Athens in October

Diana

I am going to Athens, Greece for a week in early October! I have a conference to attend Monday - Thursday, and then I was thinking of taking a short side trip to a nearby island (or islands) for a couple of days before flying. Very excited!

So... what to pack and what to see/do?

My Greek coworkers say that it is still quite warm in Greece in October (around 70 degrees F), warm enough that apparently people still go swimming in the ocean. It sounds to me a lot like Southern CA weather. But what are people actually wearing there? The footwear is what is perplexing me. 70 is warm enough for sandals for me, but would the locals still be wearing them in October? Or would there be a more fall-like style, despite the weather? I think boots would be too warm (and heavy) for me. Oxfords maybe? If one of the slipper flats/loafers I just ordered works out, that might be a good idea. And is the style different in Athens vs. the islands?

Also, coat. Is it necessary? I was thinking of bringing my blue trench because it is lightweight and packable. It's kind of a technical fabric and quite thin, so not very warm but provides a block for rain and wind. Would this be warm enough? I will also have a blazer or two (for the conference), a scarf and sweater of some sort for the plane, that I could layer under in case it's cold. Another coat option would be one of my leather jackets, but the downside is that they weigh a lot and I like to travel light.

Does anyone know if conference rooms/venues in Greece are as ridiculously AC'ed as they are in the US? This will also determine which and how many jackets/scarves I have to bring!

I welcome any suggestions for what to see, do, and eat in Athens and nearby too! I will be relying on public transit. My coworker suggested that I take a ferry to one of the Saronic Islands (less than a 1 hr ferry ride) as I will only have a couple of days to spend after the conference, probably not enough time to go out to one of the more far-flung islands. Do you have a favorite island to visit that is close to Athens?

12 years ago

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9 replies

Latest reply was from Diana

Anonymous

Well I've only ever been to some of the Greek Islands for holidays. I've never been to Athens. Over the last 15 years we've done.. Corfu, Crete, Skiathos, Rhodes, Zakynthos (9 times here!). I love Greece. I'm not all that familiar with the Islands close to Athens though.
I can tell you that yes the weather could potentially be quite warm. I would definitely take a trench, maybe one jacket also though. I would have thought boots would be a little heavy to consider, but definitely Oxfords or some flats. As for whether locals will still be wearing sandals? Hard to say.
I think in the city of Athens the style of dress will be less casual than on the islands. Obviously office workers and corporate people will be smartish wherever they are. I think the Greek ladies like to look quite well groomed. I have noticed they like nice jewelry and heels and they always look coiffed.
I can't comment on how cold the A/C would be, but I would prepare for the worse if I were you!
Food wise... Try things like Souzoukakia (meatballs in tomato sauce usually served with Greek roast potatoes), Greek salad, Spetsofai (Spicy sausages with onions, peppers, courgettes), Pastitsio ( a kind of meat and pasta dish), Stifado ( a Greek beef stew with lots of onions), I've also had fabulous baked Aubergines; and stuffed peppers. Try some fish dishes too, like sardines or sole. Also starters like spinach and Feta parcels or stuffed vine leaves.
Are you also aware that due to the small plumbing pipes you cannot flush toilet paper down any of the toilets in Greece? You have to pop your paper into a small bin at the side of the loo. They are usually emptied regularly.
Oh finally, I was going to say that I would imagine the people do dress more casually on the islands than in Athens. Hope this is of some help.

12 years ago

nancylee

Veteran

You are so so lucky! I love Greece. Athens has some great sections of town and some not-so-great sections, but it does have a FABULOUS clean and modern subway system (built for when they hosted the Olympics a few years back). You should definitely go to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon, and go shopping in the Plaka district (the downtown shopping area). They also have a great archaeological museum if you're into that kind of thing.

As for the islands, I've been to Mykonos, Santorini (SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!), Crete, Rhodes, and Patmos. Santorini is so very lovely, but I found Rhodes interesting and hip. You might also consider a side trip to Delphi or Olympia on the mainland.

Diane has given you great advice on dress and food. My experience with A/C in Greece (and I was there in August) is that they are much more frugal with it than we are in the states. In fact, you had to pay extra for A/C in your hotel room, and the room key had a magnet on it that activated the A/C system. So, you had to actually be in the room with your room key to turn on the A/C; there was no going out sightseeing all day while the A/C pumped away in an uninhabited room. I'm not sure if this will be the same for a conference room, but I don't suspect you'll be freezing like we do here in the summer. Plus, Mediterranean heat is dryer and more comfortable.

Have a fabulous time! Wish I could ride along in your suitcase.

12 years ago

T-Rex

Veteran

While accompanying my cousin to a business conference in Athens, I discovered that I actually really love fresh figs. They had yogurt, figs, and locally produced honey on the breakfast line every morning.

After dinner one night, we went shopping in the Plaka. We stopped in a shop that specialized in rugs and the like because I thought I would buy a throw or some pillow cases as a gift for my dog sitter. The shop owner offered me wine that his family made, and after a few glasses of that, I ended up going home with two fairly large handmade rugs. He must have used this tactic on tourists a lot, because when I mentioned the cost of shipping them home, he folded and wrapped them up into a compact, suitcase sized package complete with a duct tape handle so that I could "check" my rugs as luggage on the flight back. Later, when I mentioned wanting to buy silver snake shaped jewelry, he kindly escorted us to the jewelry shop his cousin owned. So beware of merchants who offer you alcoholic beverages! Really, I don't mind. I still love and use the stuff I bought while under the influence.

My only fashion related advice would be to take shoes with good traction. I personally found the cobblestone streets to be treacherous at times, especially when the streets happened to be on a steep incline.

Have fun!!!

12 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Ooh, thanks for the tips and suggestions!

Diane, I was hoping you would chime in since I know you travel to Greece often. The food sounds delicious and now I am hungry! Thanks for the tips on dress too. I think I will definitely bring some of my jewelry to snazz up my look for the city.

Nancy, my hotel/conference is actually near the Acropolis and within walking distance of the Plaka, so I will definitely check out your suggestions. I am definitely interested in checking out the archaeological museum too!
I would dearly love to go to Santorini, but it's too far for a 2 day trip unless I manage to find a cheap flight (which may be possible given it's not high season).

T-Rex, your description of shopping under the influence cracked me up! I will definitely keep an eye out for merchants offering alcohol. (Not sure if I should avoid them or make a beeline for them though, LOL! It sounds like fun.)
I actually live and walk a lot in a town with lots of uneven cobblestones so I think my footwear will be OK for the sidewalks in Athens.
And, yum, figs! I hope my hotel breakfast has them too!

12 years ago

T-Rex

Veteran

I'm glad you liked my story! Shopping in the Plaka is fun, whether you are a bit inebriated or not.

I'm going to ramble a bit here, just in case some of my ramblings might be useful to you.

The conference had a couple of touristy things scheduled for us. One of them was a day trip to the Temple of Poseidon, which was very beautiful and, as expected, right there beside the water. We visited Delphi on our own, after the conference, and that was beautiful as well. A couple of my cousin's conference friends had befriended one of the local cab drivers, and he sort of became their personal chauffeur and tour guide for a few days during and after the conference. He drove us up to Delphi for the day and back for a very reasonable fee. On the way back we stopped off in a small mountain town for dinner.

I saw that you mentioned Santorini, and that you didn't think you would have time for it. Incidentally, my cousin and I hopped over to Santorini after her conference for a couple of days. We arrived at the very beginning of the season, and there was practically no one else on the island except the people who worked there. There was just one couple in the hotel with us, and I remember them saying they got a good deal on their room online the day before they arrived. I can't remember what we did. I believe we just showed up and looked for a place then and there, which worked out well since it was off season. We had a room facing the caldera, and it was so beautiful to wake up to.

I seem to recall that there was an airline strike while we were there, which delayed either our flight out to Santorini or our flight back to the mainland by a day. Or...maybe there was threat of a strike, and it didn't materialize while we were there. I can't remember for sure. It seems like there was some kind of strike every few days. I would imagine that is probably still the case, so keep that in mind if you decide to visit one of the islands. I highly recommend going anyway, if you can fit it in.

On Santorini, my cousin and I also befriended a cab driver. His English was limited, and our Greek was nonexistent, so we didn't get as much information from him as we got from our Athens area driver. But he was also very gracious and offered to drive us around to various places on the island that were too far to walk. We shared the cab and the fee with the other two hotel guests I mentioned above, and just made a day of it. Since you are arriving near the end of the season, you may get offers like this. Personally, I am the type to grab a map and figure it out on my own. And for the sightseeing we did in Athens and in the city of Thera, walking or taking public transportation was perfect. But for the trips we took out of town, having someone to drive us was wonderful.

12 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Ooh, TRex, the Temple of Poseidon looks lovely and seems like something that could be done in an afternoon. Will have to look into getting there. (Supposedly there is a bus...)

So it looks like I will be traveling alone, at least for the non-conference part (I have a couple of co-workers going to the conference, and a couple of other people I know). My husband can't come and my sister (whom I'd invited as well) also ended up not being able to make it. The plane tickets are atrociously expensive right now... Anyway, so any tips for solo travelers in greece? Any places/activities I should avoid in particular?

12 years ago

T-Rex

Veteran

Unfortunately, I don't know the city or the country well enough to give advice on areas to avoid. I noticed (and really liked) the fact that restaurants seem to remain open much later than they do in most places in the US. So the late night crowd in the city isn't necessarily just a bar and club crowd. Not that I'm opposed to bars and clubs...it's just that the addition of late night diners skews the nightlife towards a bit more maturity and a bit less rowdiness. Plus, I'm a night owl by nature, so I like dining out late when I have the opportunity.

It's already October...when is your trip? I'm very excited for you!

12 years ago

T-Rex

Veteran

I forgot to mention that most of the late night restaurants I've tried in Athens were near the Plaka and at the base of the Acropolis. Most of the walking and sightseeing I've done was in that area, too.

My second trip to the Acropolis was late in the day, which made the walk down a bit treacherous in the dark. We must have underestimated how long it would take to walk up. However, a pleasant and unexpected bonus to our twilight walk down the hill was seeing several bats on our way down.

12 years ago

Diana

Veteran

I'm actually in Athens right now! Most of the last few days have been conference stuff (with some dinners out) but I have been to the acropolis and the new Acropolis museum. After tomorrow, I'll have a couple of free days to explore and maybe get out of the city for a day trip or two. Really enjoying it so far.

And how funny, I just had dinner at one of those restaurants you mentioned. =)

This is the view from the roof deck of my hotel!

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12 years ago

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