So you want to go to Athens, Greece.....
Transportation :
DON'T be afraid to use buses and trains, they are easy to figure out and can be cheaper then a taxi.DO make sure to have a fixed price and an address before riding in a taxi, the drivers might give you a scenic route to get more money, and having an address will help.
DO realize that your train and bus tickets are only good for an hour so use it widely.
DO stamp or validate your metro and bus card. This time stamps your card, and if you are caught either over time or not validated you will have a fine 60 X the amount you paid. So DON'T do it.
Eating Out and Food:
DO use Trip Advisor to find restaurants in your area, or look at the top rated eateries.
DO realize that most places to eat at aren't busy till later in the night. The reason why that it is because it gets too hot in the day, so people come out in the evening when it's cooler.
DO be mindful that dinner or having coffee is a few hours long. You don't eat and leave, you enjoy and relax.
DO try Greek coffee. It truly is different. ( I personally didn't like it.)
DO try something new, and ask the waiter or waitress what they like the best.
DO try the pistachio's or anything with pistachios. They are most likely from the local island Aegina ( which you can visit for 8 euro a person).
DO try Baklava ( It's a sweet dessert with layer upon layer of pastery.)
* Also, smoking is very common in Greece and in most restaurants you can smoke in.*
Places Grace Ate At:
Oinopoleion - Aishylou 12, Psirri, Athens. ( Try the moussaka and wine {All the wine in the restaurant comes from their own vineyards)
What To See and Where To Go:
To begin, I suggest visiting Athens in either spring or fall. In the summer it get's uncomfortably hot, so sightseeing will be more enjoyable with cooler weather, but even in the spring it was unbearable hot for me ( thank you german weather )
DO find things that you want to see before you travel.
DO the hop-off hop-on open bus tours ( you can see ; Plake, Acropolis and Acropolis museum, Temple of Zeus, National Gardens, Panathenaic Stadium, Parliament, National Library, Planetarium, and you will visit along the beach.)
DO skip that one day - three island cruise. You can find a better price going to other islands. ( ONLY 8 EURO per PERSON!!!)
DO go or walk through the markets, but DON'T be a niave tourist. KEEP YOUR ITEMS CLOSE TO YOU AND KEEP YOUR BAGS IN FRONT OF YOU. The markets are a good place for pickpockets, so outsmart them and keep a safe eye.
DON'T buy something right away at the markets, instead, DO haggle with the people. You can usually drop a few euros ( and trust me, it maks a difference.
If you have kids I would recommend to DO the planetarium. (a.) it will help keep the kids interested, and (b.) The planetarium is the largest in the world.
DO walk into an Eastern Orthodox church. They truly are beautiful, and much different from any other you've seen.
DO watch the changing of the guards. As a military family we were very interested in it, and it truly was amazing. It happens every hour, and after you can take photos ( It's in front of the tomb of the unknown or infront of the Parliament building.)
DO look at purchasing Greek leather. A.) it's pretty cheap b.) but not a bad quality.
Things We Saw/ Things We Did : Parthenon, Acropolis, Agora, we visited the coast, Olympic Stadium, Archaeological Museum, changing of the guards, Temple of Zeus, the markets, island Hydra, island Aegina, island Porros, and Plaka.
Things Wish We Could Have Done - Planetarium, visit the beaches more, eat more baklava, walk around Plaka more, skip the cruise and visit Aegina, spend more time on island Hydra, and we wished we could have gone swimming.
