Its not always easy when you come to Greece and you have only a day in Athens. Υou start to wonder what to do and what to see.
Well if you come early on in your day, it is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the day. Right after your check in and if you are not too jet lag from your trip, get a map from the front desk and start your journey into the ancient past of Athens, to end it in Modern Athens.
From the hotel, cross the road and you will find yourself in the area of Monastiraki, the big flea market with shops selling retro clothes, shoes and jewelry! Through the narrow streets of Monastiraki, without knowing, you will find yourself in Plaka where the stoned streets have tons of souvenir shops, jewelry shops and view some of the ruins that will lead you to the gates of the Acropolis & the doors of the New Acropolis Museum. Visiting the museum first will give a better understanding of the Acropolis & the Parthenon with all the facts & artifacts that many have never been seen!
Walking back to the hotel, stop and have a seat at a café or have a bite to eat at a small tavern in Thisio in which they all have a magnificent view of the Acropolis.
Come back to the O&B to enjoy a light snack at the O&B Athens All Day Bar Restaurant and then have some rest from a long day of history, so as to be ready in the evening to experience the Greek Nightlife! Stroll through the narrow streets of Psiri, the old small factory area, now converted to the best nightlife area of Athens! Every corner there is a bar, tavern with live music or a club. Later you can walk to Gazi to enjoy an all night long party at its bars & clubs. In the morning we will be waiting for you, here at the O&B.
Since you have a couple of days to soak in the ancient sites of Athens you can plan your days in Athens with ease.
Best time to visit the Acropolis is in the morning (especially in summer) but before you start climbing, take your time and visit the New Acropolis Museum that gives you a guideline about Greek history & of Acropolis. Take a breather and have a seat at the museum’s café with the best view in the city! The other major archaeological sites are near by to see.
A new day in Athens, find your way to the Parliament at Syntagma, where you will find the known Evzones; every hour there is the change of guards with very interesting steps and timing! If your stay has a Sunday in it, then you must definitely go to see the change of guards at 11.00 am although you can see the change of guards at any time (every hour) everyday, it is Sunday that is the impressive one that should not be missed!
Walk through Plaka and Monastiraki to pick up a few souvenirs for your loved ones back home and admire the neoclassical buildings and houses in the area and have seat to give your legs a break from so much walking and have a bite to eat in the old city! After take a stroll to National Archaeological Museum which has some of the most important artifacts of Ancient & Modern History of Greece!
If you are here for a Sunday, you can not miss the downtown flea market that begins from early morning until the afternoon. You will find the flea market right at your feet beginning from Leokoriou Str. and all through Monastiraki & Plaka!
Take a trip for a few hours to the high society area of Kolonaki, where you will find all the fashion names located on different corners. Kolonaki has filled with café-bars & restaurants are and it is one of the famous hangouts of Greek Stars. Next to Kolonaki, you will find the new department store, where all the top brand names in fashion, accessories, make-up and perfumes are all in one. Attica is nice department store when you want to do some shopping and the weather is not at its greatest.
Night time in Athens is when everything and everyone comes alive! Wander through Gazi, the intense nightlife area and Psiri, a labyrinth of small streets that are filled with bars, clubs & taverns with live music! Taste the authentic foods & spirits of Greece.
So many days and so many things to see and do…but when you are staying in Athens for more than 4 days, you will have to walk to the New Acropolis Museum and you will have to climb up to the Parthenon in one day and will have had a better understanding of Ancient Greece & its history. You can take the stroll back to the hotel through the Ancient & Roman Agora.
You can start another day with the National Archaeological Museum that will show you that different historical of Greece from ancient time until the neo classical works of art.
Walking around all of Athens to see the historical sites and learning the small streets of the city, we can say that you have become a natural-born Athenian but sometimes there is a need for a break and return back to Modern Society.
Take a stroll down Ermou Street which is Athens’ downtown main area of shopping, with 100s of commercial shops with clothes, accessories, shoes, make-up and a whole lot of things.
Find your way through the streets of Plaka & Monastiraki enjoy the retro shops that you may find there and enjoy a cup of coffee and have fun watching the locals selling their merchandise! If your stay has a Sunday in it, you can start a new day wandering through the largest flea market of the week, where everyone is selling anything at every corner! Through Leokoriou str to Monastiraki & Plaka! While you are walking through the flea market, find your way to Syntagma Square and in front of the Parliament. Best suggestion would be to be there by 11.00 am where the Evzones do their most impressive change of guards and where they wear their most formal of uniforms although you can see the change of guards at any time (every hour) everyday, it is Sunday that is the impressive one that should not be missed!
In the evening after a short rest, there are many places to go a have a bit to eat. Walking through the old streets of Psiri and finding yourself surrounded by cafés, taverns, bars & clubs and in the midst of all this, you will see the old small factories that have sat and watched the area change into a modern hip party area! Your choice for more party will be Gazi and its lots of bars and clubs!
Staying many days in Athens will help give you a sense of an everyday life of a Greek and watch what they enjoy doing throughout the day.
To have a little change in climate, many days of history can to be a lot, so take a trip with a tour guide or by yourself to the little islands that are close by. Aegina, Hydra & Poros are the closest and most popular islands near Athens and they have a constant schedule that runs daily. Aegina is the biggest of the 3 islands and about 45 minutes by hydrofoil. It has many artisan shops, cafés & taverns and of course in the summer its many beaches. Hydra is a small picturesque island where no cars or motorcycles are allowed and during the summer not even bicycles! It is about 2.5 hours from Athens with the hydrofoil but it is well worth going for the day especially in the summer for swimming!
Last but not least, Poros, an island next to Hydra of about 30 minutes by boat, if you want to see an another island, just hop on a small little boat to take you to Poros to enjoy the nice beaches & great water sports.
After a longer day island hopping, enjoy a quiet meal at the O&B Athens All Day Bar Restaurant or in your room! Or freshen up and head to the Gazi area, the new and upcoming party night area with many bars, clubs & restaurants!
If you do not feel like taking a boat to see the sea there are two areas of Athens that you can go to and enjoy café, something to eat or partying.
You can travel by taxi to Mikrolimano (the small port), in Piraeus, where there is a strip of café bars and restaurants.
If your holiday in Athens is all about sightseeing then you have come to the best location. O&B Athens Boutique Hotel is located just a few steps from some of the most important historical sites of the world. A history that can tell you about the birth of philosophy, mathematics, democracy just these few that change civilization.
There are different ways to see Athens; you can arrange a group tour guide to show you around, arrange a private tour guide or by yourself.
Going by yourself you can incorporate walking and the new Athens Hop-on Hop-off Bus that goes to all the major sites of Athens, or you can choose a group tour when you arrive in Athens.
If you are planning to have a tour with a private guide you can request the O&B team to arrange it for you in advance; otherwise, upon your check-in we can discuss with you all the sightseeing choices that you have while in Athens!
Sometimes travel is not always for leisure so, the O&B Athens Boutique Hotel has opened its new Business Lounge with meeting space and complimentary wi-fi for the businessman & woman that comes to visit this grande metropolis.
We have also created for you a Business Lunch so as to host your meeting at O&B Athens Boutique Hotel.
The hotel is located next to two main metro stations which is Monastiraki (Line 1 & 3 – underground) that can take you to and from the airport directly or you can choose Thissio station that takes you directly to the Port of Piraeus.
We are located in the heart of downtown and next to some very important buildings such as the Parliament, the Greek Stock Market (Sofokelous) and the National Bank of Greece (headquarters). By taxi, you can reach all areas in Athens - downtown by foot and the suburbs by taxi (20-25 minutes).
We have ensured that during your business trip, you are fully equipped from adaptors to cell phones and that your trip is as smooth as possible.
When you visit a city for a city break, you do not want much to do but wander around the city and maybe party until dawn.
When you arrive in Athens, check in and take your first steps into the metropolis area where you are surrounded by bars, clubs, restaurants, and a lot of shopping.
If you have not visited the Acropolis, start your day walking through Thisio & Monastiraki and perhaps have seat and have a cup of coffee with the view of Acropolis.
Continue your walk to the Acropolis but first visit the New Acropolis Museum that will give a good understanding of the history of the Acropolis & the Parthenon and cross the walkway and you will find yourself at the gates of one of the wonders of the world.
Continue your day wandering through the streets of Plaka and find your way to Ermou Street, the infamous shopping district! From Ermou, walk to the high society area of Kolonaki, where all the brand names are located if your wallet can handle it!
So much shopping brings thirst so sit a classy café of Kolonaki and sightsee from your seat the ladies with the million of bags running around from shop to shop. Perhaps have sit and have a little lunch in a near by restaurant.
Take a day to go towards the seaside of Glyfada, the nouveau-riche area, with great café-bars and few restaurants! It is the famous place to be especially in the summer because when summer comes to Greece, all the major night clubs move to the seaside. Clubs with view of the sea! What else can anyone ask for?
After a good siesta, you are ready to explore the Greek Nightlife use O&B as your starting point. You can choose Psiri or Gazi or both if you can handle it!
Psirri is the old night life spot of the city! Its labrynth of narrow streets takes in a world of music and food! At every corner you will find a club, bar, tavern or ice cream shop!
Gazi is the new area of nightlife in the old Athens Gasworks area where you will find bars & restaurants with a different aura to it.
Firstly, congratulations!!! The O&B Team wishes all the best!
Even if Athens is your starting point or your ending point, there is so much to do and so much romance to feel in Athens, even if Athens is a big metropolis city.
Of course, you will do all the basic sightseeing of Athens, starting with the Acropolis, Ancient Agora, the New Acropolis Museum and so many more to see. So you can take a nice “romantic” private tour of Athens to see all the major sites of Athens just the two of you.
Spend a day down by the seaside near the Glyfada where there are café bars right on the sea and have a café or share a drink for two and watch the sunset in the sea.
You can spend your time in Mikrolimano where you can watch the sea while you have dinner or just to have a drink. Mikrolimano has a long strip that is just filled with café-bars and just around the corner is a strip that is filled with grill restaurants and seafood restaurants! Where you can seat have a romantic dinner admiring the sea and the amazing yachts in the port.
You can walk around the Thisio & Monstiraki area and enjoy the retro shops that are there and perhaps buy a few souvenirs for your loved ones back home. In the Thisio area, you will find small little mezodopolia with amazing view of the Acropolis lit up in the night.
Psiri area is filled with music and food and if you fill like just letting loose, try one of the many taverns with live Greek music and its authentic Greek food!
Anywhere you walk, in any area, at any time it can be filled with romance the O&B way.