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Under the blue sky of Athens

April 18, 2020 | Michael Turtle | 24 Comments

PHOTO ESSAY

Photos in Athens

I had forgotten about that sky. So blue, so clear. Day after day the clouds stayed away, perhaps finding somewhere cooler. For the neverending azure blanket that lit up the city but also brought an oppressive heat.

I was reminded of summer in Athens when I was looking through some photos of a trip there last summer.

Around every corner was another ruin, usually an ancient one. And sadly, because of current economic conditions, quite often a modern one too.

But each is rich with stories of history and culture. A self-guided walking tour through Athens need only take a few hours (everything is so close to each other) but it can take you through millennia of human civilization.

Things to see in Athens, Greece

It seems like a good time to share some of the photos I took there which I haven’t done anything with. I have no other plans for them and it would be a shame not to publish them somewhere.

If you’ve never been there, I hope this gives you a bit of a sense of Athens: the imposing buildings, the fascinating archaeological sites, and the richness of the people.

If you have been, I hope this brings back the same kind of happy memories it did when I rediscovered the images in my archive.

Things to see in Athens, Greece
Things to see in Athens, Greece
Things to see in Athens, Greece
Things to see in Athens, Greece
Things to see in Athens, Greece
Things to see in Athens, Greece
Things to see in Athens, Greece
Things to see in Athens, Greece

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN ATHENS

There’s a good range of accommodation in Athens and I would recommend finding something near Syntagma Square for convenience.

BACKPACKER

For a backpacker option, I would recommend the modern and comfortable Bedbox Hostel.

BUDGET

If you’re looking for value, I would suggest the Athens Mirabello, which also has a great location.

BOUTIQUE

There are some cool design hotels in the city and one of the nicest is The Artist Athens.

LUXURY

And for 5-star luxury, I would suggest the modern Electra Metropolis with a great view of the Acropolis.

Greece Travel Guide

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT Greece?

See my Greece Travel Guide

To help you plan your Greece travel:

  • As 3 day itinerary for historic Athens
  • Hoe to get a free local tour of Athens
  • The wonder of the Acropolis in Athens
  • How to see the origin of the Olympics
  • An ancient civilisation as a day trip from Athens
  • Is this where modern medicine all began?
  • The Greek island where Jackie Onassis escaped to

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour of Greece, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of Greece.

You could consider:

  • Sailing Greece – Mykonos to Santorini (8 days)
  • Best of Greece (15 days)
  • Sailing Greece – Athens to Santorini (15 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. kami |

    January 9, 2013 at 10:48 pm

    Reply

    I don’t know how it’s possible I haven’t visited Greece yet! Your pics make me wanna go there right away!

    • Michael Turtle |

      January 14, 2013 at 8:56 pm

      Reply

      The hardest thing about Greece is knowing what to do there… do you go to an island, explore Athens, venture out to the ruins in the countryside. There’s just too much!

  2. D.J. - The World of Deej |

    January 10, 2013 at 12:27 am

    Reply

    Great pics…as an Olympics junkie, Athens is high on my list.

    • Michael Turtle |

      January 14, 2013 at 8:57 pm

      Reply

      You would love it there, as an Olympics junkie. Although probably not as much as Olympia. That is a really cool place!

  3. Shalu Sharma |

    January 10, 2013 at 12:56 am

    Reply

    Great photos of Athens. Such a historical and breathtaking place. A must place to visit. Thanks for these brilliant photos.

    • Michael Turtle |

      January 14, 2013 at 9:01 pm

      Reply

      Thanks, Shalu. I’m so pleased you stopped by and enjoyed them.

  4. Laura @Travelocafe |

    January 10, 2013 at 10:18 am

    Reply

    Unfortunately I didn’t have the pleasure to visit Greece, and your post really shows me how much I missed so far, by not including Greece in my travel itinerary. I hope in the future I will have the possibility to rectify this oversight.

    • Michael Turtle |

      January 14, 2013 at 9:06 pm

      Reply

      Well, you can’t get everywhere. But if you’re looking for blue sky, stinking hot days, ruins of temples, and cheap greasy food – I’ve got somewhere for you! 🙂

  5. Travel Chic |

    January 10, 2013 at 12:14 pm

    Reply

    Great pics! Athens is one of the places I’d really want to explore because of the amazing structures from the past..

    • Michael Turtle |

      January 14, 2013 at 9:08 pm

      Reply

      It’s a bit weird how you can walk through parts of the city and there are just ruins from thousands of years ago there. And everyone’s all casual and “oh yeah, those old things” and I’m all like “oh my god, it’s another temple to Zeus or someone!”.

  6. Jade - OurOyster.com |

    January 10, 2013 at 3:49 pm

    Reply

    I would love to visit Greece some day… I love studying classical history in school so I would totally lose it over all the ruins and history there

    • Michael Turtle |

      January 14, 2013 at 9:11 pm

      Reply

      I wish I knew a bit more about classical history when I was there. It’s one thing to look at the interesting ruins and take a few photos… but it’s a whole other thing to understand how it all fits in to the context of history.

  7. Jennifer |

    January 11, 2013 at 1:33 am

    Reply

    We’ve been to Greece, but not to Athens. Yet…I love Greek mythology, so visiting the ancient ruins in Athens is high on my list.

    • Michael Turtle |

      January 14, 2013 at 9:12 pm

      Reply

      You’ll love it there then. It’s all about mythology… and cheap, tasty food. Oh, the food..

  8. Deb |

    January 13, 2013 at 1:31 am

    Reply

    I really want to go to Athens. We have yet to go to Greece and each post I see from you, makes me yearn to see it. I love the first photo of the women, Are they street performers?

    • Michael Turtle |

      January 14, 2013 at 9:12 pm

      Reply

      Yeah, they’re street performers but they’re on a break here. I thought I would try to catch a candid moment while they rested in the shade.

  9. Lillie - @WorldLillie |

    January 13, 2013 at 4:37 am

    Reply

    I was also struck by the blue of the sky in Greece. Delicious. And what a contrast to the skies spotted in my recent voyages to China and India!

    • Michael Turtle |

      January 14, 2013 at 9:15 pm

      Reply

      Ha ha – yeah, China has no hope of getting anything close to this. Not that many places would, at least not day after day like in Greece.

  10. Andrew |

    January 27, 2013 at 9:01 pm

    Reply

    Neat pictures. Athens is ok, but I was more than happy to leave after only one full day in the city. The islands and some of the sites elswhere on the mainland like Meteora and Delphi are far more fascinating for me. The islands especially!

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 6, 2013 at 1:36 am

      Reply

      Ah, see, so many people say that Athens is only worth a day but I disagree completely. It’s not just the ruins – it’s the food, the bars, the cafes and the fun atmosphere. I do agree that there are some very interesting things outside the capital, like Delphi, but I much prefer Athens over the big and busy tourist islands.

  11. bursa kuru igneleme |

    February 26, 2013 at 6:01 am

    Reply

    greece is really fascinating country 🙂 athens , santorini … and also greek girls are lovely

  12. Lesvos rent a car |

    March 5, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    Reply

    I really want to go to Athens. We have yet to go to Greece and each post I see from you, makes me yearn to see it.

    • Michael Turtle |

      April 4, 2014 at 7:01 am

      Reply

      It’s a great city – don’t believe anyone who tries to tell you otherwise!!

  13. Ray |

    December 17, 2016 at 2:36 am

    Reply

    The last time I was in Athens it was July 2007 and they had a heat wave going on. Never seen a bluer sky like I did those few days in Athens. I had checked out the “Changing of the Guard” and took a photo of Parliament like you did, so that put a nice smile on my face. Did you get many photos within Plaka, though? It’s by far my favourite section of Athens since it is so colourful and right below the Acropolis.

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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