ATHENS travel GUIDE: Itinerary, Budget, things to Do

Here’s a budget travel guide TO ATHENS, GREECE! With sample ATHENS ITINERARY, breakdown of expenses, hotel and trip recommendations, traveler spots to visit, visa application guide, and much more travel tips!

The Athenians are happy of their city.

Not in a bragging way. They’re proud, but I imply it in the most positive sense of the word. We could tell by the words they chose to describe it. We could tell by the way their eyes shimmered when they shared tales from their history and mythology. We could tell when our cab chauffeur took a detour to what he said they call “the Balcony of Athens” for the most fantastic view of the city, and he did it at no additional cost. We could tell when we tried to suggestion our guide and he refused profusely. “My friends,” he said, “It’s enough for me to know that my home is appreciated.”

The Athenians are happy of their city. I would be too if I were in their shoes. We were just visitors, but we were already happy of simply being able to set foot in a legendary city that — after everything it has gone through in its long, long history — continues to stand to this day.

WHAT’S covered IN THIS GUIDE?

UNDERSTANDING ATHENS
BEST TIME TO check out ATHENS
HOW TO get A VISA FOR GREECE
HOW TO get TO ATHENS
ATHENS airport TO CITY CENTERBy Metro
By express Bus
Taksilla
By welcome Pickups Taxi

HOW TO get around ATHENSHow much is the Ticket?
Where to purchase Tickets
How to Validate Tickets

PLACES TO check out IN ATHENSThe Acropolis
Acropolis Museum
Ancient Agora of Athens
The temple of Olympian Zeus
Syntagma Square
Lycabettus Hill
Panathenaic Stadium
Other Attractions

THINGS TO do in ATHENSAthens trip (with Acropolis & Acropolis Museum)
This is My Athens totally free TOUR

DAY trips FROM ATHENSCape Sounio Tour
Delphi Day Tour
Poros, Hydra and Aegina Day Cruise

WHERE TO stay IN ATHENSTop budget hotels in Athens
Search for more: Athens Hotels

SAMPLE ATHENS schedule and EXPENSES
OTHER ATHENS suggestions FOR THE poor TRAVELER
More suggestions on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️Related Posts:

UNDERSTANDING ATHENS

According to myth, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, competed with Poseidon, god of the seas, on who ought to become the patron of the then nameless city-state. Its king, Cecrops, sat as the judge. Whoever gave the better gift would win. Poseidon struck the terrific hill with his trident and from it emerged a salt water spring. Athena stomped her feet on the ground and from it rose the first olive tree. The Athenians and their king accepted the tree, thereby declaring Athena the winner. The olive tree would show to be an integral part of the lives of the Athenians. Its wood can be used to build boats and houses, its leaves to become a symbol of honor, its fruit to spice up their cuisine, and its all-important oil to fuel their lamps, cook their food, heal their wounds, and brighten up their skin. They were so pleased that they even named the city after the goddess — Athens.

Vins and I in Athens

This post is brought to you by Scoot. Scoot flies to Athens from Manila (via Singapore) 4X weekly. However, experts agree that it is much more likely that the goddess was named after the city, not the other way around. With a recorded history spanning over 3700 years, Athens is one of the oldest, continually occupied cities in the world and is regarded by numerous as the birthplace of the Western civilization (or at least numerous elements of it).

Today, Athens is the capital and the economic, political, and commercial center of Greece. Although the Municipality of Athens (City of Athens) covers an area of only 39 sq. km wide, what many people outside Greece refer to as “Athens” is typically the entire Attica Region, which is composed of the entire urban area of Athens and several other surrounding municipalities. Attica is home to practically 4 million people, which is huge, considering that the population of Greece is just over 10 million.

More info about Athens:

Language: Greek. However, English is widely spoken. street signs are written both in Greek and English, so going around isn’t a problem at all.

Currency: Euro (EUR, €). €1 = 1.23 USD, SGD 1.62, PHP 62.13 (as of January 2018)

Modes of Payment: cash is still the most common, but credit report card payments are widely accepted too.

Electricity Info: 230 V, 50 Hz. Power sockets are type F, which also accept type C plugs.

BEST TIME TO check out ATHENS

Spring to early summer (March-June) and autumn (September-October) are the most comfortable in terms of weather and crowdedness. It’s not too cold and not too hot, and you don’t have to squeeze your way through human mazes that the summer top brings. summer also sees the prices of hotels and flights go up.

Winter has its own perks too. Athenian winters aren’t too severe or unforgiving. because it’s a large metropolitan hub, it doesn’t really go into hibernation mode (unlike the small towns on Greek isles). many establishments and attractions are open year-round. but hotel rates and airfares go down dramatically, something budget travelers can take advantage of.

HOW TO get A VISA FOR GREECE

Greece is part of the Schengen Agreement, so a Schengen Visa is required for many nationalities. If you’re a Philippine passport holder, we have a separate post talking about the visa application process in detail.

Read: Schengen Visa through Greek Embassy

HOW TO get TO ATHENS

Athens is served by Athens international Airport, located in the suburban town of Spata, 27km or about 45 minutes from the city center. Its official name is Athens international airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”, after an eminent former Prime Minister.

The airport is not too big, which is terrific because you don’t need to walk long distances searching for your check-in counter or gates, but it’s brimming with discoveries. plenty of dining options both on the Arrival and departure levels. There’s even a mini-museum inside! We’ll write a separate post about it soon.

If you’re flying from the Philippines or Singapore, the most affordable way to reach Athens is to fly with Scoot. Scoot fares to Athens start at PHP10,403 from Cebu, PHP10,704 from Clark, PHP11,198 from Kalibo and PHP10,754 from Manila. These can still go lower when there is a promo. Katso:

Actual fares we found for March
All flights from the Philippines will have a layover in Singapore. You can take this opportunity to also trip SG while you’re at it. From SG, the travel time to Athens is 11 hours and 10 minutes. Scoot uses a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, so you can expect the cabin to be spanking clean and well-maintained.

If you want to score ATHENS promotion FARES, keep a lookout for Scoot’s monthly Take-off Tuesday promotions, which happens every first Tuesday-Thursday of every month, available on their official website!

ATHENS airport TO CITY CENTER

The Athens international airport is located 27 km from the city center. It takes 45 minutes to over an hour to reach the city, depending on your mode of transportation and the traffic situation. You can travel by metro, by express bus, by regular taxi, and by welcome Pickups taxi.

What is the best option? It depends on numerous elements including the location of your hotel and whether or not you’re traveling alone or in a group. If your hotel is near a Metro Line 3 station, take the metro of course. If you’re traveling solo and on a tight budget, the bus is the most affordable option. but if you’re a group of three or more, the taxi may be the most convenient.

We created a much more comprehensive post about these options here: Athens airport to City Center.

But here’s a brief summary:

By Metro

The airport is connected to the city center by Metro Line 3. This is terrific if you’re traveling alone and your hotel is near a Line 3 station (or any other metro line).

Travel time: around 45 minutes.
Frequency: One train every 30 minutes
Operating Hours: 6:30am to 11:30pm
Fare: One-way ticket costs €10 (€5 if below 18 or over 65). If your return flight is also through Athens airport and is scheduled within the next 7 days, you can purchase a roundtrip ticket (two-way) instead for only €14.

By express Bus

This is the most affordable option if you’re traveling solo. There are 4 routes, but if you’re going to the city center, the bus you want is X95 (Syntagma-Airport).

Travel timeOperating hours: 24 hours a day
Fare: €6

Taksilla

This is a good option if you’re a group of three or four.

Fare: €38 (5am-12mn), €54 (12mn-5am).

The rates include all applicable fees including toll fees. but be sure to confirm and come to an agreement with the chauffeur before the trip.

But you know what, if you’re considering to take the taxi, you might as well try welcome Pickups Taxi! much more info below!

By welcome Pickups Taxi

This is something that came highly recommended by our new pals in Athens. welcome Pickups is a pre-booked premium taxi service at the price of a regular taxi. Fare: €38 (5am-12mn), €54 (12mn-5am)

This is ideal if you’re a group of three or four because it will end up less expensive than taking the metro.

The fare is the same as the regular taxi’s, but the service is so much better. We have experienced this ourselves and it was soooo good.

An English-speaking chauffeur greeted us and picked us up at the Arrival Hall, escorted us to his cab, offered us with a bottle of water, and gave vital information about Athens as we made our way to the city. It’s also terrific for couples celebrating something special (honeymoon, anniversary) because it’s hassle-free.

HOW TO get around ATHENS

Because many essential traveler attractions in Athens are close to a metro station, you’ll probably be using the metro much more typically than other modes of transportation. The Athens Metro system has 3 lines:

Line 1: Piraeus – Kifissia. vihreä linja. If you’ll be taking the ferry to the Greek Isles, you might find yourself using this line.

Linja2: Anthoupoli – Agios Dimitrios. Punainen viiva. Akropoli (Acropolis), Sygrou-Fix, and Syntagma stations are part of this line. If you’re planning on going to other parts of mainland Greece, this line will also take you to Larissa station (aka Athens railway Station).

Line 3: Egaleo – Doukissis Plakentias – international Airport. Blue Line. If you’re coming from or going to the airport, this is your line.

Note that eating and drinking are not allowed anywhere within the subway system. Some stations also double as mini-museums, exhibiting historical and archaeological artifacts.

Paljonko lippu maksaa?

Thanks to the city’s new “integrated” system, getting around Athens is much simpler now, even for first-time visitors. This system now uses only one ticket for multiple journeys, valid for the metro, buses, trams, and trolleys within the city (except those coming from or going to the airport).

Tickets are available in the following types:

90-Minute transfer Ticket
Fare: €1.40 regular (€0.60, minors, students, seniors)

Daily Ticket (Valid for 24 hours)
Fare: €4.50

5 Day Ticket (5×24 hours)
Fare: €9.00

The number of rides or transfers isn’t counted, but each ticket is valid for the specified time. For example, if you get the 90-minute ticket, you can use it for as numerous times as you want until it expires 90 minutes later.

And yep, you can use it on practically all implies of transportation within the city. The metro, buses, and trams are all covered. The following are the only exceptions:

Metro Line 3 journeys to or from the airport. You can use it until Koropi (the station next to the airport Station). If you’re taking the Metro Line 3 but you’re not going to/coming from the airport — for example, from Monastiraki to Syntagma — it’s perfectly okay.

Airport buses

Bus Line X80. The 90-minute and 5-day tickets won’t be accepted here.

Where to purchase Tickets

You can purchase tickets from manned booths or from Automatic Ticket Issuing Machines (ATIM) installed past the entrance of every metro station. By default, these machines are in Greek letters, but there is an an English option. just tap on the English button and follow the instructions.

How to Validate Tickets

Validate? Yes, validate. Whether you’re taking the metro, the bus, or the tram, you’ll find ticket validating machines installed by the entrance. You need to validate your ticket before boarding the first time. You only need to validate it once. For instance, if you’re taking the metro and then the bus after, you only need to validate it upon entering the boarding area of the metro; no need to validate it on the bus.

Do not lose your ticket until you exit the station of your final destination. and make sure you have validated your ticket correctly. Inspections are in some cases done, and if you’re caught with a non-validated ticket, you’ll be fined 60X much more than the original cost. (That’s €84 fine for the 90-minute ticket.)

PLACES TO check out IN ATHENS

The Acropolis

This ancient citadel and UNESCO world Heritage site is the most imposing and the most essential landmark in Athens (if not Greece). Its long history can be traced back to the 4th millennium BC, but it was in the 5th century BC when numerous of its structures were built. These include the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the temple of Athena Nike.

There are two entrances to the Acropolis: the main entrance and the southeast entrance. If you need a trip guide, you’ll find the guide booth near the main entrance. However, this gate can get pretty crowded because it’s near the vehicle parking where trip buses unload enormous groups especially in top season.

The southeast entrance has shorter queues and will let you see the Theatre of Dionysus, widely regarded as the first theater ever built and the birthplace of Greek tragedy.

Nearest Metro Station: Akropoli
Opening Hours: 8am-5pm
Closed on: January 1, March 25, may 1, Easter Sunday, December 25-26
Entrance Fee: €20, Regular; €10, for minors and seniors.

If you’re planning on going to other histor