My wife and I are visiting friends in Stoupa for a week. On the way back to Athens to fly home, we would like to see the sights of the city for the day, then catch an early flight home the next day. Does anyone know of hotels that are easy highway access, as well as close to the metro? My last time driving downtown Athens was a bit stressful!
Thank you!
My last time driving downtown Athens was a bit stressful!
Only just 'a bit' ?
Where is home?
Anchorage, AK
You caught me. I was staying at hotel on Leof. Alexandras, gave myself 3 hours plus to get to the airport. It was about 90 minutes of fear of missing my flight, small side roads after missing a turn, dueling offline directions from Maps.me and Google. Happened to see the x95 bus, followed it, stopped for gas and got lost again.
This time I have a navigator/wife, which I hope will help!
Why bother driving to airport at all? "highway access" is a problem -- anything that's close to one of the big routes in/out of Central Athens is not that attractive or restful. And being close to a Metro isn't useful anyway, if you have an "early flight" A 6 am flight requires being at check-in line at 4 am, which means leaving central Athens by 3:15. ... and the Metro is closed down from 12? to about 5:30 am.
Why not do a car rental that has offices both at the Airport AND in Central Athens... on Syngrou ave for example there are many agency offices. Struggle your way there, turn in car, and you won't have to find a parking place while you do some sight-seeing. If heading for the Airport in the wee hours, the easiest/cheapest way is the X95 bus on Syntagma Square, goes 24/7, costs €6, or €3 for over-65. Of course, hotels within 5-6 blocks of Syntagma are most convenient for this, but if you have a bargain hotel that's a LOT farther, you can still taxi to Syntagma for €6-10.
When asking for good advice about hotels, you need to give us the EXACT date you want, and also a budget range you are comfortable with... availability and price depend very much on this ... and you somehow don't provide this vital info.
Thank you Linda, for the advice AND the advice. I will check with the rental company and see about dropping the car downtown! Great idea. The Metro connection idea was just to get in and out of Athens the evening before my wife's flight out. I was going to drive my wife to the airport and return the car at that time. I would then take the bus back to the hotel.
As for details, we will be staying in Athens May 1, and am more concerned with being comfortable than the price tag (well, let's say Four Seasons-style hotels are NOT on the radar!!!) I stayed at Athens Gate last time. It was a nice place.
I am STILL confused (and my name is Janet) ... now it appears that you and your wife are not both flying back to Alaska at the same time... which now appears to be early in the AM on May 2. Correct? ANd you are in Greece right at this moment? Correct? So, ONE of you wants a hotel for the night of May 1? And when is the sightseeing to occur.... during the day on May 1?? If so, you need to make some quick adjustments. May 1 (except in US) is World Labour Day, and all kinds of things are closed ... and most public transportation will not be running, until midnight. Wow. Don't know what to advise you... why not ask a Greek since you're right there?
I am so sorry, Janet! I can't believe I messed up on your name. I am going to use the convenient excuse of jet lag! My original post was actually at some ungodly hour local time, since I haven't gotten my time zones anywhere close to sync'd yet. Typing now from a laptop, instead of a phone, so hopefully I can be more clear. My wife and I flew in yesterday (ANC-SEA-AMS-FRA-ATH=very long day). We are staying in Stoupa. We both fly out on the 5/2, but my wife is returning home on an earlier flight (7am), while I am off to meet a family member in Budapest, and my flight doesn't depart until the late afternoon (5pm). I would like to go with her to the airport for her departure to home.
So we will leave Stoupa the morning of the 1st, and stay somewhere in the greater Athens area. I had NO idea about World Labour Day. I will definitely start looking into what our options will be for sightseeing that day.
I'm sure this doesn't clear my OP up too much:(. After your first post I thought of just taking the car to the airport on 5/1, and then the bus back in, but with the Holiday....perhaps our options are worse than I realized.
Well, travel is always an adventure!
Thank you again for the prompt reply, and once again, my apologies for my less than cogent ones.
Matt
Noting that finances are not a major concern, unless the metro is extremely convenient We ALWAYS take a cab to the airport on departure day. With an early flight traffic is not a problem, and the security of being at the airport when you need to be is removes a lot of anxiety catching that "one flight a day" home.
So much easier to have hotel get a cab, walk out the door and get in the car. Arrival at the correct terminal. Done deal.
Thank you all for the many helpful suggestions. After calls to various hotels, looking at maps, etc, we came up with a plan! We are going to drive INTO Athens around noon on May 1, coming in from the south to hopefully avoid any crazy protests that may be occurring in Syntagma. Staying at the Hyatt. According to most people I have spoken with, the city is pretty quiet on Labor Day, but restaurants are open, so we will be doing a generic sight seeing and dining evening. Depart for the Airport at around 4am, avoiding most the traffic and getting my wife on that 7am flight. I think we may be a bit early to the airport, but better safe than sorry. I'm going to head back to the Hyatt and return to bed:)
Thanks again.
Matt
Just an update if anyone is planning on copying our trip! It worked out just fine. Drive into the city was relatively painless, and the departure early in the morning was on nearly deserted roads. Dropped my wife off, walked downstairs, hopped on the x95 for 6 euro. 20 minute walk at dawn back to my hotel. I did slack a bit, and took a cab back to the airport for my flight:)
