I had the best time in Athens. And honestly, I'm a little surprised. I fully expected my visit to four Cyclades islands to be the highlight of my time in Greece. I mean, who wouldn't think that sunny, shimmery Greek islands would overshadow basically everywhere else.
On top of that, Athens was also the first time that I'd be truly by myself internationally since, I think, ever. So, I was a bit apprehensive about how it would go. Did I book the right things? Or would I just spend all of my time squirreled away in the hotel too anxious to venture out?
But, spoiler: I absolutely nailed it.
✔️ My accommodations were stellar.
✔️ The activities I booked ahead of time exceeded my expectations.
✔️ The things I did on the fly blew me away.
I did a fantastic job choosing where to stay.
I avoided Airbnb because I didn't want to have to deal with convoluted entry procedures while jetlagged and disoriented in a new city, plus their cleaning fees piss me the hell off. Instead, I used booking.com.
Even with using a legit website, I was still pretty worried that places would be dodgy, not match the photos, or I'd feel unsafe. Happily, none of that was the case. I was incredibly meticulous with researching neighborhoods, referencing local maps, and checking solo-traveler reviews (and honestly, I might have just been lucky).
Photo: One of the delightfully green sidewalks near my room in the Athens city center.
If you know me, you know I hate highrises and noise, so I avoided the more touristy and commercial areas (north of Plaka).
I stayed in two accommodations—one before my time in the Cyclades and the second upon my return. Each was located in a residential neighborhood, surrounded by local apartments, delis, and coffee shops. Both were within a 10-minute walk to the Acropolis.
The first place was located above a cute little bistro (which served incredible fried potatoes). The second had a private rooftop with a breathtaking view of the Acropolis (lots of places do, though). I also picked the second one because it had a tiny balcony (just in case I turned into a hermit).
When I first arrived in Greece, I was in Athens for less than 24 hours before catching a flight to Santorini.
That day, shortly after checking in to my room above the bistro, I did one of those "hop on, hop off" buses that I've rolled my eyes at since time immemorial. And boy, did my opinion change! This was great: I could take in the city while my jet-lagged brain and body simply sat, plus I was able to (kind of) get my bearings (I'm pretty directionally challenged, just ask my brother). I did the Big Bus Athens.
After the Cyclades portion of my trip, I returned to Athens for a long weekend (arrive Saturday and depart Tuesday). I honestly was a bit worried this would be too much time and I'd find myself bored and aching to get home to my own bed. But once again: Happily, this was not the case.
My flight from Mykonos landed in Athens in the early afternoon, and I was able to check into the mini hotel a bit early (in fact, the guy at the front desk said I was the last to check in).
Two gals I'd met on my islands trip offered me an extra free ticket to the Acropolis! We just so happened to be in Athens during a special weekend when attractions were free after a certain hour. To thank my pals for the ticket, I shared a tip I'd learned a couple weeks before: Rick Steves has a podcast episode that's a walking tour of the Acropolis. So, once we'd entered the site, we each put in an earbud, hit Play on the podcast at the same time, and got to walking.
Afterwards, we descended back to Plaka for dinner at a highly rated gluten-free restaurant. (One of the gals is GF and was ecstatic to eat baklava for the first time in over a decade. And I have to say, it tasted pretty spot-on—everything did, except maybe the pita bread.)
Photo: On the rocks next to the Acropolis, before entering with free admission!
Weeks before my trip, I saved myself a spot on the New Athens Free Tour, which meets daily at the Theseus statue and lasts ~3 hours. ("Free" is in the name, but it's pay what you want.) My group was lucky enough to be led by Stavros, a Greek American guy in his mid-30s who is a history teacher and has lived all over the world. He was unbelievably knowledgeable, engaging and funny, and made the tour super interesting, relevant, and interconnected. I loved every minute. Highly, highly recommend!
Photo: Our big group of strangers walking around Athens together.
After the tour, I met up with a different friend for lunch off the most ancient and continuously used street in Greece (and Europe)... NBD! The food was great, the people-watching was greater, and the male waitstaff was greatest.
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking all over Athens, including Monastiraki and Syntagma Square. We separated for a few hours, when I explored the National Gardens. We reunited at the Acropolis Museum, which was having free admissions after 5pm. I felt so lucky to be able to see such amazing things for free.
I'm obsessed with her detail.
Part I: Acropolis, Take 2!
A couple months before my trip, I bought a ticket to the Acropolis, plus a separate guided tour. You can buy them together, but I was reading about lots of phony third-party sites. Perhaps I was being overly cautious (surprise), but my thinking was that I'd rather be screwed out of a walking tour than the entire Acropolis experience. (Obviously I didn't know about the free ticket I'd get on Saturday.)
I feel quite fortunate to have been able to visit the Acropolis twice in three days, especially because it rained on the day of my paid ticket and tour! (The first rain since March or April, so all the locals were thrilled.)
After my (paid) Acropolis visit, I went back to my accommodations to hang things to dry (one thing I did not pack was a rain jacket, so my sweatshirt and shoes were soaked). During this time I also ended up packing and preparing for my flight the next day. (This was super smart of me and I'm still giving myself high-fives because it allowed me to have an easy and relaxed evening.)
In the early afternoon, the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun returned. And so did I into the streets of Athens.
Part II: An unexpected highlight
During the Athens Walking Tour, Stavros mentioned that the Panathenaic track is open to the public. Um, excuse me? You can run the track of the first modern Olympic Games?? Freaking yes.
Not only is the this stadium one of the world's oldest (over 2,300 years old), it's the only one made completely of marble. Neat! (and slippery)
Photo: Kels x Panathenaic Stadium; where royalty sat.
So, sad news first. I was unable to run the track. The center of the stadium was closed off because they were setting up for a concert (I decided not to look up which artist/group it was, because I would be obligated to dislike them for the rest of my life).
However, the good news: Visiting the stadium was one of my absolute favorite Athens activities, despite not being able to officially run the track (some unofficial jogging was had by me and other visitors).
How much did I love it? Well, I still have the audio tour on my phone so I can re-listen to it. It was so cool and fact-filled!
I spent hours at the Panathenaic Stadium (whoops, but no regrets). Afterwards, I went to a little pick-up restaurant across from the Acropolis Museum where I bought a spinach pastry, a dessert (I forget what at this point), and one of the most delicious salads I've ever eaten from probably the friendliest Greek lady alive. I was set for meals until I got on the plane.
I wandered the perimeter of the Acropolis for a little bit, soaking in the everyday sounds I'd become so accustomed to, even after just a couple days. I eventually made it back to my hotel to spend the evening on the rooftop (how was no one else up here at sunset?!). I enjoyed that amazing salad and watched the Parthenon glow in the setting sun.
It was a truly perfect way to end my time in Athens.
Photo: Me with my salad and the sunsetty Acropolis.
Travel is political. I'll just say that.
To experience other ways of life gives you perspective on your own. You experience the good in locals and see how the "American way" is not the only way (and it's pretty much never the best, let's be honest).
It also becomes clear how censored our news and media are, and how isolated we are from the rest of the world, despite our (incorrect) notion that we're the central cog.
Over the years, I've noticed that things going on at home have ways of seeping into the cracks of my travels. (Read about my visit to The Great Wall of China back in 2017.)
This was also true for my time in Athens. It was surreal to be exploring the birthplace of democracy when back at home, this societal foundation is being chipped away one pillar at a time.
Shortly before my arrival in Athens, the city celebrated a milestone: They finished some reconstruction efforts on the Parthenon. With some cranes now removed, you're able to better see the spaces they've filled to reinforce the ancient and symbolic structure.
© 2026 Kelsi