We took a bit of a gamble taking our main summer holiday so late in the year, but it turned out to be one of our best holidays yet even though the pools were rather chilly. The weather in late September and early October was ideal for lounging around and sightseeing.
We flew into Athens and decided to get the train from the airport to Monastiraki station as it is a direct line, taking around 40 minutes. Unfortunately we missed a train by a matter of seconds and had to wait 30 minutes for the next one. It was a short walk from the station to our hotel and we were there soon enough, despite initially setting out in the wrong direction as both myself and my husband are hopeless with maps!
We stayed at the Fresh Hotel, which kept cropping up in the various articles I read about Athens and proved to be an excellent base. Upon arrival we were quickly shown our room and we then went on up to the roof terrace for our first view of the Acropolis and a quick meal at the hotel restaurant.
The following morning we had breakfast at the hotel (it was included) and then set off for the Acropolis. A short walk from our hotel we came across the Roman Agora and discovered that the ancient sites were going to be free for the day. We headed on up the hill towards the Acropolis. There was a place to leave buggies (for free) at the base of the climb, so we did that and then walked on up the path.
The view of the city of Athens gets better and better as you climb and follow the path that takes in the various ruins that are collectively known as the Acropolis. It was great to walk around up there and take in the scale of the structures and try to fathom their age and history.
We headed back down the hill and walked around until we found a place (School Pizza Bar) for lunch. The rest of the day was spent relaxing up on the roof terrace at the hotel. The top level of the hotel consists of an all-day bar and restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and a small pool area with loungers. The sunset view was pretty good from up there!
That night we just headed downtown again and found somewhere (Melilotos) to go for dinner.
The next day after breakfast we sat in the sun by the pool, then I took my daughter for a walk to buy our ferry tickets and then across to the playground in the National Garden.
Later that afternoon we walked down to one of the spots that I had read did the best souvlaki in Athens. Not to be confused, with a place by the same name, we tried Kostas on Agias Irinis Square. The place is tiny and very basic, when we arrived there was a short queue out the door.
The souvlaki were delicious, in fact I am thinking of them now as I write this!
We walked back up to the hotel and marvelled at how different the surrounding area was on a Monday afternoon, as compared to Sunday night. There are huge food markets on Athinas Street and the area was bustling with hundreds of people.
That evening we went up to the Acropolis for sunset as I wanted to get some photos of the Parthenon and the other structures with a blue sky background as it had been cloudy on our visit the previous morning.
We had a really early ferry to catch the following morning, so we decided just to eat at the hotel again that evening.
For me, our time in Athens was a perfect combination of sightseeing combined with relaxation. I didn't have a huge list of restaurants or bars that I wanted to try and found that eating at the hotel and other places that we came across worked really well. It is definitely a city I would return to as I don't think I could ever tire of looking at the majestic marble structures that are spread around the city and I am keen to explore some more on my next visit.
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Images all my own.
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