Nine Great Reasons To Visit Meteora in Greece

December 3, 2024December 17, 2024Destinations, Greece Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment

Last updated on December 17th, 2024 at 09:59 pm

Meteora is located in the Thessaly region in northern Greece is out-of-this-world spectacular. And with over three million visitors annually, it’s been well and truly discovered.

When Julia (daughter and travel companion on my trip to Greece) first showed me pictures of the stunning rock columns of Meteora and told me she was going to include it in our itinerary, I was both intrigued and excited. I’d seen the pictures of monasteries perched atop rock columns, but I never realized they were accessible to visitors.

Very accessible as it turns out, so long as you have the knees for lots of climbing. Only one of the 6 monasteries (there used to be 24 monasteries) doesn’t require climbing.

In this travel guide to visiting Meteora, I describe my two-night and one full day trip to Meteora from Athens en route to Delphi, list the six monasteries, and share my top reasons and travel tips why you should definitely add Meteora to your list of must-see places in Greece.

Overview of Meteora

The region known as Meteora is located in Thessaly in northern Greece, about a four-hour drive from Athens. This spectacular area with its ancient monasteries perched atop spectacular rock formations is included on the World Heritage List.

Kalambaka (#1 on the map below and the main town sometimes referred to as Kalabaka) and its smaller sibling Kastraki (#2) at the towns in the Meteora region where you’ll find accommodations and restaurants.

Trip map created with Wanderlog, the best trip planner app on iOS and Android

A Suggested Itinerary for Visiting Meteora

While you could book a tour as a day trip from Athens to Meteora, I wouldn’t advise it. The distances are just too great to allow enough time to enjoy this most spectacular of destinations. You’ll spend most of your time on a bus and see one or two of the Meteora monasteries along with thousands of your new best friends. You’ll not have time to view the famous Meteora sunset (a must-do), hike around some of the Meteora rocks, or explore lovely little Kalambaka.

So, first off, plan to stay in Meteora for at least one night. Two nights are better to give you a full day in which to enjoy both a morning and a sunset tour, explore Kalambaka and maybe go on a short hike. You’ll easily find things to do in Meteora to fill your time.

Our trip to Meteora was organized by Visit Meteora which took care of the transfers and booking two excellent tours that I can highly recommend. Both were small s (my favorite kind). You could also book each component separately.

Day 1: Traveling to Meteora

Pick-up at 8 am in Athens (#10) for the four-hour drive on a large bus to Meteora (#9)
Arrival in Kalambaka and transfer to a shuttle bus that drops us at the Theatro Hotel Odysseon (recommended)
Leisurely lunch in Kalambaka (great food and relaxed ambiance)
Pick-up from the hotel for a four-hour small group tour called the Sunset Tour that visits the Monastery of Saint Stephen (actually a nunnery) and a church, includes a walk to see the caves where the first monks lived, and culminates with a stop high above the valley to take in breathtaking views of the sunset

Day 2: All Day to Enjoy Meteora

Pick-up at the hotel for a three-hour small group tour of Meteora that visits two of the monasteries not included on the Sunset Tour itinerary
Leisurely lunch in Kalambaka
Free afternoon and evening to enjoy the pool at Theatro Hotel Odysseon (or you could go hiking)

Six Monasteries at Meteora

The 6 monasteries that are open to the public in Meteora are:

Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron (#3): a male monastery founded around 1340 that is the oldest and largest of all the monasteries of Meteora. The ancient kitchens are interesting.
Holy Monastery of Varlaam (#4): the second largest monastery, founded in the mid-14^th century by a monk named Varlaam. The frescoes inside the church are particularly beautiful.
Roussanou Nunnery (#5): one of the most traditional of the monasteries and not as crowded as some of the others. To access, walk down from the main road through a lovely forest to reach the steps leading up to the monastery. It feels very peaceful here.
Saint Stephen Nunnery (#7): connected by a small stone bridge to the road and the easiest of the six monasteries to access. As a result, it’s also one of the most crowded.
Holy Trinity Monastery (#8): situated atop a rocky precipice over 400 meters high, it’s reached via 130 steps. The view from the top is stunning (which is saying something).
Saint Nicholas Anapafsas Monastery (#6): the first monastery you come across after leaving Kastraki and the least visited.

Check to make sure the monastery you want to visit is open on the day of the week you are in Meteora. Here are the closing days in summer. Note that in the winter season, most monasteries are closed for at least two days each week. Check Meteora.com for details.

Great Meteoran: Tuesday
Varlaam: Friday
Rousanou: Wednesday
Saint Nicholas Anapafsas: Friday
St. Stephen: Monday
Holy Trinity: Thursday

Which Meteora Monasteries to Visit

This is a question visitors often ask when planning their visit to Meteora. During the two tours we took, we visited St. Stephen, Great Meteoron, and Roussanou. Each of them is quite similar and includes plenty of stairs (except for St. Stephen), a chapel, a souvenir shop (always), possibly a museum, and amazing views.

I suggest picking just two or three to visit. You’ll get the general idea pretty quickly, and you’ll likely see the monasteries you don’t visit from the vantage points of the monasteries you do visit. If you don’t like crowds, select one of the smaller monasteries such as Roussanou.

Note that each monastery charges an entrance fee of three euros.

The roads winding around the stone pillars offer plenty of viewpoints you can stop at to take photos. Both of the tours we took included frequent stops to take pictures.

Best Time to Visit Meteora

I visited Meteora in September and the weather was perfect–warm, but not too hot. Some of the monasteries were crowded, but not nearly as crowded as I understood they can get.

Our tour guides timed the monastery visits to avoid the largest influx of tour busses, many coming all the way from Athens. I suggest visiting the monasteries either right after they open or just before they close. An hour is usually more than sufficient to tour a monastery.

Now that you know how to organize your time in Meteora, here are my reasons why you must visit (including plenty of recommendations!).Now that you know how to organize your time in Meteora, here are my reasons why you must visit (including plenty of recommendations!).

Nine Reasons for Visiting Meteora

1. Stunning Geological Formations

First and foremost, the scenery around Meteora is beyond incredible. The geological formations—shaped 60 million years ago—must be seen to be believed. Pictures give some idea of the size of the formations, but they cannot prepare you for their jaw-dropping grandeur.

On both tours we took in Meteora, we learned about the geological shenanigans required to shape such an incredible landscape. It’s quite a story!

The rock columns are omnipresent, visible from both Kalambaka and Kastraki. You’ll likely be staying in one of these towns during your visit. Every time you step out of your hotel (or look out your window if you spring for a view), you’ll gaze up, up, up at these jagged formations and marvel at how they change with the passing of the sun across their grey flanks.

2. Fascinating History of the Monasteries

The geological formations alone would be reason enough to visit Meteora, but even more interesting is the fact that around 1100 AD, a group of intrepid monks moved into caves embedded in the rock columns. After a few centuries, some even more intrepid monks decided they weren’t isolated enough in caves, so they started building monasteries on top of the rock columns.

Until recently, the only way to get from the valley up to a monastery was to rock climb or be cranked up in a basket. Rock climbing involved pounding sticks into the soft rocks. One of the guides told us that the sticks sometimes broke. I couldn’t help wondering how many skeletons are buried in the deep valleys surrounding the rock pillars.

The sheer ingenuity and courage required to build and inhabit the first monasteries is mind-boggling.

Visiting the Monasteries

The six monasteries that welcome visitors are the big draw here. Two of the monasteries in Meteora are actually nunneries. There are approximately 50 nuns and 17 monks still living in the active monasteries of Meteora.

Visiting the Monastery of Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen is the only monastery in Meteora that is easily accessed from the road and does not require climbing long flights of steps that in the summer heat could be very challenging. Unfortunately, everyone and their cousin who comes to Meteora on any day except Monday (when the place is closed) visits Saint Stephen monastery.

It’s the only place where we saw monastic people. Nuns dressed all in black with serene faces took tickets and sat next to the cash register in the gift shop.

Modest Dress Required

When we arrived, a box of scarves was made available to women who were wearing shorts or pants. Modest dress for men and women is required, and women are required to wear dresses, so even if you are wearing pants that cover your knees, you must also wrap a long scarf around your waist so it falls past your knees.

Although I was wearing a dress, I worried it didn’t sufficiently cover my knees and so I grabbed a scarf. However, it wasn’t any longer than my dress so was kind of useless. At another monastery the next day, the attendant told me my dress was fine.

Sign at a monastery in Meteora about modest dress

What to See

St. Stephen includes a church, a small museum, a gift shop, and spectacular views—which for most people is the real attraction. The monasteries at Meteora were originally built between the 14^th and 16^th centuries. Time and wars (several of the monasteries were bombed during WWII) have destroyed most of them. Those remaining have been heavily renovated.

Other Monasteries

Each of the three monasteries we visited during the Sunset and Morning Tours of Meteora include a church, a museum, and a gift shop. I was most fascinated by the remains of the mechanisms used back in the day to hoist provisions and monks up the side of the cliffs.

Winch used to hoist people and goods up to monasteries in Meteora

Nowadays, stairs have been cut into the rock—and there are a lot of them. Meteora is not a great place to visit if you have mobility issues—or if you don’t like crowds.

Julia on stairs climbing up to a monastery in Meteora

Frescoes in the Monasteries

Beautiful frescoes adorn each of the churches we visited. Photos are not allowed, although I saw several people snapping pics despite warnings from attendants. There’s a heavy emphasis in the frescoes on depictions of the many and gruesome ways in which the early Christian saints and martyrs were tortured, mostly by the Romans, who were quite the hideously creative lot.

Most frescoes are quite new, having been painted during the rebuilding of the monasteries, some since WWII, so the pictures are alarmingly vivid and graphic.

I did manage to get one picture in a chapel where photos were allowed.

View from the Monasteries

The views from each of the monasteries are stupendous, unworldly even. No wonder Game of Thrones petitioned to shoot here. The monks said no because they didn’t approve of any production that involved violence. Unfortunately, their refusal to allow on-location shooting didn’t stop the production company from taking a panorama of the area and then using it in the last episode of the first season. Kind of sneaky, if you ask me.

3. Beautiful Ancient Churches and Precipitous Cave Dwellings

Take time to visit the ancient and evocative Church of the Virgin Mary in Kalambaka. Erected between the 10^th and 11^th centuries AD, this Byzantine church was built upon the ancient foundations of Greek and Roman temples. Many of the stones were incorporated into the current church.

Frescoes adorn the interior dominated by a marble pulpit that is unique in Greece. It rises imposingly at the center of the church in front of the Holy Gate.

During our Sunset Tour of Meteora, we hiked a short way up a gravel road to view the cliffs containing caves that once housed hermits. The wooden structures are medieval and intact because rock overhangs protect them from the elements. Can you imagine monks living in those caves high up the rock faces?

Caves where early holy men lived in Meteora

4. Informative Small Group Tours

If you have a car, you can easily visit as many of the open monasteries as you wish. Alternatively, you can opt for a guided tour. Both the tours organized by Visit Meteora were first-rate, with tour guides who grew up in the area and were passionate about sharing the history of Meteora.

Finding a Meteora Tour

Several tour companies offer tours and activities in Meteora. If you arrive in Meteora without first booking a tour, just wander along the main street in Kalambaka and you’ll soon find a company selling local tours by bus, private car, hiking, or cycling.

If you have the funds, discover Meteora on a private tour. That way, you can choose which monasteries you want to visit and also ask your guide to take you to some out-of-the way places to escape the crowds.

Parking Woes at Meteora Monasteries

Parking is limited at the monasteries and a lot of the available space is taken up by massive tour busses. If you take a small group tour, you’ll be dropped right at the entrance to each monastery. If you drive, you’re likely in for a long walk uphill from wherever you can find a parking place along the road.

In this photo taken from a monastery, you can see the cars and tour busses parked all along the road.

View from a monastery in Meteora showing cars and busses.

5. Breathtaking Sunsets

High above the valley are several sunset-watching spots from which you can bask in the rays of the setting sun. Adventurous souls walk far out onto the rocks to get the perfect shot. I didn’t venture too close to the edge, but I still enjoyed some remarkable views.

Julia walked farther out to the edge and took this video.

6. Charming Small Towns

We stayed in Kalambaka, which is the larger of the two Meteora towns. The central area with its smattering of outdoor cafes and a cooling fountain is charming and laid-back.

Julia in the small town of Kalambaka in a monastery in Meteora

At one restaurant, the server had just moved from Canada where she grew up back to Greece. We enjoyed a great conversation with her while chowing down on yet another tasty Greek meal.

7. Good Accommodation Options

Both Kalambaka and Kastraki have a variety of accommodation options at reasonable prices. The Hotel Theatro Odysseum where we stayed had comfortable rooms, each themed around a movie and including large photographs of actors and actresses. The staff were friendly, the pool a bit on the chilly side in late September, and the views of the iconic granite columns spectacular.

View of the pool from the Hotel Theatro Odysseum in a monastery in Meteora

8. Plenty of Hiking and Cycling Opportunities

If you’re energetic, you can hike around the rocks and into the valleys that do not have monasteries nearby and so are free of tour busses and gift shops. You can also rent ebikes to scale the steep roads with ease, although I’m not sure I’d want to share the roads with the many massive tour busses.

The landscape is wild and beautiful away from the tourist beat, and it doesn’t take long to leave the main roads behind. You could easily spend a week exploring all the area has to offer.

View over the geological formations in Meteora

9. Easy to Reach From Athens

As noted previously, Meteora is about 350 kilometers from Athens, with busses being the only public transit option apart from flying. Visit Meteora organized our transport to Meteora which included a shuttle bus to our hotel and the two tours in addition to a private transfer from Meteora to Delphi.

If you’re driving, you can go on to explore more of northern Greece. West of Meteora the town of Thessaloniki and the island of Corfu—a destination that is definitely on my to-visit-next list.

Tours to Meteora

Check out some of the tours offered through GetYourGuide or connect with Visit Meteora directly.

Conclusion

Meteora will surprise and delight you. For me, the big attraction is the geological formations, the views, and the town of Kalambaka. I was less interested in the monasteries which I found too crowded and commercialized. I can’t imagine many of the full-time inhabitants enjoy a particularly contemplative life there. Perhaps that is why the number of monks and nuns continues to dwindle every year.

Have you visited Meteora? Share your recommendations in the Comments below.

Here are more posts about Greece:

What to See at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens

November 26, 2024December 15, 2024Arts & Culture, Destinations, Greece, Museums Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment

Last updated on December 15th, 2024 at 01:48 am

The National Archaeological Museum in Athens is the largest archaeological museum in Greece and a must-see while visiting Athens.

As one of the world’s most important museums devoted to ancient Greek art, the National Archaeological Museum in Athens showcases centuries of ancient Greek history.

You’ll find artifacts from the earliest inhabitants to the Romans displayed in several large rooms. Information about each exhibit is provided in both English and Greek.

Orientation to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens

The National Archeological Museum (#1 on the map below) is about a twenty-minute walk or a short taxi ride from the center of Athens where you’ll likely be spending most of your time. Here’s a map showing the location of the museum along with other Athens landmarks.

Trip map courtesy of Wanderlog, a road trip planner on iOS and Android

Don’t be tempted to skip the National Archaeological Museum in favor of the more modern Acropolis Museum. Both museums offer different takes on the ancient world and both are well worth your time. If possible, schedule your visits on different days so you don’t get over-loaded!

In this post, I feature my favorite pieces from the Prehistoric Antiquities and Sculpture collections. Take your time wandering through the Archaeological Museum. It’s large, but not overwhelming. Many of the rooms are quite spacious and, at least when I was there in September, not crowded.

Prehistoric Antiquities at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens

Your first stop after entering the museum is the area featuring unique works of art from the major civilizations that flourished in Greece and the Aegean Sea area from the 7th millennium (that’s a long time ago) to around 1050 BC.

Discover works from the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. Some of the most significant artifacts come from the royal tombs of Mycenae. You’ll also view evocative Cycladic marble figurines and the astonishingly well-preserved wall paintings from Thera (aka Santorini).

Mycenean Collection

Two of the many show-stoppers in the Mycenean collection are gold masks dating from the 16th century BC. The mask on the left is known as the mask of Agamemnon.

The Mask of Agamemnon at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

Gold mask part of the Mycenean collection at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

Having already visited Mycenae (see my post on the two days I spent in Nafplio during which I took a semi-private tour to Mycenae), I enjoyed seeing even more of the artifacts from that period. The Mycenaean civilization flourished between 1600 and 1100 BC, and was a wealthy and very influential culture. The beauty and intricacy of the objects, many rendered in gold, is astonishing.

Cycladic Antiquities

I’m glad I chose to visit the Archaeological Museum of Athens at the end of my trip around Greece. I had more context for understanding what I was looking at. During my visit to the Cyclades (Santorini and Naxos), I visited several small museums featuring Cycladic art and already knew a little bit about it.

I especially loved the almost alien-looking marble sculptures with their smooth surfaces and blank eyes. This little guy is playing a double flute and dates from 2800 to 2300 BC.

Cycladic figure at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

Antiquities of Thera

Thera is the proper name for Santorini, which was the first stop on my trip to Greece. While there, I visited the archaeological site at Akrotiri (check out my post on Santorini) where many of the artifacts in the National Archeological Museum come from.

Before it was destroyed in a volcanic eruption, Akrotiri included public spaces and three-story houses decorated with wall paintings, many of which have survived in remarkably good condition. Here are two of them. The stylization, color combinations, and sheer delicate beauty of the paintings took my breath away.

Painting from Thera at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

Also featured in the collection at the National Archaeological Museum are some amazing pots, my favorites being these two. It’s hard to believe that these were painted in the 16th century BC. They look so modern!

Large jug from Thera at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

Large jug showing grapes from Thera at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

Sculpture Collection at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens

The sculpture collection occupies several rooms at the museum and presents the evolution of ancient Greek sculpture from 700 BC to the 5th century AD. The collection includes over 16,000 sculptures from archaeological sites all over Greece, not all of which are on display. Four periods are represented: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman.

Archaic Sculptures

My faves are the sculptures from the Archaic Period. While I appreciate the much more realistic sculptures from later periods, there’s something about the stiff, upright, far-seeing Kouros statues that just gets to me. They are over life-size and not realistic, but then they don’t pretend to be. This one is made of Naxian marble and was a votive offering to Poseidon.

Classical Sculptures

The sculptures from the classical period date from the 5th century BC. Democracy had been established in Athens and various military victories at the battles of Marathon and Plataea had resulted in an era of intellectual creativity, material prosperity, and democratic consolidation. Artists flocked to the city, and by the peak of the century, sculptors were drawing their inspiration from the idealized human body.

You’ll find a great many wonderful sculptures from the classical period to check out. One of the most famous is the statue of Poseidon. He dominates one of the rooms with his great set of abs and one arm poised to throw his trident into the waves. This imposing statue was found at the bottom of the sea in 460 BC.

Hellenistic Sculptures

The Hellenistic period runs from the late 4th to the early 1st century BC. Figures were rendered realistically, rather than in the idealized way they tended to be in the Classical period.

I was drawn to the theater masks made from marble. This one dates from the 2nd century BC and is modeled after masks used in comedy.

Theater mask at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

This grouping from 340 BC is pretty amazing, and one of several similar sculptures that were created as grave reliefs. Look at the details in the hair and beard, and the expressions on the faces!

Group of sculptured figures at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

Roman Sculptures

I got the impression while traveling around Greece that the Greeks are still none too happy that the Romans invaded their country back in the day. Occasionally, a guide would disparagingly note that a particular ruin was Roman, and they didn’t mean it as a compliment. From the 2nd century BC onwards, Greece was gradually conquered by the Romans until their eventual dominance in 31 BC.

Many of the artistic treasures of Greece were taken to Rome, which probably didn’t go over too well with the locals. Eventually, new local workshops were established to satisfy the demand for copies of Classical and Hellenistic works and by the 2nd century AD, Athens was again an artistic center.

Here are two of the many Roman sculptures in the museum. On the left is an intriguing bronze portrait statue of the empress Julia Aquilia Severa (AD 220). She doesn’t look particularly happy. On the right is a rather fine statue of the goddess Hygieia dating from AD 200 that was found at the sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidauros which we visited while staying in Nafplion.

Bronze Roman sculpture at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

Marble Roman sculpture at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

The Jockey

One of the most famous pieces in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens is known as The Artemision Jockey. This bronze statue of a horse and jockey dates from around 140 BC, and was retrieved in pieces between 1928 and 1937 from the sea floor off Cape Artemision. Check out the boy’s expression. He’s so focused on handling his massive steed. This huge piece takes pride of place in the museum and no wonder. It’s truly remarkable.

Other Collections at the Archaeological Museum in Athens

The museum also includes a wonderful collection of metalwork, with its Bronze collection reputed to be one of the finest in the world. In addition, you’ll find an extensive collection of vases, many with the distinctive black and gold coloring.

I never get tired of studying these ancient vases with their intricately drawn scenes. If I ever decide to write a novel set in ancient Greece, I can see myself spending a lot of time studying the imagery on the vases to learn what people wore and how they lived.

Check out this vase depicting a man placing a child on a swing. Sweet or what?

Greek vase at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

And just in case you haven’t yet slaked your appetite for looking at antiquities, check out the Egyptian and Cypriot collections, both world renowned.

Practical Information

From November 1 to March 31, the National Archaeological Museum in Athens is open from Wednesday to Monday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm and on Tuesdays from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm. From April 1 to October 31, the museum is open from Wednesday to Monday from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm and on Tuesdays from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The museum is closed on December 25 – 26, January 1, March 25, May 1 and Orthodox Easter Sunday. Admission costs 12€ from April 1 to October 31 and 6€ from November 1 to March 31.

Where to Stay in Athens

On our recent trip to Athens, we stayed in two places: a holiday apartment for two nights and a hotel for one night. I highly recommend both, which are in neighborhoods convenient for sightseeing in Athens.

Karma Apartments

Steps from the lively Plaka district on a quiet side street, Karma Apartments is a real find in Athens. The one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of a building containing other holiday lets includes a large terrace with a peekaboo view of the Acropolis.

Hotel Lozenge

On our last night in Greece, we stayed at the Hotel Lozenge in the upscale Kolonaki neighbourhood. This is a great choice for a business-style hotel with comfortable rooms, an attached restaurant, and very helpful staff.

Tours of Athens

Here are some tours of Athens from GetYourGuide.

Conclusion

Athens is more than its antiquities, but wow, they sure do have incredible antiquities! Take the time to wander through the rooms at the National Archaeological Museum to marvel at the some of the most beautiful sculptures and other objects ever made by human hands. And then when you’re done, go enjoy a tasty Greek meal (every meal I had was tasty!) and relax.

You’re in Athens and life is good. Here are more posts about travels in Greece:

Have you visited the National Archaeological Museum in Athens? Share your comments and recommendations in the Comments below.

How to Spend a Perfect Artsy Traveler Day in Athens

November 26, 2024December 18, 2024Destinations, Greece, Perfect Day Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment

Last updated on December 18th, 2024 at 07:52 pm

In one day in Athens, you can easily see and enjoy a good taste of what this wonderful and historic city has to offer the Artsy Traveler.

For a perfect Artsy Traveler day in Athens, I suggest taking a walking tour, strolling around some of the lesser-visited archeological sites and visiting either the National Archeological Museum or the Acropolis Museum.

Later in the afternoon, stop at Syntagma (Constitution) Square to watch the Changing of the Guard, and then end your perfect Artsy Traveler day with an evening performance of folk dancing at the Dora Stratou Theatre, followed by dinner and a spot of souvenir shopping in the lively Plaka district.

What About the Acropolis?

I don’t include the Acropolis as part of a Perfect Artsy Traveler Day in Athens, not because it’s not worth visiting (it certainly is!), but because it’s likely already on your agenda. Visit the Acropolis in the late afternoon the day before your perfect day in Athens. It’s the star attraction, but once you’ve seen it, you can relax and explore all the other wonderful sites and experiences that Athens has to offer.

For my take on how to enjoy the Acropolis, check out Should You Make the Climb to the Acropolis in Athens.

Here’s how I suggest you spend your perfect Artsy Traveler day in Athens.

Orientation to Athens

Athens is a very large city, and you may at first be worried, as I was, that it will be too busy and crowded for comfort. You’ll likely be pleasantly surprised. The area of Athens that most interests visitors is compact and easy to navigate. You’ll find many pedestrianized streets, some leafy squares and gardens, and a general aura of calm.

While you may expect tooting horns and pollution, you’re more likely to experience laid-back and cheerful.

Here’s a map showing the locations mentioned in this post.

Map created using Wanderlog, a road trip planner on iOS and Android

Morning on A Perfect Artsy Traveler Day in Athens

Start your perfect Artsy Traveler day with a walking tour. If you’re visiting during hot weather, the streets in the morning will be shadier and the air cooler. You can find plenty of walking tours in Athens; I recommend a GuruWalk.

Hidden Gems GuruWalk of Athens

On its website, GuruWalk claims that “the best free walking tour guides in the world are here.” The company provides access to an international community of pay-what-you-please walking tours. They call their guides “gurus” and describe them as “open, attentive, fun people with great knowledge of the city.”

I recommend the Hidden Gems tour of Athens with GuruWalk guide Anastasios, who enthusiastically shared his love of Greek history—and especially ancient Greek history—on a two-hour tour that took us up the slopes of the Acropolis.

Meeting the Hidden Gems Tour

You’ll meet the tour in a small park in front of the Monument of Lycicrates (#1 on the map) near the Diogenis restaurant in the Plaka area (#3), not far from my recommended accommodation at Karma Suites (#2). When I took the tour, I joined about twenty-five people from all over the world: Belgium, Spain, Italy, England, Lithuania, Brazil, Denmark, the US, and Julia and me from Canada.

The tour involved quite a bit of walking up steep stairs and along very narrow lanes. One of the first stops was the tiny neighborhood of Anafiotika, located under the northeastern side of the Acropolis Hill in the middle of historical Plaka.

Anafiotika

Our guide Anastasios informed the group that Anafiotika (#4) was built by workers who came from the Cyclades Islands (Santironi, Mykonos, Naxos, et al) to build Plaka in the early 19^th century.

Here’s a view of one of the narrow, picturesque streets with the Acropolis looming above.

View of the charming neighborhood of Anafliotika with the Acropolis in the background

The workers built their homes in the island style—white-washed, thick-walled houses clustered around tiny lanes, some barely wide enough to fit a lumbering donkey. How they managed to get furniture into their houses in anyone’s guess, although Anastasios mentioned that most of the homes have been abandoned because the area was made part of the archeological site of the Acropolis. A few families still live there, but unofficially.

Progressing Around the Acropolis

Anastasios provided an excellent “Hidden Gems” tour of the area around the Acropolis. He stopped frequently at places with walls to perch on so participants could listen in comfort as he talked about history and philosophy, and shared tips about how to get the best out of our Athens visit.

You’ll find his historical stories–told with enthusiasm and pride–fascinating. He really knows his history and is obviously happy to share what he knows. You’ll learn just how much we owe to the ancient Greeks—theater, philosophy, architecture, democracy, mathematics, medicine—the list goes on and on.

GuruWalk guide Anastasios on the Hidden Gems walking tour

At the end of the tour, Anastasios directed participants to his GuruWalk page where he’d listed his recommendations for Athens, including the best places to view the sunset as well as good restaurants in the area.

If you’re visiting Athens, sign up for the Hidden Gems tour. You’ll learn a lot, see some places you’d never find on your own, and get a good work-out. Despite a lot of steep climbing, fortunately the pace is pleasingly sedate with frequent stops to sit and listen.

Exploring Athens

Agora & Archeological Sites on the Combo Ticket

Spend some of your perfect Artsy Traveler day in Athens checking out the Agora (#5) and other archeological sites. I suggest you purchase the combo ticket when you visit the Acropolis so that you can tour up to six more archeological sites.

The Agora is a large area littered with ruined bits of ancient Greece. It’s peaceful, uncrowded, and verdant, with plenty of scope for the imagination. It’s not much of a stretch to visualize ancient Greeks going about their business—buying, selling, eating, drinking, arguing, and loving, just like modern Greeks are still doing in the streets adjacent to the Agora.

A highlight is the Temple of Hephaestus (#6), the god of blacksmiths. This very impressive temple takes pride of place on a slight rise and is highly photogenic—far more so than its big brother up on top of the Acropolis. The temple is scaffolding-free and in surprisingly good nick.

Temple of Hephaestus in the Agora in Athens

Lunch in Monastiraki

The chef who ran the cooking class that Julia and I took in Nafplio (see Explore Greek Cuisine in a Savor Nafplio Cooking Class) recommended we visit a famous deli in the Monastiraki district. I definitely recommend you check this place out for lunch. Called Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani (#7), it’s crowded, lively, and full of both tourists and locals.

And the food! We ordered and quickly devoured a meat and cheese board.

Meat and cheese board at a deli in Monastiraki

Although we arrived without a reservation, we were quickly seated in the back courtyard. Service was fast and the food delicious.

Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani in Monastiraki

Shops in Monastiraki

This lively and very Greek-feeling area is full of interesting food shops. Take some time to wander the narrow streets and check out the many displays of meats, herbs, and other foods hanging from open doorways.

National Archeological Museum

Allocate at least two to three hours to tour the marvelous National Archeological Museum(#8) . You can get there via Uber (which is actually just a local taxi) or walk for about twenty minutes from Monastiraki.

While not as state-of-the-art and modern as the Acropolis Museum (#11), the National Archeological Museum is still an Athens must-see. It’s the largest archaeological museum in Greece and one of the world’s most important museums devoted to ancient Greek art.

Centuries of ancient Greek history, from the earliest inhabitants to the Romans, are displayed in several large rooms. Information about each exhibit is provided in both English and Greek so it’s easy to tour the museum and figure out what you’re looking at.

Here are some of the highlights.

Mask of Agammenon at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

Octopus vase at the National Archeological Museum in Athens

For a detailed overview about what to see at the National Archeological Museum, read my post: What To See at The National Archeological Museum in Athens.

Acropolis Museum

You’ll want to visit both the National Archeological Museum and the Acropolis Museum, but not on the same day. I love museums, but even I try to pace myself!

Visit the Acropolis Museum after you visit the Acropolis itself. If you’re in Athens on a Friday, start your visit to the Acropolis around 5 pm, and then descend and visit the museum, which is open until 10 pm.

For more about the Acropolis Museum, check out my post Should You Make the Climb to the Acropolis of Athens?

Syntagma and the Changing of the Guard

After visiting the marvelous National Archeological Museum in Athens, catch another Uber for about five euros to Syntagma (#9), otherwise known as Constitution Square. This area is the heart of modern Athens and the location of the Hellenic Parliament. Your mission is to see the famed Changing of the Guard.

Every hour, the guards who stand in perfect stillness in front of the Parliament participate in a slow, graceful, and achingly beautiful Changing of the Guard ceremony. On Sundays at 11:00 am, a more elaborate ceremony takes place.

The sun was blazing across the façade of the parliament building when we arrived to find two young soldiers dressed in traditional uniform. Their composure and stamina was remarkable. I was relieved to see that they stood under small awnings which presumably gave them some protection from the sun.

Guard standing in front of the Hellenic Parliament in Athens

Who Are The Guards?

The guards are from the elite Evzones unit of the Hellenic Army, and their duty is to guard the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Hellenic Parliament and the Presidential Mansion. The monument is dedicated to Greek soldiers who were killed in war. The Evzones are symbols of bravery and courage for the Greek people.

Uniform of the Guards

The traditional uniform worn by the guards fascinated me. The day we visited, they wore a light tan jacket, but I’ve seen pictures of them wearing navy blue jackets.

The uniform consists of the farion, the Evzone’s fez, that is made from red baize and features a black silk tuft and the Greek coat of arms; a white shirt with loose sleeves; a handmade waistcoat adorned with several delicate shapes; the fustanella, which is the Greek kilt consisting of 400 folds, each representing one year of the 400-year Ottoman occupation; two socks on each leg; a leather belt that holds the socks; the tsarouchia, which are the traditional red leather shoes (each weighing three kilos!) with a black tuft or what we’d call a pom pom in front; and various other accessories.

Each guard also carries a shotgun.

Gathering of the Crowds

The crowd clustered in a semi-circle about four meters from the two guards. Every so often, an intrepid tourist crossed an invisible line and tried to get close to one of the guards for a photo op. Another guard stationed to the side and wearing army fatigues rather than the traditional uniform yelled at the hapless tourist to get back. He did this several times during the fifty minutes we watched the guards.

I’ve seen pictures of people standing next to the guards, but evidently that practice has been discontinued, which is just as well. Can you imagine how difficult it must be for the guards to stand so still, their faces expressionless, every muscle completely immobile? They don’t need the added aggravation of coping with wayward tourists looking for selfies.

Half-Time Repositioning of the Guard

We arrived just after the Changing of the Guard at the top of the hour and decided to wait. Thirty minutes later, the two guards changed places in a slow march with high kicks that bore witness to incredible core strength and discipline.

After they changed places, the fatigue-wearing guard wiped the sweat from each guard’s brow. It was a touching and powerful testament to both the physical toll the movements must take on the men, but also the incredible respect with which the guards are treated.

Guards changing position in front of the Hellenic Parliament in Athens

Changing of the Guard

Just before the top of the hour, the crowd parted and a contingent of fresh guards marched in. The light had faded and we witnessed the solemn ceremony in awe. At times, I felt moved to tears as I watched the men execute their incredibly slow movements in perfect synchronicity.

Dance Performance

If you’re visiting Athens during the summer, check out the folk dancing show at the Dora Stratou Theatre (#10). This 860-seat garden theater is located on Philopappou Hill, opposite the Acropolis.

Getting there is half the fun! From the Plaka district, you enter the dimly lit (and eerily empty when we visited) pathways that wind through the park surrounding the hill to the theatre. Just when you might start feeling a bit vulnerable with no theatre in site, you’ll arrive at the theatre. On a September evening a few days short of the end of the season, the large outdoor theatre was surprisingly empty.

What a shame! The show is well worth seeing. But be warned. If you visit in spring or in mid-September, like we did, take along a sweater. Since the daytime temperature had hovered around 28 degrees, I’d mistakenly believed that an outdoor concert in the evening would be balmy. Wrong! My light wrap was no match for the chill that began descending halfway through the performance.

What’s in the Show at the Dora Stratou Theatre?

A company of 75 dancers, musicians and folk singers clad in costumes from the theatre’s extensive collection performed for over an hour. The dances come from all over Greece, and are characterized by slow, steady movement interspersed with some fancy moves, mostly by the men.

Dinner in the Plaka

After the performance, stroll back to the Plaka district to enjoy a late dinner. Along the way, you’ll admire floodlit views of the Acropolis. This inspiring vista does not get old. Every time I glance up, I want to pinch myself.

I’m in Athens! This is so cool.

You’ll find plenty of places to eat in the Plaka district which admittedly is a little on the touristy side. But the atmosphere is lively, the food hearty, and the service friendly.

Relaxing at an outside table, dipping pita into fresh tzatziki and chatting about a full Artsy Traveler day in Athens is my kind of travel!

Shopping!

And after dinner? Well, the shops in the Plaka district stay open late, so why not end your day by shopping for souvenirs?

While many of the shops sell pretty schlocky stuff, such Kiss Me, I’m Greek T-shirts, persevere and you’ll find some gems. I found a lovely shop selling textiles and stocked up on placemats, a pillow cover, and tea towels, and Julia snagged a set of ceramic olive oil dispensers.

Where to Stay in Athens

Karma Apartments

Steps from the lively Plaka district but on a quiet side street, Karma Apartments is a real find in Athens. The one-bedroom apartment we were assigned is on the top floor of a building containing other holiday lets, and even includes a large terrace with a peekaboo view of the Acropolis.

Hotel Lozenge

On our last night in Greece, we stayed at the Hotel Lozenge in the upscale Kolonaki neighborhood. This is a great choice for a business-style hotel with comfortable rooms, an attached restaurant, and very helpful staff.

Tours of Athens

Here are some tours of Athens from GetYourGuide.

Conclusion

You can definitely “do” Athens in one full day, although two days is better. Don’t just rush up to the Acropolis and call it a day. Explore some of the neighborhoods—Plaka, Syntagma, the Acropolis area, Monastiraki, Thissio (where the Agora is located), and elegant Kolonaki.

Slow down and enjoy this incredibly historical city. After all, Socrates walked here, and Plato too. Give them their due by walking slowly and breathing the same air they did (more or less). Maybe you’ll be struck by some deep philosophical thoughts that change the course of western civilization.

Here are more posts about travels in Greece:

Have you visited Athens? Share your comments and recommendations in the Comments below.

Should You Make the Climb to the Acropolis of Athens?

October 31, 2024December 17, 2024Destinations, Greece Artsy Traveler 11 Comments

Last updated on December 17th, 2024 at 07:57 pm

Ah, the Acropolis of Athens! It is the pinnacle of Greek culture and a mecca for cultural travel. It’s both a graceful monument to the old gods and a tourist attraction famed for the number of visitors willing to risk heatstroke to see it in all its rubble-strewn glory.

Of all the many archaeological site scattered across Greece, the most famous by far are the imposing collection of temples perched atop the hill in the middle of the busy city of Athens.

The hill is called the Acropolis and the big temple in the middle is called the Parthenon, but people often use the two terms interchangeably.

A Pinterest graphic with the words "Acropolis in Athens" above a picture of the facade of the Parthenon showing the Doric columns.

Overview of the Acropolis of Athens

A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Acropolis inspires millions of visitors every year to make the long trek from the ticket office to the temples, puffing up stone steps that go on forever (or at least feel like they do). There is no shade; for several months of the year, the sun can be life threatening; and you make the trek with thousands of fellow visitors.

Unless you’re visiting in the depths of winter, forget romantic thoughts of strolling up the steps in solitary communion with the ancient Greeks.

I’m actually surprised so many people visit the Acropolis. And yet they do. Thousands upon thousands of them visit every day—young and not so young, fit and definitely not fit, and from all over the world. The Acropolis is the must-see hit of Athens.

You can’t go to Athens and not climb to the Acropolis. Not to do so is probably illegal.

Read on for more about my experience and my recommendations for comfortably visiting the Acropolis and the must-see Acropolis Museum.

When It’s Too Hot to Visit the Acropolis

Officials sometimes close the Acropolis on summer afternoons when temperatures soar to the high forties Celsius. I can’t even imagine how hot that must feel. With no shade on the way up, such high temperatures plus bare rocks equal a searing experience.

If you’re visiting on a particularly hot and crowded day in the summer, I recommend just admiring the Acropolis from afar. Why risk heat stroke?

Instead, visit the wonderful (and air conditioned) Acropolis Museum and/or the National Archaeological Museum (check out my suggestions for touring!), enjoy a leisurely lunch, do some shopping, do some people-watching of the modern Athenians, and maybe take a peek at some of the lesser-known and much less crowded archaeological sites. You’ll still see the Acropolis from just about anywhere you walk in central Athens. Let that be enough.

Here are some tours from Tiqets.com that don’t include the Acropolis!

Visiting the Acropolis of Athens in the Late Afternoon

When the heat is manageable, consider visiting the Acropolis in the late afternoon. The crowds start to thin out, the temperature starts to cool, and sunset is imminent.

Here’s what I did during a visit with my daughter in mid-September.

My Visit to the Acropolis in September

We arrive at the ticket area near the main entrance to the Acropolis site at 4:30 pm to find that tickets for the 4:45 time slot are sold out, with the next available time slot being 5:45 pm.

If you go in the late afternoon, you may be lucky, like we are, and only wait an hour to get in. If, however, you are visiting at other times of the day or during the summer, buy your tickets online several days before your visit.

To Combo or Not to Combo?

Your big decision when buying your ticket to the Acropolis is whether you should buy a single or a combo ticket. The single ticket costs €20 and the combo ticket costs €30.

The single ticket only gets you into the Acropolis & Slopes within a 30-minute time frame from 15 minutes before to 15 minutes after your selected time slot.

The combo ticket gets you into the Acropolis & Slopes at your appointed time and into the Ancient Agora, Hadrian’s Library, Kerameikos, Aristotle’s School [Lyceum], Olympieion, and the Roman Agora anytime within five days of the ticket date. That’s a lotta ruins!

With only a day and a half in Athens, we decide to throw caution to the wind and buy the combo tickets. I figure that for the extra €10, we’re bound to visit at least one of the other sites. Most of them cost around €10, so we only have to visit one additional site to get our money’s worth.

We visit the Ancient Agora the day after our visit to the Acropolis, so for us, the combo ticket paid for itself, just. Here’s some advice on How to Spend a Perfect Artsy Traveler Day in Athens that includes a visit to the Ancient Agora.

Here’s the fabulous Temple of Hephaestus in the Agora.

Side view of the stunning Greek Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, which is part of the Agora of Athens and accessible with a Combo ticket to the archaeological sites in Athens

Front view of the columns in the stunning Greek Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, which is part of the Agora of Athens and accessible with a Combo ticket to the archaeological sites in Athens

I recommend you buy the combo ticket if you think you’ll have time to explore other sites. The Ancient Agora is definitely worth a visit.

Check the official ticket s ite.

Waiting to Enter the Acropolis

After buying combo tickets, we go in search of a café to have a drink while we wait. My daughter, Julia, chooses a donut that looks like it will be a tasty, if indulgent, treat.

Unfortunately, it’s drier than a vat of pixie dust. We should complain and get our €3.50 back. But I don’t have the heart since the server was so cheery when she seated us. We leave the donut virtually untouched and return to the ticket office.

Picture of a very large and dry donut with caramel icing flaking off as an example of what not to order at the touristy cafes near the Acropolis in Athens.

NOTE: Avoid the string of cafés a few steps from the entrance to the Acropolis. There are many better places to eat in the nearby Plaka district.

Joining the Line to the Acropolis of Athens

We arrive back at the line at 5:30 and join the queue. There are quite a few people, but not so many that we feel overwhelmed. Precisely at 5:45, the turnstiles open and the line moves with surprising briskness.

Soon we’re through and ready to begin the long climb up to one of the world’s most iconic sites.

OMG! I’m at the Acropolis! Socrates walked here. Plato pontificated here. Thousands of believers made their way across these very slick stones to climb to the temples and worship the gods.

It’s one of those “pinch me” moments that make travel worthwhile.

Have you been to the Acropolis in Athens?

Oh yes. It was marvelous.

Fortunately, most people move quite slowly, what with stopping every two meters to snap pictures, so the climb feels less strenuous than it would be if the place were empty. Every few steps, we get to pause, admire the view, and catch our breath.

I listen to a Rick Steves audio commentary as I climb and learn all sorts of interesting things about what I’m seeing. I recommend Rick’s commentaries—they’re fun, informative, and not boring.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus

On the way up to the Acropolis, we pass the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. It’s a superb open-air theater with seating for 5,000 spectators that is still used for performances. Built in 161 AD, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus has hosted stars such as Elton John, Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, and Sting.

Slowly, slowly we climb up and up Acropolis hill until we face the monumental entrance to the Acropolis—enormous pillars soaring into the cloud-studded Athenian sky. I am suitably awed and snap away happily along with a few hundred of my fellow climbers.

Massive columns at the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens visible as you climb up to the Acropolis. the backs of a large crowd of people climbing to the top is in the foreground. — Approaching the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens

What’s Up Top at the Acropolis of Athens?

When, finally, we make it to the top, all of Athens is laid at our feet which is pretty danged spectacular. We’re also standing in the shadow of the mighty Parthenon which, despite the scaffolding and the missing columns, is magnificent.

It’s the very definition of iconic.

People are everywhere, but it’s not difficult to crop them out of pictures, and everyone is in good spirits. After all, they’re in the midst of crossing a major experience off their bucket lists. Also, the temperature at around 28 C degrees with a nice breeze and the sun fast setting is just about perfect.

Front view of the Parthenon in Athens which is covered in scaffolding. The columns along the left side do not have scaffolding and are Doric columns and very beautiful. — The front façade of the Acropolis

Warning: No Disrespecting Allowed

Resist the temptation to engage in any shenanigans while snapping pictures of the monuments of the Acropolis. Guards patrol the perimeter on the lookout for anyone daring to make light of Greece’s national treasures. They frown on people mugging for the camera with excessively silly poses or acting in any way disrespectfully.

Temple of Erechtheion at the Acropolis of Athens

The beautiful temple of Erechtheion with its columns made from the figures of women is a highlight of the Acropolis. The original statues are in the Acropolis Museum, which I talk about later in this post. The statues you’ve climbed up to see are reproductions.

But the temple is still wonderful! Who cares that most of it was rebuilt in modern times?

The Temple of Erechtheion on the Acropolis with a view of the Athens skyline beyond. This temple is a highlight of the Acropolis because the columns are actually statues of women in Greek robes. — The Temple of Erechtheion on the Acropolis

The Parthenon

The main activity at the top of the Acropolis is walking around the Parthenon and snapping pictures of the Parthenon along with the other temples and the view of Athens from every angle.

You can eavesdrop on tour groups or listen to an audio guide to learn more about the site, or you can just look and enjoy.

The attraction of the place is its hold over our collective imaginations. The Acropolis of Athens symbolizes much of what is good in western culture as defined by the ancient Greeks. Their contributions to medicine, theater, literature, language, architecture, sculpture, and a whole lot of other useful pursuits have lasted millennia.

The world owes a lot to the Greeks, and the Acropolis of Athens stands proud witness to that debt.

We circle the Parthenon, admiring its perfect dimensions and lamenting its sorry state of disrepair. Over the millennia, it was bombed by the Venetians, had a mosque built inside of it by the Ottomans, and had bits of it removed by a certain British lord whose name begins with E.

Many Greeks are not happy that their “Elgin” marbles were removed from the Acropolis back in the day and are still in the British Museum. I hope they get them back so they can be installed in the gorgeous new Acropolis Museum that we visit next.

Side view of the Parthenon on the Acropolis taken from the top of the Acropolis in Athens. Some scaffolding is visible, but most of hte columns are free of scaffolding and very impressive.

Temple of Athena Nike

Athena, goddess of wisdom, crafting, and victory, is one of my favorite goddesses. Perched at the edge of a cliff, the temple dedicated to the goddess Athena is the smallest temple at the Acropolis. It was built in the Iconic order (my favorite of the three orders) in 420 BC.

Sunset Over Athens

The sun is starting to sink over Athens and the guards start ushering people towards the exit. Although the Acropolis is supposed to stay open until 8 PM, that’s not exactly the case. I suppose they want everyone off before darkness falls which, considering the roughness of some of the steps, is a good idea.

Spectacular view over the large city of Athens facing west to a beautiful sunset. The view is taken from the top of the Acropolis and is well worth the climb to see in the early evening.

The journey back down the slopes of the Acropolis is much easier than the journey up. Before long, we’re back in front of the Acropolis Museum.

Because it’s a Friday, the museum is open until 10 PM. Visiting it after an early evening climb to the Acropolis makes a perfect ending to an Acropolis outing.

Accessing the Acropolis via Elevator

If you are not able to climb the many, many steps to the Acropolis, you may be able to use the elevator. Thank you to a commenter on this post for reminding me that an elevator is available.

Note that access is strictly controlled. You need to prove you are disabled, and should call ahead to check availability. The number is +30 210 3214172 or +30 210 9238470

The ride up takes just 32 seconds!

Visiting the Acropolis Museum

This museum is an Athens must-see. It’s brand new and gorgeous and is equally awesome whether visited before or after climbing to the Acropolis. And if the weather and crowds prevent you from making the climb, the Acropolis Museum is a fine consolation prize.

The stylish and modern entrance to the Acropolis Museum in Athens, a must-see museum to learn more about the temples and the history of the Acropolis. — Entrance to the Acropolis Museum in Athens

The three floors of the museum are large and airy with beautifully curated displays of artifacts from the Acropolis of Athens. In addition, informative videos, and lots of information in English, bring Greek history to life.

Allow at least two hours to tour the museum.

A highlight for me are the original statues from the Temple of Erechtheion. The details in the robes and hair of the women are astonishing.

Close up view of two of the female statues wearing Greek robes with pediments on top of their heads. These are two of the original columns used to hold up the Erechtheion Temple on the Acropolis, and are very classically Greek and beautiful.

View of one of the female statues wearing Greek robes with pediments on top of it head. This is one of the original columns used to hold up the Erechtheion Temple on the Acropolis, and is very classically Greek and beautiful. The column is displayed in the Acropolis Museum--a must-see museum in Athens.

On the top floor, you can see great views of the Acropolis. Since we are visiting in the evening, the floodlit ruins appear to float in the night sky.

Floodlit view of the Acropolis as seen through a large window on the top flow of the Acropolis Museum.

Also on the top floor is the glass-encased “Parthenon Gallery” on which the relief sculptures of the Parthenon frieze are exhibited in continuous sequence around all four sides, mimicking the real Parthenon.

While most of the sculptures were long ago plundered by Lord Elgin, enough remain to give an idea of the splendor of the original building.

Portion of the frieze that once adorned the Parthenon at the Acropolis exhibited in the Acropolis Museum in Athens. This portion shows a marble statue of a man reclining next to another seated man without a head.

Portion of the frieze that once adorned the Parthenon at the Acropolis exhibited in the Acropolis Museum in Athens. This portion shows a carving of four men on horseback and is remarkably full of movement.

Plenty of information is provided to help visitors visualize the original friezes as well as understand the significance of the sculpted figures. It’s a pretty cool experience to walk around the four sides of the massive structure on the top floor, occasionally glancing out the window to see the real Parthenon rising into an indigo sky from the moonlit Acropolis.

On the ground floor, wide expanses of glass that you can walk over allow you to view the active archaeological dig below ground.

View of archaeological ruins below street level at the Acropolis Museum in Athens visible as you walk in the entrance. This museum is one of Athens's must-see archaeological museums.

When to Visit the Acropolis Museum in Athens

I highly recommend visiting the Acropolis Museum in the evening, if possible. We pretty much had the place to ourselves for the entire visit. Earlier in the day, the museum can get very crowded because people often go to the Acropolis first and then visit the museum.

Here are some options for purchasing tickets to the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.

Where to Stay in Athens

On my recent trip to Athens, I stayed in two places–a holiday apartment for two nights and a hotel for one night. I can highly recommend both places.

Karma Athens: Located on a quiet street just around the corner from the lively Plaka district, Karma Apartments was the perfect place to stay in Athens. Our one-bedroom apartment included a private terrace that featured a peek-a-boo view of the Acropolis.

The building contains only holiday lets so it’s more like a hotel, but without a reception. However, there was an attendant there when we arrived early who kindly stored our luggage until the apartment was ready and then carried it up to our apartment on the top floor. The stairs were steep but the climb was worth it.

Hotel Lozenge: This business hotel located in the high-end Kolonaki area of Athens, and within easy walking distance of most of what you’d want to see in Athens, is clean and modern with a friendly staff and an attached bar-restaurant.

We stayed one night before flying home the next morning, and it was an excellent end-of-trip choice.

Conclusion

The Acropolis of Athens is a definite must-see if you can avoid risking heatstroke or standing in long lines for hours on end. Go late in the afternoon, if possible, scheduling your visit to the Acropolis Museum for when the museum is open late, and take your time.

It’s likely you’ll only make the climb up to the Acropolis once or twice in your life. Make sure the experience is one you look back on with fondness, remembering the thrill of treading in the footsteps of the ancients rather than the tedium of inching painfully across sun-baked stones.

Have you visited the Acropolis in Athens? Share your experience and recommendations in the Comments below.

How To Spend Two Wonderful Days in Charming Nafplio in Greece

October 23, 2024December 21, 2024Destinations, Greece, Other Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment

Last updated on December 21st, 2024 at 06:00 am

Thinking of visiting Nafplio?

I highly recommend including at least two or three nights in Nafplio in your Greek itinerary.

It’s well worth a visit, with its narrow streets in the old town, great views of the sea, and relatively few crowds.

During a 16-day trip around Greece, I stayed three nights in Nafplio and could easily have stayed longer.

A scenic nighttime view of a lit fortress island surrounded by calm blue waters, with the text "Two Wonderful Days in Charming Nafplio" and "artsytraveler.com" overlaying the image.

Compared to Santorini, Nafplio feels deserted. One reason is that the large cruise ships don’t come here. As a result, most visitors either pop in for a quick visit on a tour from Athens, or stay a night or two. Many use the town as a home base to explore nearby ancient sites.

In this post, I share my suggestions for things to do in Nafplio and how to allocate your time.

I suggest spending three nights and two days, with one day devoted to a tour of Mycenae, Corinth, and Epidaurus.

Overview of Nafplio

Nafplio, also known as Nafplion and Nafplia, was the first capital of Greece from 1828 to 1834 following the Greek War of Independence.

The history of Nafplio is fascinating. Back in the 15^th century, Venice conquered the region and left behind three formidable fortresses—one high atop an imposing cliff that looms over the town, one on a peninsula not visible from the town, and one out in the harbor.

Floodlit at night, the two fortresses visible from the seafront add a romantic touch to this elegant little town.

Getting to Nafplio

After a three-hour ferry ride from Naxos to Piraeus (check out my post about our three nights on beautiful Naxos), we take a private transfer to the charming city of Nafplio, a two-hour drive on a mostly empty highway.

The cost of the private transfer is about $250 and while not inexpensive, it was a much more convenient way to get to Nafplio from Piraeus. The alternative would taking a taxi into Athens and then catching a bus to Nafplio or renting a car.

When you are on a fairly tight itinerary, spending extra to save time makes good sense.

You could visit Nafplio on a day trip from Athens, but don’t! As mentioned above, Nafplio is worth at least two nights and preferably three or four.

Arrival in Nafplio

The driver drops us off in the little square in the middle of Nafplio old town a few meters above our place and points down a narrow alleyway.

Your apartment is down there.

Okay…

We trundle down the narrow street to another narrow street flanked with souvenir stores and look around hopefully. Julia spies the name of the apartment high up on a wall: 99 Dream Vacations. Now all we need to do is get in.

Staying in Nafplio

I text our host and, to my relief, she rounds the corner into our street minutes later and lets us into a beautiful apartment complete with high wood-beamed ceilings, a comfortable living room and two bedrooms.

The kitchen is stocked with provisions for breakfast—tubs of creamy Greek yogurt, along with eggs, fruit, bread, and enough coffee pods to keep me well caffeinated for the entire stay.

I highly recommend 99 Dream Vacations if you’re looking for a centrally located and reasonably-priced apartment. Here are photos of the living room and adjacent dining room.

A cozy living room with wooden beams on the ceiling, a fireplace with a mirror above it, comfortable seating, and a flat-screen TV. Natural light streams through lace curtains.

Getting to Know Nafplio

On our first evening, we stroll around the cute streets of the old town of Nafplio, all brightly lit until late in the evening, and share a very tasty pizza at a café overlooking the Bourtzi fortress in the harbor. The fortress is one of three built by the Venetians.

As usual, the service is efficient and friendly. During our entire 16-day trip in Greece, we never once experienced poor service.

After dinner, we treat ourselves to an Italian gelato at a gelateria reputed to serve the best gelato in Greece. The server greets us in Italian, and the gelato is indeed excellent. Several hundred years of Venetian occupation have left their mark on Nafplio.

Day 1 in Nafplio – Exploring the Town

Our first full day is a semi-down day with very little planned beyond taking a cooking class at 5 pm. Nafplio is a charming and walkable town, but it’s fairly low on sights.

I recommend checking out the Archeological Museum and the Venetian Fortress of Palamidi (also known as Palamidi Castle) perched high above the town, and then spending the rest of the day relaxing, shopping, eating, and strolling (not necessarily in that order).

Archeological Museum of Nafplio

After breakfast at an outdoor cafe in Nafplio’s old town, we head to the Archeological Museum to learn all about the early inhabitants of the area—some dating back 30,000 years. This is a very old part of the world!

The Archeological Museum in Nafplio is well organized and compact and definitely worth a visit if you are interested in ancient history (and hey, you’re in Greece!).

The permanent collection includes artifacts dating from the Paleolithic period to Roman times. The most important exhibits are associated with the Mycenaean centers of the region.

All the exhibits include informative English captions. I particularly like the collections of pots, including a well-preserved Octopus pot.

A display of ancient glass and ceramic vessels in various shapes, sizes, and colors, including delicate amphorae with ornate patterns, inside a museum exhibit.

A highlight of the museum is a suit of bronze armor that was found in a chamber tomb dating fthe 15th century BC. Check out the boar tooth helmet. Imagine how many boars gave their lives to make that helmet.

I also snap a picture of three reconstructed theatrical masks. As a former theater major (back in the day, I got my Master’s in theatre from the University of Toronto), I have a soft spot for Greek theater and am looking forward to our visit to the ancient Greek theater at Epidaurus.

Three ancient stone masks displayed against a deep red background, each with exaggerated facial features and hollow eyes.

Tourist Train in Nafplio

With the clouds threatening rain, we set off after our visit to the museum to find the hop- on-hop-off tour bus that will, according to the guidebook, take us up to the fort.

We could climb the 999 steps from the town to the top, but we won’t.

Another view of the rocky fortress on a hill, with palm trees, a red-tiled roof building, and a tourist train parked in front of it, under a gray sky. — Fortress of Palamidi seen from Nafplion

At the bus stop, we discover a little tourist train next to a sign advertising a 20-minute meander around the town. With 30 minutes to spare before the hop-on-hop-off bus arrives, we decide to give the tourist train a whirl.

Feeling like toddlers on a day trip, we clamber into the train which sets off at a painfully sedate pace. My great-grandma could walk faster.

The English commentary is not particularly compelling and the only charming streets we putter down are ones we’ve already walked along.

A small white and red tourist train with open carriages parked along a street lined with palm trees, with a large rocky fortress perched on a hill in the background. — Tourist train in Nafplion

At one point, we squeeze past the café where we had breakfast. We want to sink through the floor as the server catches our eye and kind of smirks as if to say, Really? You fell for the tourist train tour? Don’t you know it sucks?

She is right. For the next twenty minutes, we chug along, often stuck for several minutes in traffic with nothing to see either side but graffiti-scrawled walls and kids playing volleyball at the local high school.

The train circles through the modern part of the town which doesn’t have much to recommend it, with some vistas appallingly ugly.

A graffiti-covered wall in an urban setting, with colorful, bold tags like "PUNK" and "DIRTY" in the foreground, and residential buildings in the background under a cloudy sky. — Not all of Nafplio is charming

Finally, excruciatingly, we arrive back at the parking area only to discover that the bus has already left. So much for that plan! But no matter; the skies have been steadily darkening and we feel a few raindrops.

Rather than go up to the fort where the main attraction is views of the sea, we decide to head back to our lovely two-bedroom apartment for some R & R.

I write for a while, nap for a while, and around three o’clock, the skies clear and we venture out again.

Fortress of Palamidi

We have two hours before we need to be at our cooking class, so we catch a taxi up to the fort. The driver says he’ll return for us in one hour and that we can pay him then.

I’d read that the taxi ride from the town to the fortress should cost about 10 euros so I figure that I may as well give him my 20 euros for a round trip rather than take my chances that a taxi will be available when we emerge from the fort.

We wave a cheery good-bye to the driver and set off to explore the Venetian fort. There’s not much left of the fort itself, but the views are jaw-droppingly stunning.

We clamber and climb over the remains of the ancient fortifications, snapping picture after picture of views Nafplio that go on forever. It’s a wonderful place to visit—a Nafplio must-see for sure.

A stone archway with a hanging bell, framing a panoramic view of the sea, distant mountains, and a coastal city below. The sky is blue with scattered clouds.

After much climbing and snapping photos of views of Nafplio, we enjoy a drink at the tiny concession inside the Palamidi Fortress.

We exit the fort precisely one hour after we arrived and find our driver waiting.

After a few wrong turns, he drops us off at Savor Nafplio Cooking School a few minutes before 5 pm. He also charges us 40 euros for a round trip that should have cost 20 euros. But what to do? I hand over the cash and chalk it up to one of the few times we are ripped off in Greece.

The cooking class is a must-do! See my post all about it.

Day 2 in Nafplio – Tour of Ancient Sites

We’re up early on our second full day in Nafplio to take a guided tour of the major archeological sites in the area: Mycenae, Corinth and Epidaurus.

I’ve read about these places for decades and seen pictures, so I’m beyond excited to finally see them in real life, especially the ancient theater of Epidaurus.

If you have a car, you can take day trips from Nafplio to visit the ancient sites. We did all three in one day, which felt very doable.

A few minutes before 9 am, we walk into the small square near our apartment and meet our driver, George. To our delight, we’re in a small van rather than a bus and traveling with just two other people—a honeymooning couple from New York.

George inches the van down a very narrow street lined with stone houses on one side and restaurant tables and chairs on the other. He makes it to the end of the road unscathed and then negotiates several tiny maneuvers to coax the van around a very tight corner hemmed in on two sides by parked cars that he passes with centimeters to spare.

It’s an impressive display of driving skill, and I feel we are in good hands.

George sets off towards the ancient city of Mycenae. He is very enthusiastic about the Mycenaeans, a still-mysterious culture that thrived around 3000 to 1700 BC, after the Minoans, but well before the Athenians (500 to 300 BC).

Mycenae

Around 1600 to 1200 BC, the city of Mycenae ruled its mighty empire from atop a hill now littered with evocative ruins and some truly marvelous tombs. Historians don’t know all that much about the Mycenaeans—who they were, where they came from, and what happened to them.

We do know that around 1200 BC, the Mycenaeans defeated Troy and became the rulers of the Aegean before mysteriously disappearing from the ancient map.

Tomb of Agamemnon

Our first stop is known colloquially as the Tomb of Agamemnon. It is very likely not Agamemnon’s tomb, but calling it the Tomb of Agamemnon is better than calling it the Tomb of Some Bronze Age Dude We Don’t Know.

Its other name is the Treasury of Atreus, which isn’t nearly as romantic nor as descriptive since the site is, definitely, a tomb. Or was.

We are the only people at the site until the honeymooners catch up with us, and I am thoroughly verklempt. Here’s the entrance to what is called a beehive tomb.

A stone entrance leading to an ancient tomb or structure, with massive stone walls forming a pathway under a clear blue sky, surrounded by trees and dry grass.

The interior of the tomb is massive, its high stone ceiling a testament to Bronze Age architectural know-how. The walls of horizontal stone blocks rise up and up to a height of more than 13 meters, decreasing in diameter the higher they go until the dome is closed.

I breathe in the smell of ancient stone and let my imagination soar to the height of the tomb. This place is almost 4000 years old. It was already ancient history when Plato walked the earth.

A woman standing inside a large ancient stone structure with a domed ceiling made of intricately layered stones. The space is dimly lit, highlighting the geometric patterns of the stones.

The interior of a beehive-shaped ancient tomb with a stone ceiling formed by concentric rings. Light filters through the doorway, casting a glow on the stone floor.

Try to arrive as early as possible, preferably just after the site opens to avoid the crowds. I am so grateful I was able to see the tomb on my own rather than with five dozen people all crammed together and simultaneously snapping photos. Talk about an imagination killer.

The honeymooning couple take our picture all alone in front of the tomb. Very soon, taking this same shot with no one else in it would be impossible.

In the five minutes it takes for George to drive from this site to the main site of the Mycenae Acropolis, five tour buses have pulled in. The early visitor definitely gets the best shots.

Palace of Mycenae

The sparse ruins of the palace high on a hill overlooking a spectacular view are pretty much all that’s left of a great and powerful empire. But one element is a show-stopper—and that’s the famous Lion’s Gate that dates from around 1300 BC.

I remember seeing pictures of it back when I first studied art history. It was touted as an incredible engineering achievement, considering its age. In fact, the relief of the lions is the oldest monumental relief in Europe.

The stone lintel upon which the carving of two headless lions sits weighs over 18 tons.

A close-up of the famous Lion Gate, an ancient stone structure featuring two lion figures carved above a column, surrounded by massive stone blocks. — The Lion’s Gate at Mycenae

Awestruck, I pass through the gate and then start the climb to the top of the site. Those ancient Mycenaeans must have been in great shape. The climb is steep but worth the effort.

At the top, I take this panoramic video that shows the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

I’m captivated by an area of the ruined palace called the Artisan Quarter. This was once an extensive building complex that consisted of two stories (although only the foundations survive). Based on finds such as ivory objects, gold leaf, and remnants of semi-precious stones, archaeologists believe the buildings must have contained artists’ workshops.

Hmm, a novel about a Mycenaean jewelry maker? Maybe he’s kidnapped by the Sea People (Sardinian pirates, some think) who allegedly are responsible for conquering and destroying Mycenae? Maybe he’d taken on board a ship and rowed to Sardinia?

Contemplating the glimmerings of a plot keep me entertained when we’re back on the road driving to our next stop.

Stone ruins of an ancient settlement in Mycenae, Greece, with a view of the distant mountains and green valleys under a clear sky.

Archeological Museum at Mycenae

As with every ancient site I visited in Greece, Mycenae includes a small archaeological museum. I am particularly taken by the extensive collection of carved figurines and an intriguing ceramic snake.

Three ancient clay figurines from the Mycenean culture displayed in a museum. The figurines vary in color and shape, with detailed facial features and patterns on the surface.

A terracotta artifact from the Mycenae era is shaped like a coiled snake with a raised head, displayed on a museum shelf with the number "20" beside it.

Ancient Corinth

Our next step is the ancient city of Corinth. In around 400 BC during Greece’s Golden Age, the city was one of the country’s largest and most important cities, with a population of 90,000. And then the Romans swept in during 146 BC, demolished the city as they were often wont to do, and built a new city in its place in 44 BC.

As a result, most of the ruins and the artifacts in the museum are Roman, not Greek.

Nevertheless, the site is pretty darned evocative. With the sky studded with interesting clouds, I snap some good photos of the remains of a Doric temple.

Ruins of an ancient Greek temple with several tall, weathered columns standing against a bright blue sky. Scattered stones and fragments of the structure are on the ground.

Corinth is famous with Christians because of the two letters that Paul wrote in the New Testament. Several tours led by Christian clerics were prowling the site while we were there, some even gathered in circles and singing and/or praying.

The ruins are quite extensive and worth visiting. The museum also merits a look. It contains a courtyard full of Roman statues along with other artifacts, including this well-preserved mosaic.

An ancient Roman mosaic featuring a figure playing a flute while standing beneath a tree, surrounded by cattle. The mosaic is framed with an intricate geometric border pattern.

After wandering around the ruins for a while and visiting the museum, we enjoyed a tasty and reasonably-priced traditional Greek lunch at a small nearby piazza ringed with restaurants and souvenir shops.

Corinth Canal

Nowadays, most cruise ships and freighters can’t squeeze through the Corinth Canal, but it’s still a marvel of engineering. From a vantage point on a bridge high above the canal, it’s hard to believe the canal is 24.6 meters wide and 6.4 kilometers long. From the bridge, the canal looks a lot narrower and shorter.

As far back as the 7^th century BC, engineers dreamed of building a canal to connect the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Even Nero had a go. He actually broke the ground with a pickaxe and removed the first basket load of soil in 67 AD.

But then he died and the project was abandoned. It wasn’t until 1893 that the canal was finally built.

A boat travels through a deep, narrow canal -- the Corinth Canal. There are steep cliffs on either side. The water is a vibrant blue, and there is a bridge above the canal with greenery and a clear sky beyond.

The Theater at Epidaurus

For me, the ancient theater at Epidaurus (a UNESCO World Heritage site and rightly so) is the highlight of the day. I’ve read about it and seen pictures, but nothing prepared me for its sheer size and grandeur.

Regarded as the best-preserved ancient theater in Greece, the theater was constructed in the late 4^th century BC and is still used for performances.

Our guide, George, tells us that he saw a performance of Oedipus Rex in the theater when he was five and cried loudly when Oedipus died, thinking it was all real. He still comes to performances and brings his own children, assuring them it’s all make-believe.

Arrival at the Theater

The pathway from the entrance to the theater ends at the stage with the rows and rows of seats fanning upwards in a half-shell.

From the stage, the theater doesn’t look that big and I’m just a tad disappointed.

A smiling woman wearing sunglasses and a sleeveless top stands in front of the stone seating of an ancient amphitheater. Several tourists are climbing the stone steps in the background.

Climbing up the Theater

But then I start to climb—up, up, up with my heart pumping and my sore knees screaming. I count each step, pausing occasionally to catch my breath and note how much farther I have to go (far!).

Finally, I make it to the top and look down. A wave of vertigo makes me clutch the nearest railing. Yikes, I’m high.

The magnificent theater spreads out before me, perfectly engineered and harmoniously constructed. It’s like a poem in stone.

Waaaaay down on the stage, I hear people testing the famous acoustics that allegedly allow all 15,000 spectators to hear a pin drop.

I recommend you make the trek up the stairs to the top of theater if at all possible. You really can’t appreciate the breadth of this marvel until you see the whole theater spread before you with the hills and sky beyond.

A large, ancient stone amphitheater surrounded by green trees and hills, with tourists scattered throughout the rows of stone seats. The expansive stage area is visible in the center, with a few ruins nearby.

Around the Theater

The theater is situated near the ancient sanctuary of Asklepios, which was a celebrated healing center in ancient times and dedicated to Asklepios, the god of healing.

After visiting the theater, we wander through the extensive archaeological site dotted with columns and various and sundry ruins.

It’s an extremely pleasant place in which to imagine ancient people streaming along the walkways to see a performance by that new guy, Euripedes.

Back to Nafplio

It’s been a good, long day of sightseeing. Just as we pull away from the site, the heavens open. George slogs valiantly through a violent rainstorm, but fortunately, before we have time to worry about flooding, the sun bursts out and all is well with the world for the rest of the trip back.

We spend our last evening cruising around the picturesque streets, enjoying yet another tasty Greek meal (they’re all tasty), soaking up the atmosphere in lovely Syntagma Square, and picking up a few souvenirs.

Here’s the main plaza at night.

A lively square in Nafplio, Greece, illuminated at night with street lamps casting a glow on cobblestone pavement. Outdoor seating with large umbrellas and people strolling around are visible, with classic neoclassical buildings and a large tree in the background under a deep blue sky.

Tours Around Nafplio

GetYourGuide offers tours of the ancient sites on the Peloponnese Peninsular that are easily accessible from Nafplio. Many more tours depart from Athens, but then you’re faced with a much longer drive each way and may not find as many small group tours.

Here are some tours from GetYourGuide

If possible, see the ancient wonders of Mycenae, Corinth and Epidaurus from your home base of Nafplio. You’ll have more time to tour the archaeological sites as well as spend some quality time in Nafplio.

Win-win.

Conclusion

Have you visited Nafplio? Share your suggestions for artsy travelers in the Comments below.

Here are links to more posts about Greece:

Explore Greek Cuisine in a Savor Nafplio Cooking Class

October 23, 2024December 19, 2024Activities, Arts & Culture, Destinations, Greece Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment

Last updated on December 19th, 2024 at 09:52 pm

Have your ever wanted to learn the secrets of Greek cooking? If so, then consider adding a cooking class to your Greek travel itinerary.

When you travel in Greece, you’ll find out very quickly that Greek food is drop-dead amazing and consistently tastier than any food I’ve eaten anywhere.

Sure, I’ve had great meals in France, Italy, Spain, and even North America, but Greece wins hands down when it comes to consistency, taste, and freshness.

A collage of four dishes from a cooking class in Nafplio, including a salad, zucchini roll, lamb with potatoes, and orange pie with ice cream, with a red background and text "Cooking Class in Nafplio."

To learn why Greek food is so great–and more importantly, how to prepare it myself, my daughter Julia and I decide take a cooking class at Savor Nafplio Cooking while staying in lovely little Nafplio.

In the three-hour class, we learn how to prepare Greek dishes and then enjoy a five-course meal complete with wine pairings.

Arrival at Savor Nafplio Cooking Class

We arrive at 5 pm to discover that we are the only two participants. Chef Kostas is a wonderful host and teacher. He keeps us enthralled and engaged throughout the class.

I’ve taken several cooking classes while traveling in Europe, and the class at Savor Nafplio Cooking ranks as one of the best.

Chef Kostas starts the evening by sharing the menu and telling us what to expect. We then dive right into work.

Main Course: Lamb Bogana

The main course of the four-course meal is lamb and potatoes. Since both must cook for at least two hours, we start by preparing the lamb followed by the potatoes. Kostas shows me how to cut slits in the lamb and insert small slivers of garlic, along with sprinklings of salt and pepper. Meanwhile, Julia is put to work making the paste to rub over the lamb.

I also peel potatoes to layer under the lamb. While we work, Kostas provides us with a wealth of useful tips and information about what we are doing—and why.

Appetizer: Beef-Stuffed Zucchini

Once the lamb and potatoes are in the oven, we set to work making the beef-stuffed zucchini. Julia and I learn how to core a zucchini (harder than it looks!), and then we prepare the meat filling. We mix fesh herbs, an egg, plenty of olive oil, and green onions with ground beef and then stuff the mixture into the hollowed-out zucchinis.

Kostas nestles three stuffed zucchinis into a pan half-filled with water. Later, we’ll smother them in a delectable egg and lemon sauce.

Tomato Salad with Cucumber Soup

Kostas teaches us how to prepare cucumbers for pureeing into a refreshing green soup. He uses small cucumbers which he says are less bitter. To ensure the soup is a pleasing color of green, but not too bitter, he instructs me to peel the cucumber in stripes. Cool tip.

Later, he serves the cucumber soup under a mound of cut up Greek salad fixings–tomatoes, onions, olives, capers and some crunchy bread bits all topped with fresh feta cheese. Delicious!

Orange Pie

Traditional Greek orange pie is what I’d call cake—a light, orange-flavored sponge soaked in an orange syrup. Kostas demonstrates how to prepare and measure the many ingredients required for the pie.

One of my jobs is to cut a roll of filo pastry into thin ribbons and then mix them with eggs and fresh orange juice. The filo is a substitute for flour. Its texture will give the pie a lighter texture than it would if made with flour. Interesting idea!

Dining at Savor Nafplio

With all the food prepared, the dining and wine tasting begins. Kostas brings out a small loaf of warm sourdough bread for us to dip in local olive oil flavored with local sea salt. The bread is so good that I eat too much of it and then later have trouble finishing all my dinner.

Kostas pairs five wines with the various courses—from a light white to an after-dinner dessert wine. Kostas explains each wine—its origins in Greece and what to expect while tasting. I thoroughly enjoy tasting the wine and sampling the dinner courses.

Here are pictures of the meal we enjoyed at Savor Nafplio Cooking.

A bottle of Zacharias Sklava white wine with a yellow cap and white label on a wooden table, with kitchen utensils and containers in the background. — One of the five local white wines we sampled

A plate of braised lamb with roasted potatoes, drizzled with a yellow sauce, alongside cutlery and a glass of wine on a wooden table. — One of the five local white wines we sampled

Booking a Class at Savor Nafplio Cooking

Kostas varies the menu depending on the preferences of the guests. We’d specified no fish or shellfish so they weren’t on the menu. He also looks at what’s fresh in the local market and consults his own mood. The menu we enjoyed may not be the menu a guest would enjoy on another night. I am, however, confident that whatever the menu, the cooking experience will be first-rate.

A smiling man in a black chef's jacket labeled "Savor" stands next to a woman in a patterned sleeveless top, both posing in front of a wooden world map on the wall. — Carol Cram with Chef Kostas at Savor Nafplio Cooking Class

If you’re visiting Nafplio, I recommend finding three hours in your schedule to take a cooking class and enjoy a meal and wine pairings at Savor Nafplio Cooking. You get excellent value for the money and learn new cooking tips.

Cooking Classes in Greece

Here are some GetYourGuide cooking classes available in Greece:

Conclusion

Have you taken a cooking class while traveling? Share your recommendations in the Comments below. Here are more posts about cooking classes I’ve taken when traveling.

How to Spend Two Laid-Back, Glorious Days on the Greek Island of Naxos

October 3, 2024December 21, 2024Destinations, Europe, Greece Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment

Last updated on December 21st, 2024 at 05:32 am

Are you planning a trip to Naxos and you’re not sure what to do?

Spending two or three days on the beautiful Greek island of Naxos gives you a taste of this lovely island and definitely leaves you wanting more!

I visited Naxos after spending four days on uber-touristy Santorini, and it was a relaxing revelation. Naxos feels like a Greek island where Greek people actually live. !

Promo image showing a mountain landscape and a charming whitewashed street with shops, titled 'Greek Island of Naxos' from ArtsyTraveler.com.

Plenty of visitors bask on the beaches and eat in the many harborside restaurants, but the place doesn’t feel inundated. Part of the appeal of Naxos is that cruise ships do not come here. Let’s hope that doesn’t change!

During the evening, stroll along the waterfront and through the labyrinthine lanes of the old town (called, fittingly, the labyrinth), mingle with the locals, and watch the children play in the largely car-free streets. Everyone seems to be in a good mood.

And why not? The air on a September evening is warm but not stifling, the sunset over the Aegean is magnificent, the food well prepared (and cheaper than Santorini), and the general atmosphere easy going.

In this 3-night and 2 full-day Naxos itinerary, I cover what you need to know about planning a short trip to Naxos: including where to stay, how to get around, and what to do.

I suggest you spent one day relaxing on one of the many gorgeous beaches in Naxos and one day touring the island, either on an organized tour or on your own in a rental car.

Map of Naxos: Locations Visited

Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades and a popular destination. The map of Naxos below shows the locations I visited.

I stayed at Giorgios Beach (#1), a short walk from the main town of Chora (#2) and the ferry dock. Click a number to read more about each location.

Map courtesy of Wanderlog, a trip planner on iOS and Android

How to Get to Naxos

Since Naxos is an island, you have only two choices for how you get there (unless you have your own boat or are a very strong swimmer).

While most people take the ferry from Athens or another island, you can also fly to Naxos.

If you’re island hopping, you’ll probably take the ferry. On my trip to the Greek islands, I flew from London to Santorini and then took the ferry from there to Naxos and then from Naxos to Athens.

Following is my experience of the ferry trip to Naxos.

My Experience: Leaving Santorini

We bid farewell to Aethrio Sunset Village and take a taxi to the ferry port. Unlike the old port that services the cruise ships, the ferry port is accessible by car and bus down a very steep series of switchbacks.

When our ferry arrives, we join the throngs of suitcase-toting visitors for the mad dash up the gangplank and into the cavernous hold.

Crowd of people boarding a large blue and white ferry at a port in Greece, with cliffs in the background.

The loading and unloading of a Greek ferry is the very definition of organized chaos.

The ferry workers blow whistles and gesture for us to form two orderly lines (fat chance). It doesn’t seem possible that all the people waiting with us on the dock will fit on the boat. But within a surprisingly short time, we’re all aboard.

Before we’ve even found the place to stash our luggage, the gangplank comes up and the voyage is underway.

It’s a windy day and the ferry is rocking, but we manage to locate the luggage area marked “Naxos” and leave our luggage before mounting the stairs to the passenger lounge.

We used Ferry Hopper to book our two ferry trips in the Greek Islands—Santorini to Naxos and Naxos to Athens. The online ticketing went smoothly, and the app was easy to use. When we boarded the ferry, we showed the tickets on the app to the attendant who scanned them and waved us through.

Traveling to Naxos

To get to Naxos from Santorini takes about 90 minutes. My daughter Julia knocks herself out with a piece of Gravol gum and I settle in to write while occasionally glancing out at the white-capped sea.

The ferry docks briefly at the island of Ios and then Naxos is next. As soon as we hear the island announced, we leap out of our seats and clatter down the stairs to the hold.

At Ios, I saw how little time is allowed for loading and unloading and I’m terrified of being left behind!

Arrival on Naxos – Stay at Kalergis Studios

We are among the first visitors off the ferry, where we find the taxi rank and are soon on our way to Kalergis Studios on Plaka Giorgios.

For our three night stay in Naxos, the small studio is perfect. It contains two beds, a tiny kitchen, a bathroom, and a balcony overlooking one of the most famous beaches in Naxos.

The reasonably-priced place (three nights cost the same as one night in Oia!) is located right on the beach and just a ten-minute stroll to Chora.

A beach lined with white umbrellas and lounge chairs, overlooking the blue Aegean Sea, framed by palm trees. — View from our suite in Kalergis Studios

Our first order of business is to enjoy a late lunch at Yannis, the beachside café adjacent to Kalergis Studios that also manages a fleet of sunbeds. The portions are enormous!

Here is the most massive hamburger Julia has ever eaten and my traditional Greek Dakos salad., a delectable combination of super fresh tomatoes, olives, onions, feta cheese and crunchy dried bread. It’s also so large that I enjoy the rest of it for lunch the next day.

A plate with a bacon cheeseburger, crispy fries, and a Coca-Cola can beside a person wearing a colorful floral dress.

A Greek salad of diced tomatoes, crumbled feta, capers, and olive tapenade on a decorative blue and white plate

Although groaningly full after our lunches, we have to jump into the Aegean Sea. Apart from our bobbing swim in the hot springs cove on the boat trip on Santorini, we’ve not yet swum from a proper Greek beach.

Agios Georgios Beach (#1 on the map above) is sandy, and the water is just the right temperature to be refreshing. It’s also very shallow, requiring a long wade out before the water’s deep enough to dive into.

We bob happily for a while before returning to our room and getting ready to check out the Naxos sunset.

Sunset on Naxos

Sunsets really are a thing in Greece! On Naxos, the most popular place from which to watch the sunset is the Portera (#2) near the old town.

Also known as the Temple of Apollo, the Portera is a huge marble gate and all that remains of the temple of Apollo that was built, but never finished, in 530 BC.

We stroll toward the Portera, but my knee is aching, so I opt to sit on a bench overlooking the boats bobbing in the harbor while Julia runs on ahead to catch the sunset from the Portera.

Here are two of her amazing shots.

The Portara, an ancient stone structure, standing on a hill with Naxos Town and white buildings in the background.

Ancient stone doorway known as the Portara silhouetted against a colorful sunset sky in Naxos

The Naxos sunset just keeps on giving. Long after the sun sets, the sky continues to change in one of the most dramatic displays I’ve seen in a while.

Sunset over the Aegean Sea with soft golden clouds and a lone sailboat on the water near Naxos.

Evening sky with pastel hues of pink, orange, and purple over silhouetted trees and vintage-style street lamps in Naxos.

A vibrant sunset with swirling orange and pink clouds over lamppost silhouettes in Naxos, Greece.

After finally tearing our eyes from the sky, we settle on dinner at one of the many places lining the harbor in Chora, the main town on the island.

The Greek food is hearty and tasty, and the ambiance can’t be beat.

Day 1 on Naxos – Relax!

On our first of two full days in Naxos, we decide to enjoy a beach day—our only one of the entire 16-day visit to Greece.

If you have the time and you love beaches, stay longer in Naxos and explore some of its many gorgeous beaches. See the map at the end of this post with suggested options.

After breakfast, we walk only about ten feet from the café below our window to our sun loungers for the day. At a cost of 25 euros, the loungers are a bargain compared to what I’ve paid in France.

And with a breakfast like this to start the day, how can we go wrong?

A breakfast bowl filled with vibrant purple smoothie, topped with granola, chia seeds, sliced strawberries, and banana.

We seriously do nothing for the entire day. The air is breezy and warm, the sun hot but not unbearable, the view of the sparkling blue Aegean sea restful, and the occasional swim restorative.

It’s the perfect way to relax!

And then before we know it, the sun is starting to set again and it’s time to think about an evening walk and dinner.

Schedule at least one down day during your trip. Even the most avid sightseer needs time to recharge and restore. And what better place to do it than on a balmy beach in Naxos!

Exploring Chora

Thoroughly sun-warmed and relaxed, we follow the sunset back to Chora and stroll up to the top of the town to see the view.

The town’s narrow lanes, colorful door frames and prowling cats charm at every turn. We are virtually alone as we wander around, occasionally checking out a souvenir store or snapping a picture of one of the cats.

Cycladic Village Architecture

We learn later when we go to Athens that the tight architecture of the villages in the Cyclades Islands owes a lot to pirates. Over the millennia, pirates (the so-called Sea People) have been a constant thorn in the side of peaceful occupants of islands such as Naxos.

To protect themselves, people built their villages with houses very close together and clustered around narrow, serpentine lanes that wind around and through the villages with seemingly no logic. If a pirate manages to get to such a village, they can be more easily repelled.

At least that’s what our tour guide in Athens tells us a few days later and who am I to contradict?

The result of all this pirate repelling are villages that to our modern eyes are irresistibly charming and achingly picturesque. Every turn brings into focus another angle for another photo.

Cobbled lanes and slippery steps lead up, up, up to the Venetian castle of Naxos between houses so close they can be touched with outstretched hands.

A charming cobblestone path with colorful clothing displays under large white umbrellas, leading to whitewashed buildings.

A narrow alleyway lined with whitewashed walls, displaying clothing racks with garments in a small Greek marketplace.

A traveler walking up stone steps through a whitewashed archway with vibrant pink bougainvillea in a Greek village.

Cats in Chora

And everywhere there are cats—lounging across the tops of thick walls, tails swishing lazily in the heat, stalking around corners, skittering across the cobblestones. At one corner in Naxos’s old town of Chora, we count eleven cats in various attitudes of total relaxation.

Cats are a thing in Greece, we are discovering. They are everywhere! Most look sleek and well fed, although I think they are feral.

Their presence is a constant source of pleasure for photo-snapping tourists, us included.

A smiling woman seated at a table in a lively outdoor restaurant in Greece, with other diners in the background.

Dinner in Chora

After our wandering and picture-snapping, we go in search of a well-reviewed restaurant in the labyrinth.

Google’s restaurant reviews have not failed us yet. With its 4.8 rating, Restaurant Doukato looks like a good bet—and it is.

After being seated under a huge tree in an airy courtyard, we order chicken souvlaki for two. While we wait, we watch in awe as the black-clad waiters literally run from table to table.

Julia Simpson at dinner in Naxos — Julia at Restaurant Doukato

I’ve never seen servers work so hard! One young man actually sprints, while holding aloft plates of food. When our souvlaki comes, he plunks it down and rushes off, only to return seconds later to offer to help us de-skewer the chicken.

Chicken souvlaki for two served on a vertical stand with potato chips, salad, and dipping sauces at a Greek restaurant. — A lot of chicken souvlaki at Restaurant Doukato

The meal is plentiful and tasty. We take home what we can’t eat (the portions are HUGE in Greece) and enjoy it for dinner the next night after our tour of Naxos.

Day 2 on Naxos – Tour the Island

On our second of two full days on Naxos, we’ve booked an all-day tour that will take us inland to exlore some of the villages of Naxos.

If you don’t have a rental car, then I highly recommend taking a tour, preferably a small group one or even a private tour. But if your budget is limited or you can’t find a suitable tour, taking a big bus tour at least gives you a taste of this spectacular island.

We end up on a big bus tour, which is not our preference, but we couldn’t find a small group tour on the day we are in Naxos.

The plus is that the price is startlingly reasonable—just 30 Euros each for an eight-hour guided tour that takes us all over this big island. Here are a few tours to consider.

Starting on the Tour

As two of the last people to be picked up, we settle into our seats in the second to last row and prepare to enjoy ourselves. Unfortunately, my ability to hear the guide’s commentary (and I do love a good commentary) is marred by the incessant chattering of the two women behind me.

I don’t want to be that person by asking them to be quiet, but all my attempts at subtle body language cues such as glancing back, cupping my hand around my ear, leaning forward and so on fail to produce the desired quietude.

And since they are speaking French, I can’t even eavesdrop.

Other than putting up with their rudeness (and to add insult to injury, they are fellow Canadians!), the tour is an admittedly efficient way to see the highlights of Naxos with minimal effort.

What to See on Naxos

On our 8-hour bus tour, we explore several villages on the island along with other must-see sites. If you have your own wheels, you can see these sites over more than one day and take your time.

But I found that a bus tour, while “touristy” was worthwhile, and gave me a good overview of the island’s fascinating history dating back millenia. Here are the places we visited, with details about each following:

Demeter’s Temple
Damalas
Chalki
Apiranthos
Apollonas
Colossus of Dionysius

Demeter’s Temple

We leave the town of Chora and head up into the hills. Right away, we see that Naxos is very different from Santorini.

As the largest of the Cyclades Islands, Naxos’s ecosystem is very different from desert-like Santorini. Although dry, the landscape is much more verdant with plenty of greenery and high mountains framing views of the ever-blue Aegean.

There is a great deal of agriculture here, including olive oil production, which explains the delectable freshness of the food. We’re told that Naxos grows most of the food consumed on the island.

It’s no wonder the tomatoes taste like they’ve just been twisted from the vine because they probably have.

Our first stop is the temple of Demeter (#3) which we’re told dates from 530 BC. Over the centuries, the temple suffered attacks and repurposing, including the building of a small Christian basilica in its center.

As is the case throughout Greece, the marble and other materials from ancient temples were frequently used to build Christian churches. I learn that the impressive looking ruins were rebuilt in 1977.

A woman standing in front of the ancient Temple of Demeter in Naxos, with white marble columns and ruins under a blue sky. — Temple of Demeter in Naxos

The Temple of Demeter doesn’t take long to explore and includes a small museum that we pop into.

If you go, try timing your visit for first thing in the morning or later in the afternoon when the tour buses are all gone. You’ll have the evocative ruins all to yourself.

Pottery Workshop in Damalas

We stop in the village of Damalas (#4) to watch a pottery demonstration. The potter throws a pot with impressive speed and accuracy.

I’ve dabbled in pottery a bit and recognize expertise when I see it. His pot comes out perfectly.

A potter in a workshop surrounded by clay, shaping pottery on a spinning wheel while wearing a black tank top. — Pottery demonstration in the village of Damalas on Naxos

The small store adjacent to the workshop sells an impressive array of plates, jugs, platters, and figurines. I purchase a bowl and resolve that it will be my one pottery purchase of the trip.

I have a soft spot for buying pottery while traveling, but I have only a carry-on this trip and must make hard choices.

Chalki

The tour progresses at a brisk rate with frequent stops, the next being the charming village of Chalki (#5) where we have forty minutes to wander the picturesque alleys and sample olive oil and citron liqueur.

I buy a can of olive oil and a small bottle of the liqueur because, well, why not?

The town also contains an ancient Byzantine church called Panagia Drosiani that dates from the 4^th to 6^th centuries AD. We tale a quick look inside; the frescoes are impressive.

Apiranthos

The village of Apiranthos (#6) is billed as the most famous village in Naxos because of its marble cobbled streets (slippery when wet), narrow lanes, and panoramic views.

It is definitely charming, and we enjoy a stroll around.

A strip of cafés cater to the tour bus people, but we do our best to escape and walk up into the village in the short time allocated.

A whitewashed stone passageway in a traditional Greek village, leading to stone steps and a wooden door with iron grates. — Alleyway in the village of Apiranthos

Apollonas

Between Apiranthos and the seaside village of Apollonas (#7) lies some seriously twisty-wisty mountain roads. Our driver takes us around sharp curves and up steep slopes that would be challenging to negotiate in a small car, never mind a bus the size of a whale on wheels.

I’m very, very glad I decided not to rent a car on Naxos. If you really don’t like tours, then a car is your only option, but make sure you have nerves of steel!

The views are stunning in this remote area of the island. Our guide tells us about some of the tiny villages we lumber through. Historically, life was very harsh and populations are decreasing.

Finally, we reach the seaside and our final major stop of the day.

It’s almost 3 pm and well past time for lunch. The village of Apollonas clusters alongside a white sand beach. Several inviting cafés await the influx of the tour buses.

We find a table right at the edge of the water and order the best lunch of our entire trip (which is saying something).

A serene coastal scene in Apollonas, Greece, with small fishing boats anchored in crystal-clear water. White-washed buildings with blue accents line the beach, nestled between rugged hills under a bright sky with fluffy clouds. — View from our lunch spot in Apollonas

Tzatziki is one of our favorite Greek dips and we eat it several times, but nothing tops the flavor, texture, and garlic content of the tzatziki at the little café in Apollonas.

We devour it along with a massive Greek salad and an order of saganaki (Greek fried cheese).

Kourus Statue – AKA the Colossus of Dionysius

Our last short stop is to admire a prone, large, and unfinished marble statue that is over 10 meters in height, weighs 80 tonnes, and dates to the 8^th century BC.

Because the statue wears a long cloak and has long hair and a beard, most researchers think it depicts Dionysius, but some disagree and favor Apollo. I don’t suppose they’ll ever know for sure.

Verdict on the Big Bus Tour

Taking the bus tour did at least allow us to see a lot of Naxos. If it’s your only option, then definitely take a big bus tour rather than miss out on seeing the stunning Naxos countryside.

But if possible, opt for a small group tour or a private tour. Yes, you’ll pay more, but you’ll also avoid long waits getting on and off the bus and chatty people who talk over the commentary.

You’ll also likely go on smaller roads that the big buses can’t access, and you won’t feel quite so much like a tourist!

Last Night in Chora

We arrive back in Chora (AKA Naxos town) around 5 pm and return to Kalergis Suites for one last swim in the Aegean before the sun sets.

For dinner, we eat leftovers from our souvlaki dinner the night before. It tastes even better the second night—and the price can’t be beat!

In the evening, we stroll the fifteen minutes back to Chora to poke through the many souvenir stores and enjoy the relaxed ambience, very different from bustling Santorini.

I will definitely return to Naxos for a longer stay.

Leaving Naxos

Bright and early, we bid farewell to Kalergis Suites and take a taxi back to the port. More or less on time, the ferry churns in.

Along with 500 of our new friends, we surge up the gangway and stash our luggage. Before we’re halfway up the stairs to the passenger lounge, the ferry is pulling away from the port and we’re off.

The Joys of Upgrading

We find and settle into two very tight seats with no view and no leg room in tourist class. The voyage takes almost four hours, and Julia decides to check on upgrading to business class.

Off she goes to inquire, returning ten minutes later with upgraded tickets (25 euros each). We mount the interior staircase to business class where we discover that the extra cost is well worth the increased comfort of much wider seats and a view of the passing sea.

I’m all for saving money, but more and more, I opt for comfort over budget whenever I can.

With more room, I’m able to work on my computer when I’m not enjoying the view.

Practical Information for Your Naxos Itinerary

First off, do I think 2 days on the island of Naxos is enough? No, I can’t say that I do, but if it’s all you have, you can still get a good feel for this lovely island.

I think a trip to Naxos–the biggest island in the Cyclades–belongs in any Greek island-hopping itinerary that includes the Cyclades.

To save time, you can fly to Naxos from Athens and then from there do some Greek island hopping, perhaps to nearby Paros which is much smaller and with fewer visitors.

Paros is so close that you can home base on Naxos and do a quick day trip to Paros.

Should Your Rent a Car on Naxos?

You can rent a car on Naxos, but the roads in the interior are very narrow and steep. Unless you’re staying on the island for at least a week and need a car to get from your accommodation to stores and restaurants, I wouldn’t bother.

You can see the island on a day tour like we did, and then stay near Chora so you can easily walk to where the action is.

Best Beaches in Naxos

If you don’t have a car, the best beach for you is the one closest to your accommodation. We stayed on Agios Georgios Beach (#1), and I can recommend it for its sandy beach and warm water. The water is also very shallow and so a good choice for travelers with families.

Here are some other options, all located on the west coast of Naxos as shown on the map:

Map created with Wanderlog, a road trip planner app on iOS and Android

Agios Prokopios Beach (#2) is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on Naxos with its long stretch of golden sand. You’ll find lots of amenities including sun beds to rent and tavernas to drink in.

Plaka Beach (#3) is known as a windsurfer’s dream and is backed by beautiful cedar trees that provide welcome shade on super hot days.

Alyko Beach (#4) is very picturesque with its sand dunes and rocky cliffs, and is a bit more secluded.

Mikri Vigla Beach (#5) boasts dramatic rock formations and is very secluded; a good choice if you’re looking for a unique landscape.

Kastraki Beach (#6) is known for its calm water which makes it a good choice for families. You’ll find several beachside tavernas with stunning views.

Pyragki Beach (#7) is another secluded cove with dramatic rock formations and good snorkeling.

Tours on Naxos

Here are some GetYourGuide tours of Naxos.

Conclusion

Our trip to Greece included only two islands—Santorini and Naxos. I wish we’d had time to visit more, but as first-time visitors, we chose the best-for-us Greek island combo.

Santorini has the stupendous views, and Naxos has the laid-back atmosphere and rugged interior.

We stayed four nights on Santorini and three nights on Naxos, which worked well. Although I prefer Naxos for its relaxed Greek vibe, I’d still recommend giving Santorini a bit more time because there is a great deal to see.

Also, the longer you have to enjoy the views of the caldera on Santorini at many different times of day, from sunset to sunrise, the better.

But on my next trip to Greece, I’ll stay a full week on Naxos or another less-visited island and skip Santorini.

Have you visited Naxos? Share your comments and suggestions in the comments below.

Stay in Oia to Enjoy a Stunning Santorini Experience

September 20, 2024December 18, 2024Destinations, Europe, Greece Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment

Last updated on December 18th, 2024 at 05:05 am

Staying in Oia is a must-do for the Santorini-bound traveler. The gorgeous little whitewashed town is one of several that frosts the tops of Santorini’s striated brown and ochre cliffs like plaster beads on a string.

Above is a blue sky occasionally studded with drifting clouds. Below is the deep, deep blue sea. Oia is so breathtakingly beautiful that it doesn’t seem real.

Text overlay reads “Stunning Santorini Experience” above an image of white buildings and blue-domed churches on a cliffside in Oia, with the sea and a colorful sky in the background.

Each time I look out at the view of the caldera, I repeat the phrase the wine-dark seas of Odysseus that I remember reading many decades ago when I studied Homer. And yes, although the sea is blue, “wine-dark” perfectly describes it. Perhaps because I know the role Greece has played in forming Western civilization or maybe because the Aegean sea really is different, I sense a richness and a depth to the water that is unmatched by any other body of water I’ve seen.

I can easily imagine Greek triremes sailing across sea, the soldiers’ helmets shining in the strong sunlight, spears at the ready.

Overview

People have lived on beautiful Santorini forever—or so our guide tells us during our tour of the island on our second day. And indeed, evidence of human habitation goes way, way back—even to the lost city of Atlantis.

Was Santorini Atlantis? No one knows! But an attraction—to style it a museum is a stretch—called The Lost Atlantis Experience is built around the notion that Santorini and Atlantis are one and the same. More on the Atlantis myth later!

In this post, I chronicle the four nights and three full days I spent on Santorini with my daughter, Julia (read more about Julia and her adventures as a crochet artist here). Santorini is the first stop on our 13-day whirlwind trip through Greece that includes a week in the Cyclades (Santorini and Naxos) and 8 days exploring the Greek mainland.

Map of Santorini: Locations Visited

The map of Santorini below shows the locations I visited. I stayed in the town of Oia (#1), which is at the northern tip of the island about 40 minutes drive from Fira and from the airport. Click a number to read more about the location.

This map was made with Wanderlog, a travel planner on iOS and Android

Arrival

An easy four-hour flight takes us from London Gatwick to Santorini. Our bags are already on the carousel by the time we deplane and go through customs (a very fast process). We emerge into the arrivals hall to find a driver holding up my name. Private transfers don’t come cheap, but I have to say they are well worth the money.

Twenty-five minutes later, our driver pulls up to the outskirts of little Oia, located on the far northern tip of the arc of Santorini Island. The main city, Fira, is in the middle, and at the other end is Akrotiri, site of an ancient Minoan city.

Checking In to the Aethrio Sunset Village

Our hotel is the Aethrio Sunset Village, chosen for its location in the center of the network of tiny, cobbled laneways in the heart of Oia and its relatively reasonable (for Santorini) price. We quickly discovered when looking for accommodations that Santorini is not cheap, at least not if you want to stay in a walkable location.

The Aethrio Sunset Village turns out to be an excellent choice. Our air-conditioned little suite includes a small kitchen, a living room and a bedroom, along with a small private courtyard. It’s the perfect refuge after exploring Oia and the rest of the island in the September heat.

A serene hotel pool area surrounded by sun loungers and shaded by palm trees, with white buildings and a clear blue sky in the background. — Pool at the Aethrio Sunset Village in Oia

First Exploration of Oia

After getting settled, I go exploring. Julia is not feeling well, so my first stop is the pharmacy. On the way, I pass shop after shop selling a plethora of intriguing looking souvenirs. I mostly resist, in the hope of finding similar offerings when we go to Athens. I’ve read that the same souvenirs are cheaper in the Athens markets than on the expensive islands of Santorini and Mykonos.

Later, I buy a pendant that the shopkeeper assures me is made by a jeweler on the island and is not found in any other shop. So far as I can tell after much perusing of the shops, he’s telling the truth. I never see a similar one, whereas several of the designs are ubiquitous.

Crowds in Oia

Oia can be crowded, especially when a lot of cruise ships are anchored out in the caldera, and it is certainly touristy. Every shop and café caters to visitors; the only locals are those who work in them.

In some ways, the village feels like Oia Land, a sub-land of Santorini Land, but that’s only on the surface. I’d hate to make the trip to Santorini only for a day because it deserves more time. If at all possible, stay in Santorini for at least three nights.

A woman with outstretched arms poses in a sunlit square in Oia, Santorini, in front of a whitewashed church with a blue dome and bell tower. Other tourists and surrounding buildings complete the scene. — I’m in Oia!

Our First Dinner in Oia

The hotel makes us a reservation for a sunset view table at Kyprida Restaurant so we can watch the sun dip into the Aegean Sea in comfort. It’s the perfect choice. We enjoy our first Greek meal—chicken souvlaki for Julia and prawns and salad for me. While we eat, we witness the famous Santorini sunset, which turns out to be one of the most breathtaking sunsets I’ve ever seen—and I live on an island in a house that faces west!

A sunset view with the sun partially hidden behind a cluster of clouds, casting radiant beams of light across the sky, with a rooftop railing visible in the foreground.

Golden-hued clouds streak across the sky during sunset, with the lower sky still showing shades of blue and wisps of darker clouds in the distance.

A vibrant sunset with dramatic orange and pink clouds over a coastal horizon, the colors reflected in the scattered clouds and fading daylight.

First Full Day in Oia

On our first full day, we decide to lie low. Julia is suffering from jet lag and possibly a cold. At Aethrio Sunset Village, we enjoy our first Greek breakfast of yogurt, honey, and fresh bread (divine). We then spend the morning doing very little. We’ve booked a boat trip for the afternoon but are able to postpone it until Friday.

Relaxing by the Pool in Oia

For most of the day we alternate between hanging by the pool and walking around the tiny streets of Oia, snapping endless pictures and checking out the shops. Yes, it’s touristy, but the views! They really are stunning. Pictures can’t do it justice, although I have probably 100 pictures on my phone to prove that I tried.

There is no vehicular traffic within Oia, making it a very restful place to wander around, particularly when the crowds abate.

Dinner Overlooking the Caldera

In the evening, we dine at Flora Restaurant, which overlooks the caldera.

A woman in a floral dress sits at a table on an outdoor terrace restaurant at sunset, holding a menu. The background features a scenic view of the sea and people enjoying the evening. — Julia at Flora Restaurant in Oia

The extremely good-looking Greek waiters are efficient and friendly. Here’s my lamb shank, which the waiter assures me is the best in Oia. I can’t verify that, but it is extremely tasty!

A dish featuring a roasted lamb shank served on a bed of mashed potatoes, drizzled with rich brown gravy and garnished with chopped herbs, plated on a textured black dish. — My dinner at Flora Restaurant in Oia

Over the next few days, we are to discover that the service at the restaurants and cafés of Oia is far superior to what we experience in Fira, the capital of Santorini (AKA Thira) and by far the most crowded place on the island.

NOTE: While visitors refer to the island as Santorini, its real name—and the one locals use—is Thira.

Exploring Santorini on a Private Tour

On Day 2, we’ve planned to take a small group tour of the entire island. After lunch at yet another caldera-view restaurant with excellent service and terrific traditional Greek food, we meet our guide outside the Hungry Donkey café on the road that skirts Oia.

Private Tour

Our small group tour turns out to be a private tour because another couple canceled. Fine by me! We get a private tour for the price of a small group tour. Our friendly and very knowledgeable guide tells us we can go and do whatever we wish for the next five hours or follow his itinerary or do a combo of the two. We choose the latter and ask him to take us to a winery to sample some local wines and then to the Lost Atlantis Experience and end with a view of the sunset. He can fill in the remaining time with whatever he thinks we’ll enjoy.

The five-hour tour is a fabulous way to see a great deal of Santorini in comfort.

The Art Winery

First stop is the Art Winery, reputed to be the oldest winery on the island. I ask how long wine has been produced on the island. Forever is the answer. Always forever! This is a very old part of the world in terms of documented human habitation!

The winery doubles as an art gallery. Two large exhibition spaces feature work by local and international artists.

A tunnel-like art gallery carved out of stone with various paintings displayed along wire mesh walls; metal sculptures of olive trees are placed on stone pedestals in the foreground. — One of the art exhibition spaces

After I snap a few pictures of the artwork, we take a short tour, learn a bit about the production, and finally taste five wines. All of them are excellent. We’re told that outside of Santorini these wines are prohibitively expensive because so few bottles are produced. Even Gordon Ramsay favors wine from the Art Winery.

I buy a bottle that is packaged for safe transport home in my suitcase. It’s a robust white wine that I’m looking forward to enjoying in the depths of winter in the hope of reviving memories of sun-drenched Santorini.

Highest Point on Santorini

Next is a drive up, up, up to the highest point of the island where a small monastery sells olive oil and other delicacies. Julia buys a bottle, and we admire the stunning views. Not for the first time since coming to Santorini, I’m glad that I decided not to rent a car. The road to the summit is a series of very steep switchbacks with sheer drops. With a pro at the wheel, I can relax.

Two smiling women stand against a backdrop of rugged cliffs, winding paths, and whitewashed villages on a Greek island, with the blue sea stretching into the horizon. — View of Santorini from the highest point

Lost Atlantis Experience

Our guide wants to take us to Red Beach, but we ask to instead to driven to the Lost Atlantis Experience. Big mistake! I’d thought this would be a Santorini must-see. I am wrong. It’s kind of an Atlantis theme park complete with interactive exhibits featuring Plato discussing Atlantis and an actual theme-park-style ride.

The exterior of the Lost Atlantis Experience

The 9D Experience

‘Touted as a 9D experience (I didn’t count), the experience consists of being strapped into a seat and given 3D glasses. The screen comes to life and for about ten excruciating minutes, we’re taken on a virtual roller coaster ride through an ancient civilization that may or may not have been Atlantis, which was then destroyed when the volcano now at the center of the caldera erupted.

Cue many close-up shots of frightened Atlanteans fleeing for their lives, followed by flowing lava and falling rocks punctuated by literal punches in my back from the seat, lots of shaking and shimmying, occasional bursts of water from the seat rests, and the odd blast of cold air that is actually quite welcome. I don’t taste or smell anything so I’m not sure what is 9D about the experience.

We share our Atlantis experience with a Russian couple who are quite affronted that none of the available languages in the headsets is Russian. Afterwards, we are ushered through various exhibits by the endearingly earnest staff. There are more staff than visitors during our visit. Hopefully, that’s not always the case since I imagine the ride and exhibits cost a fair bit to maintain.

Should You Go?

The fourteen-euro-per-person charge is steep for what we get. But we gamely watch as many of the screens as we can before finally being released into the gift shop. I buy an Atlantis mouse pad and Atlantis mug for Gregg who has long been an Atlantis fan. It’s cheesy, but whatever.

I imagine our guide wonders why we want to waste our time and money on the Lost Atlantis Experience, but he is polite enough not to say. My advice? It’s the Lost Atlantic Experience is not worth a visit unless you’re traveling with children who will probably enjoy the interactive exhibits.

Megalochori

He takes us next to the traditional village of Megalochori, a tranquil place with only a handful of gift shops and some enticing looking restaurants. It feels like a place inhabited by locals. Our guide (we never catch his name) takes us into a cave that was inhabited until the 1990s. It’s extremely dank and unpleasant; hard to believe people lived there in modern times. Of course, now you pay very big euros to stay in a cave in Oia, but I think those caves are quite a bit swankier.

Two women standing in a dimly lit cave, smiling and posing in front of rough stone walls. — The cave was inhabited until the 1990s

Black Sand Beach

Our guide drives to the south side of the island and along a beautiful stretch of black sand beach. Black sand beaches are found in only a handful of places in the world—Iceland, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Santorini (and I’ve been to them all!).

Sunset Over Firostefani

Finally, we return to the steep rim of the caldera to wait for the sun to set. Our guide jokes about people flocking to watch something that has happened every day “forever”, but he stands with us, his tanned face a ruddy gold from the sun’s rays. I ask him if he ever gets tired of the view, and he says never—and he was born and bred on Santorini. He tells us that the island didn’t get electricity until 1971, just a few years before he was born.

Two women smiling and posing on a terrace with a view of a blue-domed church and a sunset over the Aegean Sea.

Here’s a video I shot as the sun sets over another lovely day on Santorini.

The Road Back to Oia

After watching the sun disappear into the sea, our guide drives us back to Oia along a cliff-hugging road with views out to the Aegean on both sides. Magical!

Why Take a Tour of Santorini?

In the over fifty years since the advent of electricity, Santorini has developed into a world-class destination. Our guide tells us that he doesn’t even recognize the island anymore. Although he makes his living taking tourists around the island, he agrees that there are too many visitors and that reducing the number of ships allowed on any one day would be wise.

I’m glad we’ve driven the length and breadth of the island and seen places that are relatively tranquil.

During the tour, we discover that the back side of Santorini facing in the opposite direction from the caldera is beautiful in a bleak kind of way, but lacks the drama of the caldera-facing views. The vegetation is very sparse, the soil extremely dry, and the architecture not as pristine as that in places such as Oia, which really is postcard perfect.

Here’s a video I shot of the caldera that really shows off the deep blue of the sea.

Final Full Day

Our last full day is a busy one. Since we’ve postponed the boat trip to today, we must combine it with our planned trip to Akrotiri at the far end of the island. As it turns out, we have plenty of time to do and enjoy both and still squeeze in an excellent lunch at a restaurant overlooking the water in super-busy Fira.

Getting to Akrotiri

We intend to take the public bus—a trip that will require 90 minutes and two buses if we get the connections to sync up. At the bus station in Oia, I spy a taxi and ask him how much to Akrotiri. He tells me 55 euros. Hmm. Seems steep compared to 4 euros each for two bus trips—Oia to Fira and then from Fira to Akrotiri. I dither. But the bus doesn’t appear to be coming, and our time is limited.

I shrug and accept the taxi driver’s option, and soon we’re sailing across the island all the way from one end to the other. It’s a good 40-minute drive from Oia to the opposite tip of Santorini, and worth the extra 43 euros.

The more I travel, the more value I put on my time. If I’m faced with a choice between spending 90 minutes on crowded busses that may or may not depart on time and taking a comfy 40-minute drive in an air-conditioned taxi, I’m more and more inclined to opt for the taxi.

While getting around Santorini is fairly easy on the bus, I recommend you occasionally consider taking a taxi if by so doing you save time.

Touring Akrotiri Archeological Site

Akrotiri is an impressive archaeological site that, thankfully, is shielded from the glaring Santorini sun by a massive cover. To fully appreciate the site, a guide is needed—something we didn’t have. As we stroll around the walkways, we occasionally cozy up to a guided tour to eavesdrop.

I learn that the site was occupied for many hundreds of years by Minoans who built sturdy three-story houses, had indoor plumbing, and well laid out streets.

An expansive view of ancient ruins with large pottery jars and stone structures under a wooden roof.

The large city (only a fraction has been excavated so far) was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1700 BCE (as in about 3700 hundred years ago). Akrotiri, while impressive, is not as interesting as other sites I’ve visited, such as Pompeii. To fully appreciate it, we need to visit the Thira Archaeological Museum back in Fira.

Bus to Fira

We leave the site and see a bus marked Fira and so jump on. The two-euro-per-person fare gets us to the town in plenty of time to visit the archaeological museum and have lunch. I’m relieved that we’ve avoided another expensive taxi ride, much as I enjoyed it.

Thira Archaeological Museum

This little gem of a museum is a must-see for visitors also wishing to visit Akrotiri—or even if not. Of the two, the museum gives a much better idea of the Minoan civilization.

The variety and sophistication of the artifacts, particularly the pottery, is astonishing.

Ancient clay pots and artifacts displayed in a museum setting, with informational text on the wall behind.

A highlight are the reconstructed frescoes depicting Minoan women, youths, palm trees, and geometric patterns. The techniques used to create the frescoes appear very similar to the techniques used in the Middle Ages.

A partially restored ancient fresco depicting a woman in traditional attire on a weathered wall.

Checking Out Fira

We have plenty of time to explore Fira before we need to be down in the old harbor to embark on our five-hour boat tour.

Our first impression is that the town is Oia on steroids and not in a good way. Much like Oia, the narrow, cobbled lanes are packed with souvenir stores and restaurants, but there are many, many more stores and a ton more people. We are visiting on a day when only one large ship is in port. I’d hate to be there when there are five cruise ships as there were on our first day in Santorini when we wisely lay low.

No wonder the people of Santorini are discussing levying a day-use fee to visitors. I doubt even a 20-euro fee would deter visitors, but at least the money would help with the island’s infrastructure.

Lunch in Fira

Service is slow and indifferent but the caldera view is stupendous and the food, as always, is excellent, fresh and tasty, particularly the very juicy red tomatoes.

Descending to the Old Port

We make our way to the cable car that will whisk us down to the old port. We ride with two people from Toronto who are returning to their cruise ship. They are surprised that we are not also cruise passengers and impressed we’re traveling around Greece on our own.

Santorini Boat Trip

We are early for our tour, but no matter. We wait in the shade for the boat to arrive—an old wooden two-masted boat that allegedly seats 80 people. The guide informs us that there are only 40 people on our tour which fills the boat without overcrowding. We find seats at the bow.

Julia suffers from seasickness, so she is nervous, but for most of the trip she manages, though feeling seriously peaked by the end.

Walk on Nea Kameni

Our first stop is the uninhabited island of Nea Kameni, which is an active volcano. I’ve been told that the walk to the top is a leisurely 20-minute stroll. It is not! I set off with all good intentions but decide to stop about a third of the way up and wait in the shade while Julia goes on ahead.

But then a very nice couple from Lyon in France asks me why I’m not going any farther. I say I’m tired, but they insist I should try.

Doucement! they say. Go slowly. I relent and start off up the next steep slope. At the top, I again try to stop, but they won’t hear of it. Very kindly, they stay with me all the way to the top. I am happy I persevere. The view at the top is spectacular.

Kostas, our guide, describes what we’re seeing and reminds us that the volcano is still very much active. It will erupt (not “may” erupt) in about 80 years, if not sooner. Who knows? The volcano has already blown its top a few times, burying civilizations, including, possibly, Atlantis.

A cheerful tour guide in a blue shirt and white hat, smiling and holding a water bottle during an outdoor tour. — Costas describes the volcano

The walk back down from the volcano is not as taxing as the walk up, but it’s hot and the path is slippery. The guide exhorts us to look down constantly to avoid nasty accidents, of which he tells us he’s seen a few.

Swimming in the Hot Springs

Back on the boat and feeling proud of myself, I get ready for the next activity—a swim in the ocean. The boat ploughs through choppy seas to the island of Palea Kameni where we anchor. Passengers who want to swim (me included) descend the ladder into the cool sea. The temperature is about 22 degrees, which is just perfect.

The swim from the boat to the hot springs takes about ten minutes and is heavy going because the sea is choppy. Julia opts to use a pool noodle, but I strike out on my own. As I swim, the water gets progressively warmer until it’s about 27 degrees and shallow. I’m able to stand up, which I do, and promptly seriously stub my baby toe. Later, back at the hotel, I discover it is black and bruised. A casualty of traveling.

Stop at Therasia

Next stop after swimming is a quick visit to the island of Therasia where only about 300 people live, their principal occupation being fishing. We dock at the bottom of a steep cliff with stairs leading up to the village at the top. At the port, there are only a handful of small taverns servicing the boat tours. I enjoy a Sprite and watch the cats beg for food.

Feral cats freely roam here as they do in Oia and all of Santorini (and Naxos, as we discover later). They look remarkably healthy and are very friendly, probably because they know they’ll get lots of pats and free food from all the tourists.

Sunset from the Caldera

The finale of the boat trip is a front row seat at sunset. We power over to an area where several other boats are anchored facing the setting sun. We are each given a glass of bubbly wine and settle down to watch the sun sink slowly in the west, the way it has forever.

Kostas brings out his guitar and serenades us as the light turns golden and the cares of the world seem far away.

A traditional sailing ship with multiple masts silhouetted against the setting sun over the sea. — Sun begins to set in the Caldera

A woman with sunglasses smiling on a wooden sailboat, with a scenic coastline in the background. — Julia admires the sunset from the boat

The word “magical” is used frequently to describe the Greek island experience, and truly, it is the best word.

Another word is “supernatural”, in all its many senses. I feel the presence of ancient Minoans who sailed these very seas, of Greeks heading for Troy, of pirates and Crusaders and finally tour boats.

These seas have witnessed millennia of human activity.

These seas have been here forever.

Options for Sailing Tours

Here are some sailing tours you can purchase through Tiquets.com

My Recommendations for Enjoying Santorini

First off, should you visit Santorini? It’s crowded, touristy, and a bit crass. It’s also amazingly, spectacularly beautiful and one of the principal tourist destinations in Greece. So yes, I recommend you make a visit to Santorini at least once.

Stay in Oia Rather than Fira

A friend back in Canada told me we had to change our reservation from Fira to Oia, and we are very glad we took her advice. While Oia requires a bit more effort to reach, it’s well worth it. Oia really is Santorini’s most gorgeous location, which is saying something because just about every location along the edge of the caldera affords magnificent views.

But Oia also has the blue-domed churches clustered in photogenic spots, is a very walkable town, and boasts friendlier servers (at least in our experience). Oia offers a more upscale atmosphere, and is also very popular with honeymooners. Prepare to see a lot of cuddling couples, some dressed in their wedding gear and getting their picture taken at sunrise and/or sunrise.

Hike From Oia to Fira

If you’re feeling energetic (and I confess I was not), you can hike from Oia to Fira, or the other way round. You’ll pass through the little village of Imerovigli, and enjoy jaw-dropping views along the way. If it’s hot, go very early in the morning.

The 10 km hike takes about 2.5 hours, although that time will probably be much higher since you’ll be stopping every ten feet to snap yet another photo!

Comparing Service between Oia and Fira

We notice a distinct difference in service between Oia and Fira, which must absorb all the cruise ship passengers every day. In Fira, our food and drinks are pretty much thrown at us and smiles are thin on the ground. On the other hand, the food is tasty.

Although still crowded, Oia is smaller, more intimate, and less frantic than its bigger sister. There are also plenty of excellent options for eating in Oia, and the goods in the shops are of higher quality with fewer shops devoted exclusively to selling schlock.

I enjoyed a long conversation with a guy in a jewelry shop as he packaged up the pendant I bought. He was in no hurry to rush me out, and was happy to answer my questions about living on Santorini. In Fira, the shopkeepers just looked kind of tired.

The iconic white buildings of Santorini with blue domes, perched on cliffs overlooking the Aegean Sea during sunset. — Iconic shot of Oia showing the famous 3 blue domes

Sunsets at Oia

Oia is famous for its sunsets, with people coming from all over the island to jockey for position. It’s a bit off-putting to watch people pushing and shoving, cell phones held aloft. The best way to see a sunset is to reserve a table at a restaurant that faces the sunset, as we did on our first night.

If you don’t do that, this is what you may see.

A crowd of tourists capturing the sunset in Oia, Santorini, with phones and cameras as the sun dips below the horizon, casting an orange glow over the sea. — View of a sunset from behind the crowds

Another Reason to Stay in Oia

In the evening after the boat trip and dinner, we catch the bus from Fira back to Oia and sit right at the front. The roller coaster ride in the dark with sheer drops to our right as the bus driver skillfully coaxes his massive bus around numerous switchbacks takes a few years off my life.

But when we arrive at Oia, we see a massive lineup of people waiting to catch the bus back to Fira after watching the sunset in Oia. There is no way they will all fit on the bus which means many will be waiting an hour for the next bus—and it’s already 10 pm. This bottleneck after sunset is reason enough to make Oia your home base.

Also, staying in Oia means more opportunities to take night shots like this.

Night view of Oia, Santorini, with illuminated white buildings, pools, and pathways cascading down the hillside against a dark sea backdrop.

Sunrises in Oia

For us, one of the many highlights of staying in Oia instead of staying in Fira is the opportunity to witness the sunrise. On our last morning, we get up at 6:30 and station ourselves at a viewpoint that during the day and especially at sunset is clogged with tourists. We are virtually alone as we wait for the sun to rise over the blue domes.

A scenic view of white-washed buildings with blue domes in Oia, Santorini, with the rugged coastline and sea stretching into the horizon under a pastel sky.

The air is still and warm and a slight wind ruffles the cascades of bougainvillea and carries the sounds of twittering birds. I look past the jumble of whitewashed buildings and the turquoise rectangles of private pools on private terraces of places that cost a small fortune to stay in, and fix my gaze on a view that has enchanted people for millennia.

Conclusion

Stay at least three nights—preferably four or five— in Oia to fully explore the island, and to experience Oia at all times of the day, from the crazy crowds at sunset to the quiet afternoons to the pearly dawns.

While accommodation bargains can be had by staying on the opposite side of Santorini from the caldera, I wouldn’t bother. Splurge and stay in Oia and then visit another less touristy island for a more Greek experience.

Santorini can be reached by plane or ferry. We arrived by plane and left by ferry to visit the island of Naxos—another highly recommended Greek island.

Here are some GetYourGuide tours:

Have you visited Santorini? Share your comments and suggestions in the comments below.