Guide to Visiting Athens, Athens, Greece (B)

I didn’t really know what to expect of Athens. In the months leading up to my trip to Greece the news media was oversaturated with headlines about the country’s debt crisis, but when we arrived we were more than pleasantly surprised. There was little to no obvious signs of economic distress, the people we encountered were beyond warm and friendly, the streets felt safe at all times of the day and the food was nothing short of amazing. Plus, we found that prices for attractions as well as food were relatively inexpensive, making the city at attractive option for budget travelers. Athens ended up being one of our favorite destinations in Greece, and was the perfect jumping off point before vising some of the islands. I suggest spending 2 to 3 days to get a good first taste of Athens, adding more if you enjoy cities or can’t bear the thought of choosing among the many museums. Here’s what you need to know.

Chances are you’ll be traveling through the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (ATH) or the Piraeus ferry port or a combination of both, and Athens’ metro system makes coming and going easy and efficient. From the city center, it’s about 40 minutes on the blue line 3 to the airport and about 20 minutes on the green line 1 to the Piraeus port (there are also two smaller ferry ports, Rafina and Lavrio, so be sure to double check your ticket). Buses and taxis are other options to consider if you’re flexible on time and cost. All public transportation in Athens (metro, bus and tram) is covered by the same ticket, which is good for 70 minutes of travel as long as you validate it in the machine before boarding. Note that a journey to or from the airport requires a separate more expensive ticket, which you can purchase at an automated ticket machine in the metro station. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).