So whenever I go abroad on business, I try to make the most out of it.
A few tips before you go
So when I was in Athens, I prepared myself by reading about the highlights there. What you want to do is pick a few things you would really like to see and calculate the distance in between them. When you only have a few hours to spare, you cannot go everywhere unfortunately. Things you should take into account when you are traveling:
- During which months is the attraction opened?
- What are the opening hours?
- Will this attraction be open on the day that I have a few hours to spare?
- Will I need tickets and if so, should I buy them in advance to avoid lines?
Answering these questions beforehand by a little online search will significantly help to make the most out of your few hours. You wouldn’t want to show up somewhere and find out it’s closed.
An efficient way to spend your time in Athens
There is a lot to see in Athens, but I limited my available time to the Acropolis neighborhood, since I found a hotel at about a 5 minute walk from the actual Acropolis (for about €50 per night, since it was outside of the season). The places I decided I would like to visit:
- Acropolis
- Acropolis museum
- Stroll around Plaka
I soon found out that if you buy a ticket to the Acropolis, you can get a ticket to multiple archaeological sights in the area (not the museum though). I was lucky to visit Athens in March: the weather was great, the lines not too long and prices were even cheaper (high season starts around April).
With the ticket I received at the Acropolis, I was able to visit the Acropolis and view all the buildings there, go to the Temple of Zeus (at the Olympieon), the Theatre of Dionysus and the Ancient Agora. If you have several days in Athens, but not too much time for one day, you can even decide to spread out your visits over five days, the maximum amount of time that the ticket is valid.
After I was done visiting the sights that I wanted to see, I visited the Acropolis Museum, had some lunch there and took a stroll around Plaka. All in all, I got up to the Acropolis at around 10 AM and ended my stroll around 2PM.
Diverse travels... 