Athens, Greece
Athens is one of the most historic cities in Europe and has been in existence since ancient times. From its ancient beginnings, to a strong-city state to the new capital of the country of Greece you can spend days going back in time exploring the past in Greece. You can also taste the wonderful Mediterranean food and a vibrant culture. Athens and Greece has had its trouble in the past from fighting in World War II and a recent financial crisis but its a wonderful place to visit and a launching point for cruises and visits to other Islands and countries in the area. We spent a couple days in Athens in 2016 before we went on a cruise throughout the Mediterranean out of the Historic and busy port of Piraeus. It was a great trip and we saw so much at the “Cradle of Democracy”.
Getting to and transportation in Athens
The best way to get to Athens is to fly to to Athens International Airport. We were able to get pretty affordable airfare from Ireland to Athens (around a 3-4 hour flight) so we first flew to Ireland and spent time there before flying Air France to Athens. The airport is about 12 miles east of the city center but you can ride the subway if you want or take a private shuttle service or taxi to get into the city. My family and I opted for a limo service that was not overly expensive. There are also ferries from different Greek Islands and other locations and a large cruise port that could be ways to make it to Athens. Athens was the start of our cruise so we flew there. Within the city you can take the subway or bus system or take a hop-on hop off tour or a tour bus to see Athens and some of the surrounding area. We chose a bus tour that took us to the main sights of Athens, included lunch and took us to Sounio, Greece to see the Temple of Poseidon.
Other Country Information
Greece is part of the the European Union and is also a part of the Schengen agreement so once you have passed through a Schengen countries passport control you do not have to again. We passed through the passport control in Paris so we did not pass through passport control in Athens. The currency is the Euro which is usually worth a little more than the US Dollar. The language of Greece is Greek but we had no problem with English in the areas we visited.
The Acropolis, Parthenon and Acropolis Museum
One sight you can see from all over Athens in the high point in the city called the Acropolis and its historic buildings such as the Parthenon. The Parthenon was an ancient temple to the goddess Athena. We went with our tour group to the Acropolis and made the walk up the hill to the top. AS you walk you can see the Theater of Dionysus and you can see the Areopagus. The Areopagus is a large rock just below the Acropolis where the Apostle Paul gave a sermon to the Greeks. Once at the top there are many temples and building you can visit. The most impressive of course is the Parthenon. We spent around an hour or so at the Acropolis viewing the ancient buildings, visiting the spot Paul spoke at, and enjoying the view of much of Athens from the top of the large hill in the center of the City. After the walk down the hill we visited the Acropolis museum. It a large museum that has many statues artifacts and a recreation of what the Parthenon architecture would have looked like in its prime. Its a good museum to visit while in the area to learn more about Ancient Greece. It does cost to visit the Acropolis and the museum. I encourage you to get to this area early as it does get crowded especially if there are cruise ships visiting the city. When we visited in 2016 they were working on restoring some of the temples.The is a jewel you will not want to miss if you are in Athens.
Panathenaic Stadium
While in Athens our tour made a quick stop at the Panathenaic Stadium. It was one of the highlights for us on this trip as we both love the Olympic games. This stadium is on the site of an ancient stadium where games took place. This stadium completely built of Marble was home to the 1896 Olympic Games. The first modern Olympic games was partially played at the stadium. Also the Athens 2004 games were partially played at the stadium. We did not get the chance to go in (you can purchase admission and go into the stadium for a tour) but we took pictures in front of it and had a chance to visit the gift shop for some neat souvenirs. If we make it back to Athens I would like to go visit this historic stadium again and tour it a little bit longer.
Athens War Museum
Located just a short walk from our hotel (The Hilton Athens) is a very nice museum that is about the lengthy Greek Military History. For a reasonable price this museums goes over the ancient Athenians and Spartans in the ancient war section of the museum. There are many shields spears and other artifacts from that time. There are dioramas and information about the Battles as well. The museum continues through history and includes the Greek struggle against the German and Italian forces during World War II and conflicts with Turkey. In the World War II section you can see many weapons used by both sides and get an interesting take on the fierce fighting against the Axis Powers. There is an exhibit on military history from around the world and I was surprised to see artifacts from the American Civil War and the Old West in Greece. Outside of the museum you can see tanks, cannons, and Greek aircraft. The museum also has a nice gift shop. The museum will take a couple hours to go through but its well worth it for anyone interested in military history. The exhibits do have English to read, so its not all Greek. We visited the museum on our second day in Athens a few hours before we boarded our cruise. It was a great way to spend some time and I would go back and visit it again.
Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon
On our tour after we had a great Greek lunch at a patio restaurant we went to a point outside Athens named Sounio. Its on a peninsula out into the Aegean/Mediterranean. Its a beautiful drive to get there passing but rocky cliffs that go into the clear blue water of the ocean and then small beaches a long the way. We got to the Temple of Poseidon and its in a beautiful place. The ancient Temple to the god of the Seas sits atop a cliff overlooking the crystal clear water. There is a small museum and gift shop at the entrance. We spent time walking through the temple area and seeing the exhibits about it. Much of the temple is gone but you can still see the columns of the temple. We spent time just looking at the ocean as it was quiet and relaxing there (far away from the chaotic streets of Athens). It was a great side trip and it is worth seeing. It took us a few hours to drive out there with the tour bus and tour the site.
Seeing other sites in the city and tips for Athens
During our tour we drove past a variety of other Temples you can tour like the Temple of Zeus. We also had the chance to see the Greek Parliament building and the guards at the Greek tomb of the unknown soldier. We saw quite a bit of the downtown area during our driving tour. We were only in Athens for one full day and then part of a day as we boarded our cruise in the afternoon. There are a lot of other things to do in Athens and day trips you can go on to places like Corinth, Delphi and other historic sites. While in Athens you have to try the Greek food and if you love Olives and Wine Greece is a great place to try some. We did and it was great. The Greek food at the outdoor cafe was spectacular. Athens as a city is somewhat chaotic from my experience. The driving can be intense and the roads very crowded. You also if you take the public transportation system have to watch out for pick pockets (we did not take the subway system while we were there. We had no trouble while we were there to speak in English. Greece at times has had some political unrest due to the debt issues and at one point while the President of Greece was speaking at our hotel riot police was stationed at the hotel but nothing happened. It is something to watch for and avoid but not likely to be something you will deal with. Athens and Greece has a very interesting and important history, and a great culture to explore. Check it out if you get the chance. I know we would like to go back someday and see more!
