I was very lucky to spend a few weeks in Greece last August. It was our first visit to Greece, which is somewhat weird since we have a lot of Greek friends who are very welcoming.
We spent a total of 3 weeks in Greece travelling between 3 major islands Paros, Naxos and Santorini and visiting attractions, beaches and restaurants along the way. For this blog post I’m going to start at the beginning and probably where everyone’s journey through Greece starts…In Athens!!
Athens is the Capital of Greece and is a very large city that plays host to the International airport and the port Piraeus that inevitably takes you to all the exciting islands. Athens and Greece are famous throughout history for Art, philosophy and some of the greatest legends. Just a few relatively well known such as…Plato, Aristotle & Socrates to name a few. Greece and Athens in particular is a modern European country that is meshed intrinsically with a rich and deep history.
We had a basic list of must do’s and sights in Athens. We stayed in the Plaka district which is basically the old town of Athens, it sits at the base of the Acropolis and is basically central to most major attractions in Athens. Plaka is beautiful, it is the quintessential small cobblestone alleys dotted with restaurants and homes. For anyone visiting Athens, Plaka and it’s surrounds is the place to stay. We stayed at hostel since we figured we’d be adventuring most of the time before we made our way to the islands. Our hostel was the Student and Travellers Inn it was relatively cheap, accommodations were basic but location was prime.
We managed to visit all the major sites in Athens in one walking day, thanks to our great and central location we walked from site to site, if you start your tour at the Acropolis (or really at any site along the major site list) you can purchase an all inclusive tickets for 12 Euro’s that basically get’s you into every attraction, including all Acropolis, Hadrians Arch and the ancient Agora to name a few.
We were there in August so we missed the major Summer rush, however I doubt that places like the Acropolis get quiet. It’s also very hot, so dress appropriately.
Monastiraki is the major shopping and market area in Athens. The market is most popular with tourists where you can find a multitude of curios, food, clothing and leather sandals stores. It is also a major subway station stop with a large variety of connections. I can definately recommend Thanassis for a greek gyro in the market. Cross the major road into a shopping mecca with all the popular stores from Mango & Zara to Nike. All the while walking from, towards or within a range of historical sites.
Food in Greece is typical Mediterranean, meze is a very popular way to eat and gives you an opportunity to try a variety of dishes. Gyro’s are a typical Greek fast food and are found everywhere at a relatively cheap price.
We spent a few days exploring Athens and visiting the sites before we left for the Islands, on our return leg we spent more time in Athens. We rented a magnificent apartment off Airbnb again right next to the Plaka district very close to the Acropolis Museum and spent our time hanging out, visiting the surrounding restaurants and bars and enjoying the great weather.
Coming up very soon…Greece – Part 2 Paros
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