Read novels set in England to get you excited about your trip or, even better, to read while you’re there. Numerous authors have been inspired to set novels in England, particularly novels inspired by England’s rich literary heritage from Shakespeare to Jane Austen to Oscar Wilde to Agatha Christie.
And yes, one of the novels set in England is mine! The Muse of Fire is my third novel, and it’s set in early 19th Century London and inspired by real events.
Oscar Wilde’s wife and two sons come out from the shadows of history in this emotional journey of a family moving from the Italian countryside to the trenches of WWI as they grapple with their famous father’s legacy.
Listed in the Architecture category on Art In Fiction, From the Ground Up takes place in Elizabethan England and is Katherine J. Scott’s first Robert Smythson Mystery.
In this contemporary romance, Hanna Ballard is a film location manager involved in pre-production for a film set in the Somerset countryside when she becomes involved with the local landowner.
From deep in the trenches of the Great War to the storied English countryside and the devastating Coventry Blitz of World War II, The British Booksellers explores the unbreakable bonds that unite us through love, loss, and the enduring solace that can be found between the pages of a book.
This wild and hallucinatory reimagining of Elizabethan London is listed in the Theater category on Art In Fiction and is a fever-dream full of prophecy and anarchy, gutter rats and bird gods that takes the reader on a wild ride from the rooftops of Elizabethan London to its dark underbelly.
This compelling and heartwarming story is set in post-war London and revolves around three women working at Bloomsbury Books, an old-fashioned new and rare bookstore that has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years. As the women interact with various literary figures of the time–Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and others–they plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.
Set in London in 1930, the five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy–the Queens of Crime.
Set in the 1920s, The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is described as a love letter to books. It’s a compelling rags-to-riches tale laced with betrayal and intrigue with a magnificent library and an enigmatic manuscript at its center.
Set in London in 1808-09, The Muse of Fire takes readers behind the scenes at Covent Garden theater where the intrigue, romance, and betrayal offstage rivals the drama in the plays performed onstage.
This telling of the little-known story behind Shakespeare’s most enigmatic play is a luminous portrait of a marriage and the devastating loss of a beloved child.
Want more novels set in England? You’ll find many more on Art In Fiction, the website I created to showcase novels inspired by the arts.
Guidebooks About England
My favorite travel writer, Rick Steves, of course has produced an excellent guidebook on England. Rick’s suggestions are pretty much always on the mark. I also enjoy Lonely Planet books for their comprehensive accommodation guides, particularly for budget places.
Tours Around England
I highly recommend a tour around Southwest England to give you a good sense of the beautiful English countryside described in some of my featured novels. This tour from Bristol visits many of the same locations I went to on the 4-day tour I took, including Minack Theatre, Durdle Door, Stonehenge, and St Ives.
Have you read any arts-inspired novels set in England? Do you have a favorite guidebook? Share your recommendations with other Artsy Travelers in the Comments below.
Check out these posts containing suggestions for what to read in other European countries:
Read novels set in Germany to get you excited about your trip or, even better, to read while you’re there. Numerous authors have been inspired to set novels in Germany–and not all of them are World War II novels set in Germany (although some are).
Each of the novels listed in this post relates in some way to the arts–from glassblowing to a lost Bach manuscript to a medieval cathedral, and more.
And if you can’t find what you’re looking for here, go to my sister site Art In Fiction and search for Germany or a related subject, and see what comes up.
This wonderful novel is the first in Petra Durst-Benning’s Glassblower Trilogy. It tells the story of three sisters in 19th century Germany who must learn the art of glass-blowing that has traditionally been done only by men so they can take care of themselves in a harsh world.
This dual-time novel spans over two hundred years from Berlin in the 18th century through the Holocaust to New York in contemporary times to tell the story of a lost Bach manuscript with a disturbing message. The novel is inspired by historical events.
This dual-time debut novel by Sarah Freethy is inspired by an actual porcelain factory in Dachau. In Germany in 1929, two young artists begin a whirlwind romance until Max is arrested and sent to Dachau. Desperate to save her lover, Bettina risks everything to rescue him and escape Germany.
The Novelist from Berlin is inspired by the mysterious true story of Irmgard Keun, a novelist who defied all the rules. In 1920s Germany, even a woman as resourceful and intelligent as Niki Rittenhaus needs alliances in order to survive. She publishes her first novel, The Berlin Woman under a pseudonym to great success. But anonymity cannot last and soon she is in great danger.
This immersive read is a remarkable feat of imagination. At the heart of the novel is the Cathedral and the story of its design and construction in the 13th and 14th centuries in the Rhineland town of Hagenburg unites a vast array of memorable characters whose fortunes are intertwined with the shifting political factions and economic interests vying for supremacy.
One of six sisters, Dortchen Wild lives in the small German kingdom of Hesse-Cassel in the early 19th century. She finds herself irresistibly attracted to the boy next door, the handsome but very poor fairy tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm. As Dortchen tells Wilhelm some of the most powerful and compelling stories which will one day become his and Jacob’s renowned fairy tale collection, their love grows.
In The Magician (2021), Colm Tóibín captures the profound personal conflict of the very public life of German novelist Thomas Mann. When the Great War breaks out in 1914 Thomas Mann, like so many of his fellow countrymen, is fired up with patriotism. But his flawed vision will form the beginning of a dark and complex relationship with his homeland, and see the start of great conflict within his own brilliant and troubled family.
This is a novel of Americans abroad. When a renowned Hollywood director travels to post-Wall Germany to spark his genius, he is unexpectedly reunited with an actress who mysteriously disappeared from the set of his movie thirty years earlier. Masterly and atmospheric, The Weather in Berlin explores the subtleties of artistic inspiration, the nature of memory, and the pull of the past.
Raised in genteel poverty after the World War I, Maria Magdalena Dietrich dreams of a career on the stage. This historical biographical novels follows the beautiful, desirous Marlene from Germany to America and back to Germany.
Want more novels set in Germany ? You’ll find many more on Art In Fiction, the website I created to showcase novels inspired by the arts.
Guidebooks About Germany
My favorite travel writer, Rick Steves, of course has produced an excellent guidebook on Austria. Rick’s suggestions are pretty much always on the mark. I also enjoy Lonely Planet books for their comprehensive accommodation guides, particularly for budget places.
Tours Around Germany
While you’re reading a novel set in Germany, why not take a tour! This tour from Munich to the iconic castles of Ludwig II, King of Bavaria includes fairytale Neuschwanstein, intimate Linderhof and scenic Hohenschwangau.
Have you read a novel set in Germany, particularly an arts-inspired one? Do you have a favorite guidebook? Share your recommendations with other Artsy Travelers in the Comments below.
Check out these posts that provide suggestions for what to read in other European countries:
Riding to the summit of the Eiffel Tower—or even to the second level—has long been a Paris must-do. Millions flock to the iconic monument every year to stand in long lines, ride an elevator up one of the sturdy pylons, and then look at the view.
But should you bother? Especially if your time in Paris is limited, should you spend a half day braving the crowds to ride an elevator or two (or even three) to see a view?
Read on for my recommendations about putting the Eiffel Tower on our must-see list while touring Paris.
Going Up the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
Well, it’s the Eiffel Tower and you’ve traveled a long way to see it. And after all, it’s the most famous architectural feature of the Paris skyline. Going up the Eiffel Tower is almost a rite of passage for the first-time visitor to Paris.
But do you really need to go up it?
Frankly, I say forget the elevator ride and just admire the tower from a distance. Take pictures of it from the Trocadero on the opposite side of the Seine, or from the middle of one of the bridges.
Stay well away from the crowds and enjoy seeing the tower pop up every now and again as you tour Paris. There are so many amazing things to see in this city that spending half a day waiting in line (and you’ll likely wait in line even if you buy tickets in advance or take a tour) seems like such a waste of time.
I know—blasphemy—but really, if you don’t like crowds, can live without an elevator ride, and can find better things to spend the 25+ euros on (like lunch), then I say skip the Eiffel Tower.
What to Know If You Decide to Go Up the Eiffel Tower
That said, I totally get why going up the Eiffel Tower is appealing. Over the years, I’ve gone up the tower at least five times, and each time was more crowded than the time before.
My most recent visit was in spring 2024—and wow! I couldn’t believe the size of the crowds as well as how little there was to do once I reached the second level and circumnavigated the tower to view Paris from all directions.
Go Up the Eiffel Tower in the Evening
Of my five visits, my favorite was the one I took in the evening a few years ago. The crowds were thin and the view over the sparkling lights of Paris magical.
If you can manage to find a time when the Eiffel Tower is not crowded then sure, take a ride up to at least the second level.
Purchase Tickets in Advance
Whenever you decide to go, buy your ticket well in advance. You’ll probably still have to queue, but not for as long as you would without a ticket. Also, if you don’t get your ticket in advance, you risk not being able to get in at all if the tower is at capacity.
Here’s the official website for purchasing tickets to the Eiffel Tower.
Riding to the Tippy Top
Don’t be fooled by tours that say they include the summit. They may not, so you really need to double-check. If you have your heart set on going to the summit of the Eiffel Tower, then book your tickets on the official website as far in advance (up to three months) as you can. Spots book up really fast.
At the top, you’ll enjoy the highest view from two floors–one open-air and the other enclosed. You’ll also see a reconstruction of Gustave Eiffel’s office and a tableaux of wax models depicting Gustave Eiffel and his daughter Claire receiving the famous American inventor, Thomas Edison.
Should You Consider a Guided Tour?
On my most recent visit to the Eiffel Tower, I chose a guided tour because I (mistakenly as it turned out) thought it would take me to the very tippy top. It did not.
Basically, a guide takes you to a long line and waits with you while occasionally regaling you with facts and figures about the Eiffel Tower. At the second level, the guide bids you farewell and you’re on your own to enjoy the view.
Here’s a brief summary of my Eiffel Tower tour experience so you can decide for yourself if the 50+ Euro price tag is worth it.
My Tour of the Eiffel Tower
I arrive at the Eiffel Tower with moments to spare before the tour is to begin, only to discover I’m in the wrong place.
HINT: Double-check the meeting place for the tour; it likely is not at the entrance to the Eiffel Tower. In the case of the tour I took, the meeting place was a brisk ten-minute walk away.
I run to where the guide is supposed to be, arriving ten minutes late to find her waiting and not at all worried. After joining her and eight other people, I briskly retrace my steps back to the base of the Eiffel Tower where we wait a good thirty minutes, which is about ninety minutes less than the wait for people without tickets, to ride the elevator to the second stage.
I ask if we’re going to the top.
Non, Madame.
But it says in the tour description that we go to the top…
Non, Madame. Second level only.
Oh.
I resolve to enjoy myself and get my 50 euros worth (pretty much double the cost of a regular ticket). The guide’s commentary is interesting, although I’m the only person who listens to it. The other people on the tour are either not interested or don’t speak English, or both.
Some History of the Eiffel Tower
I’m working on a novel set in the late 1880s during the time when the Eiffel Tower was being constructed. The novel includes a character modeled after the brave souls who, in the frigid winter before the Eiffel Tower opened for the 1889 World Exposition, climbed higher and higher every day to bang rivets into a structure that at the time was a marvel of engineering (and still is). Two men lost their lives building the Eiffel Tower (although not my character).
The guide doesn’t tell me very much that I haven’t already read during my research about Gustave Eiffel and the history of his tower. Construction of the Eiffel Tower began in 1888 and finished in May 1889 just in time for the opening of the 1889 Paris Exposition that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, which marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Over 32 million people attended, which is a lot of people in 1889!
If you’re looking for in-depth information about a site, you’re not likely to find it on a tour designed for the general public. You’d be better off connecting with an expert and arranging a private tour.
Riding Up to the Second Level
It takes about an hour to finally get up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower. The two elevators are crowded and hot, and the ride isn’t all that exciting. I snag a place by the window to snap photos and face away from the germs. If you are at all claustrophobic, you may wish to think twice about cramming yourself into the elevators to the first and then the second levels.
At the Second Level
Once we arrive at the second level, our guide thanks us and returns to Earth, presumably to herd another group up the elevators.
I stroll around the four sides, snap some photos, and feel a bit deflated. The view from the second stage is fine but not particularly breathtaking, even on a sunny day.
View to the south from the Eiffel Tower
View to the northeast from the Eiffel Tower
I do, however, enjoy snapping photos of the rest of the Eiffel Tower soaring up to the third level that I didn’t get to visit.
After the Tour
After taking as many pictures as I can and circumnavigating the second level at least twice to get my money’s worth, I descend to the bottom and snap lots of photos in the beautiful golden light. The nearby gardens are particularly fetching.
A Paris Traffic Jam
With the sun starting to set, I go in search of a bus. I can’t find the right stop and finally admit defeat and hail a taxi. The traffic is practically gridlocked. I can probably walk back to where I’m staying near Boulevard Saint Michel faster. The driver entertains me with a lot of voluble French commentary about the shocking state of the circulation in Paris, the bicycles, the other cars, the stupid pedestrians, etc. As the fare creeps up over twenty euros (I have a 20-euro bill clutched in my hand), I reach for my wallet. He gestures for me to put it away.
Non, non, madame. Il est vignt.
He waves away the number on the meter as if to make it disappear. I gather he’s not going to charge me more than the twenty euros that I have ready to pay him because the traffic is so bad. That’s very kind of him!
Where Are the Rude Parisians?
My taxi driver drops me at my destination, cheerfully takes the twenty and wishes me a bonne journée. I’ve yet to meet the fabled rude Parisians who are supposedly abundant in Paris.
In my experience over many, many trips to Paris, the Parisians are almost uniformly helpful, friendly, and good-humored. They also frequently like to make jokes. The night before, the clerk at the supermarket, after being asked the way out, shakes his head and tells us gravely that there is no way out, and that we will be locked in and have to stay the night. He then laughs and leads us to the exit where he merrily scans our items while telling us all about his brother who is moving to Calgary.
Tours of the Eiffel Tower
If you’ve decided to go up the Eiffel Tower, you have two choices. Either purchase a tour to get some commentary along with your elevator ride or go it alone with tickets you’ve purchased in advance. While I can’t say the tour I took was worth the extra euros, it did give me the chance to talk about the Eiffel Tower with the guide and glean a few more useful bits of information for my research.
Here are some ticket and tour options offered by GetYourGuide:
I love the Eiffel Tower! It’s the symbol of Paris, and it’s beautiful and iconic and just so cool. I’m fascinated by how it was built, I love taking pictures of it, and I even include it on the cover of one of my novels (Love Among the Recipes). I’m writing a new novel featuring the Eiffel Tower at the beginning of its life. So yes, I think the Eiffel Tower is awesome!
But I also think that you’d not be missing a whole lot if you decided to skip waiting in long lines (even with a ticket and/or a tour) for what is essentially an elevator ride.
Spend your time touring some of the world’s best museums, enjoy a café crème at a sidewalk café, take a cruise on the Seine, snap pics of the Eiffel Tower to your heart’s content, and relax in Paris’s lovely parks (the Luxembourg Gardens is my fave).
Here are more posts about being an Artsy Traveler in Paris:
Meteora is located in the Thessaly region in northern Greece and 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 six 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 other visitors, and 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 group tours (my favorite kind). You could also book each component separately.
Here’s a 2-day trip that includes one overnight in Meteora and tours of the monasteries.
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 Hotel Theatro Odysseum (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
Here’s a Sunset Tour you can take from Kalabaka or Kastraki that includes the hermit caves and of course, the breathtaking sunset over the Meteora rock formations and monasteries.
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-14th 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!).
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.
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 14th and 16th 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.
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.
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 10th and 11th 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?
4. Informative Small Group Tours
If you have a rental 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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’sa 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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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?
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.
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:
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.
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.
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 19th century.
Here’s a view of one of the narrow, picturesque streets with the Acropolis looming above.
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.
Although we arrived without a reservation, we were quickly seated in the back courtyard. Service was fast and the food delicious.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 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.
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.
London’s new-to-me Design Museum is indeed quite new. Founded in 1989, it moved in 2016 to its spacious digs in South Kensington adjacent to Holland Park from a former 1940s banana warehouse on the South Bank.
Now the Design Museum hosts millions of visitors each year.
And no wonder! The Design Museum’s vision is “A world in which design enables this planet and its inhabitants to thrive.” Innovative exhibitions, partnerships, research and learning programs celebrate design in all its forms.
I highly recommend a visit to the Design Museum in London. Unlike many museums that are full of objects we can admire but never use, the Design Museum features objects we all use every day—from teaspoons to computers to cars. It’s fascinating to see the integral role design has played in shaping our modern world. Read on to learn what there is to see and do at the Design Museum in London!
Things to See in the Design Museum in London
Located on Kensington High Street near Holland Park, the Design Museum’s newly renovated building is spacious, airy, and chock full of interesting things to look at.
Admission to the permanent collection at the Design Museum (1) is free, just like so many of London’s major museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum (2), the National Gallery (3), and the British Museum (4).
In addition to the marvelous permanent collection called Designer Maker User, the Design Museum houses several special exhibitions which do require tickets.
Check the Design Museum’s website to see if any of the special exhibitions interest you, buy your ticket online in advance, and then make sure you save some energy to tour the permanent collection. Tickets for popular exhibitions, such as Barbie: The Exhibition that I saw in September 2024 and the current Tim Burton Exhibition that runs to April 21, 2025, sell out quickly.
Barbie: The Exhibition at the Design Museum in London
If you’re visiting London this fall or winter, then run, don’t walk to see Barbie: The Exhibition before it closes on February 23, 2025. The story of the iconic doll’s evolution from a design and marketing perspective is fascinating.
The bright, colorful (and VERY pink) Barbie exhibition at the Design Museum in London showcases Barbie’s development from her creation in 1959 to her hundreds of iterations today and includes a nod to the 2024 Barbie movie.
Part of the very colorful Barbie Exhibition at the Design Museum in London
My First Barbie
I got my first Barbie when I was eight years old, and I remember loving her. I also remember my older brother trying to put my Barbie through the wringer washer. Fortunately, she survived surprisingly intact. That plastic was made to last!
My mom sewed clothes for my Barbie, a monumental achievement considering the teeny tiny size of Barbie clothes. At the time, I took her incredible skill for granted. As I gazed down at the Barbie clothes on display in the Barbie exhibition, I was astonished anew by my mother’s abilities and achievements.
For obvious reasons, I particularly liked the displays of the early Barbies. I remember coveting the high-priced Barbie Dreamhouse and Barbie cars, but they were out of reach for my family. I did know a few very wealthy girls at school who had them and were the envy of us all. Here is a selection of cars from Barbie’s early years.
Barbie’s Success Story
Barbie sure is a design success story. The doll has evolved over the years, and while still essentially a stick-thin glamor girl, she has had some iterations that bring her closer to real life. There are different body shapes, different ethnicities and different head shapes.
I’m particularly impressed by all the ways in which Barbie is shown to participate in the world—from Firefighter Barbie to Astronaut Barbie to President Barbie.
Barbie has become a much healthier role model for young girls than she was back in the 1960s. My first dolls were baby dolls in keeping with the emphasis in the 1950s on preparing girls for motherhood. Having a doll that looked glamorous, had long hair that I could brush, and that wore pretty clothes was a revelation. But the concept of a Firefighter Barbie or an Astronaut Barbie or even a Management Consultant Barbie was foreign territory indeed.
So yeah, we’ve come a long way since 1959 when Barbie first hit the market!
I’m Just Ken!
Barbie: The Exhibition does not neglect good ‘ole Ken. I snapped this photo of a collection of Kens standing tall and proud in a case of their own.
Exploring the Permanent Collection at the Design Museum in London
After touring Barbie: The Exhibition, I ascended to the third floor to tour the permanent collection of the Design Museum and admire the museum’s interior space.
That to See in the Designer Maker User Collection
The permanent collection at the Design Museum is called Designer Maker User and it’s a stunner! The curators have done an excellent job of explaining various design concepts through the display of everyday objects, from spoons to chairs to computers.
The exhibit features over 1000 objects divided into three segments: Designer, Maker, and User .
Designer at the Design Museum
The objects in the Designer section are displayed in ways that invite the visitor to contemplate the thought process of the designer who must envision how the designed object will be used. I like the quote on one of the information plaques: “The role of the designer stretches from the spoon to the city.”
In this section are displayed objects such as a traffic light, the Anglepoise lamp, and a Tube carriage.
Maker at the Design Museum
The Maker section presents objects in relation to the evolution of manufacturing. Included are café chairs, a Model T Ford, robotic arms, and 3D printers. Objects such as tennis balls and the London 2012 Olympic Torch are presented at different stages of production.
As I wandered through the exhibits, I was constantly amazed by the ingenuity of the human mind. Take tennis, for instance. First, someone had to want a ball they could bounce and hit with a racket. Then, someone else had to figure out how to make a prototype of the ball. Finally, a whole team of brainiacs had to figure out how to manufacture thousands of balls so that anyone who wanted to could play tennis. Mind-boggling!
User at the Design Museum
The User section explores the interaction between people and brands that define the modern world. As a computer user for many decades, I was especially taken by the display of electronics, from the clunky Apple computers of the 1980s to the sleek Macs of today. The red Sony laptop in the picture below is identical to one I had a good twenty years ago. I really liked that computer!
Crowdsourced Wall at the Design Museum
Outside the Designer User Maker exhibit is the Crowdsourced Wall. Here are displayed more than 200 objects that people from 25 countries nominated as their most important objects. The diverse selection of objects is meant to “demonstrate the intimate relationships we have with the everyday objects that shape our lives.”
Items on display include a red bucket, an Underground sign, a bicycle, a green plastic stool, a sewing machine, a drill, a mop, a pair of jeans, and a lot more. The fascinating selection is so much fun to look at since these are objects that we all know and use.
Checking Out the Rods at the Design Museum
I am arrested by a display of…rods! I didn’t know rods were a thing in the UK, but they certainly were a cherished part of my early school years. For those who don’t know, rods are various colored plastic rectangles used to teach children arithmetic.
A white rod represents one and is one-tenth the size of an orange rod that represents ten. In between are red for two, green for three, and so on. When I was in Grades 1 and 2, the highlight of a day was when you finished your work early and the teacher let you go to the back of the room to “play rods.” I spent many a happy hour solving arithmetic problems with the tactile aid of those plastic rectangles that felt so smooth and were so pleasingly colored. Rods are still in use to this day, although my daughter doesn’t remember having them when she was at school in the 1990s.
What a shame for her! I credit rods with giving me a lifelong penchant for arithmetic. Mathematics? Not so much, but I’m a dab hand at addition, subtraction, multiplication and division without a calculator! Thank you, rods.
A display of rods used to teach children arithmetic
The box of rods on display at the Design Museum isn’t the only object that catapults me down memory lane. The entire museum is one big time-travel experience.
If you use household objects (and who doesn’t?), then check out the Design Museum. You’re bound to find at least a few displays that trigger happy memories.
The Design Museum Shop
After you’ve toured the exhibits, check out the stylish gift shop. You’ll find all sorts of cool design items there.
Practical Information about the Design Museum in London
The Design Museum is located at 224–238 Kensington High Street and is open Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 17:00, and Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Some ticketed exhibitions may remain open later on weekends. The Design Museum is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Admission to the permanent collection is free. Check the website for more information.
Touring London
London is full of intriguing museums and experiences, some very much off-the-beaten path. GetYourGuide has plenty of options to choose from. Here are a few:
London is not an inexpensive city, but nevertheless, I’ve discovered some excellent places to stay that, while not bargain basement, are good value and centrally located.
On a recent trip to London, I stayed at the Park Plaza Victoria London Hotel. Located right across the street from Victoria Station, the Park PlazaVictoria (5 on the map at the beginning of this post) is a remarkably good deal for a modern, four-star hotel in the heart of London. My room for two was spacious and even had a view over London.
The Wilde ApartHotel (6) in central London is also a wonderful choice. I loved its central location within walking distance of Trafalgar Square and most of the West End theaters. Check out my post about the Wilde ApartHotel.
Conclusion
Have you visited the Design Museum? What were your favorite exhibits? Did you see a special exhibition? Share your experiences and recommendations in the Comments below.
Here are links to posts about three of my favorite London galleries and museums:
The Victoria and Albert Museum is one of the world’s most amazing repositories of, well, beautiful stuff.
It’s a collector’s dream come true with astonishing examples of the decorative arts and the applied arts. You’ll find everything from costumes to metal gates to furniture to bracelets and everything in between.
There is so much to see at London’s Victoria and Albert museum that you need to pace yourself and have a plan.
You can’t really define the V&A because it’s just so eclectic.
Think of an object and the V&A probably has an example of a version made with exquisite skill by someone somewhere in the world.
It’s a sensual feast for the eyes and a testament to the ingenuity of human beings and their commitment to fashioning objects that are not only functional but gorgeous.
There are so many things to see that you could spend days exploring—it’s HUGE! In this post, I share my recommendations for seeing the best of the V&A.
V&A at a Glance
Favorite Gallery: It’s a tie between Fashion and Glass
The V&A museum is high on my list of favorite museums. Almost every time I go to London, I pop into the V&A. No matter how often I visit, I still discover new things to look at.
The only problem with this incredible museum is that it’s impossible to see and appreciate all of it in one visit, or two, or ten. I’ve visited at least five times over the years, and I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface.
The museum lives up to its reputation as the world’s largest museum of art and design.
The V&A was established in 1852 with collections from the Great Exhibition of 1851, and was originally called the Museum of Manufactures and then the South Kensington Museum.
Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone of the current location in 1899 and changed the name to the Victoria and Albert Museum to include her late husband Prince Albert.
Location of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London
The V&A is located near the South Kensington underground station and alongside several of London’s largest South Kensington museums.
If you love museums, make a day of it. Visit the V&A (1), and then hop on over to the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum (2 & 3 on the map). Both are excellent places to visit with children.
Better still, spread the visits over two days. Museum-hopping can be exhausting. Go at your own pace and take time to explore nearby Hyde Park (4) and Kensington Gardens (5) for a nature break.
Yes, the V&A is huge and yes, there’s a ton to see, but you have to start somewhere. Your best bet when first visiting is to select five or six galleries to explore, occasionally veering into exhibition rooms en route when something catches your eye.
List of Galleries
Architecture
Britain (1500 – 1760)
Britain (1760 – 1900)
Buddhism
Cast Courts
Ceramics
China
Contemporary Glass
Design (1900 – Now)
Europe (1600 – 1815)
Fashion
Furniture
Glass
Gold, Silver & Mosaics
Himalayas & Southeast Asia
Ironwork
Islamic Middle East
Japan
Jewelry
Korea
Leighton
Medieval & Renaissance (300 – 1600)
Metalware
Paintings
Photography Centre
Portrait Miniatures
Prints & Drawings
The Raphael Cartoons
Sacred Silver & Stained Glass
Sculpture
Sculpture (1300 – 1600)
Silver
South Asia
South Asian Sculpture
Tapestries
Theatre & Performance
Daunting? You betcha! Note that some galleries may be closed. Start your visit by checking at the information desk to find out what’s open. For example, the Theatre & Performance gallery was not open when I visited in September, 2024.
So where to start?
Exterior of the Victoria and Albert Museum on Cromwell Road in Kensington
Arriving at the Victoria and Albert Museum
First, walk up the steps and enter the museum’s massive atrium. Straight ahead is a large information area—your first stop.
Put your wallet away (unless you’re planning to see the special exhibition) because admission to the permanent collection is FREE. I know. Amazing!
You can make a donation (I always do), but you don’t have to. The attendants at the information booth will give you a map and may also suggest you purchase the guidebook.
For £5, it’s a bargain because it gives you an overview of the highlights of each gallery.
Special Exhibitions
You can choose to buy a ticket to the special exhibition. A few weeks before you visit the V&A, check what’s on and make reservations. Popular exhibitions often sell out quickly.
Getting Started
Once you’ve purchased your guidebook, or even just armed with the free map, walk straight through the gift shop (you can come back later!) and out into the courtyard.
Buy something to drink from the kiosk and settle down at one of the tables (weather permitting) to check the map and/or guidebook.
Courtyard at the V&A
While sipping your beverage of choice, figure out which areas you want to focus on and where they are in the museum. You want to avoid backtracking.
The beauty of the V&A is that even if you’ve decided to tour only six galleries, you’ll see plenty more as you walk through the museum from chosen gallery to chosen gallery. Don’t be surprised if you’re tempted to veer off to check out a gallery you hadn’t intended to visit.
Give in to these impulses. The V&A truly is a treasure trove!
Now you’re ready to start your tour. Go slowly and pace yourself. Beauty overload is a thing!
Here are just some of the hundreds (thousands?) of things to see at the V&A.
Things to See at the Victoria and Albert Museum
I’m focusing here on six galleries: Fashion, Asian (which includes several areas), Furniture, Cast Court, Glass, and Jewelry.
Fashion Gallery
I always drop into the fashion collection, located in the central area of the main floor. Here, you’ll find a unique collection of European clothing and textiles spanning from 1750 to the present.
I particularly enjoy the 18th- and 19th-century dresses. Can you imagine wearing so many hoops and corsets? Here’s an elaborate dress from the 1760s.
Asian Art and Objects at the Victoria and Albert Museum
This is a broad category that includes art and objects from several regions: Japan, Korea, China, South Asia and Himalayas, and Southeast Asia. Take a stroll through the galleries to enjoy an amazing collection of articles.
Highlights for me are the Samurai armor collection in the Japan section, a golden Buddha, jade objects from China, delicate porcelain, and so many more treasures.
An interesting—if rather gruesome—piece is Tipu’s Tiger in the South Asia and Himalayas section. This wooden sculpture was made for Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore in South India.
When the handle on the side of the tiger is turned, the ghastly noises produced imitate the wails of agony of the British soldier lying underneath the tiger. Apparently, this exhibit was one of the most popular in the East India Company’s museum.
And although not part of the Asian galleries, take a quick detour to check out the Ardabil carpet, which is the world’s oldest dated carpet. Although its exact origins are unknown, the carpet was made sometime during the 16th century.
It’s a stunner.
Furniture Gallery
Examples of furniture are scattered throughout many of the galleries in the V&A. In addition, the Dr. Susan Weber Gallery of Furniture showcases how furniture was been made and decorated for over 600 years. Included are items from the Renaissance to the present.
Bed of Ware
One of the most interesting pieces of furniture is in the Britain 1500 – 1760 gallery. Definitely make a detour to check out the Great Bed of Ware, so famous in its day that it was mentioned by Shakespeare.
The famous bed is three meters wide and apparently able to comfortably accommodate four couples (at least!). It was constructed around 1590 as a tourist attraction for an inn in Ware, Hertfordshire, which was a day’s journey from London and a convenient overnight stop for travelers bound for Cambridge and points north.
The initials that visitors carved into the bed posts and the headboard are still visible today.
Cast Courts
The massive sculptures in the Cast Courts are the showstopping, must-see areas of the V&A. You’ll be able to view the two huge, connected courts from many angles as you make your way up through the four levels of the museum.
Look down from one of the walkways on the third or fourth level and find yourself faced with a bewildering hodge podge of iconic statues, altarpieces, and even columns.
Why go to Florence when you can visit the cast courts at the V&A instead? It’s like a souvenir store for giants.
These plaster casts of great art and architecture from around the world were collected and displayed for visitors to study.
One of the many highlights is Michelangelo’s David. Apparently, Queen Victoria was shocked by the anatomical correctness of the David cast and requested that a suitably proportioned fig leaf be made and hung on the statue when dignitaries visited.
My source didn’t specify if regular visitors were allowed to view the full Monty, so to speak.
Another highlight is the reproduction of Trajan’s column. The original is too tall to include in the building and so the reproduction is divided into two massive columns.
I’ve seen the original in Rome, and because of the column’s height, it’s difficult to see the detail. At the V&A, you can get pretty close to the columns to view the intricate carvings.
Glass Gallery
Up on Level 3 in a corner of the museum that was virtually empty when I last visited is the astounding Glass Gallery. Here, you’ll trace the development of design and technology in glassmaking over 3,500 years.
The museum’s glass collection is reputed to be one of the world’s most comprehensive.
I’m always intrigued by glass. How did people figure out that sand heated up could turn transparent? The variety and beauty of the hundreds and hundreds of objects on display is truly remarkable. I could have stayed there for hours.
Jewelry Gallery
I’m feeling overwhelmed after looking at some many amazing objects, but I can’t resist a walk through the narrow, dimly lit and quite crowded collection reputed to be among the finest in the world.
More than 3,000 pieces tell the story of western jewelry from ancient times to the present day.
Case after case contain pieces ranging from tiaras, brooches, and earrings to stunning necklaces, bracelets, and rings.
All around you, people can be heard oohing and aahing, and no wonder! The ingenuity and skill that was required to make such superb objects is unfathomable.
Completing Your Visit
Your visit will probably take you three to four hours. But don’t spend all that time touring the exhibits! Here are some ideas for pacing yourself.
Taking a Break at the Café
A good strategy is to take a break to enjoy something to eat at the V&A café. Not only is the food tasty, but you’ll also benefit from getting off your feet to further study the guidebook and map.
The café can get crowded, so time your visit either before or after the lunch rush.
One good strategy to avoid crowds is to arrive at the museum when it opens at 10 am, tour a few galleries, and then enjoy an early lunch in the café before tackling some more.
Checking Out the Gift Shop
I do love a good gift shop, and the one at the V&A is first-rate. You’ll find relatively affordable textiles, jewelry, books, fashion items, gift items, cool stuff for kids, and much more.
I bought some lovely tea towels that will be for display only in my kitchen. They are far too nice to use!
Studying at the Victoria and Albert Museum
The V&A is a world-class research center. In addition to displaying over 60,000 objects in the Museum, the museum also maintains a number of study rooms, both on and off-site. Here, you can view over two million objects from the Reference Collections and conduct private research.
When I was researching my novel The Muse of Fire, set in early 19th century London, I booked time at one of the study centers to view original prints of cartoons popular at the time.
In the hushed atmosphere of the offsite study room, I received the box of prints from an attendant who looked straight out of a Dickens novel, and spent several happy hours making notes and taking pictures.
If you have a research project in mind, you may well find useful resources at the V&A. Check the website for more information. Note that you must book well in advance of your visit.
Practical Information
The Victoria and Albert Museum is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 17:45, except for Fridays when it is open until 22:00. Admission is free. Check the website for more information.
Taking a Tour
On one visit to the V&A, I opted to take a guided tour. Good call! The two-hour tour showed me all sorts of amazing objects I may have missed if touring on my own. You can take a free tour provided by the museum staff or an outside tour.
Of course, top of the list is the British Museum, in which you’ll experience objects from cultures all across the globe over two million years. Entry is free, but book your entry ticket in advance. The closest tube stations are Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, and Russell Square.
The Wallace Collection is small but eclectic and worth a visit. And while you’re in South Kensington, check out the Design Museum, which has become one of my new favorite places in London.
Staying in London
London is not an inexpensive city, but over the years, I’ve discovered some excellent places to stay that, while not bargain basement, are good value and very centrally located.
On my latest trip to London, I stayed at the Park Plaza Victoria London Hotel. Located right across the street from Victoria Station, the Park Plaza Victoria (6 on the map at the beginning of this post) is a remarkably good deal for a modern, four-star hotel in the heart of London.
My room for two was spacious and even had a view over London.
View from my room at the Park Plaza Victoria Hotel in London
The Wilde ApartHotel (7) just off the Strand is also a wonderful choice. I loved its very central location within walking distance of Trafalgar Square and most of the West End theaters.
Conclusion
Have you visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London? What were your favorite exhibits? Share your experiences and recommendations in the Comments below.
Here are links to posts about three of my favorite London galleries:
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Caption: Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the Acropolis Slopes
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.
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.
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 ofErechtheion 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Take a private guided tour to Mycenae, Corinth and Epidaurus
Stay at 99 Dream Vacations, a reasonably-priced apartment in the center of old Nafplio
Overview of Nafplio
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.
History of Napflio
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 15th 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 7th 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.
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 4th 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.
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.
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.
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’s an option for a private guided tour to the archaeological sites:
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.
