10 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO ATHENS

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This guide for travel to Athens It will help you organize a trip and not miss anything important in one of the oldest cities in the world, which we are sure, will end up falling in love.
Cradle of Western civilization, in Athens you can see incredible archaeological sites of Ancient Greece such as the Acropolis, stroll through charming neighborhoods such as Plaka and Monastiraki as well as delight the palate with delicious typical Greek dishes, among many other things.
In addition, another of the great possibilities that Athens gives, if you complete all the visits of the city, is to be able to take a ferry from Piraeus and in a few hours, spend a few days relaxing in the paradisiacal Greek islands.

Based on the 3 days we were in the city during our trip to Greece, we have made this selection of what we believe are the 10 essential tips for traveling to Athens. We start!

1. What is the best time?

The best time to make a trip to Athens It is from April to June and from September to October, when the temperatures are more pleasant, the prices of the hotels are lower and there is not much tourism.
In summer, especially July and August, temperatures usually exceed 30 degrees and the heat is suffocating and also, islands such as Mykonos and Santorini, are very crowded by cruise tourism.
The worst time to travel is in winter when there is a good chance of rain and few hours of sun, although temperatures remain warm.

2. Required documentation and security

For travel to Athens o Greece, if you are a Spanish citizen or from another country of the European Union, you only need to show your ID or Passport, without needing to obtain a visa. If you are not from any EU country we recommend you check the official website or call the Greek Embassy of your country or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to find out what are the required documents.

Another of the almost essential documents, although not mandatory, is the European Health Card that allows you to receive the necessary health benefits if you suffer any mishap, free of charge.
In any case, if you want to have a wider coverage or you are not a citizen of the European Union, we recommend you to hire the best travel insurance to Europe to have services such as repatriation, which is not included in this card.

We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip. Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.

In terms of security, Athens has improved greatly since the 2004 Olympic Games and there is no danger, unusual for any major European city. Above all, you have to be careful with pickpockets at the most tourist sites and on the subway, and avoid going out at night in less touristy areas such as Plaza Omonia and surroundings.

3. How to go from Athens airport to the hotel?

Athens has the international airport located 20 kilometers from the city and is well connected to the city center using these means of transport:

Meter: the M3 line, operating from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., will take you to the city center stops (Monastiraki and Sintagma) in 40 minutes for 10 euros.
Bus: Line X95, operating 24 hours a day, will take you to the Sintagma square stop in 70 minutes for 6 euros.
Private layout: when booking this service here a driver will take you directly from the terminal to your hotel in less than an hour
Cab: It has a fixed price of 38 euros between 05h and 00h and 53 euros between these two hours.

You can find all these options in this post on how to go from Athens airport to downtown.

Athens Metro

4. Where to stay on a trip to Athens?

If you go to travel to Athens In the summer months and you want to stay in the center, we advise you to look for a hotel with the maximum months in advance to find a good price.

Our favorite area to stay in Athens is Plaka, a picturesque neighborhood of narrow streets located near the Acropolis and the main points of interest of the city that also have numerous shops and some of the best taverns to try Greek cuisine.
We stayed in this neighborhood, in the Phaedra Hotel located a few minutes walk from the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus which in addition to its fantastic location and unique views of the Acropolis, has 24-hour reception and one of the best quality / city price.
Another of the best and most expensive areas for sleeping is around the Sintagma Square, located a few minutes walk from the Plaka neighborhood, with a great offer in restoration and good communication with the airport.
The third most requested area to stay for tourists is the Monastiraki neighborhood, well connected with the rest of the city and with many shops and restaurants.
If you prefer something cheaper, that drops below 100 euros a night, you can look in the trendy neighborhood of Psiri with a great nightlife and located near Monastiraki.
For more information on the best hotels and neighborhoods we recommend you check this post of where to stay in Athens.

To find the best hotel at the best price we recommend using this famous search engine.

Staying in Plaka District when traveling to Athens

5. Transportation

If you stay downtown, between Plaka and Monastiraki, you can reach the vast majority of the main tourist attractions on foot. One of the essential points, for which you may need a bus, if you do not want to walk more than 2 kilometers, is the Lycabettus Hill, which has the best viewpoint in the city.
The urban bus that is operational 24 hours a day, has more than 60 lines that run throughout the city while intercity buses allow you to reach more distant places such as the spectacular Cape Sunión.
The metro only has 3 lines and although it is efficient to reach the airport or the Piraeus Port, it does not have many central stops. The price of a trip in these means of transport is 1.40 euros although another option is to take the 24-hour ticket that costs 4.50 euros or the 5-day ticket that costs 9 euros.
If you are a tourist you may find it profitable to book a 3-day pass for 22 euros, which includes the round trip transfer to the airport.

If you have few time on your trip to Athens, it may be a good option to book this tourist bus that stops at the important points of the city and has comments recorded in Spanish.

Lycabettus Hill

6. Points of interest

Prior to travel to Athens It is essential, if you want to make the most of your time, make a list of all the interesting places you would like to know.
Among all these places highlights the visit to the Acropolis with its imposing Pantheon and other archaeological sites. This visit can be completed with the Acropolis Museum, in which important pieces of this complex such as the Caryatids are preserved. A good option if you do not want to queue at either of these two sites is to book this access ticket through the southern entrance of the Acropolis and east to enter the Museum.
To get the best views of the Acropolis and the city you have the viewpoints of Mount Areopagus, Filopappou Hill and Lycabettus Hill, our favorite.
Other essential sites of the city are the Temple of Olympian Zeus, with its huge Corinthian columns, the Roman Agora, which was the center of power of the Roman Empire in the city, and the Agora Antica, which preserves the Temple of Hephaestus in perfect condition .
Several of these places are with few buildings standing, so it is very interesting to know the history and not miss anything, book this guided tour in Spanish or this one that includes the guided tour of the Acropolis Museum.
In addition to completing all these visits, we recommend you to spend time in walking through the neighborhoods of Plaka, Anafiótica, Monastiraki and the trendy neighborhood of Psiri, located near the authentic Central Market.

Another of the best tips for traveling to Athens It is to complete this list of the places to visit in Athens essential and this one of the best things to do in Athens.

7. Routes through the city

A trip to Athens of 2 or 3 days is enough to know the main places and enjoy the best experiences offered by the city.
To take advantage of the time it is important before leaving the hotel to trace the itineraries well so as not to miss or any interesting place.
You can combine these routes with one of the best free tours in Athens with a guide in Spanish, such as this free tour through the center or this more mythological one.

Based on our experience, we leave these routes through the city optimized according to the days you have:

Athens

8. Where and what to eat when traveling to Athens?

One of the main reasons for travel to Athens It is to try the Greek cuisine, one of our favorites and located among the best in the world. Some of the most typical dishes are:

Musaka: similar to a lasagna and made with layers of meat, eggplant, covered with béchamel and baked.
tzatziki: Greek yogurt mixed with cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.
Fasolada: white bean stew and different vegetables.
Saganaki: kefalotyri cheese fried in olive oil.
Souvlaki: meat chopped and mixed with vegetables that can be eaten inside a pita bread or with a skewer.
Feta cheese: curd cheese that is cured in brine.
Dolmades: grape leaf stuffed with minced meat, rice, onion, pine nuts and different species.
Greek salad: feta cheese, Greek olives, tomato, pickle, onion and seasoned with olive oil.
Gemistá: tomatoes and peppers stuffed with a mixture of vegetables, rice and spices, and baked.
Gyros: pita bread stuffed with roasted meat, tomato, onion and tzatziki sauce.

Always remember to leave room for sweet Greek desserts such as bougatsa, consisting of layers of phyllo pastry stuffed with custard, cheese or meat, and our favorite, baklavá made from puff pastry, honey, nuts and almonds.

Among the most recommended restaurants in the city, located in tourist areas, to try these typical dishes, you have: All That Jatz, Kallipateira, Liondi, Arcadia, The Greco's Project, Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani, Oinomageireio H Epirus, Yiasemi coffee and Little Tree Books & Coffee

tzatziki

9. Tours and excursions

Once all the experiences that the city offers, if you still have time, we recommend you visit some of the wonders to see in Greece that are closer to the capital.

The first excursion that we advise you when traveling to Athens is to the spectacular Meteora valley, where there are ancient monasteries located on top of stone mountains over 600 meters high.
To visit the monasteries of Meteora, a World Heritage Site, you can rent a car or take a train from Larissis station that will leave you in about 5 hours in the town of Kalambaka, which you can use as a base to visit the area.
If you prefer a more comfortable option you can take any of these excursions with a guide in Spanish:

Meet Meteora on a trip to Athens

Another of the excursions in Athens best valued by travelers is the visit to some of the best Greek Islands such as Mykonos and Santorini.
To get to these two islands you can take a plane or this ferry to Santorini and east to Mykonos from the port of Piraeus.
Once you are on the two islands you can follow this list of things to see and do Santorini and what to see and do in Mykonos.
Another more comfortable way to visit these islands, especially if you do not have much time, is to book these excursions with a guide in Spanish:

Santorini

The last excursion proposal on this trip to Athens is the visit to Delphi to see the temple of Apollo and the impressive Oracle of Delphi.
To get to Delphi you can take a bus in terminal B that will leave you in about 3 hours near the archaeological site, or book this tour with a guide in Spanish.

More tours and excursions in Athens here

10. More tips for a trip to Athens

Other of the tips for traveling to Athens most important are:

Use some Greek words like Kaliméra (Good Morning), Kalispéra (Good afternoon), Parakaló (Please) or Efjaristó (Thank you), the locals will thank you.
Most public museums are closed on Mondays, keep that in mind when organizing visits.
The plugs in Greece are the same as in Spain.
If you want to see The Acropolis with few people, arrive 10 minutes before 8 to one of its entrances to have a few minutes of solitude in one of the most incredible places in the world.
Enter a traditional Greek tavern like Stamatopoulos or Kalokerinos, to see dance and listen to the Sirtaki, a popular Greek dance.
Be attentive to the prices in the most tourist restaurants and check the change they give you back. Although it is not usual, we have read that sometimes they are wrong.
Know that the average price of a taxi ride through the city is about 5 euros, sometimes small scams occur with tourists and it is convenient to be alert.
Watch before traveling to Athens the movie "Zorba the Greek", will put you in situation.
If you are going to visit the islands we recommend you follow this list of tips for traveling to the Greek Islands.
Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot. You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
If you also want to make a trip to Athens, get to know other jewels of the country you can follow this list of tips for traveling to Greece.

Monastiraki neighborhood

Do you want to organize a trip to Athens?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to Athens here
The best hotels at the best prices in Athens: here
The best free tours in Athens for free
How to go from Athens to Santorini
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Book the best tours and excursions in Athens in Spanish here
Book your airport transfer⇆Atenas here
Rent your car to travel around Greece at the best price here