Me, my wife, my kid and my parents are all going to Athens, Greece (not Goergia) for a few days in a couple of weeks. I’ve been to Greece several times before, but never to the mainland, and beyond the Parthenon I have no idea what there is for a family of tourists to do in the capital and its environs. Anybody been there recently and can give us some tips?
How old is the kid? Athens is…nice. That’s the only thing going for it. They have the Acropolis of course. The Temple of Zeus worth a visit, but you quickly realize its at the end of the day, just a few pillars standing in the field. The old 1896 stadium is actually more fun. The worst place is the Arch of Hadrian, which is on a busy road. The Roman Agora and the Theatre of Dionysus were interesting, and the Temple of Hephaestus is fairly well preserved, but at the end of the day, they are basically a motley collection of broken statues, masonry and sometimes just plain rocks. If you want to see Ancient Greece, go to the British Museum.
The Byzantine and Christian museum was surprisingly good.
There are day cruises to some of the Islands, so that’s a good bet.
The kid’s 12, and deeply into Greek mythology.
Day cruises sound good. Is Mount Olympos worth visiting?
Drill into your kids that they are not, repeat NOT to pick up any stones or anything else on the ground around the Parthenon.
A few years ago a Canadian girl was there with her parents and picked up some old bits of rock. She got charged with violating the Greek law about archaeological sites. Even the rubble on the ground is covered by the law, because you never know when a significant piece of stone might surface.
Unless you plan to stay overnight/visit in Thessaloniki, no. Its a five-hour drive.
You might have to dampen the kid’s expectations. I was significantly older than him (19) when I went for the first time and yes I was disappointed, even though I was aware of the facts in theory. Lets face it, most of the best “Greek” sites are outside Greece, in Turkey, in Jordan, Egypt.
If you can get childcare, Athens does have a very happening nightlife for you and the Mrs to enjoy.