Athens

Welcome, all of us together, to Athens — the city watched over by Athena, goddess of war and wisdom 💛 We of course wanted to start our Greece trip in Athens, and as luck would have it, it landed right in the middle of a suddenly-planned holiday. Between the food, the streets, the people — and the misadventures — you left us unforgettable memories, Athens :) Let us tell you a bit of the chaos that found us first. Curious? Read on. Not curious? Read anyway, we wrote all this for a reason :D Okay okay — if you'd really rather skip it, jump straight to 'Day 1 in Athens' 💛

Ohh, what didn't happen to us! First, my (Övgü) visa got rejected because I'd written the wrong hotel name — with about 10 days to go(!) — yet Tutku's visa, with the exact same mistake, got approved, even if single-entry (thank goodness! :D). The next morning, by luck, an 8am appointment suddenly opened up; I reapplied with the corrected hotel name, and 3 days later the visa came through, yayy! Anyway, flight day arrives; work was so hectic we went to the 6am flight after 48 hours without sleep. Yes, last minute, but of course we made it — why? Because the Compass couple always makes it, baby 💛 We landed in Athens, ate, drank, had a blast, all going perfectly. From here, to do our Alsace tour we first had to fly into Stuttgart, because that's where we'd rented the car. There was no direct flight from Athens — all of them connect somewhere — and our connection was through Belgrade on the 4:30am flight. Yes: those of you who read carefully above and thought 'how are they going to transfer through Belgrade on a single-entry visa' — congratulations, because we, being ever so clever, did not think of this detail(!). Still oblivious, we spent the Athens night out and went to the airport on 1 hour of sleep again. Leaving the EU region, we joined the passport queue; they happily stamped us OUT of Athens, and we're still not sober, just trying to make the flight :D Flight at 4:30, we reach the gate at 4:15 running. Turns out the plane was waiting just for us — thrilled, about to board — and the officer asks our final destination. 'Transferring through Belgrade to Stuttgart,' we say, all innocent. 'Övgü, you can board; Tutku, you have a single-entry visa, you've left the EU, once you go to Belgrade you can't re-enter at Stuttgart,' he says. And there we stand, at the crack of dawn, sleepless :D He directs us to go get that Athens exit stamp cancelled and take a connecting flight within the EU. First we go for a coffee to digest it all, laugh it off, keep our spirits up :D Then a division of labour: I go hunt for new flights, Tutku goes to battle the Greek police :D I found tickets at the café and had a little siesta. Then, after Tutku's negotiations with 10+ Greek border officers, he supposedly both got the Athens exit cancelled (thank goodness :D) and got the Greek-islands visa lifted :D Meanwhile — genuinely, while we were right there — the President was touring Athens 'discreetly' with a convoy of 20 helicopters, 10 planes and 30 cars. As the Greek shopkeepers (greetings here to our brother Illias, who sells retro Greek army gear) told us they'd never seen such a convoy, we had another of those proud-to-be-Turkish moments :D

Getting Tutku's stamp cancelled wasn't easy, by the way — off he went, back 1.5 hours later. To re-enter the country we had to queue at the entry-stamp desk. The police kept snapping 'why do you want to enter the country again,' being difficult over the single-entry visa. Tell all ten of them the same story from the top, and finally one officer said 'okay, I'll help you' and sorted it. And their idea of 'cancelling the stamp' was two scribbles over the exit stamp with a ballpoint pen — thanks :D

After Tutku got in, I went to exit from the same point; just as the officer started getting stern with 'why this, why that,' I gave my tearful, pain-filled look, said something like 'I missed my flight,' and walked right through. And so our first adventure ended, and the wait began for our freshly-bought 2-flight connecting tickets (Athens → Thessaloniki → Stuttgart), 6+ hours out, 3 hours apart :D — ending, fittingly, in a full exploration of the airport restaurants. Right — now we can finally get to our Athens plans! Everyone down below 💛

Athens is home to the tree believed to have given the world its first olive — and that tree stands on the Acropolis. The goddess Athena gifted the tree to the Greeks, and the city took its name from her, Athena. We fell hard for Athens, a city where life has continued unbroken for thousands of years. We set off to discover first the Acropolis, then Athens' streets, its lively neighbourhoods, its food.

A tip: if you've come on a hot day especially, it makes sense to start the Acropolis climb in the cool of the morning. And from the city centre you can see the Acropolis up above — so lovely climbs await you :)

1. 01

   Acropolis

   It's impossible not to fall under the spell of a city where the concept of democracy was born, where the philosophers whose names we all know walked the streets and shared their ideas without fear. How could we not love it! Up top you'll see: Propylaia (the main gate you pass through to reach the columned structure); the Erechtheion (with the female Caryatid statues on its exterior); the Temple of Nike (a little hard to spot — small, and not much of it remains); and the Parthenon (the great, magnificent columned structure that comes to mind when you say Acropolis). Around the Acropolis you'll come across the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (its largest theatre) and the Theatre of Dionysus (another, dedicated to Dionysus).

2. 02

   Acropolis Museum

   As the name suggests, the historical objects and remains excavated from the Acropolis are displayed here. On the top floor there's also a video that helps you get to know the Acropolis better — watch it if it interests you.

3. 03

   Ermou Street

   Athens' famous Ermou Street. Head out for a post-breakfast stroll and shop for souvenirs and for yourself. A note for basketball fans: check out the Antetokounbros store on the street :) Walk to the end and you'll reach first Monastiraki Square, then Syntagma Square, home to the Greek Parliament building.

4. 04

   Athens Flea Market

   Think of it as Athens' flea market — a really fun, touristy activity. Record lovers, don't miss poking around the side streets!

5. 05

   Syntagma Square

   Constitution Square in English — the country's most important and political square.

6. 06

   Greek Parliament

   A little general knowledge for us all! Democracy is a Greek word. Its last part, 'kratos,' means power, rule, authority; 'demos' has many meanings — the people, the community of citizens, the ordinary populace. Greece's system of government is parliamentary democracy. The 300-seat Greek Parliament is elected for four years by general vote; the President is elected by Parliament for five years.

7. 07

   Athens National Garden

   A park established by Greece's first queen, Amalia, between 1838 and 1840. It sits right behind the Greek Parliament and stretches south to the Zappeion area, across from the Panathenaic Stadium. You can see some ancient remains, columns and Corinthian capitals, and mosaics here. A haunt for both tourists and locals, with no entry fee. Open 06:00–21:00 all week.

8. 08

   National Archaeological Museum

   One of the world's largest museums of ancient Greek art, and considered one of the best museums in the world. Inside, sculptures, vases and more are divided into many categories spanning from prehistory to Late Antiquity.

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Acropolis Museum Early-Morning Guided Walking Tour

A guided early-morning walk through the Acropolis Museum — beat the heat and the crowds, exactly what we'd recommend for Athens.

Book on GetYourGuide ↗

Temple of Poseidon & Cape Sounio Sunset Tour

A sunset trip out to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio, with an audioguide — a beautiful half-day escape from the city.

Book on GetYourGuide ↗