Athens

Will preface this by mentioning I'm a big Greek history/mythology fan and really enjoyed my time here, but another friend who went wasn't a big fan of history/mythology and didn't enjoy it as much — some friends prefer to simply visit the Greek islands which seem great too.

A friend recommends tip-based walking tours for the 1st or 2nd day of a trip, to both get a feel for the city and to get travel recommendations from the tour guide. Our guide turned out to be an ex-archaeologist who was very informed.

Would also recommend guided tours when visiting historic sites — we booked a few through GetYourGuide and were pretty happy with them.

Airbnbs weren't expensive — we found a fairly comfortable one that was really inexpensive and close to the Acropolis.

Restaurants & Cafes

Opos Palia Delicious, fast, and fairly inexpensive

ROE Olive Products Family-owned olive shop

Sightseeing

Acropolis of Athens A must-visit, especially with a guided tour

Acropolis Museum

Athens Central Market Visited as part of a cooking class

Shopping

Reset Thrift Shop Some pretty interesting items, the area had some cool shops in general

On my list for next time

Ancient Agora Athens National Garden Delphi & Arachova Hydra, Poros, Aegina Day Cruise National Archaeological Museum Temple of Poseidon

Island of Aegina

Visited by ferry (~$20–30 Euro one way) from the Port of Piraeus. The island is apparently known for growing pistachios — the pistachio ice cream was amazing and we bought some roasted pistachios to bring home.

Restaurants & Cafes

Sirokos Restaurant Delicious lunch with a great view of the ocean

Sightseeing

Temple of Aphaia Gorgeous — both the structure and the view

Meteora

An amazing place. We did a day trip tour from Athens (3–4 hour train ride, one way). Most time was spent on a shuttle, hopping on and off to take pics and visiting Christian monasteries. I would absolutely go back and spend a few days in the village of Kastraki near the monasteries.