Cruise Buzz

Layover: Athens, Greece

In transit to Azamara Club Cruises

Pre-cruise discovery of Athens, Greece. Discover what a cruise passenger can do in Athens, Greece before boarding Azamara.

What can a cruise passenger do with limited time in Athens, Greece?

We arrived at our final destination: Athens, Greece a day in advance before boarding Azamara Journey for a 10-day cruise around the Greek Isles with our final port of call being Venice, Italy.   Everything worked out perfectly: no flight delays and upon arrival, our ride was there and ready to take us to the Hilton in Athens. By the way, we are using the pre-cruise hotel offered by Azamara and they helped with the transfers. It is so convenient to use these resources: one less thing to worry about.

We checked into the Hilton, changed and set out on foot to see the sights. This is my third visit to Athens, Greece so I was comfortable getting around on my own. Sophia, who is cruising with me on what I am calling her “GAP cruise” (a twist on a GAP year, which is the time between high school and college) has never been to Greece.

Whirlwind Athens: This is what we did in 3.5 hours.

We got started at 6:00 pm and returned to the hotel after 9:00 pm. The benefit of getting a late start was that we did not encounter any crowds at the Acropolis Museum and we were able to avoid the extreme heat of the day (even though at 9:00 pm is was 88-degrees).

Sophia got to experience total immersion: Greek culture, history, people watching and fabulous food.

Self-guided Walking Tour Highlights of Athens:

  • Visit the Acropolis Museum
  • Sip and snack at a tavern in the Plaka district
  • Watch the Changing of the Guards in Athens Greece near Syntagma Square in front of the Hellenic Parliament
  • Stroll through the National Gardens
  • Take a photo of The Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens
The journey begins: LAX to Athens.
The journey begins: LAX to Athens.
On the plane
Only 3 hours left to go until we get to Greece.
Hilton Athens pool
The pool at our hotel.

Off to see the sights of Athens, Greece

Changing of the Guard Athens, Greece
Changing of the Guard Athens, Greece.
Temple of Zeus Athens, Greece
Temple of Zeus Athens, Greece
Hadrian's Arch Athens, Greece
Hadrian’s Arch Athens, Greece

Acropolis Museum

For 5 Euro – discover the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. We got there late and had the entire museum to ourselves (great air conditioning and exhibits). Visit theacropolismuseum.gr/en.

Cruise Buzz on assignment
View of Acropolis from the patio of Acropolis Museum.
Acropolis selfie Carrie Finley Bajak
Mother-daughter Acropolis selfie

Time to eat at a lively tavern in Plaka

Plaka restaurant Greek food

Carrie Finley
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