!
Of our many delicious meals our first and most memorable was a spot (I forgot the name of) located at the corner of Kidantidon and Kallisthenous in a neighborhood just west of Filopappos Hill.
Filopappou Hill
Filopappou Hill, also known as Hill of the Muses, is a massive park with beautiful geologic outcroppings, trails for hiking and ancient ruins. A group of us wedding guests, led by our Greek diaspora friend-turned benevolent tour guide, slowly hiked through the park all the way to the Panatheanic Way.
We took in the beautiful scenery that gradually built up our excitement until the Acropolis was finally revealed!
Acropolis
Of course the Acropolis... no trip to Athens is complete without visiting the this rightfully significant spot. The site is home to many structures including the Parthenon, an architectural masterpiece. It is a symbol of democracy, citizenship, and western civilization as we have come to know it today.
Truly the Acropolis is an incredible sight to be seen and even more stunning than I had ever imagined. And the views of Athens cannot be beat!
Acropolis Museum
After seeing the incredible ruins of the Acropolis we went to the beautiful Acropolis Museum for a deeper dive into history and afternoon cocktail. Be sure to schedule enough time here because you can honest spend hours here without realizing it!
Explore Pláka
And finally Pláka! Pláka is a historic neighborhood in Athens at the easterly base of the Acropolis. You can spend lots of time wandering the maze like streets imaging yourself in ancient times or just shopping around in the many shops that line the footpaths.
Stay for dinner and you may be lucky like us and find yourself a rooftop table with romantic views of the Acropolis and a pink sunset!
Although our time in Athens was short, it surely was memorable and I look forward to returning to Greece and seeing much more of it's capital city soon!
