Sunday 14 May 2017

How To Spend Two Days in Athens, Greece

What are you going to do in Athens if you only have 2 days? I spent the first two days of my European adventure in Athens, Greece. The plane from Doha arrived in Athens at 12:00 noon, but it took me an hour to get out of the airport because of the long line at the immigration. Apparently, April is a busy time in Athens. As soon as I was done with the immigration formalities, I pulled my luggage and left the airport. I bought a two-way metro ticket for the airport at the train station and travelled for approximately 45 minutes until I arrived at Monastiraki. I walked for another 10 minutes going to my airbnb apartment located at the bustling neighbourhood near Monastiraki Station. My hosts, Evi and George, were waiting and welcomed me warmly as soon as I got to their apartment. I felt home and they were the sweetest!

My first day was spent exploring the city. I leisurely walked and went on a journey through time from my apartment to Monastiraki Square, made a few stops to admire the Tower of Winds and the Agora, ate some gelato, took as much photos as I can, strolled around the charming area of Plaka, climbed up to Acropolis, and watched the sunset from Mars Hills. At the end of the day, I sat at the corner of Greco's Project, ordered a glass of red wine, chicken gyros, fita, and their traditional greek salad, while watching other travellers walked by. My first day went pretty well. It was a tiring day, but I didn't care. I was in Europe!

An inexpensive early morning visit to the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion which is located 80 km away from Athens was totally worth it too! Standing in front of the temple which offers great views of the Aegean Sea and is believed to be a sacred area was just surreal! I was also lucky to have witnessed the changing of guards at the Parliament building when I got back to Athens from Sounion. I spent a few minutes standing in front of the Parliament House to watch lovely kids playing with pigeons, and to give my feet some rest as well. My next stop was The Temple of Olympian Zeus which was completed in 131 AD. The classical architecture was dedicated to Olympian Zeus, the head of of the Olympian Gods. Nearby is the Arch of Hadrian which was built in 132 AD, the gate between the Ancient and the Roman City in Athens. A few minutes walk away from Arch of Adrian is the Panathenaic Stadium, which was constructed in 4th Century BC for the Panathenaic Games.


Athens was really impressive. It is a country filled with rich ancient history! I was a little overwhelmed when I was planning this trip. I wanted to see almost everything but was worried that my two days won't be enough. I am grateful that I was able to see the major historical sites in Athens, even had plenty of time to learn about their culture through food!


Here's the itinerary I prepared for my 2-day adventure in Athens!

Day 1. 

  1. Monastiraki Square
  2. The Agora
  3. Tower of Winds
  4. Plaka Stairs
  5. Acropolis
  6. The Parthenon
  7. Sunset at Mars Hill
Day 2.
  1. Half day Tour from Athens to Cape Sounion
  2. Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens
  3. The Temple of Poseidon
  4. Syntagma Square
  5. Changing of Guards (Tomb of the unknown soldiers)
  6. Temple of Olympian Zeus
  7. Hadrian's Gate
For an easier way to travel to Sounion from Athens, book your tour with Welcome Pickups! They provide an easy, friendly, and personal travel experience! Click the link below for more information about the tours they offer in Athens, which includes airport transfers which provides a personalized service throughout your stay!

And here are some photos I took in Athens!











































Ciao for now! Happy travels! xxx


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