Do you have a Percy Jackson fan in the family? Even if you don't, if you have been dreaming of a trip to Greece, Dawn from 5 Lost Together shares her tips on planning a family trip to Athens, Greece and the surrounding areas. Plus, find out where Kim and Tamara were hanging out together last week!
ON THE PODCAST
00:32 - Talking with Kim and Tamara about their time in NYC
03:25 - Kim's plans for her west coast road trip
09:10 - Tamara's Canada trip ideas
13:40 - Talking with Dawn
16:05 - First trip to Greece
18:13 - How long to visit and when
19:42 - What time of year to visit Greece
22:17 - Things to see in Athens
28:22 - Driving other places from Athens
34:05 - Tips for visiting
39:40 - Getting around
40:20 - Dawn's favorite travel gear
42:26 - Where Dawn is going next
ABOUT DAWN NICHOLSON
Dawn is a Canadian mum who loves blogging about her adventures traveling with kids and expat life at 5 Lost Together. She eats, sleeps and breathes travel and wants to inspire other families to take epic trips with their kids. Follow Dawn on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitterand Instagram.
TIPS FOR VISITING ATHENS, GREECE WITH KIDS
- If you are planning a trip to Greece, you should think about spending at least ten days there but it would be best to be able to spend two full weeks. You will be able to see a lot in ten days but you may feel like it is a little bit short. Two full weeks would be the optimal amount of time, especially if you have never been before.
- Traveling to Greece in the summer time is very hot, especially in August! Plus this is also peak season to travel there, so the cost will be higher and it will be very crowded. May/June would be a good time to go as well as September/October when it will still be warm but budgetwise your money will go a bit farther and you will be able to do more.
- If you are really worried about budget you could also book your trip in the winter time and get some incredible deals on accommodations.
- When you travel to Athens you should make sure to see:
- Acropolis of Athens- which has the remains of many ancient buildings with historic significance and great architecture. You will get a lot more out of your visit if you go with a guide. There is also a museum at the bottom that is fairly new and they have great models made out of Legos of the buildings, along with scavenger hunt activities, so your kids will love it.
- The Parthenon(probably Greece's most important historical sight) - located in the center.
- If you are into trying new foods you should think about taking a food tour. If you don't want to do a tour there some markets you can go to that have food as well.
- Changing of the Guardis also a great sight to see and is very different from the Changing of the Guard in England. They have very elaborate uniforms and this happens every hour at Syntagma Square.
- Mount Lycabettushas great views of Athens as the only real high point of the area. You take a funicular, which is a mountain cable car that goes up at about a 45º angle. The track is 689 feet long but the journey only takes about 3 minutes.
- Renting a car a driving to some other areas can give you some great sights. For instance there is the Corinth Canalwhich was built so that ships could go through instead of going around a big chunk of land. If you are into experiencing an adrenaline rush you can even bungee jump off the canal. If not it may be a great spot for you and your family to get out and stretch your legs while you watch the jumpers.
- If you are planning to travel outside of Athens, you may want to take a trip to Olympiawhich is the birthplace of the Olympics! There isn't much left of the structure but open greenery and some seating.
- Another place to visit is Delphiwhich is one of the most important greek sights. This was the place people would come to visit an oracle and is featured heavily in the Percy Jackson books. This sight also has some great views of the area.
- As a day trip from the more central part of Athens you can visit the Temple of Poseidonin Sounio. This is also featured heavily in the Percy Jackson books and has some great views of the ocean since it was built on hill right by the edge of the ocean.
- People in Greece are very friendly and helpful. Just what you would think with their greek hospitality!
- Renting a car can be a bit overwhelming and the price to rent a car is a bit expensive but if you have a larger family or are traveling with a larger group compared to paying for public transportation costs and just the freedom of having the car this may be worth it for you. But if you are planning to stay in one general area it may not be worth the price.
- Be aware that there are actual quite a few toll roads when you are driving that you may not expect and they are all cash so be aware of this before taking off on a long drive and plan accordingly with cash.
- Tipping is not really customary, but you can always round up a bit on your bill.
- All the food is very reasonable priced and the main dishes are quite large so you may only need to order a few dishes with a family of five and share between everyone.
- Be careful with taxis, you may come across a situation were you can get ripped off. Taxis have meters so make sure that your driver is using the meter and if there isn't one you may want to get out of the taxi. They are also quick particular with the amount of people they take saying they are only allowed to take four people and if you have five in your family they will possibly bargain with you on a price and not give you change.
FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR
Dawn loves to wear her Toad & Co dress paired with a scarf and her entire family loves to wear their Keenshoes. Her husband is very particular about his shorts and he loves his Quicksilver Waterman shorts.
MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST
The New York Times Travel Show
Visit California
Martinelli's
DIY Percy Jackson Greece Trip
Athens with Kids
Athens Food on Foot Review
Mythology Tour with Greeking.me
Acropolis of Athens
The Parthenon
Rick Steves Audio Tours
Mount Lycabettus
Nafplio - a small fishing town
Epidaurus Theater
Olympia
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