Side trips Athens- before May trip for Treasures of Aegean
We will be in Athens two days before the start of the Tour “ Treasures of Aegean . Any suggestions for side visits ? Thanks .
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We will be in Athens two days before the start of the Tour “ Treasures of Aegean . Any suggestions for side visits ? Thanks .
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You don't actually see much in Athens so can go just about anywhere except for the Acropolis/Parthenon, new Acropolis Museum, and the National Museum which you do visit. Try a guided tour of the Plaka/Agora, etc. For a full day trip- you can hire a guide to take you to Delphi.
@AlanS I will be doing this trip this year as well, and have a similar question. I note that you recommend visiting Plaka/Agora. I recently read a story about tourist traps in Europe, and Rick Steves is quoted as saying
"The Plaka is Athens' oldest neighborhood, reminiscent more of the style of the Greek islands rather than the busy city that it's in since most of its streets are pedestrian-only. It is also relatively more upscale than other neighborhoods in the Greek capital. Unfortunately, people who make their money off unsuspecting tourists flock here, and it's pretty much universally understood by travel bloggers and writers that it's an eye-roll-worthy tourist trap. Steves called it an "extremely touristy old quarter," and he's hardly the only person to think so.
Agree/disagree?
Thanks.
It wasn't a recommendation, but a suggestion to check it out. I didn't go there, but if you are forewarned, it might be interesting. As to the Agora, nearby is the temple of Hephaestus one of the most complete (with roof) of all the ancient ruins in Athens (you can only walk around the outside.)
My approach to deciding what to see in a city before the start of a tour is to Google "top 10 (15, 20, etc.) attractions," read through the descriptions, compare the list with what I will see on-tour, look at how much time I will have and how long it takes to get there, then decide what I want to see, whether on my own or with a private guide, Tours by Locals, Viator, etc.. If you do that, especially for more distant sites like Delphi, Marathon/Thermopylae, Meteora Monasteries, etc. you'll see there is no there there at places like Thermopylae.
I've been to a number of these places in the past, but had big plans for two days prior to our Treasures cruise. I hired two private Greek/American guides, one for a full day trip to Delphi, one for Athens The guide was to travel with us to Delphi so we would be able to learn a lot during the drive- many guides are based in Delphi so the trip to and from Athens, except for the scenery, is wasted time. Unfortunately, our flights were delayed, cancelled, etc. and we arrived two days late and literally walked in as everyone was introducing themselves at the Welcome Dinner!!
If you want a good website for all things Greece - site suggestions, tour guides, etc. etc. check out Matt Barrett's website https://www.greecetravel.com/
Thanks much, @AlanS . I have been looking at Tours by Locals who has served us well elsewhere. Now to wonder what will replace Santorini due to earthquake related restrictions.
A couple of cruise lines have substituted Crete for Santorini.