24 Hours in Athens
Joshua Barley, The Slow Cyclist's guide in Zagori and Crete, has lived and worked as a writer and translator in Athens for well over a decade. Here is how he spends 24 hours in the Greek capital, and what he'd recommend to anyone passing through.
I have heard the scenario many times.
You have booked a trip to one of the Greek islands. Perhaps it's a cycling holiday with us through Zagori or Crete. You have a layover in Athens: a couple of nights in the city, one full day to make the most of it. The question is always the same. What do you actually do with 24 hours in Athens?
This isn't a list of the ten best things to see. It's what I do myself, as someone who has lived in this city long enough to have stopped behaving like a tourist in it, when I have a single day and want to leave having understood something real about the place.
Where to Stay in Athens
Most visitors base themselves in the Plaka, within walking distance of the Acropolis and the main sites, and it's a sound choice if convenience matters most. It is also, inevitably, the most touristy part of the city.
If you'd rather stay somewhere with a bit more local character, Koukaki, just south of the Acropolis, has become one of the best neighbourhoods in Athens for small boutique hotels and good local restaurants, with the advantage of still being walkable to everything you'll want to see. Psyrri and Monastiraki are good options too, if you want to be in the thick of the city's nightlife and don't mind a bit of noise. Wherever you stay, book somewhere with a roof terrace if you can. Athens reveals itself properly from above.
Morning: The Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum
After breakfast you eagerly scamper up the Acropolis and visit the wonderful Acropolis Museum, if you haven't done so before. Go early if you can. The light is better and the crowds are not yet at full strength.
Now you want an alternative dose of history and culture. You stroll across Syntagma Square in the morning sun, perhaps taking a detour through the lovely National Gardens, saunter down Vassilis Sofias Avenue and enter the fine neoclassical mansion of the Benaki Museum. Here you find artefacts from the whole span of Greece's history, from ancient vases to Byzantine icons to folk costumes. When you have finished, you have coffee on the sun-washed terrace.
Lunch at the Central Market
You're already thinking about lunch as you wander back into the centre, making for the Central Market, taking in the spice shops or cheese shops on Evripidou Street, or the bric-a-brac stalls on Athinas Street.
When hunger takes over, you have several options. Diporto, in the wine-barrel-filled basement of a nondescript building, has served chickpeas, fried fish and salad since time immemorial. It is a legendary haunt of old Athens, and one of the best places in the city to eat the way Athenians have always eaten. If you want street food instead, there is nowhere that beats Feyrouz.
Afternoon: Keramikos and the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art
After lunch, you walk in a pleasant, wine-filled haze through the colourful lanes of Psyrri to the site of Keramikos, the cemetery of ancient Athens. This is one of the most atmospheric and least visited ancient sites in the city. In spring it is covered with wildflowers and the ripe smell of squashed olives.
You take tea on the terrace of the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art, enjoying the museum's marvellous exhibits as you make your way upstairs. It's a quieter, less obvious alternative to the city's bigger institutions, and it tends to stay that way even in high season.
Sunset on Filopappou Hill
In time for sunset, you wander through Thiseio and climb Filopappou Hill, relishing the fine views of the Acropolis, before joining the legions of lovers gazing out at the red glow over Piraeus and the Saronic Gulf. It's a cliché but it's worth it.
Evening in Petralona: Where to Eat and Drink
Using what's left of the light, you amble down the hill along the ancient Koile Road into the charming neighbourhood of Petralona, where you sit for a drink in Merkouri Square, possibly at the bookshop-café Adad for a glass of organic wine and a book, or at the old favourite Braziliana for literally anything else.
Petralona also has a host of excellent restaurants, among the best in the city if you know where to look. Oikonomou's Taverna serves traditional Greek fare very well indeed, and the charming Aster offers a taste of Athens' new, thriving food scene. Either is a strong answer to the question of where to eat dinner in Athens without queuing or paying tourist prices.
Late Night in Monastiraki
True to Athenian tradition, you won't return to your hotel without several more drinks. You head back towards Monastiraki, perhaps to MS Roof Garden for its rooftop views over old Athens, or to the square of Agia Irene, where you'll find dozens of bars to meet all your desires. You stagger back to your hotel, hopefully remembering to set your alarm in time for the morning ferry.
If a day in Athens has whetted your appetite for more of Greece, Joshua guides our journeys through Zagori and Crete. Find out more, or get in touch if you'd like to talk it through.
