We arrived at the end of our cruise in Athens. A driver picked us up with our guide for our day tour of the city. Here are my top 5 tips to spending 1 day in Athens:
1) Visit the Panathinaikon Olympic Stadium where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. Each year, the Olympic flame is brought here as well. So when you're in an Olympic stadium, you have to have a race, right?
Let your kids win! There is also a small museum where all of the torches from both the summer and winter Olympic games are on display.
2) Next, visit the Acropolis. This is the iconic temple you see in photos of Athens. It did not disappoint in person! It is a little bit of a hike to the top of the hill but once there, you have a breathtaking view of not only the buildings, but of the entire city as well. They do have a public restroom at the top.
3) Right across the street is the Acropolis Museum which we really enjoyed. It had interesting dioramas that showed what the buildings would have looked like back in the day as well as lots of other statues.
4)Try out the local cafes and get us some Greek food, (my kids were not fans!) and then do a little shopping in the area. Gelato, baklava, (which was delicious) and some Greek gyros were our favorite foods.
5) Go swimming near Poseidon's Temple. All 5 of us took a nap on the hour drive. Greek beaches are not like ours here in America - very rocky, with the groomed sand only available for those who pay for the chairs.
But once you get in the water - it's all rocky again. Our secret? Bring water shoes to wear in the ocean...it will save your feet!
But once you get in the water - it's all rocky again. Our secret? Bring water shoes to wear in the ocean...it will save your feet!
Bonus Tip: If you are flying out the next day, stay at the Sofitel Athens Airport Hotel which was directly across the street from the Athens Airport.
I had the BEST dinner at the hotel restaurant...I'm still thinking about the flavors of that meal! The hotel brought us breakfast boxes at 3:30 in the morning since our flight home was at 5:30. We ate in our room and then crossed the street to the airport. The Athens airport is much smaller than I expected and incredibly easy to navigate and check in.