Our long weekend trip to Athens has forever changed the way I see and feel about this city! It was never a place I wanted to spend more than a day or two in; I associated it as a crowded place with lots of cars, noise, traffic….a place where I’d spend a Saturday night out on the town and then back home is where I wanted to be. This trip altered my whole perception and appreciation of this beautiful city!
As we were planning our trip, we knew that we wanted to stay in the heart of the city! Somewhere where we’d park our car and stroll the city streets on foot. After reading reviews of a few potential hotels, we decided to stay at the Alva Hotel. Such a nice hotel! Not necessarily in the centre’s bustling streets but within a walking distance of all those neighbourhoods we wanted to explore!
Once we checked into our hotel and settle in a bit, we headed for Plaka—a picturesque neighbourhood in the heart of Athens. It has a bit of a village feel- cobblestone streets, quaint cafes, neoclassical buildings, potted plants on the sidewalks, bougainvilleas towering over you….the scenic tiny neighbourhood of Anafiotika—a hidden gem! Feels like you’re on a island! Loved it! We went and had an early dinner at Yiasemi located on the Plaka stairs. There are quite a few places on these famous stairs but this one is my most favourite!
It’s a traditional greek home turned into the cosiest bistro! Wherever you look, you’ll see hints of old and new. We enjoyed traditonal dishes on Yiasemi’s rooftop—rusk with feta and tomatoes, homemade vegetable tart, pork bites with plums served with wild rice,mousaka and spakling wine!
After dinner, we thought it was the most idyllic time to stroll around a little more! On that particular evening, clouds were hoovering over Athens and as we were slowly heading back to our hotel and then, it started pouring! We didn’t let that stop us though! We had tickets for a music festival that night and we were not going to miss out on it! So we bought small umbrellas from a periptero (street kiosks) and luckily we had packed hooded sweatshirt because it got cold and windy that night. We were relieved that we chanced it despite the weather forecast cause by the time we went to the festival, it was merely drizzling—we had a blast!
On our second day, we put on our comfy shoes and off we went to explore some more! We had brunch at MS Roof Garden with the loveliest view of Monastiraki Square and the Acropolis.
After brunch, we went to the Monastiraki market. It’s amazing all the things you can find on those little streets! There is also a flea market and on Sunday mornings you’ll find many venders selling antique furniture, lighting, vases, books….I could have stayed there all day!
Wherever we turned we were taken aback by all beauty of the neighbourhoods. Taverns, cafes, gift shops, churches, ruins….people enjoying meals in the middle of the day with beer, wine, tsipouro….the whole place was so lively!
We agreed with Paris that even though we wanted to enjoy the city as much as possible, we had to also make time for some rest! Walking around most of the day in the heat takes a toll on the body. Lucky for us that we did….as we were walking to our hotel, we came across this small square- Plateia Iroon. And here in the neighbourhood of Psyrri is where we spent the rest of our trip in….
In the daytime it’s just like any other quiet neighbourhood but at night, it comes to life! Colourful string lights hanging from one building to another. Tables stretched out and covering most of the sidewalks and the square….taverns with live greek music playing among the hustle and bustle of the surrounding restaurants while people get settle in for their evening meal.
Places in Psyrri that we loved
—Umbrellas hanging above Pittaki street & the famous themed local business Little Kook is a must see!
—Have bougatsa—a traditional custard filled pastry between layers of phyllo at Bougatsadiko Psirri!
—Zampano for brunch, dinner, drinks!
—iFeel Cafe Restaurant where we had the most delicious brunch!!
—Po’Boys BBQ where I had the best crispy chicken hamburger with homemade coleslaw with the best homemade lemonade!
Now, we couldn’t be in the heart of Athens and not go to the Acropolis! It’s been years since we had last gone so, we saved the best for last! After packing our things on our finally day, our hotel was nice enough to allow us to leave our car in their parking lot with our things so we could go see the Parthenon. What can I say?! We love ancient monuments….we get very emotional! They take our breath away every single time!
We enjoyed our trip so much! We saw so many new places, explored neighbourhoods, had delicious meals….and there is still so much more! We will definitely be planning another weekend in Athens in the near future.
xoxo