Athens for 1 night
 

Hey,

My wife and I are stopping over in Athens for one night. We get in @ 12pm (from Santorini) on a Sunday in July. Then we fly out the morning after @ 6:30am.

Would be great to get some tips on what to do from the afternoon/night including:
- Where to stay
- Where to eat
- Any sights to check out in town

Thanks in advance guys.

Pat.

What's your hotel budget?

Hopefully you are aware of the Parthenon, that'll probably do you for sightseeing if you don't arrive in Athens until midday. Shame you can't stay longer, it's a fantastic city.

Normally I would recommend staying in central Athens, but since you have such an early flight consider the airport Sofitel. It is expensive, but oh so nice to be only five minutes away from the check-in counters early in the morning.

If you are flying from Santorini to Athens instead of the ferry it gets even better: Sofitel is right across the street from Arrivals in the airport terminal, and the metro station is next door to the hotel. Grab your bags, walk across the street to check into your room, then walk next door to the metro station. If all goes well you could be sightseeing in Athens by around 2 pm.

Get off the metro at Monastiraki and you will be in the Plaka area, where you can walk to most of the major attractions. Another idea would be to arrange a private tour with a company like http://www.athens-walks.com. They come highly recommended, and would insure you make best use of your limited time.

>>>Any sights to check out in town<<<

You don't have much time. If you take Heimdall's advice above I'd then head for the Acropolis. Look up and you can't miss the Parthenon atop it. It will likely be hot and crowded so you can next see the new Acropolis Museum. Then go back down into the plaka for an ice cold Mythos beer. ;^)

We had a similar one night in Athens in Feb, and opted to stay at the Hotel Plaka, which we really enjoyed. It is located right among the main tourist area of restaurants and shops, and walkable to the Parthenon (though in July I imagine the walk would be much hotter than it was in Feb. You could probably get a cab too).

The rooms there are basic, but the best part was thefabulous rooftop deck, which gives a great view of the acropolis and the rest of the city. So even if you never actually make it up to the acropolis, you will have a fantastic view of it.

We also liked Hotel Plaka and the nice view from the rooftop deck. A few blocks away beneath the Acropolis we found the Scholareia Restaurant and enjoyed it-located in an old house.

I'll ditto the Sofitel esp. with your early departure. I didn't find it outrageously expensive. The further ahead of time you book, the better rate you are likely to get. And maybe even better if you pre-pay. Then you can easily take the metro? into central Athens for as much sightseeing as you have time for.