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Athens, Greece

September 2025

By Kelsi

January 2^nd, 2026

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.

Two photos side by side showing two different rooms. On the left is a room with white and pink walls and a large window. On the right is a large room with white walls, green cabinetry, a pink couch, and a pillow-covered bed with plants hanging from above.

Accommodations

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.

A sidewalk made of small, reddish stones, with tons of leafy green plants coming in from the sides and overhead.

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).

Four brightly colored homes (peach, goldenrod, and terra cotta) located on a wide promenade under partly sunny morning skies.

An old stone building with window shutters is flanked by newer apartment complexes. A bright red car is parked in front.

A narrow, one-lane road with old, two-story apartment residences on either side. On the right is an off-white building with blue doors and shutters; the residence on the left is a faded-yellow color and its side has red graffiti in Greek. In the distance, two women are walking.

Activities

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.

A wide shot of the Odion ampitheatre, with sprawling Athens and a tree-covered hill in the background.

Saturday

People walking up and standing on the marble steps that lead to the top of the Acropolis. At the top of the steps are large columns with no roof.

A wide view of the Erechtheion temple on top of the Acropolis hill, with the

In the foreground, Kelsi is wearing sunglasses and smiles at the camera, with the Parthenon and other visitors in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Kelsi and two female friends smile at the camera. Behind them is a sprawling view of the city of Athens and its countless white buildings.

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!

Kelsi stands on a rocky outcropping, smiling at the camera. Behind her is the Acropolis hill, where people can be seen ascending the marble steps.

Sunday

The Theseus statue under cloudy morning skies.

In the foreground is a railroad track. Beyond it is one of the active archaeology sites. In the distance is the entire Acropolis hill surrounded by trees and greenery.

In the foreground is the Roman Agora, with view of the Tower of the Winds—said to be the first-ever weather station. Part of the Acropolis hill and structures are visible in the background.

A white cat with brown and black spots sits in front of a fence. The Parthenon and surrounding trees are out of focus in the background.

A dark emerald green newsstand with daily newspapers hanging, and magazines and sudoku books facing outward on shelves to show their covers.

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.

A group of 25 people stand together while smiling at the camera, surrounded by lush trees in the National Gardens.

Multicolored square stones (black, off-white, tan, faded yellow, and marbled red and white) that make up the vast stretches of pedestrian walkways in Plaka.

A local family poses for a christening photo in front of a small Byzantine-era temple that was converted to a church in the 12th century.

People walking down Tripodon, the most ancient street in continuous use. It is pedestrian only, with old buildings on either side. A restaurant is on the right. In ancient times, people used this street to walk from the agora (city center) to the theatre.

An old residence with faded colors and dark window shutters sit on the corner of one of Athens' many ancient streets. A vespa bike is parked on the sidewalk in front.

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.

Beautiful bougainvillea blossoms of magenta, pink, white, and yellow hang over a pedestrian walkway.

Inside the Acropolis Museum, five of the six original Caryatids stand as they once did at the Erechtheion temple. Their features and form are in various stages of weathering, due to sun, rain, and time. The sixth marble goddess is at the British Museum.

From the Acropolis Museum entrance, looking down into the live archaeological site that lives underneath the museum. Semi-constructed marble ruins are visible to the public, and rock fragments are everywhere.

A close-up of one of the five Caryatids, cut entirely from Pentelic marble. The fine details of her long hair and draped garment fabric are incredible.

I'm obsessed with her detail.

Monday

Tourists in rain gear on the Acropolis hill walk towards the camera and away from the massive Parthenon.

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.)

Clumps of greenery grow from the ancient marble walls surrounding the Acropolis entrance. From atop the hill, a slice of the city of Athens is visible in the distance.

Stacked rock and unused marble surround the western view of the Erechtheion temple. To the south (right) is the Porch of the Caryatids, to the north (left) are columns supporting the temple roof.

A collage of three photos: (1) The Parthenon's north columns, which are both dark- and light-colored marble because of restoration efforts; (2) An olive tree—a symbol of Athens/Athena—on the northwest side of the Erechtheion temple; (3) Kelsi smiles at the camera wearing a bright blue poncho and a mint green hat with the Parthenon behind her.

A stream of tourists carrying colorful umbrellas and wearing bright ponchos walk between ancient marble columns as they exit the Acropolis complex under a cloudy sky.

A close-up of the Caryatids at the Erechtheion temple, with the piles of rocks surrounding.

A wide view of the Odion towers, with the distant city of Athens and nearby tree-covered hill as the focus.

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.

A view of the Acropolis hill, Athens traffic, and tons of trees from the stands of the Panathenaic Stadium. Fluffy white clouds pepper a blue sky.

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)

Kelsi sits comfortably in one of two marble chairs meant for royalty in the Panathenaic Stadium. She's smiling at the camera. Behind her are the iconic Olympic rings and blue sky.

Photo: Kels x Panathenaic Stadium; where royalty sat.

The grey marble stands of the Panathenaic Stadium rise up from the foreground. Stairs of worn marble lead up and up, and the numbers 17 and 16 are etched into the marble, identifying the sections.

With the stadium at your back, looking into the

From the stands, looking at the curve of the stadium and the iconic Olympic rings. A few people are ascending the sections in the distance.

Kelsi smiles at the camera as she is comfortably curled up in one of the two marble seats made for the king and queen. Behind her are the iconic Olympic rings.

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!

From the stadium's curve (the bottom of the

Looking up at the Acropolis hill as the sun begins to set, with nearby leafy trees and local apartments in the foreground.

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.

Kelsi stands, smiling at the camera, from the rooftop of her accommodations with the sunset-lit Parthenon and Acropolis hill behind her.

The illuminated Parthenon, Odion complex, and Acropolis hill illuminated against the night sky.

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.

A group of tourists line the perimeter of the massive and impressive Parthenon. A construction crane can be seen inside the structure, and many of the ancient marble columns are dark- and light-colored because of restoration efforts.

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Cyclades Islands, Greece

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