24 Hours in Athens
Greece is the birthplace of democracy, the cradle of western civilization, and so much more. With thousands of years of history, an amazing food culture, and tons of monuments, museums and artifacts that are still being unearthed, you could spend countless months exploring this amazing country.
Lunch in Plaka
On a “Travel With Anne” cruise around the Mediterranean, we were starting in Athens, so we decided to add an extra day to explore the city. Our hotel was the Electra Palace Athens, in the historic Plaka neighborhood. The area was bubbling with activity (shops, tourists, music and more), and we grabbed lunch at The Greco’s Project. There were 4 of us so we got to try a lot! There was crunchy fried feta with honey, aubergine salad, dolmades, bacon wrapped chicken souvlaki, kebab souvlaki, lamb chops, moussaka, mushroom souvlaki and plenty of desserts.
Food Tour in Psiri
Later in the evening we headed out and joined the “Get a Taste of Athens” food tour with True Voyagers in Psiri. This lively neighborhood was alive with local culture on this Friday evening, and Katarina, our guide, was amazing.
Stop 1: Zarkadian Delicatessen is a mom and pop deli in Psirri. We walked past scores of meats, cheeses, and wines to head to the second floor where we were treated to local charcuterie. We tried salami, suzuki, pastourma, 8 month old feta, graviera, and Cretian grappa and some tsipouro (aka fire water).
Stop 2: Volvi Souvlaki is based at the corner of a daytime meat market, and is nestled in the wall of the building by the entry. We tried beef and pork souvlaki.
Stop 3: Bougatsadiko Thessaloniki was in a very lively neighborhood with lots of restaurants, but we had a sampling of various chicken, beef and dessert phyllo dough pies
Stop 4: Kafeneio Oraia Ellas was located at the base of the Acropolis, and there were a lot of delicious smelling restaurants being enjoyed by locals and tourists alike all around. We headed up to the second floor of this old school restaurant and tried moussaka, fried calamari, feta salad, zucchini baskets, and lots of Greek wine and ouzo
Stop 5: Lukumades, a play on the name of the dough ball treats, Loukoumades, that we had for dessert. We tried the honey flavored ones, as well as the chocolate praline, and you couldn’t ask for a better way to end a food tour.
Acropolis Walking Tour
The next morning we took the short walk from our hotel to the base of the Acropolis again, this time to join Athens Walks tour guide Helene on a guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and finalist for the New 7 Wonders of the World.
We started our walk learning about the history of the city, both historical and mythological. We explored the Theatre of Dionysus (the ancient theater), the sanctuary of Asklepios (god of healing), and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (a large theater that’s still in use for concerts today).
As we made our way up the hill, we were treated to amazing views of the city and surrounding mountains and countryside. We could see other landmarks all around the city, as well as the large marble quarries dug out of the mountainsides.
At the top you approach the main entrance of the Acropolis, the Propylaea. This is the best-preserved entrance of its kind in Greece, and is an amazing piece of architecture in itself. Walking through the gates you’re treated to your first view of the Parthenon (the iconic rectangular building), the Temple of Athena Nike (honoring the goddess of victory), and the Erechtheion (the duel temple dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon, to symbolize their reconciliation featuring the Caryatids and an Olive tree).
The Acropolis is always amazing. There is so much history to take in, and even if that’s not your vibe, the views of the surrounding landscape from that height are incredible. It was great to see how much more of the historic site had been worked on since our last visit back in 2017.
Lunch at Athena’s Cook
After our tour we took advantage of the time we had left before our cruise to check out Athena’s Cook, a restaurant back in historic Plaka. We tried octopus orzo, greek sausage, three dips for pita, cheese loukoumades, chicken and saffron rice, chicken risotto, stuffed mushrooms, baklava, and more.
Athens is an incredible city, and was the perfect jumping off point for an amazing adventure around the Mediterranean. The food, the history, the mythology, the culture and the architecture provide something for everyone, and we’re never disappointed when we visit. Plaka and Psiri are definitely the best neighborhoods to stay in Athens for sightseeing and culinary experiences. If you have a trip planned to the med, and you’re cruising out of (or into) the Port of Piraeus, make sure you set a day or 2 aside for Athens.
