My Travel Notes from Athens - Greece

Hello friends. I want to share my memories from our vacation in Athens, the capital of Greece. Our journey to Athens began in a rather unusual way. There are three ways you can travel from Thessaloniki to Athens: by train, plane or car. The flight takes less than an hour, while the train lasts about 5 hours and driving takes around 5-6 hours. We decided to take the train and our journey began at the Thessaloniki train station.

To be honest compared to train stations in Germany, Italy and France, this one looks quite simple. Maybe that's a good thing. There are only a few platforms, so it’s impossible to get lost, but the scenery isn’t very inspiring. I could never figure out which platform I needed to go to because the signs were either broken or unreadable. But this situation created a fun opportunity to chat with the train staff. The Thessaloniki train station has a much simpler structure compared to other European train stations. Perhaps this is an advantage because it’s easy to figure out where you need to go. I was in a hurry to find out which platform the train to Athens would depart from. It usually departs from the same platform, but it’s still necessary to double-check. As usual we jumped on the train at the last minute, with about 4.5 hours of travel ahead of us.

Since these were domestic trains, we preferred to find our seats and carriage after boarding. The seats were comfortable, reclining backwards and some had tables in the middle. On our return trip, we took a slightly different type of train. Nearly 5 hours later we arrived in Athens. I think there is only one main train station in the city. It looked a bit bigger than the Thessaloniki train station.

We quickly headed toward the metro station. The metro station is really close by, named Larissa. A metro ticket costs 4 Euros and 10 cents, ideal for a day of travel. The first thing we did was validate our metro tickets. Interestingly, as in many cities across Europe, in the Athens metro, you need to validate your ticket both when entering and exiting. The remaining time on our ticket was also displayed. We wanted to quickly reach our hotel. This time we chose a budget-friendly hotel. Other hotels cost between 100 and 150 Euros per night. Some offered views of the Acropolis or the Parthenon. Our hotel, however, cost only 62 Euros, including breakfast. It was centrally located, just a 2-minute walk from the metro. After resting for a bit, we set off toward the city's most famous site, the Acropolis and arrived at Monastiraki Square. This is one of the liveliest areas in Athens. Here you’ll find the Monastiraki metro station and of course, the Acropolis Hill and the Parthenon Temple. And the Roman Forum and the Temple of Hephaestus are nearby. An interesting detail: the metro line actually passes through ancient ruins!

The Acropolis is a hill 156 meters high, 300 meters long and 170 meters wide. It was a place where ancient Greek kings worshipped and made sacrifices to their gods. Today, it is preserved as a historical monument. The main structures were built in the 5th century BC, but many were damaged over time due to wars. The Parthenon Temple is under constant restoration. Also the Theater of Dionysus is here, one of the oldest theaters in the world.

We then moved toward the Roman Forum. This area was constructed during the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus between 19-11 bc. It was used for trade, but not many ruins remain today. Still it’s a pleasant walking area and offers a beautiful view of the Acropolis.

Next we walked toward the Temple of Hephaestus. Built between 460-420 bc, this temple was likely designed by the same architect. It originally contained bronze statues, but with the advent of Christianity, the temple was converted into a church. Now it’s a tourist area.

Then we passed through Ermou Street, the city’s most famous shopping street. It’s a beautifully landscaped street, an ideal spot for tourists to stroll. Along the street, you'll find affordable shops, cafes and restaurants. Passing through here, we reached Syntagma Square. This is the most important square in Athens. Every year, nationwide New Year celebrations are broadcast from here. However, at night this area can be dangerous, with risky characters often seen.

Near the square, you’ll find the Greek Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Every hour, there is a changing of the guard ceremony. Then, we headed toward the National gardens. This is the green heart of the city, a perfect escape on hot days. The park contains turtles, ponds and rare plant species. Passing through here we reached the Panathenaic Stadium. Built in the 4th century bc, this stadium is the only one in the world made entirely of white marble. The modern Olympic Games were held here.

As evening fell the city’s energy increased. The nightlife is vibrant and fun. We climbed Mount Lycabettus. At the top there’s a small church, the Church of St. George. From the summit you can see a stunning view of Athens. There’s also a restaurant here, a nice spot to take a break. You can use the funicular to reach the top, especially helpful in hot weather when walking might be difficult.

Later we headed toward the Polytechnic University. This is where a significant political uprising occurred in 1973. And the National Archaeological Museum is one of the city’s key sites, displaying over 20000 artifacts. Finally we visited the Port of Athens, called Piraeus. This is Greece’s largest port and many ferries and passenger ships depart from here. It’s an ideal starting point for traveling between the islands. Around the port there are lovely restaurants, cafes and private yachts. When the wind blows, this area becomes quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, it was time for us to leave Athens. Our return train was waiting. I hope you enjoyed this post.