Day 1. Thursday 8th October.
Our morning started quite early with a 2 hour hydrofoil ferry to Athens at 6am. I would definitely recommend the hydrofoil for commuting along the Aegean Sea, the journey was pleasant and not rough. When disembarked at Athens marina in Pireas, we had to walk 5 minutes away for the taxi rank which was not easy to find especially when you are carrying luggage however I am sure you can get directions from people like we did. Our taxi from the marina to the Hilton hotel was a 20 minute drive and cost approximately $11 Eur / $16 Aud.
The Hilton is one of the oldest hotels in Athens since 1963 with Acropolis and city views, iconic landmarks nearby and a fantastic rooftop bar & dining. Our balcony room was great with a view of the outdoor pool and the Acropolis. The hotel had been newly refurnished too.
After a stroll around the hotel we walked 20 minutes into the city and passed by the Parliament House and walked through Syntagma Square also known as Constitution Square, this is the main square of Athens with cafes and appeared to be a local hangout.
We continued to the Mitropolis square where we visited the Byzantine Agios Eleftherios Church and then bought some delicious savory pastries in some neighboring shops. Go to the bakery in front of the church entry, it has great coffee and yummy pastries. The Monastriraki Flea market is also in this area, we walked through the food market then walked through the back streets to the National Archaeological Museum. The entrance fee is $10 Eur / $14.48 Aud and operating hours are 8am – 8pm Monday to Sunday. We found the museum quite interesting and a place every tourist should visit. The museum has a Prehistoric Collection among many other fascinating collections.
http://www.namuseum.gr/wellcome-en.htmlhttp://www.namuseum.gr/wellcome-en.html
Throughout the day we noticed quite a lot of Hop on Hop off red buses and subsequently purchased a 2 day pass at the Hop on Hop off No 11 bus stop in front of the National Archaeological Museum. Hopefully you can find a seat upstairs on the open tour bus like we did.
We disembarked at Bus stop No 1 Syntagma Square and saw the changing of the guards. It is quite a performance and one of the best changing of the guards I have seen. Returning to the Hilton hotel we walked past the war museum then admired the big glass man figured architecture across the road from the Hilton hotel.
Sunset drinks at Galaxy Bar is a must and arriving early to reserve a seat is essential as the bar set up is great and the view sensational. Bar service is also given to table patrons and it is great to have otherwise you can find yourself waiting for a while at the bar as cocktails are quite popular here. We arrived at Galaxy bar in time for sunset at 7pm and had fabulous seats by the ledge.
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/greece/hilton-athens-ATHHITW/dining/galaxy-restaurant-bar.html
Our evening continued with dinner at 8pm on the Strofi restaurant rooftop in the city central with a view of the Acropolis. The service and dinner were great.
Day 2. Friday 9th October.
Our morning started relaxing by the 50 metres deep Hilton Pool. This pool has to be one of the rarest deepest pools we have encountered on our travels. I admit I was a tad frightened as I am not a strong swimmer nevertheless I had a quick dip to cool off.
The Hop on Hop off buses run frequently throughout the city, we caught a red bus in front of McDonald’s on 2 Ermou, Syntagma Square. The Hop on Hop off red bus was very good for getting around Athens and informative.
http://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com/athens-hop-on-hop-off-tour_23374
Our first stop was the Acropolis, this was my 2nd time at the Acropolis but it still felt like my first. The Acropolis is such an amazing historical site. It is mind boggling to think how people constructed these magnificent buildings so long ago and we are still able to appreciate them. Entry cost $12 Eur/ $17.31 Aud between the hours of 8am – 8pm.
The following are the architectures we visited at the Acropolis:-
- Parthenon Temple
- Theatre of Dionysus
- The Porch of the Caryatids Prostasis ton Koron
- Erechtheion Temple
- Propylaea
- Temple of Athena Nike
After a magnificent day at the Acropolis we caught the Hop on Hop off red bus back to Syntagma Square for a takeaway gyros around the Monastiraki area before heading back to our hotel.
Later that evening, we caught a taxi to Orizontes Lycabettus restaurant on Lycabettus hill for our 7.30pm dinner reservation. Access up to the restaurant is via a 2 minute cable car. We arrived in time for sunset at 7pm and looked around Lycabettus hill and its breathtaking view of Athens. The restaurant also has an amazing terrace where we took photos. The food was fantastic and the staff friendly.
http://www.orizonteslycabettus.gr/?lang=en
Day 3. Saturday 10th October.
Our day started with a 20 minute walk to the Panathenaic stadium. It is amazing to think this was the first Olympic Stadium since 1896 and is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. We were here for approximately 1.5 hours and also went into the tunnel and looked at the history of the stadium that is displayed. Entry into the Panathenaic stadium is $5 Eur / $7.21 Aud.
http://www.panathenaicstadium.gr/Visit/Information/tabid/100/language/en-US/Default.aspx
From the Panathenaic stadium we walked to the Arch of Hadrian and entered the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Entry to Olympian Zeus is $4 Eur / $5.71 Aud. There is a chance that your Acropolis ticket may give you entry to the Temple of Zeus therefore make sure you keep your ticket stubs. The Olympian Zeus is an ancient Greek temple dedicated to the god Zeus who was King of the Olympian gods.
http://www.olympia-greece.org/templezeus.html
Total time spent at the Olympian Zeus archaeological site was approximately 20-30 minutes then we walked to Monastriraki shopping area. Shopping for shoes in Athens or anywhere in Greece is a must. There are great shoes, t-shirts and jewelry shopping on Adrianou road. We had a tasty takeaway gyros with chips in it from Bairaktaris restaurant.
After a delicious gyros we walked to The Temples of Agora and came across the Library of Hadrian in the markets area.
The walk from Monastriraki to Ancient Agora is a 2 minute walk. Entry to Ancient Agora is $8 Eur/ $11.53 Aud.
Be prepared to spend up to 2 hours visiting this huge site that includes:-
- Ancient Agora of Athens – was a marketplace and civic center where people gathered either for commercial, political, religious, and cultural life
- Stoa of Attalos – an archaeological museum of the ancient Agora
- Temple of Hephaestus – was dedicated to Hephaestus and Goddess Ergani
- Church of Apostles – dated back to the late 10th Century
http://ancient-greece.org/archaeology/agora.html
After an amazing day sightseeing, I was on the hunt for Zara in hopes of something special. Zara was a 6 minute walk away unfortunately I was not so lucky with clothes as I was with shoes in Greece. Walking back to the hotel we passed by the Academy of Athens on Panepistimiou street. What an impressive building. As we continued walking down Panepistimiou street we came across one of our favourite french bakeries “Pauls”. Pauls bakery has the most delicious baguettes, pastries and desserts. James and I could not resist a strawberry tartlet and a 3 profiterole dessert takeaway.
Later in the afternoon, we relaxed by the pool before heading into central Athens for dinner. Not having a dinner reservation was difficult as everywhere was so busy including the Galaxy restaurant at the Hilton hotel. We came across the Scholarchio Gerani Koukis Traditional Family restaurant and sat at an outside table by the road. The food was nice traditional greek tapas and service was good. Our evening continued with drinks at Galaxy bar where my favorite old school 80’s music was playing. The music reminded me of great times had with my best friend in our 20’s.
Day 4. Sunday 11th October.
We woke early for our last day in Athens and enjoyed some delicious Greek gourmet pastries in Monastriraki. On our way back to the hotel, the main road in front of Constitution Square was cut off from traffic and people were congregating on the road to watch the Sunday morning changing of the guards and a huge parade with different brigades in their traditional clothing. It was an interesting and spectacular parade and a nice way to end our amazing time in Athens.
The next part of our European adventure continues with a 3 day and 2 nights stopover in Dubai.
christinetravels 