Impressions of Athens and some tips for Greece

While I’ve been in Greece for two and a half weeks, I’ve spent the majority of my time in and around Athens. I know there is so much more to discover here, but I’m saving that for a non-solo trip! So while I can’t speak to all of Greece, here are some bits from my time in Athens.

The room.

I like staying in AirBnB’s over hotels for most trips, especially a long one like this. Normally I would figure out a good neighborhood to stay in, then look for a place, but I locked in on this one early in my initial search around Athens due to its nice price and great reviews. After a little research into the neighborhood I decided to go for it and I definitely made a good choice! My apartment is in the Kolonaki neighborhood which is known for its posh shops and great dining. It’s also where many foreign embassies (including the U.S. one) and universities are. And what really sold me—I am surrounded by green! There is a small park right outside my gate, but I am also steps away from trails that wind up Mount Lycabettus. Add in the easy access to transit and this place fits me like Cinderella’s slipper. It’s a nice 1-bedroom with a garden patio, kitchen, fantastic shower, super cozy bed, and a washer. I am minutes away from coffee, bakeries, souvlaki, the grocer, fine dining…everything. And I feel safe here which is kind of important when traveling solo. 

That blue flag is my Athens home in Kolonaki! 

Sunset from Mount Lycabettus on my first night in Greece...I picked a GREAT place to stay!

Getting around.

I made my way around Athens mostly via metro, bus also via bus, tram, and ferry. All were foreigner-friendly, pretty clean, and reliable (except for one bus breakdown!). A lot of this infrastructure came about when they hosted the Olympics and seems to have been maintained well. In my time here, I’ve spent just under 45€ on getting around town the entire time, and that includes my 18€ to get to/from the airport on the metro (there is also an express airport bus that saves a few €, but I like the metro!). The pass I used afforded me unlimited rides across the transit system, so I didn’t really think about it much. I also spent 23€ on a fast ferry ticket to Aegina Island and 3.60€ on island busses while on the island. There are tons of taxis, but I didn’t use them as there just wasn't a need. Scooters and motorcycles rule the roads here—I was tempted to ask someone to zip me around town on the back of one, but figured that would be frowned upon by the hubs. Oh, and this isn’t the place to be glancing at your phone while trying to cross the road, even if it is “green” for pedestrians—cars want to turn and will, right along your thigh if they can! Also, when Google Maps says a walking route is "mostly flat" it's a lie--there are hills everywhere unless you're just walking straight down Kallirrois Street. I should have buns of steel after this trip (sadly, I left with buns of feta and spanakopita instead).

Ferries, trams, metro trains, busses, and my own two feet--it's easy to get around Athens!

So what are some things I learned about?

• Language--It's literally all Greek! A solid background in mathematics helped me with reading a bit, but the fact that the majority of the people around Athens, especially those with businesses, speak English to some degree really made my lack of fluency in Greek a non-issue.
• Toilets--Do not flush paper! The pipes are really old and narrow and just can't handle it. There is always a little bin right by the toilet for any paper to go in. Don't be grossed out—it's completely normal. We saw this in Central and South America as well, and it's even a practice here on Lehe Paine in the composting head for the ladies. 
• Are Greeks loud? You know, like in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding?" Maybe! But what that movie really got right was the food culture. Dining is a big, social, sharing event. This actually challenged me a little as a solo traveler as some places didn't have a lot of small plates so I had to order conservatively rather than getting the three or four things I really wanted. But it was so common for dinners to last hours (and start at 2100!) with people just sharing a bunch of dishes. I loved seeing that and can't wait to travel with my peeps so we can eat all the food together! And lots of places bring a shot of liquor and some sweets at the end of the meal and you won’t see it on your bill. 

There may have to be a post dedicated to this amazing food!

• While I'm on food...coffee. Greeks love their coffee! In my neighborhood there was one block with four cafes in a row, all packed and all serving up yummy pastries and coffee to clientele that would take away to work or linger in seats on the sidewalk for an hour or so. Freddo cappuccino was my favorite choice when out, but I also had a sweet Nespresso machine in my apartment so that I could make a morning cup and head right back to bed for some reading. 
  
• Grabbing a cheese pie or spinach pie (spanakopita) is easy on about every block. And so good. And for 0.50€ you can grab a koulouri, a bread ring loaded with sesame, from a street vendor, bakery, or cafe. 
• And for the love of all things holy, PLEASE stop mispronouncing gyro! It's like "YEE-roh" folks. Roll those r's and order a delicious pork gyro pita! 
• "Wolt" is like Uber Eats in Athens. I didn't use it because I didn't have a need to, but saw these guys everywhere on scooters and bikes. 



So much good coffee and take away!



• Corner convenience stands—You can get the newspaper, crisps, candy, ice cream, a razor, deodorant, beer, soda, pretty much anything at these little convenience kiosks that are all over the city. 
  
• Subway ruins—It’s said that you can’t put a shovel in the ground without hitting something of archaeological importance here. In the case of the subway system, they seem to have celebrated that and many have excavation features and displays showing what part of the ancient city you are in.



Monastiraki, Syntagma, and Evangelismos Metro stations were just a few of a the highlights.



• Smoking--Lots of people smoke, like a lot more than in the U.S. Ashtrays are on the tables and since I sat outside all the time it wasn't a big deal for me, but if that's going to get your panties in a bunch it's probably not a place for you to visit.
• Body image--I had forgotten how confident and amazing European women are! Women of all ages were baring their bellies during the heat wave and when I went to the beach I was wearing the most fabric out of the female beachgoers in the 40-60 age bracket...pretty impressive considering I had my daughter's bikini on. I am going to try to embrace my curves and lumps from here on out!
• Tattoos--I saw so many great tattoos! Mostly on the under 40 crowd and most all of them were really nice blackwork. It was a little hard to resist getting my own little souvenir!
• Trash—Rather than placing your residential bin out on the corner in Athens, there are pairs of dumpsters (one for trash, one for recycling) on just about every block. Folks just take their stuff down to them, step on the handy foot pedal to pop the top, and toss their trash in. Combine that with trash cans along the street and I thought it was all pretty clean. 



I just loved this concept for some reason!



• COVID--Can't travel globally without mentioning this. I thought COVID measures were handled well in the areas I visited. Masks were required on all public transportation and at some cultural events, and security did enforce it. Masks were also required inside businesses. That got a little tricky as so many are mostly open to the outdoors. Outdoor dining is the norm this time of year, and I don't think they really spaced the tables out any differently than normal. I didn't personally eat in any of the super packed tourist cafes and when I went out I picked a table or seat away from the main pedestrian path so I always felt comfortable. A lot of the locals wore masks out on the sidewalks and in the packed outdoor market, and I did as well. COVID testing to return to the U.S. was pretty easy to find and complete, and Greece has a country-wide max cost set on tests--60€ for PCR, 20€ for rapid antigen. 

So now that you know all of that, what does a solo gal do with 2+ weeks in Athens? I’ll get to that… 😉

~Jo, 1st Mate and solo wanderer