Things to Know Before Coming to Athens

Updated: Jun 11

Athens has over 7 million visitors each year. Known for its deep-rooted history, the oldest city in the world has come a long way. It is now an extremely popular city in its own right, and is not just a place for a layover, before flying to visit one of the Greek islands. Over the years, Athens has really adapted to be a versatile city for everyone, with its archaelogical sites, to its roof top bars, local tavernas with traditional greek music, and its bustling shops. I have been lucky enough to visit athens numerous times, with family, friends and even on solo trips. So naturally, I have acquired a bit of knowledge on things to know before coming to Athens! I hope you find these useful so lets go !

Athens experiences a Mediterranean climate. It has hot and dry summers and mild winters. The best times to visit would be in spring from April- June and autumn from September to November. This will give you nice warm, dry days with cooler evenings, but without the need to layer up too much, and it is a lot less busy with tourists at these times giving you a much more local authentic experience. When I came back in January this year, I wore just a gym set with a light jacket, and during the afternoon I had to take my jacket off as it was super warm, especially compared to the temperatures in the UK. Mamma was not amused !! It was still chilly at night so a light jacket is deffo needed, especially If you are making the most of the rooftop bars or alfresco dining. Saying that most of the restaurants have gas heaters to keep you warm even when you are dining outside.

Athens has a fabulous network of public transportation, with trains, trams and buses. The city itself is also extremely walkable, with most of the main sights being easily accessible on foot. Chances are, you will be staying in the city centre so you may not even need the metro to visit most places, but if you are staying just outside of the city then it is worth noting that a weeks’ city pass is only 12 euros. This is what I have used on my most recent visit (March) as I am staying in Victoria, so although only 2 metro stops away from Monistiraki, it is way more convieient to use the metro than to walk back to my apartment (especially if I am on a time crunch or have heavy bags from the super market!). Saying that, it is a really easy walk, it just doesn’t take you through some of the best areas in Athens (so I have been told to stick to the metro! LOL.)

Athens is home to some of the best Greek food around. Don't forget to try some of the local dishes such as gemista, moussaka, spanakopita, dolmades etc. of course try the ouzo, Greek frappe and souvlaki/gyros too but dont just stick to these. If you want the real Greek experience, ask your waiter to select 5-6 small plates or meze as they call it (the more the better) - you will be eating like a true local in no time. Yes the gyros is delicious, but no, you shouldn’t eat it for every single meal. Maybe keep it for your cheap, quick and convenient grab and go lunch breaks, and indulge in delicious Greek meze in the evening.

Greeks like to eat late. If you head to a restaurant around 6-7pm chances are it will be empty and there will be no entertainment. If you want the full Greek experience, aim to head out around 9pm for the optimal dining time. But do remmeber, the restaurants will be busier. If you are set on one particular restaurant you want to visit, then I would recommend booking ahead just to guarantee your table, however if you’d rather stroll around and pick somewhere in the moment, then you will still definitely get a seat somewhere so don’t worry.

It is common etiquette in Greece to leave a small tip for good service of around 5-10% of the bill price. What I like about tipping in Greece or most places in Europe as opposed to those in America is that they don't expect it. Yes sure it is etiquette to, and maybe if you don't tip, they may check in to see if everything was okay with the service you received, but they don't ask for it. The card machine doesn’t ask if you would like to tip either, so it can be completely at your discretion, and you can even just leave some change as a tip if you want to. Everything is appreciated in Greece, even in the major cities like Athens.

Athens is a very safe city for tourists, and has one of the lowest crime rates in common major cities. However, like most places, crime still happens. Be vigilant, be aware of your surroundings and keep your personal belongings close. Remmeber you will naturally be a bit more of a target as a tourist. (You can see more on my Athens safety video or my solo travelling video at Georgia Louise Travels on You Tube).

If travelling by metro from the airport to the city, you will need a separate train ticket. The current cost of this is 9 euros. If you use your city pass, the barriers at the airport will not let you through.

Athens is an extremely walkable city. I previously visited for a week and the only time I used my city weekly pass was the day my friend bought it for me because he wanted to take the train. Bear in mind, we were only going one stop, and later in the week we decided to walk as the weather was nice.

You will never run out of things to do in Athens so do plan accordingly. Don't assume you will see the whole of Athens in just 2 days… take the time to truly explore Greece’s capital city. If you do only have 48 hours to spend in Athens, you can watch my video on the best way to spend 48 hours in Athens over on You Tube at Georgia Louise Travels, however, I still recommend you come back again and explore even more!

In some bakeries/cafes, it is cheaper to buy your coffee and pastry to go as opposed to sitting in the restaurant. This is because you will pay for table service if choosing to sit in. If you are on a super tight budget, this is something to consider. You can get a coffee for between 1-2 euros for take out, but 3-4 euros if you chose to sit in.

Explore beyond the city… I came to Athens for the first time in a while a couple months ago and stuck mainly to the city on foot. Whilst this was a fab start to my solo travel journey and ticking off all the usual sites, I obviously came back for a reason. I came back to explore more of what the mainland has to offer. I will be spending the next 8 days visiting little neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the city, as well as taking day trips to Delphi, Meteora and Piraeus. (These will all be available to view on You Tube at Georgia Louise Travels very soon).