Athens and Hydra – 9 days/8 nights
Trip Information
Before you go
No visa is required for Greece for EU and UK travellers. US citizens may enter Greece without a visa for tourist stays up to 90 days.
The EU has a common set of visa rules which apply to short stays (up to 90 days in any 180-day period) and for transit through international transit areas of airports in the Schengen area. The Schengen area applies to 29 European countries including Greece.
Key note; it is expected in early 2025 all non-EU citizens (UK, US etc) will need an ETIAS authorisation from the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. This will be required if entering any country in the EU. It’s just a pre-screening check and can be obtained via Travel Europe . The cost is expected to be £6/€7/$8 but will be free to those under 18 or over 70 and will be valid for three years. This info is subject to change so please check for updates via the ETIAS website.
Departing Flight Information
For those familiar with our travels we generally always do a Meet and Greet at departure airports. They can cost the same as off-site parking depending on how far in advance you book and deals that are available. We prefer Meet and Greet as you don’t have the hassle of waiting for a transfer bus, they are reliable and so much easier pulling right up to the terminal or when you depart and your car is waiting there for you. This trips parking was via Compare The Airport Parking and for nine days cost £90. We generally never use the same Meet and Greet company as prices vary so use a few different search sites such as Holiday Extras or Purple Parking. It’s worth registering an email with them as they do provide good discount codes for future use.
We use an American Express for our travel bookings as any spend means points which equal prizes ie discount on travel and accommodation and depending on which card you choose Amex provide Priority Pass lounge membership with at least four free passes per year.
Flight Arrival Information
This trip was a London Luton flight to Athens International with Ryanair found initially through our favourite holiday search engine Skyscanner but was booked directly with the airline. You can book via Skyscanner but as we have accounts with multiple airlines our personal details ie Passport, address etc is already pre-loaded.
Flight costs were £300/€360/$389 per person but this included seat selection and one 20kg checked luggage. Cheaper flights of circa £200/€240/$259 are available if choosing an early morning/later night flight or if you’re flexible on departure/arrivals airports.
Flight time is circa 4hrs direct from the UK.
Trip Information
Athens airport is modern with only two terminals and is easy to navigate. Baggage claim and Security/Customs through Athens International is generally quick and you can expect an exit from the airport within 30-60 minutes of arrival.
There are plenty of taxis outside the arrivals terminal but as this was a night arrival and our first trip to Athens we booked an Uber just as we walked out of the terminal and it was there within minutes. The regular taxis (Yellow cars) are Ubers but booking via the Uber app lets you know exactly the cost and allows to make payment in your choosing. Cost into the Kallimarmoro area of central Athens where we were staying (very close to the Panathenaic Stadium) was €43/£36/$46 and took around 20 minutes.
You can catch the Metro Line 3 (Blue Line) which connects the airport to the city centre (Syntagma Square) with a one way ticket costing €9/£8/$10 and takes around 40 minutes. Tickets can be purchased at the airport ticket booths or via machines at the station. Further details on public transport can be found here at Transport for Athens.
Arrival to our Airbnb was around 10pm but as this is a lively European city the restaurants are open until late so we walked a few minutes to Varnava Square where they had live music and a great atmosphere with many families dining. A hearty meal of bread, olives, salmon, cod and roasted vegetables with a carafe of white wine was €40/£36/$46 and a great way to kick of our Greek adventure.
Euro at the time €1 = £0.85/$1.07US. Contactless payments are the easiest form of payment and we recommend the use of Revolut for the best exchange rates and no fees. Tipping is common in restaurants with an average 5-10% depending on the level of service and of course what you are prepared to pay.
Practical Advice & Tips
Like Rome, Paris, London and New York walking is the best way to experience a city but using public transport does help getting around with ease and Athens has a very good metro and tram system.
The metro has three lines in Athens with stations across all the main neighbourhoods. The Blue line connects all the popular areas of the city centre and the Port of Piraeus as well as the airport. We recommend the use of the Stasy website to plan your city trips and the tram is an excellent way to travel with Syntagma the central point to catch it.
Public transport tickets are available at any of the metro stations, tram and bus stops, train stations and newsagents and ticket prices are much cheaper than most major cities. Ticket options include:
Where to stay
There is a plethora of accommodation choices in Athens so it really comes down to budget and which area you want to stay.
We chose to stay in an AirBnB in Kallimarmoro due to its large rooftop terrace and uninterrupted and amazing views of the Acropolis and proximity to the Panathenaic Stadium.
If you prefer a hotel over an AirBnB we recommend these hotels by budget:
£££££ The Dolli at Acropolis is a 1925 neoclassical mansion transformed into an amazing hotel with a rooftop restaurant and infinity pool with breath-taking views of Athens and the Panthenon.
££££ Ergon House located near Monastiraki Square is a modern stylish hotel with a fantastic restaurant and rooftop bar with views of the Acropolis. If you love food you’ll love Ergon as it has a large atrium area with bakers, butchers, greengrocers and fishmongers with chefs on hand to prepare the food you’ve purchased.
£££ Acropolis View Hotel a simple but lovely hotel with a rooftop terrace with amazing views of the Acropolis with some rooms offering a balcony view.
££ Sweet Home Hotel is a charming hotel in the Plaka area with comfy beds, a great breakfast and is located in a quiet street but close to the main attractions and many bars, cafes and restaurants.
£ Phaedra Hotel is also located in Plaka near the Acropolis Museum and the Temple of Zeus. Basic but comfortable hotel that if you’re on a tight budget is a perfect stay for exploring Athens and it even has a rooftop terrace with views of the Acropolis.
What to do
You can buy tickets at the various sites around the city from ticket offices as you go but we recommend
buying a multi-pass from Headout.
The Headout site provides you with clear options of the things you might like to do, costs, reviews and ratings and also gives you timed slots for the Acropolis and access into multiple other sites around the city.
You can also purchase a multi-site pass from Hellenic Heritage who provide tickets for archaeological sites all over Greece from timed visits to the Acropolis and slopes to Crete and the Aegean Islands.
Athens is a unique and a must visit city being the birthplace of democracy, science, arts and western philosophy with its wonderful blend of a modern metropolis and ancient history. There are a plethora of islands to visit in Greece but we loved Hydra due to its proximity to Athens but still an unspoilt beautiful island with amazing food, atmosphere and breath-taking Saronic Gulf views. If you want a place to relax with superb restaurants and bars or to source your own fresh food and wine for dining on your own sea view terrace then Hydra is a perfect destination to finish your Greek adventure.
Athens (named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom) is Europe’s oldest capital city inhabited for nearly 8000 years and it is a vast city of around 3 million residents with 6 million visitors a year set in a valley surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges and on the fourth by the Saronic Gulf. The […]
Within a few minutes walk from the historical centre, where we recommend the AirBnB, you arrive at the amazing Panathenaic Stadium, also known as the Olympic Stadium, which you can see very clearly from the outside or if you wish to go in you can buy tickets there for €10/£8.50/$11. You can’t buy tickets to […]
If you’re travelling in the summer have a morning start for a trip to the Acropolis and to the Parthenon. The multi-pass ticket online via Headout or Hellenic Heritage are the recommended options as they give a timed entry. There is a ticket booth near the site but there can be long queues and a […]
Three nights and four days in Hydra (pronounced Ee-dra). A beautiful island just 90 minutes ferry from the Athens Port of Piraeus. The Port of Piraeus dates back to 2000-3000 BC and is the largest passenger port in Europe. Piraeus metro station is located next to the port and there is a direct Express bus […]
A must see on your visit to Athens and where you should set aside some good time to wander is the Ancient Agora which is a large site and one of the most important of the Greek capital located northwest of the Acropolis between the neighborhoods of Thissio and Monastiraki. Entrance is included in the […]