How to spend one day in Athens when you have a layover
When me and my hubby,
The list of things to do in Athens can get quite big, so as we had only a couple of hours to spend in the Greek capital, we decided to narrow it down. And instead of spending hours in touristy places, we headed towards the city.
How to Get to Athens
The capital of Greece is well connected with both European and Asian countries. Similar to any other capital of any country, there are many companies operating daily to and from Athens. Therefore, getting there is not a problem at all. Wizzair and Ryanair operate from various European cities, so make sure to look for their promotions to get the best bargain on the price.ย
We flew to Athens from Istanbul Ataturk Airport. From there, we bought a bus ticket costing 6 Euro to get to the center. However, thereโs a metro that goes directly from Athens airport to the center and costs 10 Euro.ย
5 things to know before visitingย Athens
- If you are coming from a country which has its own currency, make sure you buy Euros in your home country. My salary is in USD, so I thought I would change them in Athens, but oh boy! I was so wrong. All of the currency exchange offices have a very high commission!
- You can leave your luggage at the airport storage facility. They calculate the price per hour, and for up to 12 hours we paid โฌ8
- Bus from the airport to the city center costs โฌ6
- You can experience the city with a local guide for FREE at This is my Athens, but unfortunately, none of the volunteers were available on the date we arrived.
- You can buy Athens city passย for 30โฌ to reduce costs on museums, Acropolis and public transport.
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Top 9 things to do in Athens in a short time
Most of the Athens sightseeing is within walking distance, therefore we didnโt use any public transportation other than the but from and to the airport.
Wander through Plakaย neighborhood
Plaka is the oldest area of the city, where most of the streets are for pedestrians only. The area is full of souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants, and jewelry stores. Therefore, itโs one of the most touristy places in the city center.
Considered one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city, located under the Acropolis, Plaka stretches towards the Syntagma square. You might even get lost there, but if you stay around its two main streets โย Kydathineon and Adrianou โ youโll be fine.
Visit Monastiraki
One of the things to do in Athens in a short time is to visit Monastiraki neighborhood to glimpse at its flea market. And if your visit falls on Sunday, there are even more stalls and vendors selling all the vintage items. Even if you are not into vintage stuff, itโs still a fun place to wander.
Thereโs a central tourist attraction Attica to bargain for souvenirs or buying something for yourself. Walk towards the square, take a look at the Church of the Panatassa and sit down somewhere to relax and people-watch.
Get lost in Anafiotika
Hidden from the crowds, Anafiotika must be on your list of the things to do in Athens in a short time. The neighborhood is on the north side of the Acropolis featuring small streets and alleys. With its white wall houses and colorful doors, Anafiotika looks like a little island tucked away from the bustle and hustle of the city.
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Marvel through Pittaki Street Athens
If you, like me, love finding excellent street art, head to Pittaki Street. Here, Chinese paper lanterns, midcentury metal lamps, 40s floral and fringed lampshades, Moroccan mirrored shades, and stained glass lamps hang up in the air.
The allay painted in soft pastel colors with pictures of kitchen and living room furniture, Pittaki street is a modern touch of the ancient city. Want to make your Instagram photos even more interesting? Pose everywhere you want; the options ofย impressive backgrounds are endless.
Buy olives or groceries at the open-air market
While wandering the streets of Athens, we stumbled upon a small open-air market with fresh fruits, vegetables, and our all-time favorite olives. The country is famous for its olives, so itโs a shame not to take advantage and taste a bit.
What to eat in Athens
Greek Salad
The first thing that comes up to mind when someone asks what to eat in Athens is โ Greek Salad. I could not resist the temptation to taste one of my favorite saladsย in the place it originated from. The world-famous Greek Salad is a simple meal, but local feta cheese, olive oil, and kalamata olives make it so darn delicious.
Falafel
I have read on one of the travel blogs to try falafels once I get to Athens. Falafellas has a wide variety of falafel sandwiches to choose from, but we took the smallest one for โฌ2.50, and we had a hard time finishing it. The pita bread was full of falafels, veggies and the right amount of sauce!
Loukoumades
Another meal you need to eat in Athens is Loukoumades โ a Greek dessert similar to crusty donuts. Small shaped balls of dough are deep-fried in oil and are sprinkled with either sugar, honey, cinnamon, chocolate or other toppings. We tried it at Lukumades, and one portion of those sweets was more than enough for two of us.
Bar Brettos
The so-called โcolorful barโ is a great place to try Greek wines and local spirit Ouzo. Brettos is the oldest distillery in Greece, producing alcoholic drinks for at least 100 years. Here, you can try three different Ouzo and 160 different types of Greek wine by the glass.
They even have a wine tasting session from 10 am to 6 pm every day. So take advantage of it!
As always, if you have any questions, donโt hesitate to ask in the comments down below, or connect with me on my social media channels. I will be happy to assist you as much as possible.
Happy Travels!
13 comments
The Plaka neighborhood looks so fun and colorful! It looks like you had some really good Greek food there, too! I’ll definitely need to make my way to Greece soon, it’s such a unique place.
I’ve been to Athens on my own years ago and I Always wanted to get back there with my husband, who hasn’t seen that part of Greece. You gave us great ideas, I’m saving this!
This is such a colourful post. I still havent been to Athens or Greece at all. The Plaka neighbourhood looks so picturesque. The Loukoumades looks so tasty. So good you included the things you need to know before you visit Athens, so handy ๐
Athens has been on the bucket list for awhile now – in many parts, it looks so colorful and beautiful! But since I’m not as familiar with it as I’d like to be, this list is SUPER helpful!! Saving ๐
Glad I can help ๐
My daughter loved Greece, especially Athens. The Plaka area and the Acropolis were her favourites. Great list!
I love Greece, and really enjoyed Athens.Missed Pittaki Street, so I guess I must return ๐
Great post, hope you can get back there soon.
Wow! You have me completely inspired to explore the city in Athens. Those neighbourhood are GORGEOUS! The colours, the intimacy of it all, everything is spectacular. I love that shot with the lone guitar player too.
That sounds like a great afternoon! That flea market looks incredible, I bet you could find some good gems in there. And it looks like I could spend all afternoon taking pictures on Pittaki Street. It’s so colorful!
I love the look of Pittaki Street! So colorful. Of course, I would have to make a visit to Bar Bettos as well. Great tips for a short visit.
My husband’s family lives in New Smyrna….when we visited a couple years ago we visited Brettos 3x!!! Wonderful atmosphere, and an amazing and vast selection of drinks! The mastica is a great host/hostess gift!
I will also add, baklava from Spezi cafe right across from the Acropolis metro station in the Plaka is a MUST. A group of friends and I went back three times in the week we were there.
Great tip Sarah! Thanks for sharing ๐