Athens

5 Things You Must Do When In Athens

In 2015 my partner and I spent a weekend in Greece to celebrate the union of 2 very lovely people. We arrived in Athens in the wee hours of the morning the day of their wedding and after much celebration late into the night we awoke the next day to take in as much as we could in 24 hours! These are 5 things you absolutely must do when you visit Athens, Greece.

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Eat

Number 1 (and most important), eat! But don't just eat anywhere, avoid the tourist traps and eat where the locals do. One of our lovely Greek friends guided us to an incredible restaurant near our airbnb. The food was so amazing we didn't manage to take a single picture of it all (probably the truest test of an amazing meal these days)! 

Another lovely restaurant near our airbnb
Another lovely restaurant near our airbnb
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Of our many delicious meals our first and most memorable was a spot (I forgot the name of) located at the corner of Kidantidon and Kallisthenous in a neighborhood just west of Filopappos Hill.

where we had our first meal in Athens
where we had our first meal in Athens

Filopappou Hill

Filopappou Hill, also known as Hill of the Muses, is a massive park with beautiful geologic outcroppings, trails for hiking and ancient ruins. A group of us wedding guests, led by our Greek diaspora friend-turned benevolent tour guide, slowly hiked through the park all the way to the Panatheanic Way. 

The tour group, only in Athens could you get a group of New Yorkers to look at a map
The tour group, only in Athens could you get a group of New Yorkers to look at a map
Views on our ascent
Views on our ascent
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We took in the beautiful scenery that gradually built up our excitement until the Acropolis was finally revealed!

Views of the Acropolis from afar
Views of the Acropolis from afar

Acropolis

Of course the Acropolis... no trip to Athens is complete without visiting the this rightfully significant spot. The site is home to many structures including the Parthenon, an architectural masterpiece. It is a symbol of democracy, citizenship, and western civilization as we have come to know it today.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
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The Temple of Athena Nike and our fearless guide
The Temple of Athena Nike and our fearless guide
Erechtheum
Erechtheum

Truly the Acropolis is an incredible sight to be seen and even more stunning than I had ever imagined. And the views of Athens cannot be beat!

The Parthenon
The Parthenon
The Parthenon
The Parthenon
The Parthenon
The Parthenon
My honey on the lookout
My honey on the lookout
The Greek sun, ancient ruins and beautiful friends
The Greek sun, ancient ruins and beautiful friends

Acropolis Museum

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After seeing the incredible ruins of the Acropolis we went to the beautiful Acropolis Museum for a deeper dive into history and afternoon cocktail. Be sure to schedule enough time here because you can honest spend hours here without realizing it!

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Explore Pláka 

And finally Pláka! Pláka is a historic neighborhood in Athens at the easterly base of the Acropolis. You can spend lots of time wandering the maze like streets imaging yourself in ancient times or just shopping around in the many shops that line the footpaths.

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Stay for dinner and you may be lucky like us and find yourself a rooftop table with romantic views of the Acropolis and a pink sunset!

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Although our time in Athens was short, it surely was memorable and I look forward to returning to Greece and seeing much more of it's capital city soon!

 

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