Athens, Greece: Travel Guide

We took our very first family trip this summer and it was Ryann’s first time out of the country! In two weeks, we spent time visiting Greece, Italy, and France. This specific post is all about Athens, Greece!

TRAVEL TIPS:

• Before leaving, it is a good idea to look over where you are staying and try to find the best transportation to and from the airport. Also, look into the things you really want to do and have an idea of how to get to and from those places from your hotel or Airbnb. If you read my previous travel post, one thing I love to do is stay walking distance to train stations to make getting around easy. (Taking public transportation and traveling around like a local is also something I enjoy doing)
• Visit your local bank to exchange currency and avoid higher fees when exchanging at the airport. *Also, let your bank know you are traveling so that your card is not declined when trying to make purchases abroad.
• Download Google Translator and know how to say (at least have an idea) the basics. *Hello, goodbye, thank you, how much, etc.
• The Moovit App has become my best friend and I will be using it from now on when traveling. It was very helpful when trying to figure out exactly how to get around. You put in your “to and from” addresses and it’ll tell you what bus or train to catch and the schedule.
• Make sure you read my last post “Long Vacation with/without Baby” because there’s great information to help make packing easier!

FIRST STOP: ATHENS, GREECE

DURATION: 3 DAYS, 2 NIGHTS

FLIGHT: We used Google flights to search for our plane tickets. *Children under 2 years old travel for a percentage (usually 10% but it depends on the airline) of the adult plane ticket price. (This is why I’m planning as many trips as possible before Ryann turns two lol) We flew Norwegian Airlines from JFK airport.

ATHENS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: The airport was easy to get around and wasn’t huge. Of course, the most annoying part is going through customs but honestly, we didn’t even have a hard time doing that. One thing we noticed traveling through Europe, we always had to get on a shuttle at the airport that took us to the plane. After getting our bags, we purchased train tickets from the ticket booth to reassure we were catching the correct train. *Make sure your tickets are validated before getting on to the train.

LODGING: Our Airbnb was located less than a 10-minute walk from the train station that we used to get from the airport. Honestly, I love a good Airbnb especially when traveling with a group of people. It gives you the option to have a full kitchen and usually more space than a hotel.

TRANSPORTATION: Using the train to get to the Airbnb was easy and inexpensive.Once we got to the Airbnb, getting around was super easy because of our location. We were close to everything! We were able to walk to get food, have dinner, and even to the Acropolis. The only time we had to use a taxi, was to get to Piraeus Port (the port that the ferries leave from) to go to the beach. The taxi was 20 EUROS for my family (4 adults + Ryann) and the ride was about 25 minutes. *Staying in a prime location is recommended however, getting around is also not complicated at all.

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FYI:

• In Athens (I’m not 100% sure if this is all parts of Greece) but you are not able to flush tissue down the toilet, so you have to wipe and throw it in the trash. (Yeah, we were pretty grossed out too lol)
• If you’re traveling with a baby, be prepared for extremely friendly people. Everyone loved Ryann and wanted to touch her and be in her face. Lol! Some people she smiled/waved at, others she didn’t. We realized it may be a cultural thing, so we tried our hardest to get used to it. (And of course, some people we were like nah, chill. Lol!)

MUST SEE/DO:

• Visit the Acropolis and Parthenon: Even if you don’t do a guided tour or pay to go in, visiting the area to see the view is worth is. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:  Go as early as possible (If you are traveling in the summer) because it gets really hot and also, TAKE WATER. We ended up going too late (around 12pm is considered late) and it was really hot. There’s stairs and hills you have to take to get up there so after walking up with a baby in the heat, we saw the view, took pictures, and headed right back down. Lol!
• Dinner at a Rooftop Bar: Seeing the Acropolis at night while having dinner is a beautiful experience! We ate at 360 Cocktail Bar because the restaurant we planned to visit (A is for Athens) was booked. DISCLAIMER: The restaurants are pricey, and you may or may not just be paying for the view. (However, I personally think it’s worth it and a must do experience.) Those were the two we looked into because they had good reviews and wasn’t as expensive as the other restaurants we found. There are a few more that you can look up as well.
• Eat a Gyros and/or Souvlaki: Because you’re in Greece and that’s just what you do. *There are vegan and vegetarian ones with just vegetables, and they are just as tasty.
• Also, eat a Greek salad: Just like the last bullet, you’re in Greece, so you just do it. (I personally LOVE salads, so I was going to get one anyway. Lol!)
• Take a Ferry to an Island and go to the beach: We visited Aegina Island because our Airbnb host recommended it for a family beach day. The ferry took about an hour and a half leaving from the port and then we caught a taxi to the beach which was another 15-minutes. Try to arrange with your driver a pickup as well. We got our driver’s number and he came to pick us up and brought us back to the port when we were ready to go. Additionally, he gave us a tour of the area and even let my husband pick pistachios from a tree. *Ferry prices were less than 10 EUROS one way. Babies/kids under a certain age are free.

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I think it’s safe to say that our visit to Greece was my favorite out of the trip. I would definitely go back but next time, I would stay longer and go to Santorini and Mykonos. Make sure you check out my Venice, Italy and Paris, France blog posts to see how the rest of our trip went! Additionally, I have posted our video Ryann’s 1st International Trip on our Youtube channel. Check it out to see footage of a lot of the things I talked about in this blog post.

As always, share, comment, like and subscribe!

Until next time,

xo Kenniqua