Athens Things to Do
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Lycabettus Hill
Athens abounds with hills, and many are so barren they surge upwards and unpopulated out of the cityscape. Of all these hills, the standout is Mount Lycabettus, rising like a limestone fist from below. Its base is think with pine forest, and at its summit stands the whitewashed chapel of Saint George. The twin peaks at the top of Mount Lycabettus...
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Changing of the Guard
It was a grey cold day at the Syntagma square, but still, as every day at 11AM, the changing guard of the Parliament building went on. This ceremony is 24 times daily but the main one takes place each Sunday at 11 am. If you go on Sunday, make sure to be there early , cause its gets crowdie . Even though I made some photos (as everybody else) I...
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Acropolis
The New Museum of Acropolis opened for the public on 20 June 2009. One of the basic reasons this museum was built for was that the greek governement wanted a good place to put the sculptures of Parthenon that are the last 200 years in the British museum. The 5th century B.C. Parthenon Marbles, were removed from the Parthenon by the British diplomat...
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Athens Hotels
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Hotel Grande Bretagne, A Luxury...
Every visitor to Athens cannot fail to notice this huge hotel. It's right on Syntagma Square,...
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The Athens Gate Hotel
Back to Athens on a business trip where we spent 3 nights once again at this lovely city hotel. ...
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Electra Palace Hotel Athens
Electra Palace Hotel Athens was a fabulous place to stay. Originally I booked it only for the rood...
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Athens Restaurants
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Thanasis Kebab
There are many souvlaki/kebab places around Monastiraki square and they are always packed with people, mostly tourists of course because of the location (4’ walk from Acropolis main entrance. The main problem is that these eateries focus on these customers and not locals that will return if they are satisfied with food and service. But a friend...
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McDonald's
Mc Donalds nener had any chance in Greece, we have so many better fast food options (nothing can beat a good souvlaki) that it makes no sense to visit the famous Mc Donalds. There are even local similar places that offer the same food with McDonalds (burgers, salads, etc) but with much better quality (eg Goodys that use local products and have...
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Vyzantino
A great lunch spot on a square in Plaka. I was able to sit outside with a jacket on, 2 days before Christmas. It was 16c and sunny that day... I just chose it because some locals were eating there - usually a reliable indicator! Could have been the owner’s family, I suppose... A wonderful aubergine salad to start with. Then saganaki - baked eggs,...
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Athens Nightlife
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Cubanita Havana Club
Cubanita is a great latin club in Psyrri which usually has a live band and very often incredible dancers who will take your breath away. It gets v v crowded and hot though so if you can't stand the heat . . . If on the other hand you want to dance like a wild thing and make new friends, this may be the place for you. Dress up. Girls shld remember...
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Seven Sins (ex Sin...
They like to confuse people as they change the name of this club almost every year, I remember it as Next (some great goth nights and even a New Years Eve when we drunk like there was tomorrow), then Underworld, then Texas Necropolis, then Sin City, and now Seven Sins… so… ask me before your visit :) It used to be a gothic club but since September...
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Allou Fun Park
ALLOU is the only amusement park in Athens opened in 2002 that attract more than 2 million people with many events that change 3 times every year. Next to allou fun park there is Kidom a classic luna park for little children for the ages 6-12 year old
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Athens Transportation
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Metro And Subway
Athens underground system is fast, clean, efficient and relatively easy to navigate. Because of the ongoing economic crisis it is currently undergoing regular shutdowns due to strikes, but the website gives you advanced warnings of these so that you can plan around them. It's one of the oldest subways in the world, but it wasn't until the 21st...
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Airport bus
If you are not considering to take the metro or a taxi to the city centre, then the bus can be your choice. Line X95 Syntagma Line X96 Piraeus Line X93 Kifisou Avenue Line X97 Dafni
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El. Venizelos Airport
Athens International Airport has a bit of a reputation for bumpy landings, but the views are spectacular. Since the collapse of the national airline, Olympic Airlines, the airport took a nosedive in passengers, but the growth of Aegean Airlines and the improving economy have helped it back on its feet. Emirates even started scheduled flights with...
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Athens Shopping
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Plaka
We enjoyed walking around in the Plaka area of Athens in the evenings. I did my souvenir shopping during this time. I always try to pick up something that my friends, family and coworkers would really like to have. So, I bought several bottle openers and Mati charms. Since, the owners of where I work are Greek, they appreciated getting the Mati...
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Ermou str
Like all major metropolitan areas, the City of Athens has much to offer visitors in the way of shopping. The downtown area (around Ermou Street) hosts a few large shopping centers but mainly keeps visitors busy with its quaint shops in the tourist areas and boutiques in certain upper class sections. Go north for the most Malls and south for...
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Monastiraki
My favourite shop to buy dry fruit and nuts is the one in the corner of the central Public Market . I can always find fresh products, and I buy walnuts and raisins, danes, and all sorts of different other things depending on the season. The shop belongs to Mr. Athanasios Avgerinos
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Athens Local Customs
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Full Moon in August
Athenians tend to leave Athens during august, the noisy center becomes peaceful and friendly and although many stores and restaurants are closed it’s great to see the city like this (I can even cycle down the central avenues, a suicide attempt during the rest of the year). But in August there’s also a lovely full moon, the most impressive as it is...
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Full Moon in August
Athenians tend to leave Athens during august, the noisy center becomes peaceful and friendly and although many stores and restaurants are closed it’s great to see the city like this (I can even cycle down the central avenues, a suicide attempt during the rest of the year).But in August there’s also a lovely full moon, the most impressive as it is...
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Street Peddlers
Street Peddlers selling designer knock-off purses (I believe). Common sense tells me so. If you think you're buying the real thing, it probably isn't. Lots of vendors in the early hours are selling fruit for the day!
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Athens Warnings and Dangers
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Areas to Avoid
We arrived to Athens in the afternoon and hopped on the metro to get to our hotel. And what to i realise when I get there.. All my cash is stolen!!!!!!! 510euros plus 100turkish lira. All gone. I've travelled many countries around the world been to the worst of all places but NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS! Disgusting!!!!! I now hate the...
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People to Avoid
I swear I'm going to start pretending I don't speak English. I just fell for this scam not an hour ago, and went Googling to see if anyone else had had the same experience at a bar calld Reina. My very first day in Athens and a friendly guy named Peter asks me the time... you can guess the rest. I don't drink, and I knew something was up, but I...
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Taxis
We travelled to Athens Airport many times in the past but this was the first time we took a taxi for the transfer to city center. Having heard all the crazy stories about taxi drivers in Greece, we wanted to play safe so we pre-booked our transfer and got a fixed price (39euros). We chose Athens Taxi Quality (http://www.athenstaxiquality.com/)...
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Athens Tourist Traps
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Taxis
Around 1 pm, June 26, we hailed a yellow taxi, late model Mercedes C200 CDI, license number TAB 6180. We had just arrived in Piraeus about an hour late due to a delayed ferry. As I hailed the cab, I was holding my small dog in a satchel. My husband was by my side with our other small dog also in a pet carrier. We asked the taxi driver if he could...
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Plaka
This is a scam that I foud multiple times on Athens. If you are eating at a restaurant, the waiter will open a large bottle of water and put it on your table. Then will charge you for it, even if you dont ask for it. Also, he may walk up, after he sees you are a tourist and place some food on the table (it was Titziki for us). You think this is a...
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Overpriced restaurants
Many restaurants pretend that they have made a mistake and they over charge your bill. They do it purposely because usually people don't check and pay what they have been asked. If you see that you cannot eat what you are brought because it is burnt don't just be disappointed with your bad luck, but demand to be brought another one. Deny to pay...
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Athens What to Pack
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What To Pack
I thought I was prepared and packed Dramamine, Rolaids & Tylenol. I don't have allergies so I did pack any medicine for that. I had the sniffles from the cigarette smoke and automotive exhaust fumes and it progressed to severe allergies. I found a pharmacy that had one kind of medicine for allergies. I took it but it would work only slightly. I...
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Weather In Athens
Like you can imagine, Greece is a mediterranean country. You can expect rain, a lot of wind and of course the sun. We were in continental greece in november and it was hot in the day and cold in the night. Make sure you bring a sweater for your night walking. In the day a short can be good. Remember that you can enter in some religious site with...
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Photography And Camera
The days were very nice, but the weather at night was a slight chill at times. I suggest a warm jacket or coat. Make sure you bring film and batteries because you don't want to miss any of the many sights Athens has to offer.
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Athens Off The Beaten Path
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Gazi Factory
An old gas factory made by some industrial buildings, is now a live industrial museum. This factory, once closed was gradually transformed into a versatile cultural centre and now it hosts several events. When I was there people were preparing a stage for a concert(it was afternoon) and walking around you could meet some small modern art...
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Kaisariani Monastery
Only 8 kilometers out of Athens, in mount Hymettos, this monastery is a good example of Byzantine art. I read that a taxi costs about 15 €, and it is served by bus 224, but with the recent crises I can't guarantee it.
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Kifissia
“Far from Airport 12.4 miles (19.96 Km)” Be forewarned that it is NOT close to the airport. I paid a cab driver 55 Euros one-way at night to go to this hotel. From what I could tell, there isn't public transportation near it either. Pines Hotel Chelidonous Artemidos 2 Nea Kifissia Athens. 14564 GR (210) 620-5011 On one side the hotel, faces the...
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Athens Sports & Outdoors
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Olympics 2004
In 2004 the Olympic Games returned to their ancient birthplace and the city of their revival. Athletes from all nations united in Greece to engage in noble competition. The Athens Olympic Games combined history, culture and peace with sports and Olympism. The people of Greece hosted these unique Games on a human scale, inspiring the world to...
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Football
In Athen you have two big football clubs, AEK and Panathinaikos. And then you have Olympiakos in Piraeus which is not far either. These are all major european teams with many stars on and really worth watching if you are in Athens when they play at home. Be a little careful when leaving the stadium, especially if they have lost the game as a few of...
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Athens Marathon
Marathons can nowadays be run all over the world, but the annual Athens Marathon has a special appeal and significance to runners world wide because of its tradition: It commemorates the run of the soldier Pheidippides from the Marathon battlefield to Athens in 490 B.C., to bring Athenians the news of the astounding victory of the Greeks over the...
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Athens General
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Athens Acropolis
It’s on all those annoying lists of ‘places you must see before you die’ but the city’s centrepiece, the Parthenon, and the Acropolis, the rocky hill on which it stands, really do live up to the hype. It’s more impressive than ever now that most of the scaffolding has come down and a massive restoration project launched in 1983 is finally nearing...
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Plaka
Starting at the foot of the Acropolis, the old area of Plaka is a maze of narrow, cobble-stoned, medieval streets that twist through ancient sites, tourist-packed squares and lovely Byzantine courtyards. The best way to explore it is simply to get lost among its enchanting passages. The most beautiful section of Plaka is Anafiotika, a cluster of...
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City Scenes
Athens is wonderful to walk, even we, Athenians love to do it! The Rough Guide Map of Athens is the only thing you will need to get around It has not only the map of the whole city, but also of Piraeus, Kifissia market and an extra , more detailed picture of Plaka-Monastiraki. Also a metro map, sights/shops opening schedules a huge selection of...
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Top 10 Former Olympic Cities: Athens
Of all former host cities, no city is as synonymous with the Olympics as Athens, Greece. Not only did the city hold the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, but it's also the nation that birthed the concept in Ancient Olympia. Visitors to Athens can see the Panathenaic Stadium, built entirely of white marble, which housed the original Olympic Games in 1896. OAKA, the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, can be found in Maroussi, a northern suburb of Athens, and was the sight of the 2004 Olympic Games. Architect Santiago Calatrava added his signature flair to OAKA by adding a new roof structure and "Agora," the steel arch designed to shade spectators from the bright summer sun. No trip to Athens is complete without checking out some of its more traditional architectural gems – visit the Acropolis and see the ruins of the Parthenon and Erechtheion that symbolize the society that gave us the Olympic tradition!
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Explore Deeper into Athens
- Ancient Agora
- Things to Do
- Temple Of Olympian Zeus
- Things to Do
- Plaka
- Things to Do
- Acropolis - Parthenon
- Things to Do
- National Archeological Museum
- Things to Do
- Syntagma Square - Parliament
- Things to Do
- Driving and Walking
- Warnings and Dangers
- Restaurants and Pubs To Avoid
- Warnings and Dangers
- Central Market Varvakeios Agora
- Shopping
- Clothes & Shoes
- Shopping
- Demonstrations
- Warnings and Dangers
- Taxis
- Transportation
- Tram
- Transportation
- Books & Comics
- Shopping
- Souvenirs
- Shopping
- Long Distance Buses
- Transportation
- Kolonaki
- Shopping
- Food & Drinks
- Shopping
- Galaxy Bar Restaurant
- Restaurants
- Everest
- Restaurants
- Ouzeri Sholarheion (Kouklis)
- Restaurants
- Ferries Boats and Ports
- Transportation
- Weather
- Warnings and Dangers
- Local Buses
- Transportation
- Taverna tou Psara
- Restaurants
- Hermion
- Restaurants
- Goody's
- Restaurants
- Long Distance Trains
- Transportation
- Akrotiri
- Nightlife
- Churches and Monasteries
- General
- Sounio
- Off The Beaten Path
- Acropolis
- Tourist Traps
- Vrettos
- Nightlife
- Pollution
- Warnings and Dangers
- 360° Cocktail Bar
- Nightlife
- Hotels to Avoid
- Warnings and Dangers
- Artists and concerts
- Nightlife
- Aegina, Poros, Hydra islands
- Off The Beaten Path
- Kerameikos
- Off The Beaten Path
- Piraeus
- Off The Beaten Path
Comments (3)
a lot of visitors worry about the status of the ATM/cash situation.
at the moment (june 30, 2015):
-officially banks will be closed until monday 6 of july, but of course this could be extended
-ATMs are fully fuctional, they work properly and when they get empty they refill them
-greeks (actually those who have cards issued in greece) can withdraw 60e per card per day
-visitors (those who have cards issued away from greece, hence every tourist) can withdraw with no limitations
-we can still use our credit cards with no problem, all the stores that accepted cards in the past still do but obviously you'll need cash for smaller places (there was an issue with some gas stations yesterday that only cash was accepted) but have in mind credit cards are not so widespreaded in Greece (eg.you need cash for the acropolis) although most big hotels, many restaurants, super markets, car rental do accept like they always did
-in some cases there are long lines at the ATMs, but I saw many others that didnt have more than 5-6 people waiting -transportation in athens is free this week
-It's highly advisable to bring some cash with you to be on the safe side and/or avoid the long lines. You dont have to carry around the cash and be stressed, use the safety box in your hotel.
-when I say cash I mean euros, this is the official currency so dont expect stores to get paid with dollars or anything else
If you have travel plans for Greece on July 16 you need to re-assess
your options. If the strike goes as planned there will be no ferry,
metro, taxi, plane or train service on that day. Air Traffic Controllers
are included in that strike so that means no planes landing at ATH,
either domestic or international.
TIME FOR PLAN "B"!
what is the tallest cliff in athens called? i have been searching for this awnser everywere!!!
If you mean the tallest hill, it's Mount Lycabettus (sometimes spelled Lykavittos). You can take a cable car up to the top (excellent views of the city), where there is a small chapel and a cafe:
"Go up the hill........." - Lycabettus Hill Tip by leics