In and Around Athens

If you are looking for things to do during your visit, we have a few ideas! 

Athens and Athenian Riviera:
Of course, the closest and most obvious thing to do is to visit Athens! While the wedding and events are taking place in Vouliagmeni (which is considered a part of the Athenian Riviera), Athens is just a short drive, cab or tram away. By car, reaching Athens is usually only 30 minutes. In Athens, you can easily wander the streets and and see the sights on your own, or there are an abundance of walking tours which will take you through many historical sites and lovely shopping areas. Viator has ample tours ranging from small group tours,  to fully private guided tours of the city. We loved seeing the changing of the guard, wandering the streets, and of course visting the Acroplis and Acroplis Museum. 

Additionally, the little towns down the coast of the Athenian Riviera are lovely and enjoyable. You can easily visit the Temple of Poseidon and Cape Sunio which are under an hour drive from Vouliagmeni. 

If Google and Viator aren't hitting all the info you need, we have also heard that AAA usually includes travel planning services and can basically plan the whole thing for you! Amex is said to have similar benefits.

You can find more detailed links and recommendations below.

The Mainland 
Within a Short Drive:
If you are willing to travel under 3 hours there are even more things to see and do! 
From Vouliagmeni, you can visit the ancient home of the Spartans (Mystras), see wineries and orange groves in Nemea, visit the temples of Delphi where the oracle lived, or visit Nafplion which is named as one of the most romantic cities in Greece. We visited all of these sites and more on our visit this past March. We absolutely fell in love with Nafplio. Wonderful food, and shops and an easy drive to so many wonderful historic locations. 

Within a Longer Drive:
If you plan to explore the mainland of Greece, there are more things to do than we can name here. We absolutely loved our visit to Meteora where there are monasteries just about floating in the sky. If you plan to visit, it is a bit of a trek, so a few things to note - the monasteries are not open every day, all day, so plan ahead and check which ones you can see when you are there. Arrive early to beat the crowds. Additionally, if you are a woman, they do require you to wear a skirt. I brought a long skirt wtih me which I threw on over leggings, but if you do not have one with you, they will require you to buy a wrap to over up for a few euro. Lastly, there are A LOT of stairs (see the picture!) so plan footware accordingly.
The Islands
If you’re looking to go to the  islands, plan for 2-5 nights per island. You can very easily visit 2 islands in 7 days with ferry transfers taking up some of that time.  You can find more about where we’ve been below.  
  
We used the website https://santorinidave.com/destinations extensively when planning our first trip to Greece. This site has a wealth of information on hotels, restaurants, things to do and see, etc. We’d also recommend checking out Travel Vlog’s on YouTube (go to youtube and type in whatever location you’re considering).  We watched all the videos from Tim and Fin on YouTube about their trip to the Greek Islands. 

We have visited Paros, Santorini and Milos, and found all three to have a wealth of enjoyable things to do - from hiking, to beaches, to wineries and boat trips, you won't be lacking for things to do or see. Santorini is one of the most well known islands, but as our friend George says, same sky, same sea, same sunset!  

In terms of travel, we rented a car on each island to get around, however ATVs and motor bikes are also very popular ways to travel. Most of the islands do have an airport, but remember they ​tend to have strict baggage conditions! Ferries between ​islands do not have such restrictions and can also be ​very affordable.

Links and More Info

More specific recommendations...

A trip to Greece without mentioning where to eat seems wrong on all levels, so we won't commit that faux pas. We have broken out some hotels, restaurants, bars and places that we have visited in the links below for easy perusal!

Places to Stay:

Athens - Coco Mat is a super popular hotel chain in Greece! We stayed at the Coco Mat Athens BC and if you are planning a night or two in the city, this hotel was perfectly situated just blocks from the Acropolis, Acropolis Museum and Plaka. The rooms are small, but very comfortable. Fun fact - the owners originally owned a mattress brand that became so popular they started opening hotels!

Mainland - If you decided to travel to Meteora you can stay in the main town of Kalabaka, however there is an amazing little hotel called Hotel Doupiani. It includes an amazing breakfast and most rooms have a view of the monasteries which are breathtaking. In Nafplio, we stayed at the Grand Sarai, which was perfectly situated to walk into town, and our room even had a lovely sea view. 

Riviera - While we are clearly staying at the Athenian Riviera Hotel, we did do a lot of research prior to the wedding on local accommodations. As mentioned, there are a number of lovely hotels in the Vouliagmeni area, including The Roc Club, The Margi, and of course the famous Four Seasons Astir Palace. Closer to Glyfada (the main shopping town between Athens and Vouliagmeni) there are also a number of hotels including The Ace, The One and Only Aethesis and the SeaView Hotel. Further down the coast there are some beautiful beach focused hotels such as the Lagonisi Grand Resort, Vincci Ever Eden and the Cape Sunio Grecotel located by the famous Temple of Poseidon. 

The Islands - There are tons of hotel options on the islands, we recommend finding what works best for you!


Places to Eat and Drink:

Vouliagmeni and Near By - 

Akti - Upscale, sunset views, delicious food 

Sardelaki Me Thea - Traditional, yummy, more sunsets

Tokyo Joe - Sushi

The Moorings - Another sunset option that came highly recommended 

Ark - A fun spot for a sunset cocktail or dinner

SeaSatin - Newly opened, but has a reputation for being a whole lotta fun

Athens - 

MS Rooftop Garden - A lovely spot for a cocktail overlooking the Acropolis

Little Kook - Stop for the decor, have a dessert because why not?

GB Roof Garden - Has been recommended to us as a great dinner spot!

Milos -

Mavros Xoiros - One of our favorite meals on our entire trip 

Verina - For a sunset or to-go cocktail

ORYHIO - For drinks 

O! Hamos! - Must stop place. Hand written menus, wonderful food and magical atmosphere

Yankos - See the picture of Joe eating a Gyro. That is all. 

Mikros Apoplous - Whole fish catch of the day, sitting on the water...just perfect. 

Sirocco at Paliochori Beach - Delicious food and a fabulous beach to boot

Paros -

Daverona - great for something a little different, less traditional. Lovely service. 

Kosmos - A little cocktail bar in the heart of the old port (Naousa)

Kakao - Perfect spot for sunset in the main port 

Pirate Bar - 'Nough Said 

Taverna Alexandros - For a more traditional meal on the water 

Monastiri Beach - Awesome beach club with yummy food and lounge chairs for rent

Moraitis Winery - Local winery with a wide variety of nice wines to try 

Santorini- 

Dimitris Ammoudi - A classic Ammoudi restaurant, hanging octopus, sitting on the water, all around great 

Throubi - For a splurgy, michelin type experience, sunset views at the spectacular Andronis Concept Hotel

Anogi - BEST meal we ate in Santorini, absolutely felt like somewhere the locals go, the food was amazing, and the service team was so so so nice

White Lounge - Food was good, but mostly you hit this type of spot for the sunset views

Artemis Winery - If you visit no other winery....make this the one you visit

Santo Winery - Very commercial, but will ship your wine to you, huge selection and nice restaurant

Sigalas Winery - Yes, another winery, but this one is so close to the sea you can taste in in the wine, worth the visit 


Things to Do:

Mainland - Beyond our visit to the spectacular Monasteries of Meteora, we loved our road trip to the town of Nafplio and super cool historical sites in the area. On our way from Meteora to Nafplio, we visited the hot gates where Leonidas took his final stand with the 300,. Separately, we visited Mystras, the home of the Spartans and one of my favorite sites we saw. We also visited the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus(where Riley was deeply scolded for testing the acoustics), Mycenae which is strongly connected to Homer's Epics, and visited orange groves and a winery in Nemea (yep, like the Nemean Lion). All of these were fantastic to see, but we equally enjoyed strolling the streets of Nafplio, eating and shopping. 

Athens - Obviously, Athens is a historical city with more things to do and see than one could even guess! Of course, seeing the Acropolis and many other ancient sites is a must, however, we highly encourage a trip to the Acropolis Museum. It houses amazing art, and provides so much texture to visiting the actual site. Beyond the Acroplis, you can wander the old town (Plaka), see the changing of the guards at Parliament and there are many walking / food tours available as well. 

The Riviera - The most famous thing to see down the coast of the Athenian Riviera is the Temple of Poseidon. You can reach this site by short drive, but there are many boat tours that also offer amazing views from the sea. Along the coast there are plenty of towns and fish taverns to visit as well. 

Milos - A truly magical little Island... We recommend visiting Sarakiniko Beach which looks like the face of the moon, taking a boat trip around the island to kleftiko and enjoying a sunset in Plaka at the Church of Panagia Korfiatissa - there's even a little to go cocktail bar called Verina where you can grab a cocktail to enjoy with your perfect sunset view. 

Paros - Paros and its sister island Antiparos offer so many wonderful things to do and see. From ample beaches, to hiking in paros park and exploring the old port of Naousa the island is truly bustling. A short ferry ride to Antiparos takes you to another lovely island filled with windmills, beautiful beaches and maybe even a Tom Hanks sighting...

Santorini - One of the most famous islands in Greece, and it's not surprising. While there are of course ample beaches, but we enjoyed seeing Akrotiri and exploring the islands spectacular wineries. Our favorite was a small winery called Artemis, and it was an absolutely can't miss! Seeing the blue domes of Oia is of course a highlight, but there are so many other things to see as well. 

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