Advice on Athens for one day in transit
 

Hi all,

I'm heading to Greece next week for 9 days. We will start the trip in Athens over 3 days, then head to Santorini and Mykonos - we will also spend a full day in Athens on our way home in transit.

I need advice as to what we can do on our stop over in Athens? We arrive at 7am in the morning and fly out at 5.20pm. We would have already seen a few tourist attractions etc at the beginning of the trip. Open to good places to eat, shop and off the beaten track kind of places.

thanks!

What you plan to visit in your first three days in Athens? Without knowing this, we can not advise what more to see!

We spent a week in Athens (with one day trip to Mycenae, Epidarius and Corinthus canal and another half day trip to Santorini). So we had 6 days in Athens and we fill them seeing the main sightseeing, we did not have time for beaten trak places.

Regarding places to eat, it will be very difficult to find a NOT very good place to eat! Enjoy local dishes, the greek cofe, their ice cafe!

You could take the suburban Railway from the airport and go to Neratziotisa station ( 20 min ride), there is a big mall attached to the station, which is very interesting for shopping.

From Nerantziotisa, you can continue with the green metro line to Kifisia, a wonderful, green, posh northern suburb of Athens.
You can stroll in the streets of Kifisia and see some old mansion houses of rich Athenians, dating back to 1900, there are plenty of great shops, cafes and restaurants there, a place ideal for people watching ....

The ride from Nerantziotisa to Kifisia ( which is the end station) takes 15 min.

There are trains and metros every 5-15 min.

This is an area with no tourists at all :)

Armiileni:
yes, it's difficult to suggest sights too see unless we know what you plan to take in on the first three days..but I'll venture to say thay IF you missed the Changing of the Guard the first few days, then be sure to catch it on the one day visit. It's one of the most colorful I have seen anywhere, particularly with the traditional skirted uniform. It's something I seek out in the capital cities world-wide....and I record with camera.

If you enjoy classic Greek dancing, there are some lively shows in the main plaka...also in a small auditorium just below Acropolis. Hoop-a!

Enjoy you trip.

Click on the third panel "troops on parade"...then click on magnifying glass icon to further enlarge if you wish.

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...29138792540962

tower
These live shows in the Plaka are of bad quality, and a tourist trap ....
Dora Stratou theatre, is the one you mentioned, below the Acropolis, but performances are taking place only in the evening, so that is not doable for the OP. :)

We were in Athens last month and stayed in the Plaka area. In the area mentioned in the above post regarding Greek dancing is a very good restaurant. The name of it is Scholarheia and has been there since 1937. For 28 euros for two you can choose five items including wine(house). Liked it so much we ate there twice-very good Moussaka and roasted zucchini among other items.

You absolutely must visit the Benaki Museum whilst in Athena.
It is a little jewel box willed with treasures.

There are lots of great places to eat in the Plaka. Pick one that is crowded.

I had the best pizza of my life at a restaurant in the Plaka.

Thin

It has been eons since I went to Greece (and spent a month) but one thing I recommend to friends going. Go to the National Museum on the front end, and then again after seeing the sites on the islands where many of the artifacts were taken from to the museum.

Thank you all for your suggestions :)

We plan to start the trip in Athens by going to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon, spend time around the Plaka, see the Changing of the Guard and perhaps the National Archaeological Museum.

Special thanks to Clausar...I will certainly look at the mall you suggested and the Kifisia area on our stop over thro Athens.

Don't waste time or mental energy debating this now.

Wait till you've first spent three days in Athens. Then on the way to the islands, armed with a literate guide book, decide which monuments or museums you didn't see, or didn't see properly

Then, on the way back - after ensuring you've got your onward boarding pass - get the metro from the airport to the historic centre, catch up on them, and get the metro back.