Athens – A Glorious City

Well we’ve been here a full month now, the time has just flown by. We have been wonderfuly spoiled. Only 1 day of rain since we arrived. There is so much to see and do, that I feel like we have hardly stopped. Athens is a lovely city, busy, lots of tourists. This is our fifth Slow Travel trip, the aim being to stay long enoug somewhere to start feeling like a local, less like a tourist

So what are my highlights so far?

Highlights

Acropolis

Unsurprisingly, this was a real hit. Even better, we chose to visit it on the last weekend into September, which it turned out was Monument weekend. That meant we got into to lots of things free!

It was well worth the walk up in the strong sun. We went up with some friends, so we kept each other going. Although we had arrived about 10am, it was already getting busy, so if you want to have time to take pictures on the steps- get up early,  and be there when it opens at 8am, before all the tour groups arrive. (And there are many tour groups, both here and in the museum.

However, just in case you thought I was exaggerating about why it is worth getting there early. Here is another picture taken from one of the nearby hills about 11am. That is a snake of people walking very slowly up the steps at the top of the Acropolis hill. I don’t mind tour groups, but when you get groups of 30

Acropolis Museum

This came in a close second to the Acropolis itself. If you’re short of time, or not very physically able, this is almost as good as being on the physical site itself. There are many of the real pieces from the Acropolis, such as the Caryatids, although 1 of the 6 is in the British Museum. They show a couple of films. On the ground floor, they show a film about how the restoration work took place, and on the second floor one is what all the pieces on the Parthenon pediments looked like, and the story behind them.There is also a film about what happened to much of the art work (answer – the French and the British effectively pinched them around 1790-1810, so some of the missing pieces are in the Louvre or in the British Museum (The Elgin marbles). And of course, great views of the Acropolis from the cafe. The finale, is outside, you get to see underneath the museum itself, at what they uncovered when building the museum. Fascinating. Again, go early or late, the cruise ship tours arrive about 10:30, but by 4pm, all is quiet again.

The Caryatids, originally with one arm lifting their skirts, the other arm bearing food/gifts

Filopappou Hill

The views over Athens, and particularly around the Acropolis are fantastic. It is a bit of a walk (we entered from near the Thissio metro station), but there is also a hop on / hop off bus stop (A7) which eases the walk somewhat. This is free. On the way back to the metro, there are some lovely cafes, to refresh yourself after your efforts.

Filapoppou monument erected in honour of Julius Antiochus Filopappos AD 116

National Archaeological Museum

One day doesnt really do this justice. My husband has been twice, and we will both go again this coming Saturday. Again, it is worth getting there early. The coffee shop is worth a visit, if only to give your feet a rest, and relax in the gardens. What a lovely old olive tree!

 

Byzantine Museum

This is a lovely calm area. Not only is the museum good, but there is a great cafe and lovely gardens. Apparently the Illissos river used to run very close to here, but it was covered over in the 1950’s.

 

Tips for making the most of your money!

Getting Around

There is a good metro service. If you are only in town for a few days, I can recommend that you get the 3 day tourist ticket, for €22, this covers you for the suburban trains, metro, buses and trams, including a return trip to/from the airport. Given it costs €10 one way from the airport, this is great value.

If you’re there a little longer, you can get a 5 day ticket for €9 (excludes the airport). Again it covers buses, metros & trams.

If you have a smart phone, Google Maps is very efficient at telling you which buses/metros to use.

Multi-site tickets

Multi-site tickets can save you a fortune! There is a 5 day one covering 8 ancient sites including the Acropolis, Agora and Hadrians Library. At €30 this is great value, as a single ticket to the Acropolis is €20.

There is also a 3 day one covering 5 museums including the National Archaeological Museum and the Byzantium Museum for €15. Again great value.

Over 65?

If you’re over 65 and an EU citizen take your driver’s license or passport. You get reduced entry at many places including the Acropolis museum. (Only good for UK residents until Brexit!!) You also get reduced rates on the metro/buses etc

Other Things to do

If the weather is good, have a day at the beach. Take the Tram from Neos Kosmos. There are beaches all along the ocast. We found several public beaches, one near the tram stop, Paralia Glifades which has a stony beach and a good pay beach near tram stop Kolymvitirio. (5€ during the week, 7€ at the weekend, sandy beach, parasols and sun loungers, showers and changing rooms)

Odd challenges

Language & character set

While all street signs, and metro stops are in English as well as Greek, I still struggle with understanding enough Greek. I never learnt any at school, except those included in maths equations. In other cities we have stayed in, I have had enough o the language to be able to read it reasonably well, and decipher someone who speaks slowly. Not in Greek!

As for trying to decipher words at bus-stops saying that buses are working or on strike – difficult. Fortunately the metro prints notices in English as well as Greek

 

And now?

After more than 5 weeks in, we’re finding many things to do, so looking forward to our remaining time here. Our older son is on his way here, so we’re really looking forward to the weekend with him. Sadly his wife couldnt come with him, but we’ll have fun regardless.

If you would like to pin this, and please do, just click the image below