Hi Experienced Greek Travelers,
I am excited to accompany my husband on his business trip to Athens in early March. He has 3 days of meetings when I will be on my own in Athens. Do any of you have suggestions as to places I might visit during those 3 days. We will be staying at the Congo Palace Hotel in Glyfada for 3 nights during his conference. I am looking for places within walking distance of the hotel and I want to save the main sites to visit with him during the following week after his meeting ends.
I enjoy museums, culture, shopping, parks etc. Thanks Marianne
Posted by
Washington DC
27063 posts
Glyfada is a beachy suburb of Athens, and when I Googled "Things to Do Glyfada", a lot of the results were tours that would take you off to other places. Which might be a worthwhile thing to do one day--take a trip to some sight your husband isn't interested in
There are a few sights listed in Glyfada itself. Here are two links that may be helpful:
Your hotel doesn't seem too far from the core of Glyfada, so a shopping expedition would be a possibility. There's no reason why you shouldn't head into Athens proper. Your hotel would be able to tell you how to do that.
To check distances of the Glyfada sights from your hotel, go to Google Maps and enter the name of your hotel and the name or address of your proposed destination. For estimated walking time and a route designed for pedestrians (one hopes), click on the little picture of the walking man.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
Do you have a Greece guide book yet? If so, great. If not there are two available from RS elsewhere on this web site. We used the large one a lot when we toured Greece two years ago.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7514 posts
Early March is not beach weather, so the main attraction of Glyfada is down on the list. I would suggest figuring out how to get into Athens. There are regular buses into central Athens, aside from the obvious sights( Agora, Acropolis, Arch. Museum), just wandering the Plaka can take up a day, visiting the market, or just general shopping downtown.
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1387 posts
Marianne
People are right that there's little in Glyfada itself.
If you want to save the main sites you might have a look at the new Stavros Niarchos Cultural Centre
http://www.snfcc.org/about/vision/the-stavros-niarchos-park/
You can get a tram up the coast from Glyfada to Parkos Flysvos (about 30 minutes) and then walk across. Parkos Flysvos is a relatively modern marina, with some nice places for coffee. The cultural centre is an interesting building and from the top has great views over both the sea and the city. They also have various exhibitions and events. Eventually it will be the home of Athens Opera, but I don't think they've moved in yet.
I wouldn't want to oversell it: it's a pleasant morning's excursion rather than a must see. It's worth considering though if you want to keep the main sites for doing together.
Alan
PS you might well find your best bet for getting to central Athens is a tram to Faliro and then a metro from there to the centre. A bus from Glyfada can take ages when traffic is bad.