24 Hours in Athens, Greece: Spring Break Part 1 Travel Diary

July 10, 2020

“The deck was adorned with plants and overlooked the colorful buildings all around. The sun was going down so we got to experience the most beautiful sunset. It was such a surreal moment.”
Excerpt from 3/10/19

Athens was the first of three destinations during my spring break abroad. With only 24 hours in Athens, I was able tour the Acropolis, peruse the neighborhood of Plaka, hike up Mount Lycabettus, see the Panathenaic Stadium, and even sample several authentic Greek dishes.

In addition to the miraculously preserved ancient Greek ruins, one of the things that stood out the most to me during my 24 hours in Athens was the generosity of the locals. I talk about this more in-depth later in the post and in the podcast episode I did about Greece, but they treated my friends and me like family. Out of all the countries I traveled to in Europe, I felt the people in Greece were the nicest.

Places

Plaka

Plaka is a charming neighborhood located at the base of the Acropolis. Its quaint cobblestone streets contain all kinds of shops selling jewelry, clothes, and other locally crafted goods.

Even though Plaka isn’t the highest point in Athens, it serves up some incredible views. This photo was taken on the rooftop of a cafe my friends and I stopped at before dinner. Watching the gorgeous sunset from this spot was probably my favorite moment in Athens.

Plaka is also filled with tons of different restaurants, some of which spill out onto the adjacent sidewalks. Most of these restaurants are open quite late, and once it gets dark the streets come alive with lights every which way you turn.

Acropolis

The Acropolis contains the remains of several ancient Greek buildings that have been admired throughout the years for both their architectural beauty and historical significance. The best way I can describe the experience of walking around the Acropolis was it felt like I was completely transported back in time.

One of the most notable buildings in the Acropolis is the Parthenon, which is pictured both above and below. It was built during the peak of the Athenian Empire and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena.

Other buildings include Propylaea, Erechtheum, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Herodes Theatre. Many of these have buildings were constructed as far back as 400BC. It’s hard to wrap my head around just how old these buildings are, and it still blows my mind they are around to this day.

Tip: As a study abroad student in Europe, I was able to get admission into the Acropolis for free. Look into that if you are also studying abroad because it will save you a lot! From what I remember, tickets for adults were around 20 euros.

Panathenaic Stadium

This stadium is another historic attraction in Athens. It is the only stadium in the world built completely out of marble and was home to the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympic Games.

Mount Lycabettus

The pointed hill pictured below is know as Mount Lycabettus, and its summit is the highest point in all of Athens. If you love to hike or if you are looking for a 360 degree view of the entire city of Athens, then I highly recommend climbing to the top.

The summit of Mount Lycabettus is not very spacious. Pretty much all that is up there is a balcony for viewing, a pristine white chapel, and a restaurant that I did not look into but is probably very overpriced.

From the top you really can see everything in Athens: the ocean, the Acropolis, honestly just about everything I’ve already mentioned in this blog post. It’s breathtaking to say the least.

Food

Let me just preface this by saying that some of best food I ate while studying abroad was in Greece, both from Athens and Mykonos. Here are the dishes I tried during my 24 hours in Athens:

Moussaka

Moussaka reminds me a lot of lasagna because it has layers of meat, sauce, and cheese. Instead of pasta, however, the layers are traditionally eggplant and/or potatoes. It’s hearty and super satisfying.

Chicken Gyro Wrap

I grabbed this quick wrap on the go before making the hike up Mount Lycabettus. Chicken gyro, lettuce, french fries, and tzatziki were all wrapped up in a fresh piece of pita bread. It was SO good.

Grilled Shrimp

This dish was from a family-owned restaurant in Plaka that had been in business for over 150 years. The owners were incredibly kind and offered us free red wine when we sat down and a traditional Greek dessert after we had finished eating. I ordered the grilled shrimp, and I’ll admit I was a bit shocked when they served it to me with the eyes still in tact. It really doesn’t get any more fresh than that!

Greek Yogurt

I was a fan of Greek yogurt long before I ever visited Greece. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical of how much better it could actually taste in Greece, but man was I wrong. This bowl of creamy yogurt, walnuts, and drizzled honey was pure heaven. Normally I eat yogurt for breakfast, but this very well could have been dessert for how tasty it was.

Memories

Sampling different Greek dishes prepared by a local…
As we were walking through the streets of Plaka, we stopped inside a small shop with the sweetest woman working inside. She had an entire table set up with different Greek dishes prepared by her and her family. She explained what they all were and even let us sample them. The woman also showed us these gorgeous hand-painted wooden magnets painted by an old man who had recently passed away. I loved how authentic this shop was. Everything was handmade and unique, and that made the experience that much more special.
Jamming to the Mama Mia! soundtrack while hiking up Mount Lycabettus…
So there are two ways to get to the top of Mount Lycabettus: cable car or walk the steep and winding path. We decided to walk because the cable car cost money and we were up to the challenge. I consider myself a decently fit person, but I’ll admit I was winded by the time we reached the top. It is definitely doable though, so don’t be deterred. We passed the time by jamming to the Mama Mia! soundtrack, and before we knew it we were at the top.

Hope you enjoyed reading about by 24 hours in Athens! If you want to hear even more stories from the trip, listen to the episode below!