tdobso02

My boyfriend and I are planning to fly in to Athens on Feb. 13 and stay until the 19th. We will have 5 whole days in Greece and need ideas on what we should see and do in our time there. We would also like to do some diving while we are there since we are both certified divers. Does anyone have any suggestions on where we should visit and where we should dive within those 5 days? We're trying to keep costs minimal - I know we could fly to other islands but is that expensive? I know there are also boats that will take you to other islands. Is it far to the islands? Should we just stay on the mainland? We appreciate any help we can get!

Tonya & Chris

Eleni

Hi Tonya: You are going to have a great time!

As for what to do in Athens, here is a link to a recent thread that contains a lot of helpful advice about Athens:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34928135

Diving I can't help you about. Since your topic heading is about Athens, you may want to post again to increase the likelihood that people who know about diving will answer. I will say that the water is not even close to warm in February, so if you are expecting beach weather, you won't get it!

As to where you should go, what kind of stuff do you like doing? Are you more of a city person, or more of a rural person? There are definitely nearby islands like Hydra, Poros, and Aegina that don't involve a plane ride. Aegina is easy -- you can take the metro to Piraeus and then a quick ferry trip to the island. Check out www.aeginagreece.com for more info.

Reading this forum can also be very helpful. Just select for Greece and read through the posts that seem relevant to you. For example, you may find the following posts helpful:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34907534
or
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34896965

Good luck!

Carolina

The sea will be very cold at that time of year - diving sounds doubtful!
There is plenty to do in Athens and the surrounding area for 5 days. Obviously there are the archaeological sites etc in Athens itself, you could visit one or more of the nearby islands (Hydra, Aegina, Poros), Sounio is about a 2 hour trip and is worth a visit. I suggest you look at the Eyewitness guide to mainland Greece for more ideas.

Carolena

NikolettaG

For a winter holiday in Athens, the dates you've chosen are probably the best! It will be the last week of the carnival season, before the start of Lent on the 19th and there will be a really festive atmosphere in the city, especially over the weekend. In the evenings the streets in Plaka will be crowded with people in fancy dress: watch out for the plastic truncheons - these are on sale everywhere; the idea is to hit other revellers as they pass. This is all great fun, I hasten to add – you just get a gentle tap (usually!). On the Sunday we like to go to the Zappeio gardens to see the children in their costumes. (And it's a lovely place to walk at any time.) During the weekend there will be a fairground atmosphere there, with lots of stalls, food and drink, etc. A great place to go on Sunday night is the Central Market in Athinas Street. This will be open all night long and trading is always frenetic, as people buy the prawns and shellfish which are eaten during Lent. Other stalls will have freshly picked herbs and greens, or the delicious sweet halva. It's fun to go to one of the crowded market restaurants, also open all night, where you can have a very cheap, totally authentic Greek meal. Monday 19th is 'Clean Monday', the first day of the fasting before Easter and a national holiday. This is the day when Athenians go out to high points in the city (like the Acropolis) to fly kites. At lunch time the tavernas and cafés are full of people eating the traditional fasting food, including the special flat bread 'Lagana' which is sold only on this day. If your flight isn't too early, you could have a memorable meal in the open air: a particularly good place for this is in one of the restaurants in Adrianou Street, beside the ancient Agora, below the Acropolis, so you can watch the kites as you eat. Enjoy your holiday!

cristine27

Some more suggestions:
1. Kolonaki area for coffee /dinner/ shopping
2. For nightlife go to Psirri area. LOTS of bars, restaurants etc.
3. If you want to visit a semi deserted island (due to low season) it's very easy.. just take the main train from Omonoia/syntagma/monastiraki and go to Piraues (last stop). There you can buy your ticket ferry and spend a day Aegina, Hydra or Poros.
4. For diving i'm sure you can do in Athens but it won't be very exciting i imagine. (not sure though) Google it and i'm sure you'll find something!

Dukey

I love Athens but the first thing I would do is shorten my time there to three full days.