Athens was another stop on our Royal Caribbean Cruise. Here are all of the sights we saw and how we explored as much as possible!
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| The Parthenon |
Sights seen
In total, we saw:
- The Monastery of Daphni
- Ancient Agora of Athens
- Roman Agora
- Tempio Di Zeus Olimpio
- Panathenaic Stadium
- Hellenic Parliament
- National Archaeological Museum
- The Academy of Athens
- Acropolis (this is where the Parthenon is)
- Syntagma square
The art-history lover in me was absolutely giddy this day! The highlights of the tour were definitely the Acropolis, Syntagma Square, and the Panathenaic Stadium.
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| Temple at the Acropolis |
Acropolis
We spent an hour and a half at the Acropolis, which was a perfect amount of time for us (my grandparents included) to leisurely stroll up to the Parthenon. There was so much to see, but we didn't feel rushed.
When we arrived at the Acropolis, there was a line to buy tickets at the window. Instead of waiting, I purchased tickets on my phone for my group of 4, and we were able to scan and go right in (bypassing the long line!)
Do note, you will want good walking shoes since the steps are worn down and can be slippery. I expect them to be even more slick in the rain. Definitely bring a sun hat and sunscreen, since there's little shade here (it hit 80 degrees when we visited in May, and the UV index was 9!) See what I wore for this trip here.
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Syntagma Square
Our tour guide, Kennedy, timed our tour perfectly to see the changing of the guard. This happens at the top of the hour in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Try arriving 10-15 minutes before to get a good place to watch. Kennedy was super knowledgeable throughout our Athens tour, sharing background info and history around this place particularly.
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Panathenaic Stadium
Seeing this stadium in person was incredibly cool due to its significance to the Olympics. It was built entirely out of marble for the first modern Olympic games in 1896(!)
A Dior fashion show was held here in 2022, and I'm amazed it's still used today in such good condition.
We briefly walked around, took a few photos and continued on with our tour.
Closing
While this private tour was a fantastic deal, I would love to come back to Athens and spend more time sightseeing - maybe earlier in May since it was already so hot. I feel that one day wasn't enough. Ideally, I'd spend 4-7 days here and visit museums. Some cruises depart from Athens, so maybe I'll visit for a few days and hop on one if I can find a good interline deal!
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