A Travel Guide to Athens, Greece

When we booked our trip to Greece the first thing we had on our minds was what islands to visit. We envisioned this trip to be relaxing and peaceful, haha. We knew we'd have to start and end in Athens for logistical reasons and to get the best flight deals. We spent two and a half days in Athens at the beginning of the trip and a half day at the end of the trip. I have to say, Athens was my jam! I was extremely surprised at how much I loved this city. It's old, gritty, full of graffiti, friendly locals and amazing food and culture. I most definitely see myself re-visiting Athens again in the future.

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We arrived at Athens International Airport mid-morning, collected our luggage and followed the signs to the metro station. We purchased two one-way tickets from a ticket machine for 10€/each into the city center. We rode the metro for approximately an hour before we arrived at our destination, the Monastiraki stop. It was quite an easy process overall! We located our AirBnb, got settled and took on Athens by foot - jet lag or not! Speaking of our AirBnb, we couldn't have been happier with the space and the location. It was beyond affordable and centrally located so you can walk to just about anything in the city.

Now for the fun part, all the photos! I had a blast taking a million (okay more like a few hundred) photos of everything in sight. I hope you enjoy and are inspired to visit this one-of-a-kind city.

Scroll to the bottom of this post to see our recommended Athens itinerary!

One of many Greek salads and grilled octopus at Ergon. Absolutely delicious.

We had grand plans for hiking Mt. Lycabettus, but between the jet lag and the heat we opted to take the funicular to the top and walk down. We arrived at golden hour and scored some awesome city snapshots. I'd recommend staying until sunset to watch the sun fall over Athens. 

You can't visit Athens without visiting the Acropolis, am I right? Make sure that you arrive promptly when it opens, at 8am. This ensures you have the least amount of tourists, as the place does fill up rather quickly. You can purchase tickets at the entrance for 20€/person.

The Panathenaic Stadium is the site of the first Olympic Games and is the only stadium in the world to be built entirely of marble. Here's a little secret... you can take a morning jog around the Panathenaic Stadium before it opens to the public.

Breakfast at spiti mas. Luke and I shared an Athenian Pie. This particular pie was filled with minced meat, peppers, onions and cheese. We'll be forever trying to re-create this breakfast at home.

Cocktails at A for Athens. We enjoyed cocktails from their rooftop bar with the most magnificent view of the city you'll find. We visited A for Athens on our first day and on our last day. You must get the A for Athens Cobbler - hands down the best cocktail of my life. I even emailed them once we arrived back home asking how to make it, that's the effect it had on me! (ps: they emailed me back with tips on how to re-create the cocktail at home!)

Six d.o.g.s ended up being our favorite spot to grab a drink and a quick bite to eat.

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Our recommended itinerary for two days in Athens

Day 1

Wake up early and visit Panathenaic Stadium before it opens to the public

Breakfast at spiti mas 

Visit the Monastiraki Flea Market 

Grab street food for lunch

Catch the changing of the guard at Syntagma Square

Fuel up on a fresh juice at Avocado

Visit Mt. Lycabettus at sunset

Dinner at Ergon

Day 2

Visit the Acropolis at 8am

Breakfast at Ydria Cafe, grab a table in their garden 

Walk over to Arch of Hadrian and Temple of Olympian Zeus 

Visit the Acropolis Museum

Lunch and a drink at six d.o.g.s

Explore neighborhoods: Monastiraki, Plaka, Psyri 

Dinner at Lithos Tavern

End the day with a cocktail at A for Athens