Reviews of Athens

The hub of the tourist area is "The Plaka" shown here. It is definately the most touristy but it is also safe with lots of shopping and restaurants. The restaurant owners in The Plaka are more like used car dealers, they will stand at the door to their establishment and try to woo you into eating there. We found it worked best if you turned it into a game, don't let them intimidate you and check out the menus and choose based on price, not on the staff.

We stayed at two hotels in The Plaka and both were satisfactory, keep in mind that we weren't looking for luxury rather a good deal since we weren't in our rooms for long. Hotel Phaedra was alright, comfie and a good location. We also stayed in Hotel Adams which was a block or so away from Hotel Phaedra, cheaper and had an amazing view of the Acropolis. Adams doesn't really have a website but you can email them for availability/reservations.

While staying in Athens we chose to rent a car so that we could drive around the main land a bit, go to Delphi etc. We found Swift Car Rentals online. It was written so cute and sounded like such a great idea that we gave them a shot. Do NOT be TRICKED! They don't actually take you out of Athens, they just have an office that is right off a main highway which is only three blocks from the Plaka. They gave us a car that had an empty gas tank and told us when we returned it to either park by our hotel or their offices. We spent over two hours looking for parking in these areas with no luck. We wound up parking it illegally. Do NOT be tricked! They also operate as Avanti Rentals.

While driving around we stopped in the small sea side village of Itea which is about 30 minutes from Delphi. We enjoyed amazing sweets at Sweet Passion and some delicious salads at Restaurant Maxiotpaki which is right on the water south of the main drag. If you ask at Sweet Passion they will be able to direct you there.