Judging by the number of people reaching out to me for tips and recommendations, it appears that you all are going to Greece this summer and, honestly, lucky you! Greece is one of my favorite countries, and not just because my family lives there and I go there a lot. Greece truly has something for everyone- history, sites, culture, food, wine, beaches, city, countryside, islands, landscapes, mountains, hiking. The food is delicious. The people are so hospitable. The country is just breathtaking. I can go on and on. And, now is a GREAT time to go. The flights have never been cheaper. The Euro is reasonably low. It is one of the safest countries you can visit. And, let’s be honest, Greece needs your tourist dollars.
Naturally, when people ask me for tips on Greece, I always ask for their itinerary. Without fail, I get the same response- “We are only spending a day or so in Athens to see the Acropolis before going to the islands.” Big mistake! Athens is not a stopover city. You know, like one of those cities you just fly into before you move on to the main attraction. Athens is an attraction, and not just for the Acropolis. Athens is a world class city. There are so many things to see in Athens: amazing food, GREAT shopping, awesome nightlife, but, most importantly, it serves as the best base to really see mainland Greece (which is SO worth your time). Seriously. Greece is more than just Santorini and Mykonos (or as Greeks like to call it, Greece for beginners).
I am going to show you some of my favorite parts of Athens right here in this post. And then, in a separate post, I am going to show you all these neat little places you can easily visit as a day trip from Athens. Ready? Let’s go!
The Acropolis and The Parthenon
I think the obvious must-see is the Parthenon, which is located on the Acropolis of Athens. See what I did there? I subtly explained to you that the structure is the Parthenon and the hill upon which it sits is the Acropolis. If you can, I highly recommend waking up early and getting to the Acropolis first thing in the morning, before the rush of cruise ship people and the buses of tourists. Another great option would be to go about an hour before it closes. The visiting hours, entrance fees, and general information on how to get to the Acropolis can be found here. If you go early in the morning, you can pretty much have the place to yourself with relatively few people. By 10:00-10:30 a.m., it’s like a zoo.
On your way up the Acropolis, you will see this ancient amphitheater, the Herod Atticus Odeon, which is itself an antiquity. The cool thing about it is that they still hold summer concerts and performances at the amphitheater!
Once you are at the top of the Acropolis, you enter from here to see the Parthenon:
And now, for the main attraction: The Parthenon!
Don’t forget to spend some time visiting some of the other temples on the Acropolis.
By the way, on your way out, don’t just pass by this olive tree without stopping to admire it. It is the oldest olive tree on the Acropolis! Also, here is a list of the best places from which to photograph the Acropolis. Here are some interesting facts about the Acropolis, and some motivation to wake up early on a Sunday to visit it.
The Acropolis Museum (And Other Museums of Interest)
Your next stop should be to the new(ish) Acropolis Museum. Seriously, don’t miss the museum. It is the best museum in Athens, and my personal favorite. If you are into museums, the other one worth visiting (and which also stays open later in the evening) is the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. If art is your thing, then you will want to visit the Benaki Museum. For the largest collection of Byzantine Art, visit the Byzantine and Christian Museum. For the best collection of Cycladic art in the world, visit the Museum of Cycladic Art.
Anyway, back to the Acropolis Museum. The exploration starts with the walk in. The floor is excavated to reveal antiquities before you even enter the museum.
Once you enter, you will find a light, airy, and very well laid out museum dedicated to the Acropolis and the Parthenon.
The most interesting (yet infuriating) part of this museum is the space that is dedicated to the Parthenon Marbles, more commonly known as the Elgin Marbles, named after the man who stole them from Greece and sold them to the British Museum. If you want to see the marbles that used to line the Parthenon, you will have to go to London. But if you want to see where they belong, well, that would be here:
This sculpture is my favorite in the museum. It is a replica of what used to sit atop the entrance to the Parthenon (the darker pieces are original).
One of the greatest features of this museum, is that you can see the Parthenon from the top floor and can even stop for a break at a rooftop snack bar that faces the Acropolis.
Anafiotika and Plaka
I am about to let you in on a little secret of Athens. At the foot of the Acropolis, on the back side, sits a little community called Anafiotika. It is part of the Plaka neighborhood, and the houses were built to mimic those on the island of Anafi, whose people came to Athens as construction workers to refurbish King Otto’s Palace during the era of Otto of Greece. Here is what is amazing about it: it still exists; it is pretty well-preserved; people still live there; and it is EMPTY. As in tourist free! You can actually climb up the Acropolis from here or you can visit after you go to the Parthenon and make your way to Plaka – an ancient, yet still thriving, neighborhood of Athens (a.k.a the “Neighborhood of the Gods”), for a lovely lunch at a fantastic Greek taverna.
As you exit Anafiotika and continue on to Plaka, you will encounter some beautiful street art.
A few minutes later, you will be at the beautiful Plaka, where you will have your pick of excellent taverns for lunch.
Ancient Agora and Monastiraki
From Plaka, you can walk through the ruins of the Ancient Agora as you make your way to Monastiraki, which is a large open air flea market and a great place to pick up souvenirs and gifts. 
Syntagma Square (And a Side Note About Shopping!)
As you exit Monastiraki, you will find yourself across from Syntagma Square, or Constitutional Square, where every hour on the hour you can watch the ceremony of the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. While this happens everyday, the official ceremony using the official costumes happens on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. The guards are part of the Evzones, a special unit of the Hellenic Army, also known as Tsoliades, who guard the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Hellenic Parliament and the Presidential Mansion.
The job of the Tsoliades is very tough. They are there every day, rain or shine, wearing extremely heavy costumes and shoes, even in the summer. Every soldier stands guard for about an hour, for a total of three times in a 48 hour period. For the hour they are on guard, they have to stand perfectly still until it is time to switch with another guard. They are now protected by Greek police thanks to ignorant tourists who used to come up to take pictures with them and sometimes torture them by hitting them, attempting to knock them over, or lifting up the skirt of their uniform, which is worn because of its historic meaning. Unfortunately, because of this, you can no longer stand next to them as they stand guard for photos, but you can stand below them. By the way and in case you are interested, you can now tour the inside of the Greek parliament building.
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From here, you can visit the beautiful Hotel Grand Bretagne and grab a drink on their roof-top bar with views of the Acropolis. If you are in the mood to do some shopping, head to the nearby Ermou Street, Athens’s main shopping street (with a great selection of shoe stores!) and Psiri. Also, if you are looking for the famous Pantelis Melissinos, the poet Sandal Maker, you will find him near Syntagma Square, in the beginning streets of Psiri. If you want to buy his custom-made sandals, get ready to wait in line to get into the tiny shop. Don’t worry; its worth it. You choose a style and then they custom fit them to your feet. It is cash only, and the sandals cost about 50 Euro per pair, but they are excellent quality and very comfy. We used to buy these sandals all the time crowd free, but after appearing in some travel books and on some travel shows, the tiny shop has become very busy. If Pantelis is there, he will even autograph your pair!
If high end shopping is on your list then DO NOT miss the trendy upscale neighborhood of Kolonaki and the coastal Glyfada. Here you will find luxury boutiques (including Greek designers), shoe emporiums, and haute couture shops.
Mount Lycabettus
If you are looking for the best panoramic view of the city (and best city sunset), look no further than Lycabettus. It is the highest point of the city. You can walk up, take a funicular from Kolonaki, or drive up. However you get there, just go. The views are impressive, especially at night. 
The Panathenaic Stadium and The Temple of Olympian Zeus
A short walk from Syntagma Square and within walking distance of each other, both the Panathenaic Stadium and the Temple of Olympian Zeus are worth a visit. The Panathenaic Stadium is where the first modern Olympic games were held in 1896, and it is the only stadium in the whole world built entirely of marble. In addition to thew new Olympic stadium, the Panathenaic Stadium was also used in the 2004 Olympic games, which were held in Athens.
The Temple of Olympian Zeus was one of the largest temples in the ancient world. Today only 16 columns survive.
Beaches
You read that right. Beaches. Athens has beaches, and pretty good ones, too. To be clear, they do not compare to the beaches of the Greek islands (I mean just look at what is in store for you in Crete!), but they are pretty good for city beaches, and Athens has the longest coastline of any European capital. So, here is a list of the top five!
This is just a sampling of what Athens has to offer and of what you miss when you ignore this gem of a city. We haven’t even touched on the world class dining and the incredible nightlife of this city, which truly never sleeps. Not to mention all the great day trip options from Athens. I have been coming to Athens for over 30 years now, and I STILL make new discoveries about this city every single time. So please, do me a small favor, and make some time in your itinerary to scratch the surface of this magnificent city. Trust me, you will not regret it!
Καλώς ήρθατε στην Αθήνα (kah-los ear-tha-te steen Athena) or Welcome to Athens!
If you have ever thought about crossing the pond to visit London, now is the time. London is Europe’s New York. It is a city that never sleeps with 24-hour restaurants and lots to do. It has history, sites, world class museums, an dynamic dining and foodie scene, theater, and some of the best shopping. It is surprisingly walkable. The whole country speaks English (obviously). And, contrary to popular belief, the weather is pleasant (when Chad and I were there it only rained one time and only for a few short hours in the afternoon). It is perfect for families (i.e., European Spring Break anyone??), for couples, for girls’ trips, for solo travelers, for first-timers to international travel, and for long weekends. That’s right, I am suggesting you go to Europe for a long weekend. Why not? You are going to live those days anyway, might as well live them at a destination. But here is the best part: it’s affordable!! I bet you never thought that London and affordable would be used together in the same sentence where affordable was the adjective for London. But, thanks to 
On the way there, she told us about the 
From there we proceeded to 
From there, we took the garden route to the palace, where we happened upon the filming of the 
Charley timed our visit perfectly so that we would catch the 
The 
It starts with a band and then there is a whole lot of procession! 
We got the pom-pom hats! 
And the red coats! 
And it culminates in a parade around 
Unfortunately, 
While 
You are on your own to see the jewels, and it is a pretty quick little exhibit, culminating in this beauty:
If you like contemporary and modern art, then head to the 
If art is not your thing or you only have the time (or patience) for one museum, then make it the 
Our visit was focused on seeing the Parthenon Marbles, because unfortunately, Greeks have to go to London to see artifacts that belong in Greece. The Parthenon Marbles, more commonly known as the Elgin Marbles, are a collection of 
The British government has given numerous excuses over the years for why they won’t return the marbles, including that Greece did not have a proper place to display and care for them. So, Greece built the 
The pub culture is strong in the U.K., so you kind of have to visit a local pub to get a true flavor of the city. You can stop for a casual meal or just for pints.
And, you simply cannot leave London without first having fish and chips. It’s like the national dish. 
If you want fine dining, then there is no lack of options. The city is teeming with Michelin starred restaurants and hard to snag reservations. We chose 
But if you’ve got a sweet tooth and an affinity for pink, then it’s 
We also did an afternoon tea at 
If you are after high-end fashions, then 
But if you prefer to stroll charming little streets lined with posh boutiques and a quaint little flea market, then a visit to 
So there you have it. As you would expect, London offers everything you could ever want in a city vacation – no matter what your particular tastes, interests or budget may be – and, best of all, you can do it all in as little as a long weekend! So, do yourself a favor and hop across the pond and see for yourself. Cheerio!
