7 hours in Athens
 

We have a seven hour stop-over at Athens arrving at 5:30 in the morning. Our onward flight departs at 13:00. Would it possible to go into Athens to a bit of sightseeing (Acropolis mainly) in seven hours? I am not sure how long the metro/bus takes to the acropolis and how reliable they are. Dont really fancy spending seven hours in the airport but also dont want to miss our flight either. Comments much appreciated

The bus is the N-95 (I think) which will take you to Syntagma, which is where the House of Parliament (?) is located. You can catch the subway to the Acropolis from there.

I'd say that this all takes a little more than an hour.

There could be a direct rail link from the airport now, but I don't know.

The cab is probably a little quicker. I'd budget about 40 minutes one way.

I didn't get a chance to make it to the National Museum, but it should be open now. Maybe you should see if you can squeeze that in too.

There's left luggage service at the airport, if you need it.

The subway is up and running. I used it in October. You can buy a one-way ticket for 2 for 12euros. The blue line goes from the airport to the Monastiraki stop. It'll take about 50 minutes.

From there you can look up the hill and see the Acropolis. I walked from there up to the Acropolis. Lots of steps, uneven surfaces, slick with dust even dry. It took me about 30 minutes.

It's a very doable. Subway works great all the way. I'm not sure what time the Acropolis opens, tho.

The bus is fine, but you can take the Blue line to Syntagma and transfer to the Red Line (toward Agios Dimtrios)for one stop south to Acropoli.

The walk is far less daunting than it looks. The museum at the top is small but wonderful.

Another option would be to grab the Suburban rail from the airport to Larissa and switch to the Red Line. Those trains are a little more comfortable.

There are a few coffee shops right at the Acropoli stop, including the usual Everest. About two doors farther up the street is a tasty little bake shop. Finish your stuff before you hit the site.

If you're making good time, take in the Agora and work your way back to the subway.

Actually the steps to the Acropolis are really quite slippery, especially the ones near the entrance. I find them rather hazardous, actually. One of the guidebooks I used (I think it was Michelin) actually warns tourists of this hazard. When I was there I thought that people must slip on this quite a lot.

Instead of falling there, I slipped and fell in my hotel. :-)

The steps aren't that bad, I've done it twice with different folks in the past six months. The slippery areas are off the main path. The folks I've seen slip were off the main paths, in the wrong shoes (leather soles or heels ... why?) or distracted by the sights.