Adventures in Athens — The Trailer Travels

Athens, Greece is one of the coolest cities I’ve traveled to. Being with the love of my life made it that much better. In Athens, the first hotel we stayed in was the Metropolitan Hotel, which was just absolutely perfect. Everyone was so incredibly kind (like everywhere in Greece, to be honest), the hotel was stunning, and even had a taxi stand a quick walk away.

One of the first nights in Athens we were having a glass of wine at the hotel bar when we realized we had planned a bar hopping tour around the city that started in 15 MINUTES! We sure as hell were not going to miss it, so we ran down to the taxi stand and found our guide in Monastiraki Square. The other couple on our tour was running late so we had the tour guide all to ourselves for an hour. We visited ‘hole in the wall’ bars around the city- literally. Our first stop was to this bar called TAF (The Art Foundation), which we would have never found on our own because the entrance looked like a front door to someone’s home. The bar and seating area is in an extremely old, roofless courtyard surrounded by ancient housing, which had been made into art studios. It was different than any bar I have ever seen and I’m so glad we were able to experience that. I would recommend it to anyone and wish I knew more names of the other bars we went to but every single one we went into was a great time.

The next day we were lucky enough to come across this beautiful bar and cafe called six d.o.g.s., named after the six dogs that would hang around the property during construction. The outdoor layout and incredible atmosphere was so inviting and relaxing. I definitely recommend stopping by here.

Visiting Acropolis was something we were told we must do when in Athens, for obvious reasons. We went early in the morning and were some of the first people there. It was nice to be away from too many crowds which allowed us to enjoy it that much more. As amazing as it was to see in person, it really isn’t something you need an hour or two to visit. We definitely recommend just talking a look around yourself and save the money you would spend on a tour guide on some incredible food down in Placa. We have noticed this is the same for many of our other travels- that those big iconic touristy sights are great to see for a few minutes on your own. But don’t get me wrong, even though the Parthenon is a tourist’s paradise, it was truly surreal in person.

Our taxi driver who took us from Acropolis to Placa gave Jimmy and I some valuable information that anyone going to Athens should note. First of all, he shared with us that he loved Americans and that he really appreciated us coming to his country. This was very evident in everyone we met so far- they we’re all so kind! He also wanted people to understand that Greeks are not lazy, despite the country’s financial crisis in 2008. Although the idea that greeks are “lazy” is not widely believed, it still does not sit well with the greek people, especially the majority that even work 7 days a week. He also mentioned to us that since Placa is a touristy area, many storeowners will sell below quality products or will claim that their historical products are “original”, or even just made in Greece. Most places in Placa do indeed sell cheaply made Chinese products so beware of this and don’t fall into the trap!

After visiting Mykonos and Santorini, we came back to Mykonos before heading back to the states. We stayed in President Hotel which was just as amazing as the Metropolitan. The last night we had in Athens we decided to go have a nice dinner in Placa. Placa is truly so incredible and there are so many little restaurants that make you feel like you’re really experiencing Athens like a true Greek. We came across one of these restaurants and they happened to be having a young kid’s birthday party in the restaurant. The owner couldn’t have been more welcoming and sat us down right away. Everyone was singing Greek songs and dancing together. We even had to change tables because the kids were falling on us (it was cute, not annoying!). Until this night, we never truly felt like we experienced Athens like locals and it really made our trip. I 100% suggest everyone to always try to experience any place they travel to like a local.

Stay tuned for our next blogs on Santorini & Mykonos!