We were back in a big city! The great thing about this trip is that we have done a good job at alternating cities, small towns, and hikes so we don’t get tired of any of them. We hadn’t been to a city in a while with a subway system, Starbucks, cool bars, numerous museums, etc., so Athens was a breath of fresh air for us!
On our first full day we went on a great free walking tour that my sister had gone on while in Athens. We would both highly recommend it and if you can get Jimmy as your guide, then that’s even better (https://urbanfreetours.com/). Jimmy offered a wealth of knowledge. The best tour guides we have had are from the area and have a bunch of personal stories about themselves and the city. Jimmy’s particular story was unique because he grew up in Australia and his parents decided they wanted to move back to Greece, where they were from. He stayed behind but finally decided to go visit his parents. When he arrived at the airport in Greece, they ran his passport and informed him that he had been flagged and he had to immediately report for mandatory military duty in Greece. So he had to call up his girlfriend and job in Australia to tell them that he would not be returning because he was now serving in the military.
Jimmy!
On the walking tour you see pretty much everything BUT the ancient Acropolis of Athens (IE where the Parthenon stands). The only guides allowed in the acropolis are certified historians, but between the free walking tour and the massive Acropolis Museum there was no need for a guide. The sites included but were not limited to: Hadrian’s Arch, National Gardens, Houses of Parliament with the changing of the guard, Olympic Stadium where the first modern Olympics was held, Ancient Agora (market), The Plaka, Zeus Temple (used to be the largest but only 15/120 pillars still stand) and many other sites. Once again, if you have a couple of days in Athens then we would highly suggest this free walking tour BEFORE you do the Acropolis of Athens because you will get so much needed background info that will improve your acropolis tour.
The Temple of Zeus. Only 15 columns still remain.
Olympic Stadium
Hadrian’s Arch
National Library
Christmas Street
Athens at sunset
The following day (Sunday) we went back to the House of Parliament where they do a weekly changing of the guard with all of their guards, not just a couple. They are a pretty intimidating bunch and have to pass a handful of physical requirements to even be considered for a guard position. Following the changing of the guard we went to the Archaeological Museum of Athens. Our tour guide had said that the Acropolis Museum is the highest rated museum in the world, but he prefers the Archaeological Museum. We disagree, but we have also been going to a lot of archaeological museums recently and have been seeing a lot of buried artifacts. If you have to choose the Acropolis Museum or Archaeological, then pick the Acropolis. After the museum we made our trek up Mount Lycabettus for some breathtaking views of Athens at sunset.
Monday was the big day! We were finally going to get to go up to the Acropolis of Athens that we had been staring at and hearing about for a couple of days. First we went to the new Acropolis Museum beneath the mountain that did an incredible job of telling and showing the history of the ancient citadel. With this knowledge we were able to appreciate everything a little bit more. The “crown jewel” of the acropolis is the Parthenon, which is a former temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. Our other favorites included the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (ancient theater), the Old Temple of Athena, the Temple of Athena Nike (like the shoe) and the Propylaea (entrance). It definitely had a similar feel to Machu Picchu, knowing how much history had taken place on those grounds and how long some of those structures and stones had been there. Long story short, it’s on the trip highlight list.
By our last day in Athens we had seen all the major highlights for the most part, so the day was spent roaming around areas we hadn’t seen yet. We wandered through the National Gardens (not a must). We went to a series of hills overlooking the acropolis and one of them is where democracy was born (supposedly Barack Obama wanted to make a speech there but the secret service said there’s no way they could properly secure it). All in all, it was a long day of walking and seeing new and cool areas of Athens. We actually met a dude, Joel, during our first walking tour and he tagged along for the rest of our Athens trip so it was nice to have another person.
We’ve tried to be as honest as possible in our blogs about what places are good for certain types of trips. For example, we’ve been some places that we’ve enjoyed knowing we have a whole year to explore. We probably wouldn’t return to them if we only had a couple of weeks of vacation. Some places we probably wouldn’t recommend even if you had a year :). Some places only during a certain time of year. And then some places you should absolutely visit and dedicate a trip, even if it’s a short one—and Athens is on that list for us. It’s a Washington D.C. type of trip because you will be constantly seeing things and learning, and if that’s your cup of tea then you should do it! To see ALL of our photos from Greece go here!