Athens is the capital of Greece and the birthplace of democracy. With a history of over 3000 years, this city is the best destination for architecture and sightseeing lovers and it carries a special atmosphere to this day. Athens is a famous destination for thousands of tourists around the whole world. Not only do Europeans love to visit Athens, but also people from other continents – North and South America, Asia, Africa, etc. Nevertheless, the question of ''how much does it costs'' is always open, cause it's very hard to plan a budget without knowing what to prepare for.
One of my main tasks while in Athens was the price and information recording. I have heard so many opinions about Greece. Some people told me how cheap it is, others convinced me of the opposite. In the end, I found the information that the price level depends on the location – island, city, or part of Greece. But what about the prices in the capital Athens? Let's check it out!
The Main Information
In March, when there still were many different travel restrictions around European countries, I chose to fly to Greece. I was having my birthday then so I wanted to go someplace I have never been before. Greece somehow sounded like a perfect plan. Overall, it's a nice present for me and one more reason to celebrate more.
As normally March is still pretty cold in Europe, I wanted to visit the country closest to the south and Greece seemed to be the best opportunity. Unfortunately, in Greece, it wasn't as warm as we thought and I even managed to get a little ill, but that didn't stop me from enjoying Athens' architecture and restaurants. In total, we spent in Athens 3 full days.
- Number of people: 2
- Place and Dates: Greece, Athens from March 18th till March 21st, 2022.
- Flight: from Berlin to Athens with Ryanair. We took a seat reservation on the way to Greece. Total costs: 102,96€ of which 14€ are for the seat reservation.
- Hotel: Evripides Hotel, double room on the 6th floor with a private bathroom and large balcony, breakfast included – 127,71€
The First Day, 18.03.
We came to Athens very early. Our flight from Berlin was at 6:20 in the morning, so already around 10:30 we went out of the Athens International Airport and were ready to begin our trip to the city center. As the flight was very early in the morning, it gave us one full day to explore Athens. Nevertheless, waking up in the middle of the night and getting to the airport was pretty tiring.
From the Athens International Airport to our hotel we went by metro (M3). The metro station is located just near the airport and it's very easy to find. The route to the city center, where our hotel was situated, took around 40 minutes. We bought two 3-day tourist tickets, which included also an airport transfer. A single ticket costs 20€, so we spent 40€.
After the check-in, we wanted to try good greek food, drink some wine and begin with my birthday celebration. Thanks to a couple of recommendations, we went to Restaurant O Thanasis and were really satisfied. We ordered a Greek salad, a chicken plate, and a bottle of wine. The food was excellent and together we paid a fair 21,60€.
After the restaurant, we explored a little bit of the city center and in the evening go to the Ellinikon Experience Park. It's a new, more than 7000 square meters large urban park offering its visitors many outdoor activities and surprises, such as a forest playground, outdoor fitness, Zen garden, musical dancing light installation, and fountain show. The best part of this park - it's admission free.
After the park, we decided to visit a few grocery stores to buy local food, snacks, and alcohol. We visited Lidl and some other similar grocery stores and bought things like Greek bread, cheese, salmon, and wine. Together we spent 25,95€ and went back to the hotel to taste it all. Here I would like to add that it's totally worth visiting Athens grocery stores and trying their local food. They have very fresh and high-quality products.
Money spent on the first day: 87,55€
The Second day, 19.03.
The second day was the sunniest and busiest day of our trip. We wanted to visit Acropolis, try new restaurants, and enjoy the local market. Unfortunately, after a fantastic breakfast with a view over the city, we went to the pharmacy store, cause I got a little ill. I bought there a vitamin mix for 9,60€ ( which is a very high price cause in Germany you pay between 0,45€ and 2,00€). Nevertheless, they did their job well and with every hour I felt better.
After the pharmacy store, we went straight to the place that needs to be on every bucket list - the Acropolis! An important fact: you can choose between a single or combined ticket and the price may vary due to the season. Luckily, we visited Greece in the non-season (the cheapest season) and for 2 single tickets to Acropolis, we paid only 20€. If you will visit Acropolis between 1st April to 31st October, you will pay twice as much for them. Good news – there are also a few days throughout the year when admission is free of charge. More about prices you can find here.
The Acropolis visit took a little bit more than an hour, so after we explored the Philopappos Hill park that is situated just near the Acropolis. You can visit there places like the Prison of Socrates, the Holy Church of Saint Demetrios Loumbardiaris, the Philopappos Monument, and many more. The park is really huge and the entrance is free of charge.
The next stop between our adventures was a restaurant with a view of the historic ruins of Stoa Poikile and Stoa Basileios - Theta Athens Restaurant. We took the traditional Greek Moussaka (this is a must-try), calamari with salad and water. Everything was very delicious, and we really loved enjoying our food with such a beautiful view. Together - 27€.
For the next half of the day, we were just getting lost in the city center. We walked without any kind of a special plan and just tried to get the Athen vibes. From everything I saw, the local market I liked the most. You can find there the freshest fishes and sea creatures, many spices, never seen sweets, souvenirs, and antiques. We bought a few magnets, Greek olives, sweets such as halva and figs, Greek traditional alcohol Ouzo, and some other stuff. We spent 17,86€.
In the evening we tried the restaurant Bairaktaris Central, which is situated in the heart of Athens, at Monastiraki Square. For dinner, we had a Dakos salad and traditional Greek Pastitsio – layered beef and pasta bake. The restaurant and the food were okay, but the second time I wouldn't go there. We paid 15€.
Our last stop on the second day was a pub somewhere in the middle of the center. We wanted to enjoy a little bit of the Athens nightlife and took for a drink in a random pub. Together we left there 20€ and happily went back to the hotel.
Money spent on the second day: 109,46€
The Third Day, 20.03.
Unfortunately, on the third day, we had the worst weather imaginable – it was very cold and windy and it rained almost all day long. Nevertheless, it didn't stop us to explore Athens. There were a few things still left on our must-visit list. So firstly we went to the Syntagma Parliament Square to watch the Ceremony of the Changing Guard (free of charge), then visited the Holy Church of the Holy Trinity (free of charge), and took a small pause in a cafe. All we spent was 3,80€ for one coffee.
The main goal for our third day was to visit Lycabettus Hill, from which you can have an amazing view over Athens. To get up, we took the funicular that goes every 30 minutes. The round trip cost for one person is 7,50€, so together for us, it was - 15€. The view from the top was really amazing! But besides that, you can also enjoy there a few restaurants and visit the Holy Church of Saint George on Lycabettus.
Before it wasn't too late, we also needed to do a Corona test for our return home. In Athens, you could make it in every pharmacy, and it cost 10€ for a person.
As the day was very cold and rainy and we met our goal to visit Lycabettus Hill, the last thing we wanted before returning home, was to taste the Greek food we hadn't been able to taste yet. And so we decided to return to our favorite restaurant O Thanasis. We ordered Greek wine, Thanasis Kebab in Υoghurt, Chicken Gyros Platter, Saganaki (fried cheese), and Tzatziki (salted yogurt and cucumber dip). Everything tasted excellent, but we ordered too much, haha, so part of everything we managed to take away. We paid 31,90€.
On the way back to the hotel, we went into a small grocery store and for 12€ bought our favorite Greek wine – Samos Vin Doux. It is a very, very sweet liqueur wine. Worth trying only if you are a sweet lover!
On our third and last evening in Athens, we decided to stay in our hotel room, pack the bags, drink wine, and eat food we took with us from the restaurant.
Money spent on the third day: 82,70€
Summary
Our three-day trip to Athens wasn't a luxury trip, not either a budget trip. We stayed in a middle-class hotel in the center of the city, we visited a few good restaurants and tried various foods and drinks, we bought Greeks snacks and souvenirs and visited many beautiful places. Everything together (flight, hotel, restaurants, etc.) for the trip to Athens for 2 persons costed 510,38€. Nevertheless, there are a few things worth knowing:
- I traveled in the low season when prices might be lower, and some sites might be free of charge
- I planned and organized everything by myself and didn't have any guide
- Due to Covid restrictions, I chose to explore more outdoor than indoor activities, for example, I do not visit any museum
- There are many very beautiful places worth visiting free of charge
- I explored the city only on foot and by public transport (all 3 days with only one ticket)
BUT THAT’S ALL FROM ME TODAY!
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