Wandering Solo in Athens
I swear this is the last post from my trip to Greece back in 2016. I thought I would share my experience in the city of Athens, as most people tend to skip it, even though there is usually a mandatory transit there when you go to the Greek islands.
Before my trip I asked other fellow travellers their feedback about Athens, and if it was worth visiting. To my surprise, most people said there was no interest in the city, and that I should skip it. Some others said it was dirty and dangerous. Well, I decided to make my own research because I knew I was going to have to spend 2 days by myself before meeting my friend on the island of Zakynthos. My options were the following:
spending 2 days in Athens by myself,
trying to transit through another European city that's close-by, or
going to the first Greek island by myself and waiting for my friend there.
Here's my opinion: if you have a transit in Athens, and you like history, you should be happy and make the most out of it, especially if you've never been before!
As a solo budget traveller, I like to stay at hostels. I feel safer surrounded by other fellow travellers. I made some research on the neighbourhoods that would be safe and convenient (close to the Acropolis), and decided I wanted to stay in Plaka (the old town).
The hostel I stayed at:
6 Pittakou Street, Acropolis
Athens, Greece 10558
The place was clean and located in a really nice neighbourhood. The backyard was cute and friendly, and I was able to meet people and ask for advice. The location was probably the most helpful thing for two reasons. (1) It's a 15-min walk from the Acropolis and (2) it's near all the main bus stops (in Syntagma Square), including the one that goes to the airport!
What I did in two days
Beach in Glyfada
Don't ask me why, I wanted to see the beach! And some of the nicest and closest beaches near Athens are located in Glyfada, so I decided to go there. Unfortunately I did not take pictures when I was there, as there were many tourists and I didn't feel confortable enough to ask people to take photos of me. I had just travelled 8 hours from Canada, so I relaxed by the beach! I would say that this area is nice, and has lots of beautiful restaurants and bars along the beach, but if you only have a few days in Athens, I wouldn't go there.
How to get to Glyfada? I went by bus, as it was the cheapest way to get there. The bus stops in Syntagma Square (ask your hotel the exact location of the bus stop on a map) and leaves for Sounio. Sounio is written in big at the front of the bus. You need to pay cash in the bus for your tickets! Make sure you know which stop you want to be dropped at, and ask the bus driver if you have any doubts.
Visit of the Acropolis & Plaka
The next morning I was jet lagged, and woke up kind of late. I decided to go straight to the Acropolis. What a surprise! I did not expect something that big and impressive. The Acropolis is on top of a mountain, so be patient and breathe because it gets HOT under a 40-Celsius degree sun. Once you get there, buy a pass that allows you to visit other cultural places in the city, and then get ready to admire the view. I did not imagine the Parthenon to be that huge. You feel really small when you get on top of the Acropolis, and if you're like me, you really wonder HOW something that huge was built back in the days. There is a real effort to renovate all these monuments so you might see some construction, but nothing too disturbing.
I then walked all the way down through the tiny pedestrian streets of Plaka, which were super cute. I was approached by many restaurant owners who wanted me to come have lunch there. Nothing too insistant, people were actually smiling all the time. There was never a time where I did not feel safe. I had a 15-minutes discussion with an old man who had lived in Canada for a while, and told me all about his immigration, and how he got divorced because he wanted to go back to Greece and his wife did not.
Good street food / falafels: Mikro Politiko (Dionysiou Areopagitou 8, Plaka, Athens)
Temple of Poseidon
I finished my day by going to the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounio. This place can be accessed by bus, and is approximately a 1.5-hour bus ride from Athens. I took that same bus I had taken the day before to go to Glyfada, the last stop is Sounio. I made sure I would get there before sunset to see the sun go down behind the temple. This moment was magical! Bonus: some people were celebrating their wedding there, but had not arrived yet. What a gorgeous place to have your wedding!
