Good evening,

My wife (28) and I (29) arrive in Athens at 12:30 on June 24. We are taking Delta's direct flight from JFK and are staying at Amalia Hotel near Syntagma Square. We have 4 nights in Athens before we leave for Naxos for 5 nights and then Santorini for 3 nights. This is our first visit to Greece and are excited to explore the culture and history of these three locations. We have some days planned, but also have some days open to plan on the go.

My question concerns are arrival day. I was thinking of visiting the Acropolis Museum. I figured we could get there by 16:00 and then stay till close (20:00). We could also eat at the restaurant. Then, I was thinking we could go to the Odeon of Herodes Atticus for the performance of Kiss Me Kate by the Athens Camerata, which starts at 9:00.

Is this plan too ambitious for an arrival day after an overnight international flight? I have never flown to Europe, so not sure how jet lag will impact me. Do you think tickets for the performance at the Odeon would be available that night? Does anybody have a different suggestion for an arrival day?

Thanks,

Matt

>>Then, I was thinking we could go to the Odeon of Herodes Atticus for the performance of Kiss Me Kate by the Athens Camerata, which starts at 9:00.

Is this plan too ambitious for an arrival day after an overnight international flight? <<

I have never flown into Athens overnight but I have flown into London and Paris and Amsterdam and a few other cities . . . and IME, yes - this is much too ambitious. Even just the museum might be too much. After an overnight flight one usually really has to take it easy the first day. Out doors/fresh air, semi-early-ish dinner, more fresh air and to bed by 9 or 10PM.

Theatre and heavy museum going are not recommended.

Walk around the city to get your bearings but don't make any plans that day. You'll be fighting to stay awake in the late afternoon but will be fine when you get up the next day.

You could walk up Lycabettus Hill to get the tram to the top. Fabulous views pf the whole city rom up there. Then walk back down or get a taxi.

Do not underestimate the effects of that overnight transatlantic flight.
You will have adrenalin in your system for a few hours but when it wears off you will crash.
Yes you can go to the Acropolis museum but be prepared to leave when you get tired.
I liked Happys suggestion of just walking around Athens and getting a feel of what it is like. Take it in with out a plan just experience it then have dinner and go to bed. Wake up the next morning and you will be good to go.
Just for fun here is what Athens is like.
Athens
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632121475515/

I hope you are planning on coming back to Athens at least one night before your return flight. Most regulars here suggest that you get out to your first island ASAP and then return for your last 2 or 3 nights in Athens so you are in Greek mode and are on the mainland well before your return flight.

Here are images of Naxos, you couldn't have made a better choice.
Naxos Town
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632094558042/
A week in Naxos
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...7645113682278/
Trip around Naxos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7634605629689/

It's difficult to say how jet lag affects an individual person, and depends partly on whether you get any sleep on the overnight flight. My tactics are to force myself to adapt to the new time zone the first day, so keeping busy with gentle activities until bedtime seems a good idea. Walking around Athens and a visit to the Acropolis Museum in the evening would do that. Attending a performance at the Odeon may be asking too much (I can already visualise your heads nodding during the play). I recommend finding an outdoor cafe near your hotel after the museum, and sit enjoying a drink (not coffee) until you are ready for bed.

BTW, recommend leaving your wallets in the hotel safe and just take some loose cash in your pockets, particularly that first day. Athens is one of the safest cities in Europe, but it does have a pickpocketing problem, especially on the metro around Syntagma, Monastiraki, and Omonia.

Personally I never get jet lagged, no matter how many hours I've traveled. When I flew to New York from Athens, I slept for hours during the flight and I was fine when I arrived. I had no need to sleep, neither I was tired. So my advise is to sleep during the flight, and your biological clock will take care of the rest. Attending a concert in the Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a once in a life time experience, I highly recommend it.

Thank you all for the feedback and suggestions. We will not plan anything specific for this day. We will see how the flight goes. We do want to walk up Lycabettus Hill at some point during our time in Athens, so this walk seems like a great idea for the arrival day (thanks HappyTrvlr).

Stanbr - Great photos of Naxos. I have to say at this point I am a little more excited for our time on Naxos than the other parts of this trip, which also include Rome, Paris and Santorini. Also, we have a direct flight from Santorini to Rome, so we will not have to return to Athens after the islands.

If we decide to attend a performance at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, should we book tickets ahead of time or would it be possibly to purchase them the day of? In addition to the June 24 performance of Kiss Me Kate, there are performances of a different play on the nights of June 26 and 27.

The usual advice on this forum is, upon arrival in Athens, to fly immediately on to your island destination. And to leave your time in Athens to the end of your visit. That's to soften the effects of transportation problems getting back to Athens for a flight home. But it also makes sense for getting over jet lag. You probably don't plan intensive sightseeing for Naxos. You could lay around on a beach for a day or two.

However I expect it's too late for you to change your bookings. Just stay outdoors on day 1. And sleep on the flight over if you can.

Here is the website of the Athens Festival

http://greekfestival.gr/en/events

Depending on the day/performer, tickets can be sold out, you can check the on line availability, which will give you an idea.

You can buy tickets the same day from the box offices, you will find the addresses on the webpage.

Athenians know the theatre as Herodion

Thanks for the tips Clausar. I will make the note that the theater is known as Herodion.

Mimar- we have a direct flight from Santorini to Rome. That is why we are starting in Athens. Otherwise I would have flown directly to the first island.

You have planned a beautiful trip. Enjoy!

Thank you HappyTrvlr. My biggest factor in planning this trip was to not rush from place to place trying to see too much, which I read is often a common mistake that first time travelers to Europe make. After Greece we will travel to Rome for 6 nights/5 days and then on to Paris for 5 nights/4 days prior to heading back to the U.S. Hopefully, the number of days my wife and I allocated to each location provides us with enough time to get a good taste of these places. If we miss anything, there is always next time to go back and explore more!