First stop Athens! We stayed in an awesome loft right in the middle of everything! (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/28186). If you  don’t use AirBnB yet, sign up here (www.airbnb.com/c/acruzet?s=8)

Here are our favorite bars

Berettos – Try their house red ouza 48%. We also tried local Alfa Greek beer, and when in Europe we tried the Absinthe at 55%

A for Athens- This was a roof top bar with a good view of the Parthenon at night.

Bar 360- This is also a roof top bar with an even better view of the Parthenon. We tried the Ape escape and the bikini colada (they like mix drinks here)

RocknBalls – Meat ball restaurant that is also a sushi spot and bar at night.

Noel – Very cool looking bar. We had Japanese whiskey and also tried the Broccoli pizza

Baba au rum – This was voted one of the best bars in Athens. We tried the Zombie, and of course Shaina wanted the Spicy Mexican.

Barreldier – We found this while wandering around. Small Bar but, you should try their Old Fashioned

Activities 

Ruins

Parthenon – Must see! But it was super hot so i’d recommend going early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The Acropolis Museum is at the base of the Acropolis and has a lot of interest artifacts and history.

Zeus Temple and the Arch of Hadrian

Atticus odeon – near Parthenon and you can actually get a good view of it from on your way up to the Parthenon

Central market – You can get fresh fruits, veggies, and visit the meat market. Keep in mind Shaina hated the meat market because all of the meat workers were treating her like a piece of meat.

Lake Vouliagmeni – Brackish Lake (half salt, half fresh). The story is that in certain parts of the lake (that you don’t have access to) scientist have not yet been able to find out exactly how deep the lake is and they have yet to find out where the ocean water comes from. We spend a half day here relaxing in the clear water while the tiny spa fish ate our dead skin

Athen’s ONE DAY CRUISE- This was one of the main highlights of Athens for us. The Cruise leaves around 8:30 am and takes you from Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. You have an option to pay extra for tours on Aegina (last island). We would highly recommend the Swimming Tour which takes you to a smaller island off Aegina and they let you swim for about an hour. They had a DJ playing music and your own chairs with umbrella.

Coffee
Tailor made was our favorite coffee spot. It was a specialty coffee and bar. Nice place to chill. Great selection of whiskey. I was surprised how much Japanese whiskey they had available.

Cappuccino  freddo with sugar from anywhere is most likely going to be delicious. Everyone drinks them…literally everyone.

Shopping spots

Plaka Market – This is where we got all our souvenirs and tried all things greek.

Monastraki Flea Market – If you happen to be here on Sunday, be sure to check this out. All the locals show up to this . Music, street performers, street vendors. Beware of the Jamaicans, don’t let them sweet talk you and put one of their bracelets on you that are “free” they will guilt trip you into donating money 😀

Ermou st – This is their main retail shopping street. You’ll find Sephora, Footlocker, H&M, etc. Perfect place to get all your favorite European brands usually at a lower cost. Shaina got Birkenstock sandals for about 55 euros here.