Travel Diaries: 5 things you have to do in Athens

As promised and mentioned in my last blog post, I will be sharing my top 5 things I personally believe you HAVE to do if you will be visiting Athens any time soon, or ever for that matter... 😃

So after mine and Farah's hectic and very fun filled adventure in Barcelona, we jumped on a plane and headed to Athens like the city hopping travellers we are. Although we had an amazing time in Barcelona, the charms that Athens held for us were slightly different. There was a lot more sitting around in cafes catching some sunlight and aimlessly wondering around, exploring and stumbling upon unexpected gems. That being said we did still visit some great places that are totally worth paying a visit.

Let's start off the Parthenon. Now this historical sight is beautiful from a distance. Although to get up close and personal as well as enjoy a spectacular view of the city, Farah and I hiked up in 30 Degree heat in almost direct sunlight. This took us from what I remember about 30-45 mins, bearing in mind we took constant breaks  where we sat down and took an unnecessary amount of photos. Once you get to the top, the view of the city is amazing. Even if hiking is not your thing, take it slow and choose a time of the day that won't be too hot. But however you do it, do it because it will be well worth the effort. 

Before we headed up to the hills to the Parthenon, we checked out the Acropolis Museum, housing Greek statues aplenty and lots of great information. It has 4 levels and also has a restaurant and terrace where we spent a good 2 hours sitting around doing absolutely nothing! I would suggest giving yourself a good hour and half to explore the museum as there is lots to see. From the restaurant we both ordered bowls of cheesy pasta and it was pretty delicious as far as bowls of pasta go. The service was pretty slow but since we were too busy being absolute chillers we didn't mind all that much. 

Moving away from history a little and on to our stomachs, our hotel was situated on Mitropoleos Street which is 5 or so minutes away from Syntagma Square. This also so happens to be basically neighbours with La Greche which is one of the best places to enjoy a gelato in Athens. This is no understatement, the desserts there are so delicious and the gelato is so refreshing. This place is 100% worth the visit. 

I'm a huge fan of cathedrals,I just think that they always look incredible and majestic and this is definitely the case with the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. Amongst a lot of other places Farah and I stumbled upon during our explorations, this is one of them. Wandering around the streets of Athens near our hotel and minding our own business, we walked past and decided to go inside. Now I know this is something we accidentally found, but it's really a beautiful piece of architecture and isn't that far away from other sights such as Hadrian's Library. So I would definitely suggest this as a place to go check out. 

No matter where you go, all you need sometimes is a great slice of Pizza or bowl of Pasta. If that desire strikes you, I highly recommend School of Pizza. This place is located very close to the Monastiraki Metro and is set up like a school, we ate at desks and colourful stools and the food is deliciously fresh and yummy. Plus I finally got my seafood fix as I ordered a bowl of Tagliatelle with shrimp and oysters 😄.

So overall, I adored Athens and would 100% go again and again. The weather for mid July was perhaps a bit too hot but because we didn't  do as much sight seeing as Barcelona, we coped with the heat. It's a great place to go if you want a city break, whilst still getting to relax and absorb culture and history. 

There's so many places that we saw but I just can't include everything, so as always, leave any questions you might have in the comments and I will get back to you. 

xoxoxo


P.S. Check out my Athens Vlog on my YouTube Channel by clicking down below ;)

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