48 Hours in Athens: Honest Guide

So we had 48 hours in Athens, not exactly loads of time, especially in a city that's older than most countries. But we weren't here to rush around ticking off guidebook highlights. We wanted to feel the city a bit. Yes, of course, see the obvious stuff, but also what happens when you take a few wrong turns and get away from the crowds. Now it all started rather predictably. The big sights, even bigger crowds and big heat. But then something interesting happened. We slowed down, we wandered, headed down some quieter alleyways and let Athens show us what it is really like. And that's when the good stuff started. So we want to share with you our journey as well as give you some tips on where to stay, what to see and what to avoid. Even if, like us, you just have two days in Athens. Now, when you come to Athens, you're going to want to stay in the old part of the town, which means Monastiraki or Plaka or Syri. And we stayed in Monastiraki and Syria in our last visits. And one of the reasons for that is the proximity to the Acropolis as well as lots of great restaurants and the Monastiraki Square. Now, no matter what time of year you go to Athens, it's going to be busy, but just take the time to wander around the streets of Monserrat. And it doesn't take much to get away from the madding crowd. And everywhere you look is something of. For a cheap eat and somewhere that's really popular with the locals, head over to Tolikstone, which always has long Q and we both got pork gyros. Of course, no visit to Athens will be complete without visiting the Acropolis. This is probably a once in a lifetime thing that you'll do and certainly we wouldn't do it again if we went back to Athens. But if you do go, make sure you get there really early. The first entry Point is 8 o' clock in the morning, so get there 15 minutes before. Then book your tickets for 8 o' clock and avoid the crowds because trust me, we were there about 10 o' clock on a Sunday and it was crazy busy, people queuing to get up, queuing to take that Instagram photo. And it made the experience less enjoyable than it would be if it wasn't so crowded. So our advice to you is definitely to book the first ticket of the day and then head to the top straight away because you will get less crowded views.

So we decided to explore some other areas of old part of Athens.

Where we headed, we're heading to Plaka what's in Plaka? Plaka is pretty much that monastic old part of Athens. Just mooch around and see the shops, maybe have some dinner there, drink.

It's a nice. Got a nice vibe here.

Yeah, it's all nice there. A nice walkable. Just wander around. Loads of shops, loads of trees. So you've got shade. Yeah, let's go see what, what's all about.

You can just see the beginning of.

The Pantheon up there. And it'.

Full of lots of nice shops, well tourist shops.

But it's got a nice chill vibe to it. That's nice. And shade.

And everything.

Every gift you could possibly think about.

That you need to take home and.

Many that you don't.

Plaka is one of the areas where they recommend you stay. So Plaka, Monastiraki and Psiri are the sort of old areas where you can stay in. So yeah, it's just nice to just wander around. Feels safe walking around.

Yeah. And it's so different to the sort.

Of modern part of Athens, isn't it? Where I stayed the very first time I came and never saw this beautiful part of it. This is definitely where you want to.

Be and it's where most tourists are as well. Yeah.

We're going up hill, I think that's how you pronounce it. We're going to get the funicular up, get some lovely views across Athens from the top and yeah, and this has.

Been about a 30 minute walk from Monastiraki, an uphill walk. So it's very pretty. Struggle, lovely buildings and we're carrying on up to get the vernicular. So we're doing this fairly early on. It's only 10 o' clock. So if you're thinking about doing this, do it in the morning when it's A not too busy and B not too hot. So see you at the top.

Get an Uber to the top.

Yeah, get an Uber to the top. It wasn't very expensive, was it? Like four or five.

Yeah.

And then walk down, which is what we should have done. But hey, hey, This is why you would come up here. Pretty spectacular. That's amazing views and you can see the ocean all the way in the distance.

Get up here early, avoid the heat and the crowds. You get 360 view of Athens. You've got the Acropolis, Piraeus, the original Olympic stadium.

And it won't be too hot, so definitely worth coming up here. Take the vernacular though, because there's a lot of walking. Anyway. We're gonna have a drink now. Yeah, Athens is Definitely a nighttime city. And as the sun sets, Athens wakes up. Music spills onto the street, as do.

All the people just having a wonder post meal. Cool off into the main part of town. And on a Sunday night it seems like there's a lot of live. It's probably a way they get everything busy. Certainly very vibrant here. We're in the CD square area.

And.

It'S about 8 o' clock on a Sunday night and it's absolutely buzzing, as you can see, and it's very warm. Come up for a drink on a rooftop terrace. Hope you can hear me. And what an amazing view of the.

Acropolis and the whole city. So 48 hours in Athens. Did we see everything? Well, not even close. But we saw enough to realize that Athens isn't just a landing point to head elsewhere. And it's not about ticking off ancient landmarks. It's a city you feel more than you tour. It's noisy, it's hot, it's chaotic, yet somehow it works. If I had one tip, it's stay in the old town. You'll walk more, yes, but you'll see more too. Get up early for the big sights, then take it slow, wander, get lost in Plaka, eat at places locals eat at, and don't over plan it. The city has layers and Even in just 48 hours we peeled back a few and we'll definitely be back to peel back a few more. So thanks for watching. If you've got Athens tips of your own, then please do drop them in the comments. And if you're into this kind of travel, less rushed, more real hit, subscribe and join us on the next one.