My best friends and I got back from the trip of a lifetime to Greece, and I’m already wishing I could go back! Instead, I’ll settle for reliving the experience and recapping everything from what we did and ate to what I wore and recommend packing. We spent a few days in Athens before ferrying over to a Greek island, so here’s my guide for how to spend 2 days in Athens.
TRANSPORTATION + STAY
My friends and I live in different cities, so we decided to fly into New York and fly directly from New York to the Athens airport. Getting to Athens was a long journey, so I’d definitely recommend bringing whatever you need to be comfortable on a long, overnight flight. Addie, Marissa and I got a Groome to the Atlanta airport around 3AM for a morning flight from Atlanta to JFK and flew from JFK to Athens around noon, landing at 7AM in Athens time. I brought Melatonin and slept as much as I could on the flight there so we could start our day exploring!
We stayed at a penthouse in Athens that was perfect for our group of five. Three bathrooms, four bedrooms, a full kitchen and a great view of downtown from the balcony.
THINGS TO DO IN ATHENS, GREECE
TOUR THE ACROPOLIS
Addie and Nikki had been to Greece before with their families in high school, and they both said we should do the Acropolis. We booked a tour (rather than doing the self-guided tour) and we loved it! Our host was wonderful, it was great to hear the history behind the architecture, and we really appreciated having a group to stick with amidst the crowds. We had an early morning tour and the Acropolis was packed, so be aware that you’ll probably face a crowd.
CATCH AN OPEN-AIR SHOW
We were only in Athens for two nights, and on our last night we saw a performance called “Medea and other friends I made in Athens“. It was incredibly cheesy but absolutely a blast—it’s an open-air performance with a view of the Acropolis behind you, and a cast of locals perform a few skits of Greek mythology. If you’re over 21, your ticket comes with a free glass of wine and it was just a really fun way to laugh and experience something fun together!
LISTEN TO LIVE MUSIC AT A ROOFTOP BAR
Before going to Athens, a few people who had been recommended we make rooftop bar reservations, and I’m glad we did! We made a reservation at a spot called 180 West just a few hours before going and really enjoyed it. They had a live musician walking around and playing and a great sunset view of the Acropolis.
VISIT LAKE VOULIAGMENI
This technically was a stop we made on our way back to Athens to fly home, but I had to include it! Our flights from Athens to NYC were moved back a day and a half at the end of our trip, so we needed to find something to do and we went with a day at Lake Vouliagmeni. This is a beautiful, natural lake that is stunning. You pay to enter the private club for access and you can get drinks at the bar all day while playing cards or swimming in the lake. We were able to get tickets on the day of, but it was very crowded so I’d recommend getting there early since it’s first-come, first-served for the individual chairs.
WHERE TO EAT + DRINK IN ATHENS, GREECE
If you’re looking for how to spend 2 days in Athens, you’re going to want to eat and drink good food. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with finding a delicious locally-owned Greek restaurant, but I’ll share a few of our favorites!
TERAS
This was my favorite bar we visited in Athens! We stopped in to kill a little time on our first afternoon, and we loved spending hours on their beautiful patio. The atmosphere is beautiful and relaxing and they have both alcoholic drinks and coffee on their menu. The Timon was one of my favorite drinks: rum, dragon fruit, orange, vanilla and spices. Perfectly sweet and refreshing on a warm afternoon.
180 WEST
This was the rooftop bar where we enjoyed pasta, wine and a live jazz performance. I got pasta and we all enjoyed our meals, but really the vibes were the best part.
STROFI
We hit up Strofi after our morning at the Acropolis, and it was the perfect midday break. Their patio has a gorgeous view of both downtown Athens and the Acropolis… it’s a little on the ‘touristy’ side in terms of pricing and menu, but still a good option. We got zucchini croquettes there (and everywhere we saw them on the menu) and they were so delicious.
BEL PAESE
Bel Paese was an unexpected favorite! We stopped here for dinner on our last night before watching the live show and bar hopping, and we had so much fun. It’s an Italian restaurant and the atmosphere is so intimate. We actually ended up chatting with the people next to us and found out other people in the restaurant were from Alabama. You can’t miss the bread and olive oil!
WHAT TO WEAR IN ATHENS
I love renting clothes and chose to rent a few unique pieces from Nuuly for the trip, but you could also try Rent the Runway with code RTRXCWOOD for half off! We were only there for a few days but I found myself changing outfits depending on what we were doing, and I kept reaching for the same pieces.
- Comfortable sandals for walking
- Long skirts
- Linen or cotton pants (my favorites were this white pair from Fabletics)
- Long-sleeve shirts for layering
Thanks so much for stopping by! See you on the next one for our full Naxos recap.
- Newest post: How to Spend 72 hours in Nashville
- Related post: Switzerland Travel Guide Winter
