MONASTIRAKI NEIGHBORHOOD IN ATHENS

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Day 1: Lloret de Mar - Barcelona Airport - Athens

Today begins the trip to Greece in 32 days, that trip that we had been waiting for so long and that seems a lie, we are only a few hours away from starting it, in which go from the airport to the center of Athens, will be the beginning of this month, in which we hope to know the most essential places to see in Greece.
Although there are several ways to go from the airport to the center of Athens, which we will explain in detail later, on this occasion, we will make this journey with a private transfer, something that will allow us to arrive more comfortably and above all, faster, to our Accommodation in Athens, the Phaedra Hotel, and thus be able to kick off Greece for free.

It's 6:30 in the morning when we get in the car, load our bags and head to the T1 of the Prat airport, to start the trip, finding ourselves with a fairly fluid traffic although it is a working day, something that we are not going to deceive you, we find it even strange, since at this time the road is usually quite collapsed, especially at the entrance to Barcelona.
Taking into account that our flight from Vueling, from Barcelona to Athens departs at 10:25 in the morning and that we arrive at the airport parking lot after a few minutes past 8, we take the rest of the morning in peace, between the check-in of luggage, security checks, a good breakfast and waiting for them to open the boarding gate to start and yes, this incredible journey that we know, we still have to enjoy.

Barcelona Airport

But unfortunately, as usually happens when you fly with companies with which delays are quite common, today we had to suffer again, this time practically 3 hours late, so it had to be a shipment at 10 the morning has happened to be at 12 in the morning, plus an hour practically put in a bus, something that makes us arrive at Athens practically at 4 in the afternoon.

Flight to Athens

With the luggage already with us, the time changed, in Athens is one more hour, and being 4:30 we leave to the arrivals terminal, to go from the airport to the center of Athens, with the private transfer that we have booked for already A few days and that will take us directly to our accommodation in Athens, the Phaedra Hotel, where we will stay the next nights.

Keep in mind that there are several options to go from Athens airport to the city center:
- Metro: This is one of the most used options for go from the airport to the center of Athens. The price of the ticket is 8 euros and you can make transfers to other lines and even other means of transport such as the bus, for 90 minutes.
To take into account that you can take a bonus for two people for 14 euros or 3 people for 20 euros. The Athens metro schedule is from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and the journey time to go from the airport to the center of Athens is about 45 minutes.
- Bus: From Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos"You must take the X95 bus, which will take you from the airport to the city center, stopping at Syntagma Square. The duration of the trip is 55 minutes, depending on traffic and the price is 6 euros per person and does not allow transfers.

In addition to this line, which goes from the airport to the center of Athens, you have 3 more bus lines, which go to other areas of the city:
X93: To the northwest area of the city, stopping at the Kifisos intercity bus station (60 minutes ride).
X97: With destination at the Eliniko metro station, in the southern part of the city (60 minutes journey).
X96: Connects the Athens airport with the Port of Piraeus. Perfect if you must take a ferry to the Greek islands (90 minutes journey).

- Taxi: The price for a journey from the airport to the center of Athens by taxi is about 40 euros during the day and about 55 euros. Although we have not had the experience, we have read that sometimes they want to charge tourists more.
- Private transfer: This is the fastest and most comfortable option, being also the one that we have chosen on this trip and that we have to say, it has been perfect, especially considering the flight delay.
You can book the service of private transfer from the airport to the center of Athens directly here.

Flight to Athens

We arrive at the Phaedra Hotel, our accommodation in Athens the next nights, when it is 5 pm, after about 30 minutes ride, where we see the first places to see in Athens that we have seen so many times in photos and that we they make the car window glued together, trying to retain in our retinas everything we are seeing in this transfer from Athens airport to the city center.

Recommended travel cards
Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.

After checking in and checking that the choice of this hotel has undoubtedly been a success, since it is incredibly well located and has incredible views of the Acropolis, and being the time it is, the first thing we do It is to go in search of a restaurant where to eat, since we have had breakfast very early, and aiming at Greek cuisine we see ourselves directly to Liondi, one of the most recommended restaurants in Athens, where we order melitzanosalata, tzaziki, more Greek salad and moussaka , beer and water for 37 euros. Really great all the dishes!

Melitzanosalata in Liondi

Also when we ask for the bill they bring us a typical Greek cake, something that days later we will verify that it is the usual thing in Greece, and an extra beer to which they also invite us, as always, with a really close and attentive treatment, that they make us already begin to intuit, that the Greeks will win our hearts and very soon.

Already with a full stomach and a delay of several hours for the flight this morning, we decided to take the rest of the afternoon in peace, as a small contact with the most central area of Athens, starting with Adrianou Street, a of the best known shopping streets in the city, in the Monastiraki neighborhood, where we have already begun to see and confirm that we are going to like this city very much.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Athens
- 10 essential places to visit in Athens
- 50 things to do in Athens
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Athens
- The 10 best Greek Islands
- 10 essential places to see in Greece
- The 8 best tours and excursions in Athens
- The best free tours in Athens for free
- The best tips for traveling to Greece

Monastiraki neighborhood in Athens

This neighborhood, located in the northern part of the Acropolis, is known as Monastiraki for the small monastery located in the most famous square in the neighborhood, this together with Plaka, the adjacent neighborhood, are two of the most well-known and busiest areas of Athens.
Keep in mind that the main streets Monastiraki are Ermou, Pandrossou and Adrianou, through which you will reach practically all the places of interest in this area of the city, and for which we recommend you to get lost, forgetting the map and references, since even if you don't believe it, it will be the city itself that takes you directly to the most tourist places.

Monastiraki Square

It is in this neighborhood where you can find the famous Monastiraki market, a network of charming streets where coffee shops, restaurants and shops seem to have found their perfect place, making a whole scenario that we are sure of, you will end up falling in love.
In addition to the market, here you can also find the Tzisdaraki Mosque and the Hadrian's Library, two of the essential places to see in Athens.

Monastiraki

Plaka neighborhood

With the nickname of the "Barrio de los Dioses", for being the oldest in the city and also the closest to the Acropolis, Plaka is without a doubt, the capitalized neighborhood of Athens, the one you will return again and again and from that probably, you will never get tired and that it melts practically without realizing it, with the neighborhoods of Monastiraki and Anafiotika.
Plaka is today synonymous with tourism, restaurants, souvenir shops and accommodation, but we are sure that you only need a few minutes to start scratching a bit on it and start seeing that charming neighborhood that is still preserved as soon as you leave from the most central streets and you start to stumble upon charming places and restaurants where you can taste the best Greek cuisine.

Plaka neighborhood

In addition to wandering around, one of the most recommended things in Athens, in Plaka there is the Lisícrates Monument, the Roman Agora, or the Museum of Popular Instruments, three of the places that you can not miss in the city.

Restaurant in Plaka

In the end and without practically realizing the time, we are practically a couple of hours, lost between the neighborhood of Plaka and Monastiraki, two of the most famous in the city and with more atmosphere, getting lost in its streets and only dedicating ourselves to start feel Athens, the city that has served us as a gateway for this trip to Greece and that only after a few hours of meeting her, we are sure that we will meet again very soon.
After a little while, our route this afternoon, begins at Monastiraki Square, one of the best known squares in the city, from where there are spectacular views of the Acropolis and where at this time of the afternoon there is an atmosphere already very animated, to continue the walk approaching Ermou Street, other major arteries of Athens, which is considered one of the most famous shopping streets, until you reach the well-known Sintagma Square, passing through the church of Panagia, a true wonder that we found unintentionally and that gives us an incredible image located between shops.

Ermou Street

Panagia church

Once in the Sintagma Square, the heart of the city and the place where the Athens Parliament is and seeing that there are 10 minutes left for the changing of the guard, we decided to stay to see it and so the next few days, go calmer, avoiding squareing the visit with the time that this peculiar change of guard takes place, which for many, is an essential in the city.

Syntagma Square

Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Route through Monastiraki and Plaka

We leave you this afternoon's route through these two neighborhoods that have led us to have a first contact with two of the most famous neighborhoods in Athens.

After seeing the changing of the guard and seeing that it is already beginning to get dark, at this time of the year in Athens the sunset is about 8:30 p.m., we decided to approach the Acropolis area, where there is a pedestrian promenade that surrounds it called old walk, incredibly quiet, and from which you have really beautiful views of the entire illuminated area, including the Acropolis, especially after sunset, at which time the city dresses up.
In addition to this route, another option is to book this night walk through Plaka and Monastiraki, to meet two of the liveliest areas of the city.
After the experience, if you are several days in Athens, we have to say that it is a highly recommended walk, since it is very quiet and the views, although not as sublime as those of the city viewpoints, are very worthwhile.
Similarly, if you do not want to do the complete circuit of the 3 kilometers, you can do the first half, which is where you have the views of the Acropolis and return along the same path.

And so, after this first contact with the city and when a few minutes past 10:30 at night, we decided that it is time to return to the Phaedra Hotel to charge energy to start discovering this incredible city tomorrow.

Athens Old Walk

We leave you the route of the old promenade of Athens, which as we mentioned earlier, is one of the most pleasant walks in the city, especially after sunset.