Congratulations if you've made it to the final part of my Greece series and endured my rambling! We finish off in Athens and I'll warn you now, it'd gunna be a long one, but hold in there especially if you're planning a trip to Greece's capital and want some inspiration.
To finish off our fortnight in Greece we took an internal flight to Athens. You can get a ferry but these cost more and take a lot longer from what I can tell so definitely check out sky scanner first! Now I'm gunna be honest, Athens isn't the kind of city you fall in love with at first site - it ain't that pretty. But it grows on you. Especially if you're a classics grad like me because this place is filled to the brim with ancient ruins. Literally even in their metro stations archaeology is on show.
Our first stop was the National Archaeological Museum which was amazing. Home to countless artefacts from all over Greece and throughout it's history the museum is broken down into various sections like statues, vases, bronze etc. There's lots on show here so plan what you definitely want to see before you go if you're short on time.
I'd recommended making a bee line for the Mask of Agamemnon and checking out the bling on show in that exhibition before heading to the statue rooms to see the incredible progression of Greek art particularly their selection of bronze statues. If you've also just paid a visit to Santorini be sure to head upstairs to check out more finds from Akritiri including the famous boxing wall painting.
We headed to the National Gardens after this but if I'm being honest I wouldn't recommend it. If you're feeling the heat and need to kill some time in the shade there are some nice spots but generally it felt a little uncared for and was a bit of a let down. We quickly headed across the road to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, although not much of this temple remains you can still get a sense of the sheer size of this thing and it also provides a lovely view of the Acropolis.
When you get your ticket for your first ancient site be sure to get the one which gives you access to almost all the sites and last for three days, it'll save you loads. And once again, students go free, so be sure to remember your student card!
Plaka is recommended in all the tour guides and it does provide some respite from the majority of modern built buildings around the city. There are lots of shops around the streets of Plaka you can get yourself a souvenir (and be sure to refer back to part 3 of this guide for the best restaurant in the district for some real Greek food). Another district which is lovely for a wander around is Monsteraki, it's full of cafes and non touristy shops so provides a great area if you want to get away from the crowds of Plaka.
Be sure to get the tram up to the top of Mount Lycabettus one evening to watch the sunset over Athens. You can walk up, but we were feeling pretty exhausted after a full day on our feet so opted for the tram! The 360 views on offer are fantastic and are made even more special as the sun goes down (though it couldn't compare to the sunsets in Santorini!) Grab a cocktail in one of the stylish bars at the base to finish off your day.
We woke up early to get to the Acropolis before the crowds for its opening at 8. Heading straight to the top to see the main event, the Parthenon we weren't disappointed. Although there are works going on continuously this doesn't spoil the view of this wonderfully preserved temple to Athena. But the Acropolis isn't just about the main temple, the Erectheum with its female shaped columns, the temple of Nike placed precariously on the edge and the impressive Propylaea entrance building.
As we were leaving about an hour later the huge tour groups were just arriving proving to us the early start was worth it to see this legendary site in relative peace and quiet. We then worked our way back down the hill taking in the Odean and the theatre of Dionysus where the famous plays such as Medea, the Oresetia and the Bachhae were originally shown during the festival to Dionysus.
Once you've taken your fill of everything the Acropolis site has to offer head over the road to the new Acropolis museum which is seriously impressive. With glass floors you can literally see the archaeological digs below your feet and the architecture is general is beautiful and sleek. As well as a selection of finds from the Acropolis itself with ample of information to go along side it all the top floor is home to what Lord Elgin left of the metopes, frieze and pediments. Put on show as they would have originally been placed on the Parthenon and will glass walls providing a view up to the temple itself this was a must see and really makes you see why the Elgin Marbles should be returned to their home place (though that's a debate I won't get in to right now...)
Other sites like the Roman Agora with the Tower of Winds, Hadrian's Library and the Ancient Agora are also covered on your ticket and worth a visit though if I was to do Athens again I would do these ones early and save the Acropolis till last since it's definitely the most impressive.
One of the best things we did while in Athens was go on a walking tour of the street art of the city. There's loads of tour companies on offer but we went with
Alternative Tours of Athens since we wanted to see a different part of the city then just the ancient ruins. Offering tours on everything from architecture to social movements they definitely have something for everyone.
Nick our guide was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the street art he showed us, giving us the back stories for many of the artists and the pieces on show. I wouldn't have said I was particularly into street art but there's something to suit everyone's tastes on display and you didn't have to be an art buff to enjoy it. At only ten euros each this was a great way to spend an evening and also took us around areas we never would have normally visited a lot of which were filled with cool bars and restaurants that I was itching to go back to and try out (but alas, we didn't have enough time).
Outdoor cinema's seem to have been a real trend in England this summer but in Athens they're a permanent feature (since the good weather is pretty much always guaranteed!) so we spent our final night in Athens at
Thision Open Air Cinema watching an old Audrey Hepburn flick. With a view on the Acropolis on offer and a combination of new releases and black and white classics Thision's a great place, and like all the best places in Greece seem to be, a family run business!
I'd love to head back to Athens with friend so I could explore more of the nightlife and alternative side to the city so if you have any bar or restaurant recommendations it's be fab to hear them! So that was a pretty lengthy post but I wanted to fit all of Athens into one to finish off my Greece Guide. I hope you found it helpful and it's inspired you to pay this amazing country a visit, be sure to check out parts
one,
two and
three if you haven't already.
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