Attempting to see Athens in 36 hours was nothing short of a whirlwind–as evidenced by my somewhat lacking photo collection from our stay. We landed around 8am local time and by 10am we’d dropped our bags at the hotel, made a quick outfit change in the lobby bathroom and were wandering the city. In hindsight it would have been better to land the night before to avoid the delirious jet lag we experienced that first day, but we pushed through, determined to maximize our visit.
Day 1 Itinerary
- 9:30am: Arrive at Hotel
- 10:00-12:00pm: Walking tour of Amalia Street
- Hadrian’s Arch
- Temple of Zeus
- 12:00pm: Check-in at Hotel Amalia
- 12:00-2:00pm: Nap, freshen up & eat lunch
- 2:00pm-4:00pm: Explore the National Gardens & Zappeoin Building
- 4:00pm-4:30pm: Watch the Changing of the Guards at Syntagma Square
- 4:30pm-6:00pm: Explore the Plaka
- 6:00pm: Dinner in the Plaka
We booked our trip through Great Value Vacations, which provided hotels, airfare, and transportation for a bundled price. At first, I was hesitant to give up control over hotel choice since that’s one of my favorite things to research but they chose excellent accommodations throughout our stay and I can’t recommend them enough. The best part about our hotel in Athens was that it was within walking distance from many of the historical sites we had on our list, making it easy to see everything we wanted in a short amount of time. It’s proximity also allowed us to take shorter excursions, instead of all day outings, which was much more enjoyable given the 90+ degree summer temperatures.
Since check-in wasn’t until noon, we started our day by walking along Amalia street to see Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Zeus. Since there weren’t many plaques to read, we cued up Rick Steve’s to tell us about the landmarks and created our own walking tour of the area. After an hour the heat and jet lag left us exhausted and we returned to the hotel and wilted into the lobby couch to wait for our room. The staff noticed us hurried to finish our room so we could take a nap.
Feeling much refreshed post-nap, we set out to explore the National Garden, which is right across the street from the Hotel Amalia. The National Garden was commissioned by Queen Amalia in 1838 and offers a tropical paradise with ample shade, in the middle of the sunny metropolis. We spent a good hour wandering through the tree-lined paths, discovering its many hidden fountains and ponds, before exiting on the South end, which leads to the
The neo-classical
After an afternoon of walking we needed to freshen up, so we made a brief stop at the hotel before heading to dinner in the historical Plaka neighborhood. The heart of the Plaka is filled with shops catered towards tourists and restaurants with hosts who each claim their food is the best in the city. We meandered through the streets until an especially persistent hostess convinced us to sit down for dinner, which was perfectly acceptable, but I suspect better options exist in less touristy spots.
The real beauty in the Plaka can be found on the outskirts where the cobblestone streets thin and so do the tourists. Walking out of the heart and up towards the Acropolis, we came upon the most beautiful little neighborhood with colorful houses and incredible views of the city below–a perfect end to our first day of exploring.
Day 2 Itinerary
6:30am : Breakfast at the hotel- 8:00-10:00am: Tour the Acropolis
- 10:00-11:
00am : Early lunch in the Plaka - 11:00-12:00pm: Acropolis museum
- 12:30-2:30pm: Rest at hotel
- 3:00-5:00pm: Shopping on Ermou Street
- 5:00pm: Dinner
With jet lag finally working to our advantage, we awoke the next morning just as the sun was rising and quickly got ready to head to the Acropolis. Every guide you’ll read tells you to visit the Acropolis first thing in the morning to avoid baking in the afternoon sun, so we were determined to be the first in line when it opened at
Once inside the Acropolis, we turned on our trusty Rick Steves podcast and let him guide our walk to the top. Seeing the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena in person was totally surreal, like the pages of a history textbook come to life, and we spent a long time just taking them in. The only thing that topped that experience was when we noticed the incredible 360-degree view of the city you get from the top. It was absolutely breathtaking.
By the time we began our descent, the sun was already getting high in the sky and we were more than ready to find a cool shady cafe for lunch. We made our back down into the Plaka and picked a much better restaurant for lunch than we had the night before. After a meal of traditional Gyros and Greek Salad, we debated going to the Acropolis Museum but instead opted to walk around the city and visit some historic churches my mom had on her list. I’ve left the Acropolis Museum on the itinerary because everyone says we were fools not to go, which may be true, but
By mid-afternoon, the sun was high in the sky and we returned to our hotel to rest and pack since we were leaving the next morning for Santorini. Later that evening we ventured out to do some shopping on Ermou Street and had a last dinner before trading the hustle and bustle of the city for the slower island life.