Athens Pocket Guide

Athens

It was not part of my itinerary but I am glad I was there. I met some of the nicest people and tried some of the best food out of my whole trip

Insider Tip:Must see: Acropolis (Go here first and with the same ticket you can also go see few other attractions such as Temple of Zeus, Roman agrora etc) Go climb this rock at night that is right next to the entrace of Acroplis. It is just beautfiful with Acropolis shining in the back and city of Athens infront of you. Explore the city and watch people....

If you have the Choice, don't bother.

I've just completed 3 1/2 months travelling around europe and been to roughly 30 loactions. Athens was the only one that i felt threatened in. Walking down the main drag mid-week and seeing people shooting up by the side of the road is just not on, this is the main throughfare of an Ancient city ffs. My Advice would be to get there in the morning head up to the Acropolis take some photo's and leave that afternoon/night. Not worth you valuable time.

Don't listen to the media

As usual, the media has blown up the situation in Greece. You won't get shot, you won't get stabbed, you won't get trampled in a riot. There were only isolated incidents when we were there and 99% of the country is overly friendly.

Insider Tip:Bring LOTS of the water when you visit the acropolis and surrounding area.

Athens was not what we expected it to be. Visitors from the north as we were, we imagined it to be more Europe. After a few days getting more used to it, we fell in love with the city. It' s not the place that makes the trip.. it's the people you meet during it ;)

Insider Tip:It's a must to carry cash with you.. card payments are not very popular, especially while paying for things which cost under €20. Greece is a quite expencive country when it comes to food. In the center tourist attractions are closer than you might think.. so if you're on low budget.. walk! :D From the airport, take bus X95 to the center (costs €5) instead of metro (€8). And you have to eat pita on the Monastiraki square and drink ouzo!

Athens!

Athens was absolutely amazing. It was truly my favorite part of my Greece trip (other than, perhaps, Knossos on Crete). Then again, I'm a sucker for ancient ruins. The people are incredibly friendly and the changing of the guard is definitely worth seeing, as their shoes are terrific. Have fun and soak up some history!

Insider Tip:We grabbed a tour guide on our way up to the Acropolis and she taught us way more than I would have gotten from the signs at the top of the hill.