The last leg of our honeymoon was two nights in Athens, Greece! I personally thought two nights was the perfect amount of time if you’re just wanting to explore the city center. Athens is HUGE though, so if you wanted to do day trips and other excursions, then 3 days may be better!
Below is how we spent our two days there, but before I go into it, here are all of our honeymoon pieces, I’ll link them here as they’re published!
- Part 1: Our Experience in Crete, Greece
- Part 2: Santorini + Why It Wasn’t Our Favorite
- Part 3: Don’t Sleep on Paros
- Part 4: How to Spend 2 Nights in Athens (this one)
- Part 5: Flytographer Shoot + Tips for Getting the Perfect Greece Photo
Day 1
We took a ferry from Paros to Athens around 10am and it was 50 euro per person and a 4 hour ride. Athens has two major ports, but we took a ferry into Piraeus since it was closer to the center of town and our hotel! We arrived early afternoon and had pre-arranged a taxi, so they were waiting at the ferry port and scooped us up.
We found a great deal online for the COCO Mat – BC Hotel, a 5-star accommodation in the center of Athens with a gorgeous rooftop restaurant and pool that overlooked the Acropolis. Even if you don’t stay here, you can always make a reservation for dinner or stop by for a drink! There are also a lot of similar hotels with that same Acropolis view – most are 4-5 start and are VERY affordable.
So we checked into the hotel, threw our things in our room and explored a bit – the hotel was extremely well kept, the staff was very friendly and then that rooftop pool and restaurant had views for days.
Once we got a lay of the land, we decided to walk around and check out the neighbored. The hotel was situated in a really cute area next to a lot of restaurants and had easy access to anything you may need!
We walked around a bit and then went to the Plaka Neighborhood (the next neighborhood over and only about a 5 minute walk). Plaka has a village feel (much different than the rest of the city) and has beautiful neoclassical buildings and narrow cobblestone streets lined with small shops and restaurants. If you’re going to Athens, don’t miss this area, it was our favorite! We grabbed a drink at a restaurant to cool down and then decided we wanted to find a spot to do a fish pedicure!
Fish pedicures are hit or miss for people, but I saw someone get one a few years ago online and I’ve wanted one ever since (influenced). I had flagged a spot in the Monastiraki neighborhood (like a 20 minute walk from our hotel) before our trip just in case we didn’t see one that we liked and I’m so glad I did!
We passed a few on the side of the road, but they were a little questionable lol so we headed over to Athens Fish Spa. The spa was tucked into a little ally and inside of an office building. It was a unassuming from the outside, but the second we walked in, we were met with dimmed lights and subtle classical music and felt instantly relaxed.
The spa was pretty empty, so we were able to walk right in and do the fish pedicure! They gave us slides to put on and led us over to the tanks. We sat in comfy chairs and put our feet in – it felt REALLY weird, but it was also really different and fun! Even if a fish pedicure isn’t your thing, this spa offered affordable massages, facials, etc. so it could just be a nice relaxing spot if you have some free time!
After we finished up, we went over to Tavern Klimataria to grab dinner! I saw this place on Time Out’s list of where to eat in Athens and so we were excited to try it out! If you go late at night (after 10pm) they typically have live music, but we were there around 6 so it was a little more mellow! If you’re going and really want music to be part of the experience, I would check their website to make sure someone’s playing.
The restaurant opened in 1927 and definitely gave off a family owned vibe with homemade recipes and eclectic décor. We quickly grabbed a seat and ordered a few things to try! All of the food was really good, but everything we ordered was SO heavy and buttery lol. If you go, I would suggest to spilt a few things from across the menu with your group so that you can try more and have a mix of light and heavy food.
Once we finished dinner, we walked back to the hotel for a rooftop nightcap and then went to bed!
Day 2
We woke up early on our second morning to check out the Acropolis and figured an early start meant we’d beat the crowds. We bought skip the line Acropolis (+ additional historic site) tickets prior to going. While the tickets were great to have, we learned a few things right off the bat. 1. Skip the line tickets meant “skip the ticket line at each site,” not the actual line to get in. There was no ticket line anywhere we went, so not the best time savor, but it was still nice to have them on our phones and ready to go for each site and 2. The crowds were INSANE, even first thing in the morning when everything was just opening. If you go, I would still go early to beat the heat, just know the city gets busy fast.
After about a half day of site-seeing, we were able to check off a majority of the big sites (all walkable) and decided it was time for lunch so we went back into the Plaka neighborhood to a spot we had passed the day before. It was called Ristorante Scholarchio and they served traditional meze (small plates). The meal was SO good – the food was delicious, portions were great, and pricing was very affordable. This was definitely our favorite meal in Athens – it just felt very authentic. Once we were done, we went back to the hotel for an afternoon swim.
That night, we opted for a casual dinner and got gyros near the hotel and watched the sunset from our rooftop. Our original plan was to get dinner at Orizontes Lycabettus which looked GORGOUS, but we were pretty beat from the day and there was just a whole process to get up there (cab or walk to the mountain, cable car up, dinner, wait for a cable car to get back down). You can see the mountain that the restaurant is on from pretty much anywhere in the city, so I would make a reservation if you’re looking for a nice meal and killer view.
Day 3
And then this is the day we flew home! our flight was 2pm, so we hung out at the hotel for a bit and then made our way to the airport!
Now before I sign off on this post, I wanted to share an answer to a question I’ve gotten a lot over on Instagram and that’s what to pack for Greece! Now the islands are a little different and I’ll do a full post on that, but below are the items I would suggest for Athens in the summer!
What To Pack
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Sundresses
- Workout dress (I wore this one from Abercrombie and it was perfect – it’s REALLY hot there so this fabric was great)
- Sunglasses and a hat
- A purse/bag that’s easy to wear and fully closes
- A nice outfit or two if you’re doing one of the fancier restaurants
- Bathing suit/cover up/sandals if your hotel has a pool
