Whether you have a love for Greek mythology or just a desire to visit this beautiful country, I recommend you go for it! Before traveling to Greece, I had so many questions about the culture, food, safety, and places to visit! Well, all four were amazing! I had the opportunity to visit Athens, Mykonos and Santorini. In this post, I will outline all things Athens. Please view my other posts to read about Mykonos and Santorini.
From New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Athens, the flight was 8 hours and 45 minutes. My personal preference is to travel internationally with a tour company. For this vacation, we used Trafalgar via Affordable Tour. They are an amazing company and the tour company can arrange everything from payment arrangements to confirming your airport transfers. My tour director was Nico who was a Greek native and he made my trip to Greece an invaluable and enjoyable experience. Having someone to direct you really made the process easy and efficient! Upon arrival, we were greeted with the meek Greek culture. The people were amazing and made my first impression of Greece a positive one.
As you are commuting to your hotel, you will notice some unique things about the city. Many buildings are decorated in graffiti. Some of the graffiti stems from angry youth, but Greece has big plans to put a positive and artistic spin on the graffiti turning it into art around the city. There are not many tall Greek buildings outside of the suburbs because the buildings can not be as tall as the Acropolis which is a major highlight of Athens. Stick around, I’ll be discussing that further in the reading.
You will locate several coffee shops throughout the streets of Athens, on almost every corner. Offering a calm and relaxing ambiance, yet perfectly balanced with a steady hum, the busy streets are popular grounds for socializing while indulging in a delicious cup of perfectly brewed espresso. And if you’re feeling peckish, some of the most authentically mouth watering Turkish pastries are simply delightful. The ancient buildings do not vary in size. While the speed limit is 70mph in most places, stop lights are more of a suggestion for some of the drivers in Athens which is hilarious yet slightly terrifying. Okay, if I’m being honest, it is actually mostly terrifying! So stay alert and be very careful! You will notice antennas for solar energy to ensure hot water for the entire year. Greece has an astounding total population of thirteen million, yes thirteen! Five of the thirteen million are located in Athens so be prepared for residents along with tourist.
My first day was spent getting acquainted with the city. Exploring around the vicinity of my hotel, I discovered some great local cuisine options. A Greek Salad filled to the brim with fresh local produce was my welcome meal to this spellbounding city. Athens is huge, so I recommend mapping your activities. On arrival day from traveling, some down time is always a preference of mine. But if you want to hit the ground running- there’s so much to do. That night I enjoyed a meal on the rooftop of the scenic Zafolia Hotel! The food was equally stunning as the view. I knew day two would be packed with excitement, so I decided to give in to my jet lag driven exhaustion and sleep so that I could awake refreshed and ready to conquer the remainder of my trip.
Day two was the day for Greek mythology lovers! Our escorted tour included a motor coach transfer to the Acropolis of Athens which is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world! Our escorted guide led us through a visit to the Theatre of Dionysus and it’s Sanctuary. Other breath taking monuments viewed which left me in rapture were the captivating Parthenon and Temple of Athena. My personal favorite was viewing Mars Hill where Paul made his Biblical presentation. The city views along with a plethora of ancient historical facts were unending!
The next stop was a visit to the Presidential Mansion! I had the pleasure of witnessing a changing of the guards ceremony that takes place every hour. Two guards are placed at the tomb of the unknown soldier located in the Syntafma square. The Evezone’s are accompanied by a military band. They enter from the back and march forward from their barracks. A 24-hour guard is provided by the Evezones to watch over the unknown soldier .
Driving over to Delphi with high anticipation, I was amazed by the archaeological ruins. There lied the epicenter of Ancient Greek culture with the theater and stadium. The temple of Poseidon/ Apollo has rich ancient history. The enormous mountainside contains what remains of the sanctuaries of Athena, Apollo and Athena Pronaia.
Recommended Restaurants:
Hotel Zafolia Rooftop Restaurant
Alexandra’s Restaurant
Dinner in the Sky
Things To Bring And Know:
- Converter (We ordered ours from Amazon and was able to charge up to sevens items at once). It included 4 USB ports and 3 plug in outlets. If you want to use a curling iron or hair straighter, you must purchase a convertor that has the capacity for the high voltage.
- Comfortable Shoes! While taxis are available, one can find many locations within walking distance.
- Travel Pack from your Physician! (I usually request antibiotics, nausea or motion sickness, and allergy medicine.
- No Visa Required (Passport is all that you need from the United States).
- Altered Plumbing – The sewage system in Greece is very similar to other countries. The systems are not designed to handle the flushing of wipes/ toilet paper, but bins are provided for your disposable items.
- Greek currency is the Euro. The exchange rate at the time of travel was 1.00 Euro = 1.20 USD. Be sure to check rates daily as they change.
- Facebook and What’s App are accessible with Wi-Fi. Most hotels provide free Wi-Fi. I opted to purchase the $10 daily passport international plan through AT&T.
- Weather: Average temperatures in May were between 73 degrees Celsius to 81 degrees Celsius. Light jackets are recommended for evenings.
Highlight Of Things To Do:
- Visit the Ancient Acropolis and Parthenon (the most important building that survived Ancient Greece).
- View the Panathinaiko Olympic Stadium
- Temple of Zeus/ Delphi
- Hadrian’s Arch
