Athens, Greece Itinerary Sept 2023

Athens, Greece Itinerary September 2023




  • TRANSPORTATION: 
    • Flight: We flew into Athens via Air Canada and departed via Lufthansa airlines. 
      • Baggage: Air Canada is strict with baggage sizing for carry-on. Follow carry-on baggage instructions carefully. 
      • Terminals:  Fairly straightforward. For an international airport, it is not hard to navigate and security does not take a significant amount of time. If carry-on only, two hours beforehand will be plenty of time.
      • Arrival to Athens : We arrived early in the morning to Athens; customs took about 20-30 minutes 
      • Departure from Athens to USA: Easy as mentioned above. Security and passport control tend moved quickly
    • Rideshare Apps to Download : (1) Uber 
      • Uber is not particularly popular in Greece, but easy to use. It will call a taxi that is affiliated with uber but you will still pay through the app as you normally do. 
      • We had private transportation set up as part of our tour from the airport, but uber is available via taxi to and from the airport
  • HOTEL: Areas to stay: Recommend staying close to the Acropolis. Most of the historical sites are in that area and are within walking distance. It is also a safe area that's densely populated and safe to walk at night.

  • Acropolis from Olympic Hotel 
    PAYMENT METHODS: 
    • Cash: Recommend bringing $100 USD worth of euros for tips, food, etc.
      • Most restaurants will take credit card, but buying items from vendors may require euros for better negotiations
      • Bring euros from the United States as you'll get a far better conversion rate than you will in Europe as ATM fees are also higher
    • Credit Cards
      •  Only use credit cards with 0% foreign transaction fee
      • Always charge your credit card in Euros instead of USD (better conversion rate)
  • SAFETY: Emergency phone number is 112
      • We generally felt safe, however, always be around of your surroundings. Pick pocketers are prevalent and its important to protect yourself
  • WHAT TO PACK: 
    • Sunscreen & Hat is a MUST due to the heat; note that it gets very hot (80-100F) during the summer into the fall.
    • Print color copies of passport to carry in wallet
    • Will need plug converter if coming from the USA
  • WEATHER/BEST TIME TO VISIT: 
    • End of Sept/October - It gets very, very hot during the summer. We went in mid September and felt beat down by the heat. We heard first week of October is more tolerable.
  • LANGUAGE: Everyone speaks English but can be helpful to know some basic Greek phrases.
    • Good Morning: Kaliméra "Kali-Mera"
    • Thank you: Efcharistó "Eff-Hari-Stho" 
  • RANDOM TIPS: 
    • Download Google maps offline for any city you will be visiting
    • Download WhatsApp to communicate with tour guide/groups
    • If possible, avoid visiting any major tourist attraction on weekends / holidays due to heavy crowds. Morning & weekdays are much better to visit.
    • Ok to drink from the tap for water; stay hydrated due to the heat. Bottled water is regulated and was very inexpensive. 
  • VEGETARIAN/VEGAN FOOD: 
    • Athens was very easy to find vegetarian/vegan foods. Veggie Gyros, falafel, Moussaka, burgers etc. 
    • Food Apps for Delivery: If want to order food to your hotel, Wolt App is  inexpensive and fast! 
    • Vegan Beat was delicious! One of the best vegan restaurants we've ever been to. Vegan Naki was excellent. 
    • Dessert recommendations: Da Vinci Gelato - highly recommend! Little Kook is worth seeing & walking past (but, desserts are OK). Lukumades is worth trying!
    • Coffee: get a Freda (Iced) Cappuccino!!! 
Da Vinci Gelato



Vegan Naki: Falafel


Vegan Beat     
Little Kook 
Lukumades


OUR RECOMMENDATIONS for Athens, Greece: 


1) The Acropolis, Erechtheion Temple and New Acropolis Museum - make sure and go either very early in the morning or in the evening or else it will be extremely hot. Wear closed toed shoes to the acropolis. Best to go with a tour or tour guide as they can explain the significance of the structures and the museum. There is a great deck at the museum to sit and enjoy a coffee with a view of the Acropolis

Erechtheion Temple



2) Take a free Athens walking tour - highly highly worth it. Most of the major attractions are near each other and a walking tour allows you to cover a lot of ground.




3) Visit city of Piraeus - a suburb of Athens right along the water that's worth taking a trip to. Try and go in the evening to take a nice stroll along the oceanfront.
Port in Piraeus

4) Ermou Street - for souvenirs and seeing the touristy side of Athens. Many different shops and restaurants; worth spending a couple of hours to walk through.     - Buy your souvenirs here on the side streets. Don't buy on the islands which are     much more expensive!
    - You will see "EVIL EYE" souvenirs - the story goes if you say or think anything         bad, it will happen to that person. Avoid this by wearing an evil eye; however,     someone must gift it to you for it to work!

5) Panathenaic Stadium - site of the first modern Olympic games!


6) See Changing of the Guards Ceremony at Syntagma Square - if in Athens on Sundays around 11am, you will witness the parade!

7) Walk through Plaka neighborhood











Location: Athens, Greece

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