Athens, Greece: Planning Your Way to an Epic Vacation
What to Expect
Language
The official language is Greek, but many locals also speak English. We always try to learn a few local words as we are preparing for our holiday. Here are a few that we learned:
- ???????? – Kalimera – Good Morning
- ????????? – Kalispera – Good Evening
- ???? ??? – Yahsoo – Hello/Goodbye
- ????????? -efcharistó – Thank you
- ???????? – parakalo – Please/You’re Welcome
- ??????? – sygnomi – Sorry (this one is for all you Canadians out there)
Currency
Euro €
We used a combination of cash and credit cards while we were in Greece. There were a few smaller spots that only accepted cash.
Safety
We didn’t have any trouble in Athens, our biggest issue was navigating the heat during our visit. Our Airbnb host warned us to be mindful of pickpockets as we wandered around the Plaka so we made sure everyone was cautious with their phones and bags but didn’t have any trouble.
Local Customs
There isn’t a culture of tipping in Greece, however, in restaurants and tourist areas a 10-15% tip is standard.
My daughter commented that you could tell how friendly a city was by someone’s reaction to her smiling at them as she walked by. Greece in general had the happiest responses of any of the countries we visited. We met some amazingly kind people in the restaurants and sites we visited.
Cell Phones
We picked up SIM cards from a local convenience store that gave us local numbers and a data plan to use while away. We chose Lebara as it worked all through Europe and was less expensive than the offerings at the airport for travel SIMs. If you go this route, purchase the SIM card at a convenience store and then sign up for a plan that works for you online to get the best deal. We did this for all our phones, teens included, as we wanted to be able to connect if we happened to get separated. We used WhatsApp to text and talk with family back home. Don’t forget your power adapter to plug in.
When to Visit
Weather
We visited Athens in the last half of July during a difficult fire season combined with some extremely hot days. We had sunshine our entire stay ranging from 36-43°C/97-109°F. While the city comes alive in the evening, when everyone heads out to eat a late dinner, we were surprised to find that the temperatures didn’t come down much in the evening and felt very lucky for our air-conditioned apartment. A couple of times we chose to pick up some amazing street food and head back to our place to eat.
Getting There
Athens was our first stop in Greece. We found an inexpensive flight on Sky Express and were in Greece a few hours after saying goodbye to England. We did have to check our carry-on luggage for this flight at an extra cost, but we were aware of this when we purchased our tickets. Carry-on for these smaller carriers is a purse or backpack only.
We arrived in the evening and had arranged for a pick-up service to take us into the Plaka to our accommodation. Because we were a larger group of 7, this was an easy and inexpensive way to get to our home base and we arranged this in many of the cities we visited to skip the hassle of navigating public transit with tired kids and luggage. We always meet such amazing people when we do this and take full advantage of the drive time to gather tips and suggestions.
Local Holidays
Many shops were closed or had reduced hours on Sundays as well as being closed in the heat of the afternoons, we caught onto this quickly and made sure to plan ahead.
Location, Location, Location
We chose to stay in the historic Plaka neighbourhood near the Acropolis. All of the sites we wanted to see were within walking distance and the area was easy to navigate. The city was beautiful we were very close to the National Gardens and were always surprised as we walked around a corner to see ruins and historic sites sprinkled throughout the city. Check out the view of Athens as we made our way up the Acropolis.
Day Trips
As I’ve shared previously everyone gets to pick something they want to do on our holiday, so we had a few interesting day trips to make these ideas a reality.
- We spent a morning in the National Gardens, before melting in the sun and heading for some gelato and air conditioning.
- Visited the New Acropolis Museum in the heat of the day to better understand what we would see on our visit to the Acropolis and take full advantage of the air conditioning.
- We lined up early to try and beat the heat for our visit to the Acropolis. Sadly, we weren’t the only ones with this idea and visited with thousands of other tourists. Due to the heat, the Acropolis began closing at noon so lots of visitors made their way to the site in the morning.
- We visited the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Arch of Hadrian, and my trip favourite, the Ancient Agora of Athens. We purchased a multi-pass for all these sites, including the Acropolis. The pass was valid for a single visit at seven historic sites over five days and cost €30/person.
Random Bits
Street Food
I can’t say enough about the food we tried in Athens. It was spectacular and the most inexpensive of all the places we visited in Europe. From the sweet treat of bougatsa to the spanakopita and pies in the bakeries to the falafel, gyros, souvlaki, and Greek salads. I get hungry just thinking about it. Right around the corner from our accommodation, we found a tiny little gem of a restaurant called Iliada. We met the kindest owners who spoiled us with fresh watermelon or a plate of bougatsa every time we visited, and we went often?. If you are looking for more food recommendations. Have a look at the Good Eats post.
Discounts for Children
Many museums and historic sites offered reduced or free admission for children. Unfortunately, these discounts can only be accessed in person with identification. You will have to weigh the decision of buying tickets in person, sometimes waiting in a long line, or paying a little more and purchasing them ahead online. We chose to wait and buy tickets to the museums on site and had relatively short waits but did buy our historic site multi-pass ahead online.
