When visiting the port of Piraeus in Greece, a visit to Athens is a must-do. Here’s our guide on how to spend your time wisely, visiting all of the sights in just a few hours at your own pace.
Before we get in to the details, it is worth noting that we visited as a family of three generations (aged between 5 and 60), and we visited at the end of August. It was hot (30ºc), dry and busy in central Athens. We were sailing onboard P&O Azura, so disembarked in the morning with around 3,000 other passengers, however you wouldn’t know it as it felt surprisingly quiet when we were around the port itself.
Getting to central Athens from Pireus port.
There are two cruise terminals at Pireus, one is significantly closer to the metro station, so if you are arriving into Terminal B, take the free cruise shuttle to Terminal A. From Terminal A you can walk to the Metro (train) station, though I would advise using a GPS map such as Google Maps to help you navigate as the route is not particularly well signposted. It is a 25-30 minute walk depending on pace. The day we visited in August was hot and we had a 5 year old in tow, so we were closer to the 30 minute mark! As you exit the cruise terminal, you will undoubtedly be met with a number of over-enthusiastic taxi drivers offering to give you a ride in to Athens. Of course it is up to you if you choose to take one, but I prefer to be in control of my expenses and use public transport where possible. The walk is typically urban, but there are some interesting buildings to keep an eye out for, as well as some recognisable high street names.
Taking the Metro? You’ll need to buy an ATH.ENA ticket.
Once you reach the train station, you will need to purchase your tickets from the self-service ticket machines. We purchased 6 x 90-minute Single Tickets (for 3 adults to do 1 return journey each) for the grand total of €7.20 (6 x €1.20). You must remember to validate them as you use them. You’ll basically need to scan in and out, just as you do on most other European Metro systems. It is worth noting that currently children aged 6 and under travel free with an adult, and there is no need to issue a ticket for them, just have them pass through the gates with a paying adult.
Working the ATH.ENA Self-Service Ticket Machines (step-by-step guide).
- Select ‘English’
- ‘Buy Travel Product’
- ‘Athens Area’
- ‘90 Minutes’
- Select payment method and pay
- Collect dispensed tickets
- Validate as you enter the station through the gates (and keep safe to scan on the way out)
ATH.ENA paper tickets can’t be re-loaded until ticket is used, so to save time later, buy double what you need so you have a spare unvalidated ticket for the return journey.
Take the Green line of the Metro from Pireus to Thiseio.
The journey takes approximately 15 minutes, so take the opportunity to sit down, hydrate and soak in the urban landscape from the window.
Circular Walking Route.
Knowing we would only have 4-5 hours to explore Athens, it would be hot and we had little legs in tow, I knew we had to have a plan in advance. With the help of a few travel vlogs, blogs and my trusty pal Google Maps, I plotted a circular walking route taking in the main sights. My plan was to get the worst of the incline out of the way in the morning before the mid-day heat could make its mark, allowing us time to rest and enjoy a leisurely lunch towards the end of the walk too. Here are the main points of interest we visited:
- The Ancient Agora of Athens (Temple of Hephaestus / Temple of Ares)
- Nymphs Hill (great views of the Acropolis from the top)
- [Slight detour to Prison of Socrates]
- Odeon of Herodes Atticus
- Arch of Hadrian
- Plaka
- Roman Forum of Athens (Roman Agora)
- Monastiraki Square & Flea Market
We could then choose to take the Green metro line back to Pireus from either Monastiraki or Thiseio – we opted for Monastiraki on the day as we happened upon a few shops near that station before deciding to head back to the ship.
According to Google Maps, the total walking route time (without stopping) would be 1 hour 2 minutes, with a total walking distance of 2.8 miles. Strolling along in the mid-summer heat, stopping regularly to take photos, rest in the shade, slap on the sun screen and hydrate, it took at least twice as long, but we still made it round in time for our lunch reservation in the Thiseio area at 13:00.
You may notice that we have not mentioned booking any entrance tickets to the main sites (namely, the Parthenon, which is one of the iconic structures at the top of the Acropolis). In the height of summer, the Parthenon is both hot and extremely busy. Unless you are passionate about Ancient Greek history, I don’t believe there is anything you can get from being behind the paywall that you can’t appreciate just as well from the outside. It is too busy to get any good pictures or to stand still and read all of the information. It is also a huge waste of valuable time standing in the queue, as even with ‘skip-the-line’ entrance, you still have to wait for your time slot to begin. Instead, take your time to explore the surrounding area. And keep your eyes peeled – you may even spot a few ancient greek gladiators roaming around!
Lunch Time!
I don’t know about you, but when I’m hungry and in a foreign city full of eateries, I suffer with restaurant blindness. Add to this a fussy 5 year old and strictly ‘meat-and-two-veg’ Nana, and you have a recipe for dining disaster! That is why I have learned to plan ahead. With the help of TripAdvisor reviews, fellow travel bloggers and a scan of social media , I found Theta – a highly rated coffee & cocktail bar with great food & reviews. I was sure to reserve a table online around a week in advance as I knew it was a popular area and we would be wanting to eat at peak lunch time. Let me tell you, the service, food, atmosphere and portion size did not disappoint! The prices were very reasonable and each main course was easily sharing size (if only we knew that before ordering my son a mixing bowl sized portion of pesto pasta)! We also opted to eat inside as we needed the air conditioning to reset (us Brits aren’t used to walking around in 30 degree heat)! I couldn’t recommend Theta enough – delicious chips, gorgeous grilled chicken and drinks to quench even the most desperate thirst!
Visiting with kids?
On the face of it, Athens is a picturesque city full of rich history and culture, but there isn’t a huge amount of attraction for young families. There are, however, adventures to be had if you choose to find them. My top tips for visiting with younger kids:
1) Make up stories together about what you think happened at each monument years ago. What did Socrates do to end up in prison? Who lives in the temple at the top of the mountain? Why are there tortoises in the bushes and what makes the trees so noisy?! You’ll be amazed at what young minds can come up with!
2) Search for Hans & Gretel! Conveniently right near the end of the route, you stumble across a magical sweet shop & ice cream parlour, complete with a child-sized gingerbread house to explore inside. The lure of a cool sundae with sweets is usually enough to tempt most young ones to take those last few steps! They may not be authentically Greek (the chain is global and there are even a couple in the UK), but kids tend not to be quite so enamoured with traditional dishes like spanakopita and tzatziki anyway!
Top Tips
- Hydrate! I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep drinking. Pounding the pavements in the dry heat is exhausting, and whilst it is good to keep some water on you at all times, instead of carrying litres of heavy tepid water, don’t be afraid to purchase bottled water at every opportunity. It isn’t as expensive as other European cities, and purchasing any amount of water has got to be cheaper than a trip to hospital, so stay hydrated!
- Start early. You’ll want to get a chunk of the walking out of the way before the sun reaches its peak. Plus photographs are easier to take when the sun isn’t quite so high in the sky.
- Take your time. Most cruise ships will be in the city for at least 6 hours, giving you plenty of time to walk around the sights and make it back to the ship without a mad dash back to the dock!
- Keep applying the unscreen. Heat stroke and sun burn are not good souvenirs.
- Take sunglasses. The bright mediterranean sun reflects off the light natural stone floor and architecture, so without them, you’ll find yourself squinting all day. Thank me later!
Gallery
In Summary
If you are in good health and enjoy a leisurely stroll, a self-guided walk around Athens is the perfect way to take in the city, even if you only have a few hours or a few euros. No need for pricey cruise excursions, so long as you are confident taking public transport and can follow a map, you already have everything you need for a glorious day exploring Greece’s ancient capital.
Useful Links
Acropolis Athens: acropolis.athenstickets.org
Athens Transport: athenstransport.com
Theta: theta-athens.gr
TripAdvisor: tripadvisor.co.uk
If you found this article useful, check out our other European ‘Tourist Guides’ here!
Have you been to Athens? Are you planning a trip? Let us know in the comments – we love to hear from you!
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