Where to Eat + Stay in Athens, Greece
If you're not eating and drinking your way through a city, what are you even doing?
Happy New Year! Are you ready to start working again? I’m not. Daydreaming about work trips and birthday trips and girls’ trips and booking it all out between now and March or April to procrastinate as long as I can.
In podcast news, Omar and I are revving up for Season 2 with some of my favorite people as guests in the coming months. Also hoping to more consistently share insider guides for paid subscribers in 2023 starting this week (possibly next).
Back to travel, though, I wrote about my recent Greece trip for The Daily Beast. This itinerary is heavy on exploring the mountains instead of the islands, and you can read it here. Expect waterfalls, hikes, and trekking through little villages—and don’t expect the locals to speak English. You’re going to have to learn some basic Greek for this one, but it’s so worth it. The part of Central Greece I visited is known as the Little Switzerland of the country and in winter is a great place to ski, snowboard, etc.
Quick note on where to stay in Athens:
I’m not going to give personal hotel recommendations this time around, because we stayed in a spot that looked boutique-ish online (pictured above), but in real life felt a little bit like Disney. The rooftop pool was nice and did offer views of the Parthenon + bright orange city sunsets. My friend Felicia who is from Greece did recommend a couple great Athens hotels including New Hotel and St George Lykabettus. I will 100% look into these for the next trip as she always has the funnest, hippest recommendations.
Acropolis is in the heart of the city so whether you’re booking an Airbnb or a hotel, staying within walking distance of the landmark is a good idea. Some neighborhoods to consider: Kolonaki, Exarheia, Plaka or Pagkrati. If you’d prefer to stay by the sea instead of in the city, Felicia also suggested two areas called Lagonisi and Vouliagmeni.
I was only in Athens for two nights, but would highly recommend these 3 restaurants:
Nolan, Seychelles, Proveleggios
And here is what I would’ve wanted to try if we had more time in the city:
Linou, Atlantikos, Diporto, Gastone
The New York Times published this Athens guide last summer and I wish I would’ve discovered it sooner.
A few takeaways:
Don’t visit in the summer if you can help it. The city is super hot and overrun with tourists. Hotel A/C units are never going to be as strong as you’d like. I didn’t visit the Acropolis because it was close to 100ºF the entire time. I love visiting Spain in March-May or September-November and feel like Greece could be wonderful around those times, as well.
Make dinner reservations ahead, especially during the busy months.
Get your international driver’s license at AAA so you can rent a car and head to the mountains or take day trips if you’d like.