For sightseeing, an Athens travel guide really comes in handy. There is so much background and history that a guide can tell you that you would otherwise probably miss.
However, Athens is changing every day. The economic crisis is not over yet and so it happens again and again that, for example, restaurants close and other restaurants reopen. Unfortunately, this can also happen with the most up-to-date travel guide. If you particularly like a restaurant or something else from the travel guide, just take a quick look at Google Maps to make sure it’s really where it’s supposed to be.
The compact one: Marco Polo Athens
Suitable for a short stay in Athens. If you only want to browse the most important sights, the Marco Polo for the jacket pocket is practical.
More detailed: Vis-à-Vis Greece Athens & mainland
For city trips, the Vis-à-Vis is my all-time favorite. In Vis-à-Vis, the most important sights in Athens are dealt with in detail, as always with many 3D drawings.
In addition, the eventful history of Greece is presented in a clear and compact way and offers a lot of interesting reading material for the flight.
Because not only Athens but also the rest of the Greek mainland is in the Vis-á-Vis, it is ideal for a round trip or a beach holiday on the mainland with a detour to Athens.
The whole country in one book: Baedeker Greece
According to campingship, Baedeker Greece really has the whole country in it. If you are looking for a travel guide that will also give you an overview of your next holiday on Crete or Santorini, the Baedeker is a great choice.
Because Greece is a fairly large country with a lot of variety, the guide cannot go into as much depth as some other, regionally limited guides.
The highlights in Athens are, of course, dealt with in detail.
My recommendation : You can find a lot of information, background information and clichés, often to make you smile, in the instructions for use for Greece.
Audiobook for children: GEOlino – Ancient Greece
If you are going to Athens with children, I can recommend this GEOlino audio book. To be honest, I found it quite interesting myself. I remembered more from it than from my guide book.
Food and Drink
You can eat excellently on almost every corner in Athens. Whether cheap at the gyro stand or with starters and desserts in the restaurant, the food is fantastic. Greek cuisine is fairly meat-heavy, but vegetarians will also find something on every menu.
Of course there are plenty of gyros pitas on hand in Athens. They don’t look that big, but they fill you up with the bread and meat.
As soon as you sit down anywhere, be it in a café for an espresso or in a restaurant, you are always served free water first. In the summer it’s worth its weight in gold.
The portions in restaurants are often huge, always well seasoned, mostly with garlic and lemon.
The appetizers are great for sharing because I find it impossible to finish an appetizer and main course alone.
In many restaurants you can get the so-called meze. This is basically the Greek version of tapas, i.e. smaller plates for snacking. Whereby “small” is really relative at this point. I easily got full from my meze in the restaurant Nikitas in Psyrri.
Meze are good for sharing with two or more people. Just order whatever you like and then everyone eats a little of everything.
The most important culinary restaurant vocabulary:
Souvlaki : Meat skewer, usually pork or chicken
Saganaki : Baked feta cheese in batter
Moussaka : Aubergine and minced meat casserole
Bifteki : Minced meat
rolls Soutzoukakia : Minced meatballs, usually in tomato sauce
Loukaniko : Greek farmer’s sausage (strongly seasoned, super delicious!)
Dolma or Dolmadakia : Stuffed vine leaves
The classic breakfast snack in Athens is koulouri. You can get these delicious sesame rings in Athens in the morning for 50 cents at small yellow stands that are almost everywhere in the center. If you prefer it sweet, the koulouri is also available with icing or chocolate filling.
If you’re a caffeine junkie, you have to try Eleniko, Greek coffee. It is prepared from a very fine mocha. It is available in a simple version and as a double Greek coffee. Drink it carefully, the mocha grounds are on the floor.
Iced coffee is also always trendy in Athens. In midsummer, the delicious frappé is a refreshing alternative to cappuccino.
Tip
In cafés or restaurants in Athens you always get the bill together with your order. If you then order another drink or something to eat, you will be billed for it again. In the end, all your bills are simply added together.
A tip of 10 percent is customary. The form in which the tip is handed over doesn’t really matter, the Greek waiter is flexible. You can simply round up or accept the change first and then leave what you want to give as a tip on the table.
Integrating a tip into a card payment is rather uncommon. If you pay by card in a restaurant, it is still better to give the tip in cash directly to your waiter.
