Athens Travel Answers

When will you be there? There has been for many years at the Acropolis a Son et Lumiere show between April and October. I saw it quite a long time ago during the first week of April - it can be very chilly in the evening - even after a lovely warm day. But as you only have one night why not just wander around the Plaka? Some of the little touristy shops will still be open, lots of restaurants, live music and plenty of atmosphere to enjoy.

You will certainly be able to 'see' the Acropolis and the Parthenon if you are in the right place. They are floodlit (hopefully still, given the economic circumstances) and stand high above the city. But you will not be able to access them during the night time hours. You won't see anything of Athens at all if you stay near the airport. It's a long way from the city centre. You might make the journey in by Metro (not sure...30 minutes?) or airport bus (about 40 minutes), perhaps arriving around 2130-2200. But by the time you have arrived and checked-in to wherever you stay will you actually want to wander through the city to an Acropolis-viewing spot? There will be bars and restaurants, of course, and the streets are lit should you wish to wander. If you have an onward flight in the afternoon or evening then maybe stay overnight in the city centre, get up early and walk around its historical heart (central historical Athens is walkable)? But if your onward flight is a morning flight I think you may be able to see little or nothing in the time you have available, so perhaps it would be better to stay near the airport.

Info in English on airport bus and Metro access here: aia.gr/pages.asp?pageid=981&...

You don't give enough information to help people to help you without a lot of ifs and buts. When (month) are you going? What day of the week will it be? (The Acropolis Museum is open until 22:00 hrs on Fridays.) Do you really mean 20:00 hrs in the centre of Athens or is that just the time you arrive at the airport? I I suspect the latter, but if you can be at Syntagma at 20:15, there is an organised tour of "Athens by Night": greeka.com/attica/athens/gre... - or there are taxi tours, see athens-taxi.org/parthenon/pa... Personally, I would just have dinner in the Plaka district - at least if it's warm enough when you are there - from many points of which you have a good view of the floodlit Acropolis/Parthenon. Otherwise, there are good views from the rooftop bar/restaurant of many hotels, such as the Hilton (Galaxy Bar), King George or Grand Bretagne, and these are open to the public.

You can certainly see the Acropolic from afar, both ground level, or from a level far higher - by accessing Lykabettus Hill. This hill & it's funicular operate till late, allowing you great views over the lit-up city & beyond (towards the port). There are some days the New Acropolis Museum is open till late (2200) so you may want to look into that too.. And of course, there is great nightlife & restaurants in Plaka, Psiri (best for nightlife) & Kifisia.

The Airport Sofitel is walking distance to the departures hall. Free pickup and return: St. Thomas B&B, Peri's Hotel.

Thanks for all the input! We arrive at the Athens airport at 8pm on April 7th and leave the next morning. I'm going to see if it's possible (i.e. not too expensive) to change to an earlier flight from Santorini.

7th April = Saturday. On Fridays the museum is open till 2200 hours, otherwise last admission is 1930 for a 2000 hours close :-( Hope you can alter the flight, otherwise I suggest a return metro ticket for two adults (better value than two singles!) to check out the city & feel the vibe! It will be warm in April for sure :-) Journey will take 45 minutes: look around, have some nice dinner, go up the hill, and enjoy yourselves :-) Kali tihi = Good luck (in Greek)

Not so sure about 'warm'...I definitely needed my coat in early April evenings. But an earlier flight would be much better, giving you time to get into the city and explore just a little of it. So fingers crossed that's feasible...

End of March I was walking around in a single layer (shirt), even in Delphi!

But that's the whole point, isn't it? The weather at that time of year is more unpredictable. It's not like summer, when one might assume hot days and warm nights. And you are used to British weather, as I am. We tend to walk around in one layer when locals are still wearing leather jackets and scarves. :-)

On the early April evening that I mentioned above, when we went to the Son et Lumiere production, it was so cold I and my aunt were very happy to buy from one of the busy knitters at the back of the arena one of their thick woollen jackets.They lasted for years too!

Climate averages will give you a rough idea: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens... Daily average high in April is high teens, average low is low teens..but these are *only* averages. They are for the whole month, and you will be there early in the month. So best look at March as well.