Our day started off very early as we had a 4-hour drive ahead to Vienna to catch our flight to Athens. I had found a parking space at the last moment the night before and hoping it would work out fine. After the long drive we finally reached Marzur Parking: a long-term parking very close to the Vienna airport. They use a shuttle bus to bring people to the airport from here. We had quite a walking distance from where the shuttle dropped us to where our check-in counter was. Luckily everything went smoothly and we boarded onto our Ryanair flight with no further issues.
Flight Arrival in Athens
Ryanair is of course one of the no-frills low budget flight option within Europe. This means that we had to be extra careful with the baggage measurements and weight. If found to be not fitting at the airport , it could mean paying a lot of money.
When we went to the gate, the first thing we saw was “the flight is delayed – an hour!” This of course meant we had more waiting time. It was noon and I went looking for some snacks. The airport eateries had some incredibly high prices that I was frankly not willing to pay. That was when I came across the Cafe+Co vending machine which had a selection of sandwiches. It was perfectly what I was looking for. A snack that was reasonably priced and tasted fine too!
We could finally board the plane and this was when I realized that Athens is an hour ahead. Our flight schedule was from 13:25 to 16:35 – actually a 2 hour 10 min flight. We were however late in boarding – this is one main reason I prefer to take public transport at my destination as the timing is then more flexible. I like to be prepared so after retrieving our baggage, we headed straight out to the metro station and bought our tickets. The metro apparently is a very popular option and it was super packed and we stood the whole 45 minutes on the journey to the city.
Check out my post on the modes of transport from Airport to City here
Check-in to Hotel
We arrived to our stop – Monastiraki Metro station and used trusty Google to navigate us to our Hotel. It is a 4-minute walk which was really great and got our first look at the happening Monastiraki area. Our first glimpse of ancient ruins came as soon as we exited the Metro Station to the view of Hadrian’s Library and of course the Acropolis above.
We walked through the flea market and past many restaurants and shops. Before long, we arrived at our Hotel and the reception guy was expecting us – he was outside and greeted us warmly. Our first real interaction with the people in Athens is that they are warm and friendly in general. He showed us to our room which was so spacious and roomy albeit in an older building. We were happy to have arrived and settled in! My write-up on the Hotel will be a post of its own. So watch out for it. It does have a fabulous roof terrace with amazing views! Check out below picture of the sunset from the roof.
The First Evening in Athens..
As we arrived later and more tired than expected , I was happy that I already prepared some restaurant options near to our Hotel. My grumbling stomach reminded me of the late hour and we went out for food. My first choice was Atlantikos – which is nearby and I have seen youtubers rave about it. We soon found out that other people watched the same youtube videos… There was such a queue that we decided instantly to try other options. My back up plan was Krasopoulio Tou Kokkora and again we received warm services. As we sat down , we got a jar of water. We decided to order the day’s special – Souvlaki Chicken and seafood pasta. The Souvlaki was good but the pasta was better! So much so that we considered going back as soon as we finished dinner. They served us with a non-alcoholic aperitif after dinner and it was very very delicious. So yeah – I definitely recommend dining there.
We headed back to the Hotel and decided to check out the night view from the roof before finally resting our tired selves. A few minutes before drifting off to sleep – loud music started playing from the building across the road. It got progressively louder and only played one song over and over again. It was akin to being in a torture chamber. They were playing well over 11 in the night! We were so devastated and felt so exhausted but denied from sleep. At last the music died down and thankfully deep slumber took over. a
-End of Pre-cruise Day 1 : Athens-
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We do love getting into a port early before a cruise to relax and enjoy the port city. And Athens is a perfect spot to enjoy. Flight delays are often a reason we choose to fly in early. Good thing your delay was not too long. But Ryanair’s baggage limit would be an expensive challenge for me. Great that you did some advice research to help with restaurant choices. Never something I want to do when I am tired after a travel day. What a great view to end your first day with. Even if the music was not a treat.
We visited Athens a few years ago and loved it. It’s good to see the food is still as delicious as it was then! That’s a pain about the loud music, I would feel the same way if I was staying in the same place.
Glad your Ryanair flight worked out for you, they are one of the airlines I simply won’t book anymore as they are so keen to fleece their customers of every penny yet are poor at customer service when things go wrong!
I love that the nearest metro to your hotel gives you an immediate sight of some of the ancient ruins of Athens!
Ryanair has not been a great experience for me too with its luggage restrictions and delays glad though that it anyway worked out for you. Those ruins would have made up for all the exertion you might have felt. It was definitely a good idea to get to the city earlier to just explore these. And of course, the food looks delightful and adds so much to the cultural experience
You seem to have booked a hotel with a great view over the Acropolis. I can imagine that waking up in the morning to that was pretty special. Your travel day sounds pretty stressful. Last time I was in Vienna my flight was delayed as well, with about 4 hours. Luckily they sent a text letting me know about it, so I didn’t bother going to the airport, I just spent more time with my local friends. Sounds like Athens airport is very well connected to the city. I like when there is a direct metro from the airport straight to the city, helping you get there faster and cheaper than on a transfer.
I have fond memories of Athens. Too bad Ryanair got delayed, but at least they did fly after the delay, I once had my flight completely cancelled! Buying water & food in airports is such a pain! Too too expensive. Whoa! Your hotel has a roof-top view of the Parthenon? Whoa! Fantastic. We too had it. It is such an awesome thing! Looking forward to reading all about the rest of your Athens trip.
Unquestionably, Athens is an incredibly exquisite city! The hotel’s roof terrace, from which you can relish in the magnificent views, makes your stay there seem extraordinary. In addition, I can tell simply by looking at the pictures how delicious and tempting souvlaki chicken and seafood pasta look! Athens appeared attractive at night as well.
Athens looks beautiful at night but I’m sorry you didn’t get enough sleep. Loud music while you are trying to sleep is really the worst! I enjoyed reading about your trip and especially about the RyanAir part as we are about to fly with them this summer. My previous experience with them is from 15 years ago and it was an interesting flight. Not bad, but different. I’m glad everything went well with yours.
Your Pre- cruise day 1 Athens is a great experience and with your flight taking off from Vienna and finally reaching Athens. It’s great that you could see the historic Adrian’s library and Acropolis from the Monastiraki metro station and the views of the city from your hotel terrace was magnificent. And also great to know you found an alternate dining option at Krassopoulio Tou Kakkora worked out well with some delicious Greek food like the Chicken Souvlaki and seafood pasta.The night views from the hotel room was amazing and it was good that you could finally get some sleep inspite of the loud music playing.