Athens Travel Guide
Athens is one of the world’s oldest cities and has so much history to witness. Although it’s the largest city in Greece, it feels like a smaller city when compared to Rome or Paris. The great thing about this is that you can see the major sites of the city in one day. We flew into Athens to start our Greece trip and stayed for two nights. I would recommend doing this before heading to the islands so that you can recover from the jet lag and see all of the major sites. We had some of the best food of our entire trip here and were able to see some beautiful historical sites like the Acropolis. Read more about restaurants and other places I recommend below!
Where to Stay
King George Hotel: In Athens, we stayed at the King George Hotel. It is a part of the Luxury Collection and has an old-world vibe to it. The hotel is beautiful and right in the center of Syntagma Square which is a short walk to all of the main sites in Athens. There is also a really nice rooftop restaurant and bar with views of the Acropolis. We never ate here but went up to have drinks before dinner.
Where to Eat
Meal at O Thanasis
O Thanasis: This was one of our favorite restaurants in all of Greece! It has more of a family-owned feel to it. The street it’s located on has a row of restaurants with a massive area for outdoor seating. There will be a couple of signs that say “O Thanasis” as I believe the restaurant has expanded. But go to any one of them and you can’t go wrong. You can either get a souvlaki platter or a gyros platter. I would recommend the chicken souvlaki, green salad, tzatziki, and house red wine. Check out more here!
The Greco’s Project: This is more of a tourist restaurant, but I loved the food! They have these chips that look like fresh potato chips but are thicker and taste more like french fries. So good! I thought more places would have these so didn’t think to go back but no one else did and I was so bummed. I still crave these today! View their website here.
Where to Drink
View from MS Roof Garden
MS Roof Garden: If you’re looking for some post-dinner drinks in Athens, go to MS Roof Garden. It’s a lively cocktail bar right in the heart of Athens with incredible night views of the Acropolis. Check out more here.
Rooftop at the King George Hotel: For more of an upscale spot for drinks, go to the rooftop restaurant and bar at the King George Hotel. The restaurant part requires reservations, but there are a couple of high-top tables where walk-ins can go for drinks. I had some delicious white wine here!
Things to Do
The Acropolis Tour: The Acropolis is one of the most iconic sites in Athens so it is a must-see! It is located in the center of the city and is hard to miss. It is a bit of a hike as it is elevated above the city, so I would recommend going early in the morning and wearing comfy shoes when you go. We just purchased tickets when we got there and walked around on our own to see the Pantheon and the Theatre of Dionysus which is an ancient Greek theatre but tours are available.
Monastiraki Flea Market: Monastiraki is a flea market and one of the main shopping districts in Athens. Definitely walk through this area and spend an hour or two getting your shopping fix in. I bought some beautiful hand-woven bags and jewelry here. There are also restaurants and cafes in the area that you can check out if you need a drink or something to eat in between.
Walk Around the Plaka: The Plaka is considered to be one of the oldest neighborhoods in Athens. Along with ancient homes, you will find more restaurants, cafes, and shops. Most of the streets have been closed to traffic so you can enjoy a nice leisurely walk while you take in the beautiful sites of the neighborhood. It is located right under the Acropolis so I’d recommend walking around the Plaka after you do a tour there.
On My List for Next Time
This was my first trip to Athens and we were only there for a short visit so we didn’t get to see everything just some of the main sites and restaurants. Here are some more recs we got from others (but just didn’t have time to see) below.
Sites:
Acropolis museum
See the Evzones – traditional greek soldiers
Shopping in Kolonaki
Restaurants:
Restaurant on top of the Grande Bretagne Hotel
Moorings in Vouliagmeni – On the water, with great views!
Lambros in Vouliagmeni – Ditto to above
Drinks/Going Out:
Island Club – for food and for going out
Banana Club – for going out, especially on Sundays
Clumsies – classic pub & cocktail bar for great drinks and a fun atmosphere
Skybar – for going out