Comments on: 8 Hours in Athens

Question: 8 Hours in Athens

defreckled — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 06:49:50 -0800

We have an 8 hour layover in Athens on Monday. Any ideas? We've never been to the city before so restaurants, sight-seeing, or anything better than the airport will be appreciated. Thanks!

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 08:08:44 -0800

You should probably say which Athens.

By: k8t

k8t — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 08:37:09 -0800

Georgia? Greece?

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 09:21:05 -0800

Assuming you mean Athens, Greece, go to the Acropolis. I'm quite fond of the city itself, but most people consider it a big, smelly, noisy, modern city and hate it. Personally, I like big, smelly, noisy, modern cities, but that's beside the point: there's a reason everybody who goes to Athens heads straight for the Acropolis (I did it even before unpacking my bag and taking a much-needed nap). It's where a lot of what we call civilization got started, and dilapidated and touristed as it is, it will send a chill up your spine. Then you can spend the next leg of your flight thinking about history, loss, and whether it's a bad or a good thing that the art on the buildings is now replicas, with the originals in a climate-controlled museum.

By: crookedneighbor

crookedneighbor — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 09:27:43 -0800

The Lykavittos Hill has the best views of the Acropolis. Take the tram up or hike, and if you're there for the sunset it's even better.

By: ericb

ericb — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 09:38:08 -0800

I second languagehat. Whenever I have had a layover in Athens I've headed to the Acropolis. Negotiate a price with the cabbie at the airport which includes his waiting for you to return from your climb up and down the "Sacred Rock."

By: Eudaimonia

Eudaimonia — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 15:51:58 -0800

Third the Acropolis suggestion. Athens' subway system is actually quite nice...at some stations they even display the archaeological finds they encountered during the dig for the subway/station. I think that you can get on the subway at the airport and head to Syntagma Sq. and then switch to the red line to get to the Acropolis stop. You can also continue on the blue line to the Monastiraki stop, which is this huge flea market..quite interesting, in my opinion.

If you have the time you might also want to get out and look around at Syntagma...I think its representative of the messiness, dirtiness, and overwhelmingness that is Athens...(but I loved it)

By: defreckled

defreckled — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 21:29:32 -0800

Thanks for the suggestions!