Athens ?

albalad

thanks to jamjars post http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=50094

We are going to Athens for a long weekend and would like to know if anyone has any personal experiences here good or bad
i would like recommendations on where to stay (area and hotels), travel to and from the Airport, any great wee restaurants that you know of, where to go ..... all the tips that only come from experience .
I have been told that plaka is the best area to stay - do you agree ?

Jay-Jay_4

It's almost 13 years since I went to Athens but yes, the Plaka is the best place to be. It's the square in the middle of all the action. I stayed near Amonia Square and found that I could either walk or get to where I wanted to be on the tube.

The ...ummm....fourth time I went I was on my own...a 17 yr old girl, alone in Athens. I found it quite safe and there was plenty of places tp stay and lots to eat and drink.

Athens is quite a dirty city, after a few days you blow your nose and muck comes out (TMI?) but it's a good base for getting around. It's a shortish ride on the metro to get to the port and from there you can nip over to an island for the day/night.
Last time I went I got the bus to the airport (a greek chap took me :eek: can't remember where I picked him up ) but it was a very simple short journey and no hassle.

Have a look here for some advice.

albalad

Thanks jay-jay

Anyone else been ? still looking for recommendations

blindman

I went last November, I'm looking for the info I amassed, with no luck so far.

From what I remember:

Airport to Plaka, cheapest is by bus. Takes about 30-40 mins. There is a faster\more expensive train and metro.

You buy a 24 card (I think) at the airport which gives you unlimited travel for that period.

Metro is now reasonable (4 lines)and gets you to the Olympic village and all over.

I stayed in the Marriott thanks to priceline (successful bid of £43.00- total per night £50) which was a little way out of town but 4*

I bought (:eek: ) the Lonely Planets Athens pocket guide and used restaurants from there.

I also downloaded an Athens guide from the Rough guide site for free which I still have, but it's nearly 8Mb so can't email it.

If I find my info I'll post more.

bylromarha

Bus from airport, but there is a ticket you can buy to use for 24 hours on buses and trains. Plaka is okay to stay, but more expensive. We stayed in a nice hotel on Athinas, 2 mins walk to subway, wonderful view of Parthenon. Can't remember the name though, but on tip of my tongue...sorry! If you look into it and find hotels on Athinas, then pm me and I'll tell you if it was ours or not!

jonnibgood

I stayed at the Best Western Elysium Design Hotel - it's located very close to Omonia metro station which is one of the most central on the metro network and you can get anywhere easily and quickly. If you want to to walk to the plaka its a nice walk and only about 15 minutes. I walked everywhere infact.

In the room, the bathroom/ shower was great as was the extensive breakfast served on the roof garden. The staff were very helpful and the rooms are clean and in good shape but the room was really small and can also be quite noisy with noise from the street and the tiled floors internally, although I am sure the air con is good in summer. It also had cable TV and wireless broadband connectivity and vending machine with a wide range of food, drink even champagne. Overall it was good for the price.

I found the best way to get there from the airport was to use the new triain link service - straight into the centre of athens, very clean and efficient service. If you get a cab once in the centre, they are very reasonable too.

NOw onto food -

Athinaikon near Omonia square (on Themistokleous) was great - real traditional food, lots of greeks there and a great atmospehere and good prices. Located

In Plaka I went to Saita located a block from Nikis street on the corner of Kydatheneon and Sotiros - its a basement restaurant with great food and wine from the barrel.

ALso in PLaka I went to Platanos. To find it walk down Adrianou towards Monistiriki. Turn left on Mysicleos street and then take your first right which is Diogenous street. It's in the platia. Great place to eat at night. Be sure to sit outside unless it is cold.

I went to other restaurants as well, but cant recall their names at the moment - the meat market and its surrounds is also a great place to grab a bite as are many of the places on the front in Piraeus.

Hope this helps!

albalad

thanks everyone for replying , bylromarha have sent you a Pm - will have a search for the greek agency you mentioned in pm,
thanks again blindman and jonnibgood

blindman

One tip I forgot.



When visiting the Acropolis either

1 Get there as early as possible to avoid both the crowds and the heat.
2 Go for the last hour as it will be floodlit, coolish and no crowds.