Good Day Travelers!
A few weeks ago I was traveling through the capital of Greece - Athens. In this blog I will share my personal thoughts and experiences about this historical city. Beside that I will also guid you through the city in an artistic-photographic way.
Athens was definitely a country which I will remember for a long time in a good and also bad way. Throughout the post you will understand why. Travels not always turn out as expected but we can surly learn from each trip we do :))
Bad Things First?
Well, I know that a travelpost shouldn't start with the bad sides of a country first but it will help you to understand the entire journey better. I made a mistake, a terrible mistake!
Traveling full time now I of course look for good prices regarding the accommodation. Doing that I randomly picked one of the cheapest guesthouses in Athena which was actually located quite well near the center. Little did I know that my District Omonoia is the crime hotspot in Athena. I honestly never saw an area like this outside of a movie!
- Open drug use on the streets
- Physical violence
- Prostitution
- Very high number of Homeless people
I have to admit that nothing bad happened to me during these 6 days but walking around the district with my expensive camera gear was quite uncomfortable. I saw people getting beat down, people using Heroin on the street and many more unpleased things. Even the restaurant and guesthouse owner strictly recommend me to not walk around this district. Uff, what a start! :))
The reason why I didn't research the district first was that I never had any problems like this in any of my travels before. But as said, from each trip we learn. And as I couldn't cancel my booking anymore I just had to make the best out of my situation.
Getting around Athens
After the bad start of the post we already come to a great point of Athens - It has a great Metro System which literally brings you to every corner of the city! I'll list you some of the prices which are in my opinion super fair below:
- Airport to any destination 9 EUR
- 24h Ticket 4 EUR
- 3 Day Tourist Ticket 8 EUR
- 90 min Ticket 1.20 EUR
Source
Using the Metro is definitely the cheapest and also quickest way to get around the City!
Things to do in Athens
Beside the historical monuments there are also a lot of streets and districts where you can find great restaurants, cafes, museums and all sorts of shopping possibilities. For my personal taste I would honestly rank Athenas at the more boring side of a list but I guess for couples or elderly people its a great City to visit.
The main attraction in Athens is of course the Acropolis which may be one of the most famous monuments in Europe. I have made a separate post where I shared my experiences at this location.
A walk through Plaka
The Plaka district was definitely one of my favorite places in Athens. It's an area with amazing architecture and colorful houses (Some of them even from the 1800s). When ever you visit Athens you definitely need to put a walk through Plaka on your list!
I was quite surprised that Plaka was compared to Acropolis not crowded at all. It's really a great spot to enjoy and it definitely gives the soul some rest. Make sure to also try one of the Cafe's in the area which mostly offer a great view and also make you feel pretty comfortable with all the plants and flowers around you.
Architecture of Athens
Beside the cozy Plaka district you also have a lot of other areas which offer great Architecture. As the big majority of the City is super safe you can walk around freely almost everywhere (Just avoid Omonoia :D)
The Pictures above are from the National Museum and I actualy planed to visit it during my stay. I've tried it 3 times at different hours of the day but unfortunately it was always way to crowded. When you exit the Acropolis you walk down right next to the Museum so many tourist and school classes take the opportunity to walk right into the Museum. But either way, I had great fun photographing the Museum from the outside! :))
Beside that I've also visited the “Neoclassical Trinity” which is the national library of Athens. Definitely one of my favorite buildings to photograph!
Was it worth visiting Athens?
I give it a yes. Even though I had some bad experiences with my guesthouse location it was overall a good trip. What would I do different? Not staying 6 days - That's way to much. I think 2-3 days are absolutely enough to visit and explore the City.
Next time I definitely have to visit some of the hundreds of Islands around Greece. I think, that's where you find the true heart of the country.
At last I of course have to mention the food in Athen - It is amazing! The Greek kitchen is full of variety and you would probably need months to try it all. A clear positive point again for the Country :))
I hope you guys enjoyed this little virtual trip with me trough Athens!
Best,
Chris