ATHENS
Greece is a hotspot for summer travels but surprisingly this year was my first time visiting! In June, we spent 2 days in Athens and 3 days in Mykonos so let’s get into it.
Athens – the capital of Greece and where you’ll get your Ancient Greek fix, it’s worth spending a few days here before you visit the islands.
We stayed in Athens Warehouse Boutique Hotel close to Omonoia Metro, meaning you’re 1 stop away (or a short walk) from the City centre attractions. It’s an affordable intimate boutique hotel with a nice breakfast selection and great staff. Our room was a 2 bed apartment with a balcony and everything we needed. You just have to keep your wits about you when walking around this area at night.
What to see and do in Athens:
Experience Ancient Greece – you can buy a multi site ticket for £30 to visit the main sights around Athens over 5 days. This includes the Acropolis, Aeropagus Hill, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Ancient Agora, Hadrian’s library, Roman Agora and more. Alternatively you can buy individual entrance tickets for the places you want to visit and if you’re an under 25 EU citizen, entry is free.
Climb Mount Lycabettus – for an amazing sunset view over Athens. You can get the cable car from Telerifik for 10 euros both ways. There’s also a couple of restaurants up there or just enjoy the 360 degree viewpoint.
Walk around Plaka – the old historic district below the Acropolis – for shopping, food, drink and live entertainment day and night.
Shop in Athens Flea Market – this market had so many good stalls and shops as well as cute cafes, fresh juice stores and more. It’s opposite the more touristy markets where you can also get really nice souvenirs.
Visit the National Gardens – quite a relaxing place to enjoy in the summer.
Changing of the Guards opposite Syntagma Square – just up from the National Gardens.
Visit Little Kook – a neon street which has themed cafes, dessert and ice-cream shops, souvenirs and more. It was Alice in Wonderland themed when we visited. It’s so vibrant and fun but also much cooler in real life than I can describe!
Where we ate and drank:
It felt like we barely ate anywhere! We had hotel breakfasts, snacks from corner shops or in the markets during our sightseeing and lots of sweet treats along the way. But here’s a few places to note:
Diodos Ancient Agora – it’s opposite the Roman Agora but not mad expensive and the food was amazing. That whipped Greek yoghurt was dreamy!
Traditional Greek Taverns in Plaka area – there’s plenty to choose from..the live music, all Greek customers and red checkered table cloths are a good sign!
Ice-cream at Bufala Gelato – you can have ice-cream made from Buffalo milk – it’s really good.
Psyri is a great night spot for drinks. We had drinks at Praxitelous which was intimate with a live DJ set.
We came across an Athens Pride DJ set in Platia Kotzia which seems like a square which always has events on.
MYKONOS
This was the part of the trip I was most excited about for many reasons. Mykonos has a reputation of being pricey and a party island and whilst these are true, it is also beautiful and has a nice charm to it. It gets very windy so do pack something to cover up for the evenings!
We took a ferry (Fast Ferries) from Piraeus Port in Athens to Mykonos which was 3.5 hours long. Ferries are a great way to move between the Greek islands and without the hassle of the flying!
We stayed in Ilio Maris Hotel – an intimate hotel walking distance from the old Town. From the outdoor bar swimming pool and lounge area, you get a great view over the windmills which is ideal during sunset. The hotel itself is lovely and the staff are so friendly.
What to see and do in Mykonos:
Stroll around Mykonos town – this is where most things are happening day and night in Mykonos. The small cobbled streets are charming and have their own character. I recommend just getting lost in the maze, doing some shopping and taking it all in.
Visit Little Venice within the town. There’s quite a few restaurants and bars there to enjoy the views but also you can just walk through and enjoy these.
The Windmills are another great free sunset viewing spot. Also you can enjoy Little Venice from up here.
Spend the day at a beach club – we visited Kalua which was lovely and Paradise beach which was had more party vibes. You can rent a sunbed or cabana at the beach clubs or sit inside if not..the sunbeds come with a minimum spend so we planned to spend most of the day to be worth it.
I would advise researching price points, entertainment, menus etc so you know your money will go where you want it to! Also you can get local buses to most of the beach clubs from Mykonos Town to avoid steep taxi fares.
Half day trip to Delos – 45 min ferry away from Mykonos is this UNESCO World Heritage Site – essentially an Ancient Greek open air museum. We paid 30 euros (22 for the ferry and 8 for unguided entry). Guided tours are about 60 euros including the ferry ride.
Where we ate and drank:
Souvlaki Story – there’s 5 or so branches around Mykonos town. It’s a kebab shop and they kebab like I’ve never tasted before..so good and budget friendly!
Niko’s Tavern – a popular authentic Greek restaurant which is walk in only. The food was delicious! Sit on a higher level table for more space.
Karavaki Restaurant – overlooks downtown Mykonos – perfect for sunset dinner. We had the veal which was lovely.
D’Angelos – lovely Italian restaurant for lunch. They also give a free limoncello shot at the end of your meal!
Bar hop in Mykonos Town – it’s so easy to do this as everything opens up at night. I love that you don’t have to pay and commit to one place without knowing the vibes! Things get going after 11pm and the drinks are £££ but the next place can help you out with that.
TYCO – for cheap cocktails before your night out – ranging from 6 to 10 euros!
Tabu club for hiphop and afrobeats – it’s like a London Mayfair club but they actually play amazing music.
So that’s everything I did during my girls trip to Greece this summer. Visiting during shoulder season (April-start of June and September/October) is a good idea for Mykonos as prices are better and there’s less crowds. Athens is affordable but so hot in peak summer when sightseeing so again shoulder season can help with that.
Thanks for reading and I hope it helps..if you have any questions, ask away in the comments.
J Xo
Road2Culturedom 