Athens, I’m Just Not That Into You
Dear Athens,
It was never supposed to end up this way between us.
We were supposed to fall deeply, madly in love. I was supposed to adore you, with all your history and culture. We were supposed to make incredible memories together. I was supposed to go home and make everyone jealous of my time spent with you.
I wanted to love you, Athens. I really did. Ever since I was old enough to be interested in history, yours has been one that's fascinated me. Gods and goddesses; philosophers; music; art; ancient ruins — these are the things I fantasized about when I thought of you.
I looked forward to visiting you. I wanted to prove all the people wrong who told me you've gone downhill during Greece's financial struggles. I wanted to find interesting and beautiful parts of you to share with people who are wary of visiting you these days.
I wanted to highlight your redeeming qualities, Athens.
But damn, you made it hard.
As soon as I arrived, I had that sinking feeling that things just weren't going to work out between us.
As superficial as it sounds, you really weren't much of a looker. Your streets were dingy, your buildings weren't pretty, and all the cool ruins were nowhere to be seen.
And, to top it all off, you were bloody HOT Athens — and we're not talking “hot” in an attractive way. We're talking “hot” in an “I-couldn't-step-outside-without-wanting-to-pass-out” kind of way.
Yes, Athens, you left quite a bit to be desired.
It seemed like for every positive thing I saw in you, there was a negative lying in wait just around the corner to cancel it out.
For example:
While the hotel I stayed in was modern and clean and had a rooftop bar and pool with amazing views, the staff was rude, the air conditioning didn't work, and it was way too expensive.
While I enjoyed shopping and roaming around Monastiraki Square in your Old Town, the walk to get there was a bit sketchy, and it was so crowded at night.
While walking through your Ancient Agora in the steps of greats like Socrates and Aristotle was cool, the ruins that remain there weren't as impressive as I'd hoped.
While I enjoyed looking out over your basin-shaped valley from the spot where St. Paul first preached to your people about the Unknown God, the air was a bit hazy and the sun unbearably hot.
While standing atop the Acropolis WAS amazing, standing in a huge line to do so in 115-degree weather was not. The day I was there, it was so hot that they CLOSED the Acropolis in the afternoon.
While seeing the Parthenon was cool, seeing it covered in scaffolding and swarming with people was not.
The only things about you I liked without any caveats were watching your amusing changing of the guard ceremony, and eating mounds of frozen Greek yogurt in attempts to cool down.
If I'm being completely honest, I actually hated you while I was with you, Athens. I found myself in a sour mood, eager to move on to the next destination and leave your oppressive heat and ugliness behind.
Looking back on our brief relationship now, though, I'm not quite so angry; I can appreciate the things we saw and did together. I can be somewhat in awe of your history and ancient ruins. I can admit that there was more of you that I would have liked to see if it hadn't been so hot and if I'd had more time.
But, while I might be convinced to give you a second chance someday, I'm not very optimistic that things will ever work out between us.
I'm sorry, Athens, but I'm just not that into you.
Sincerely,
Amanda
Have you been to Athens? If so, what did you think of it? If not, has there ever been a city that let you down like this?
*Note: I visited Athens as part of a discounted 9-day Classic Balkan Trek tour with Busabout. All opinions (obviously) are my own.
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Dangerous Business Travel Blog. She has traveled to more than 60 countries on 6 continents from her home base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and thoughtful travel through the US, Europe, and rest of the world. Amanda only shares tips based on her personal experiences and places she's actually traveled!
Rome. Rome forever. Hot. Crowded. I just wanted to go home (I was 16 and had been away for nearly 7 weeks at that point). I just didn’t care about anything.
And in reading this, I will NEVER go to Greece in the summer. It just sounds miserable.
If you go to Greece in the summer, stick to the coast or the islands, where at least you can go to a beach! Athens was particularly miserable because it’s land-locked.
Hi Amanda just to clarify Athens’ is not landlocked. It happens to have one of the most beautiful coastlines in the Mediterranean. Therefore your review is clearly misleading and it’s actually a pity that most people will not be able to experience what is Athens’ best kept secret especially during the warmer months
Yes, you’re right; Piraeus is considered part of Athens. But there definitely were no sea breezes reaching the center of Athens when I was there! Nowhere in my letter am I “misleading” people, though. This was my honest experience. Plenty of people have disagreed with me in the comments, and that’s fine based on their own experiences!
Very good post, Amanda! We haven’t been to Athens but we did go to some of the Greek islands this summer. It was unbearably hot there too, but we found the islands to be beautiful.
I fear that, like you, I’ll be disappointed by Athens when I do make it there. I’ve had a life long love of mythology and Greece’s history.
And I think you’re right. It’s like a relationship. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out no matter how much you might want it to.
Other parts of Europe were just as hot, but I still liked them. There was just something about Athens that I didn’t click with, unfortunately. And I’m not sure cooler weather would have changed things…
I definitely need to get to the islands, though!
Wooh..I’m glad you wrote this! That’s EXACTLY how I felt about New York City when I went there this summer. I expected so much more, and I was just… disappointed. I have to admit, sometimes I wonder if it’s just bad-timing or I just didn’t know where to go? I’d give it a second chance and do things differently next time around.
I think a lot of factors probably combine to make us dislike places… bad timing, bad weather, bad moods, bad experiences… so much can have an influence on our over perceptions. Sorry to hear you didn’t like NYC. But it’s good that you’d be willing to give it another shot!
Amanda, you’ve reminded me my trip to Rome, Italy. It was VERY crowded, bad food, and had NO public restrooms… however, i was trying to like it as much as I could…. it didn’t work out between us 🙂
You are just another person who seems unhappy with Athens. Thanks for sharing. I have a feeling like I need to move Athens down in my bucket list (at this time).
Aww, sorry to hear you didn’t like Rome! I actually loved it. But that just goes to prove you can’t judge a place based on someone else’s experience.
That being said, you should definitely still go to Athens someday and see what you think of it!
Never been to Athens, so we can’t comment on the city itself. But it seems to me that the weather played a huge part in your unhappiness. For us, it was London. We’ve been there a couple of times and it just doesn’t do anything for us. But we find most large cities are overrated and we’d rather be in smaller cities. We were pleasantly surprised by Chicago though.
Why did you stay in a hotel that was so expensive?
The weather did definitely have a role to play, though it certainly wasn’t the deciding factor (a few days before this I was in Istanbul in similar heat and absolutely LOVED that city).
I know you aren’t alone when it comes to being unimpressed with London. I personally loved London, but that just goes to prove that different people experience places in different ways!
And as for the hotel, I was on a group tour, and it was just where we were booked into. I don’t think the rooms themselves were very pricey since we had 4 people to a room, but the “extras” were ridiculous – like 15 Euros to use the Internet!
Too many tourists are always a put off and bad weather doesn’t help.
I am glad I visited during the shoulder season! i like a few tourists around and tourist services operating.
Athens was such a contrast to the beauty of the islands. I felt sad for and hassled by Athens. But for Athenians, I am sure home is where the heart is. Liz
ps. I once loved London too, having lived there for 2 years.
Visiting during shoulder season was very wise! That’s what I’m planning to do when I head back to Greece this summer – I’m going to the islands, but in early September!
I’m sorry to hear you feel that way about Athens – although I can;t say I’m surprised. A lot of people are turned off by the place and it doesn’t give off the best first impression! Still, I found enough to like about the place, with the Acropolis being the highlight.
Well it’s good to know that some people do really like it! I think I just picked a horrible time to visit. Hot and crowded never does a city any favors.
I love Athens, and I’ll always have a soft spot for it because I lived and studied there. It’s not a city you can stop in for a quick visit and be blown away by, as falling in love with Athens takes a bit more time. My favorite parts of the city are places I’m sure you didn’t get the chance to see. Unbearable heat makes any place tough to love too! Did you make it to any islands? Those I’m sure you fell in love with!
I feel like a lot of cities in that part of the world must require some time to fall in love with. For example, I know people who love Bucharest and Sofia, but I couldn’t see myself really liking them without spending a lot of time in them. Perhaps Athens is the same.
And no, sadly I didn’t get to any of the islands this time! But I DID manage to find a couple of places that I loved. (Stay tuned!)
Totally agree Christine, you can’t expect to be there for 2 days and feel/like Athens, (or any city for that matter). Nor is weather conditions a fair judge of whether you like a place or not! I know it’s your opinion Amanda, but I feel I have to reply to a few comments here!
It certainly was bloody hot in Athens but I kind of liked it. I was couchsurfing while I was there and I could never of asked for a better host. He showed me around and look me to local restaurants. He did the free Athens tour of me and then took me on his own tour around the city on his motorbike. But I do agree that Athens IS fairly ugly. And although I am obsessed with ruins and they certainly kept me entertained – Athens does need to step up its game to keep people returning!!
It sounds like your Athens experience was much better than mine! I also did a really good walking tour of the city, but it was just too hot for me to really enjoy it. I really did pick the worst day of the summer for it. Lol.
It makes me sad that you and Athens did not get along because Athens and I became fast friends. Your view of the city is what others had told me before I went, so perhaps a February visit is the time to go. I was impressed by everything and I definitely want to spend more time in Greece. Or perhaps I loved it so much because I had finally escaped that horrifying city called Dublin. I think we are all bound to dislike or be disenchanted by somewhere that is loved by others.
So true – you can’t love every place just because somebody else does. Lots of people hate London, for example, but I quite enjoyed it. I also liked Dublin when I was there, but we know how you feel about it. 😉
I’m sure I’ll give Athens another chance someday; and I’ll keep February in mind!
Likewise. I did not care for Athens. It actually reminded me of 1967 Saigon!
It was gray, depressing, dirty, and what saddened me the most is that Greeks do not smile. Very unfriendly. Turkey (Istanbul), was the complete antithesis-beautiful, exotic, friendly, and very hospitable. Also, Greece (I was there in 2003), is very anti-American and anti anything that is NOT Greek!
I feel sorry for the Greeks……Athens is a true DUMP!
Hey, keep those unkind comments to yourself next time. It just shows how ignorant you are talking about Greece the way you do. Amanda, not impressed you would publish such an insulting comment, but hey..Mr. Raymond should feel sorry for himself!!!!
Why can’t that comment be posted? It’s the exact same for me, loved Istanbul, hated Athens.
I really enjoyed this post. I actually visited Athens a couple years ago, and was not as fond of it as I expected to be. Much like you, I really didn’t want to be there when I was. I thought it was ugly, difficult to get around, and dirty. I MUCH preferred Rome. Or, to stay within Greece, the Islands – such as Mykonos and Santorini.
Refreshing post!
I feel like a lot of people share my sentiments about Athens. It was good to get my feelings about it off my chest – and it’s good to know I’m not alone!
Rome is waaaaaaay dirtier than Athens! And I love both! My feet were Black from walking around Rome every day, but not in Athens. Gotta be realistic here.
I don’t think I’ve met anyone that liked Athens other than the Acropolis. It is a dirty city, best to get in and out in a day then go somewhere much nicer like the islands!
Yeah, I don’t know of anyone who loves Athens either, now that you mention it. I’m still glad I saw it, don’t get me wrong – I just don’t know that I’ll be back anytime soon!
Oh those expectations.
They’re tricky buggers, aren’t they?
I usually try to travel without expectations as much as I can, but it’s impossible with some popular/famous destinations.
W0rd. I found myself disliking Athens just from looking at your pictures…
– Maria Alexandra
Haha, oh no! That definitely was not my intent. I’d still recommend giving it a try and deciding for yourself what you think of it.
I love honest posts like this! I would love to visit Athens someday, but I think I will plan to do so in the winter or fall. The way you felt about Athens is similar to the way I felt about Istanbul this summer. I still loved it, but the oppressive heat and huge crowds made me wish I would have visited during another season.
See, now the heat and crowds didn’t bother me so much in Istanbul (I was there right before Athens). Maybe because there were so many interesting things to see/do in Istanbul. But yeah… the weather really can have a huge effect on travel experiences!
Aww, I can hear in your words just how much you tried to like Athens. It sucks to hate a place that you’ve never been to before, especially one that you expected so much from. Paris was that place for me; I dreamt about the romance of Paris every night until I get there, but I just didn’t see it. Some part of me wants to go back there and give it another shot, maybe Athens deserves a second chance (in better weather) too 🙂
Yeah, it does really suck to hate a place that you really wanted to love. But, it happens! I know a lot of people who share your sentiments about Paris. I’ve never been there, but I’m not sure that I would love it, either! Then again, who knows. A lot of people are underwhelmed by London, which is a city I love!
I probably would be willing to give Athens another try someday – but not in the summer!!
I have not been to Greece yet. I would like to visit the island because I have heard great things about them. I figure a couple of days in Athens would be enough.
The one city that I did not like the first time I was there was Madrid. I have been back twice and like it now. The reasons I did not like it had nothing to do with the city. It was more about the problems that I had getting there.
I’ll definitely go back to Greece (I really want to go to the islands, too!), but I might skip Athens next time… especially if I go in the summer again! It was simply too hot, and that really made me like the city even less.
The weather and the crowds are the reasons I do not go to Europe in the summer any more. I do not think I would have a big problem with the heat, because I live in Phoenix, and it is like that all summer. It is just more enjoyable to travel when the weather is cooler.
Athens is really not much of a dangerous place, I don’t understand why you’d say that. It also sounds like you visited the city at a completely in appropriate time. Finally, Athens is about exploring the urban areas that surround the centre, checking out all the nice neighbourhoods, enjoying the nightlife and also visiting the Southern Side. If you just go to see the ruins, you won’t have fun. Learn how to live in cities you visit like a local. Greeks don’t visit the Parthenon in August.
Hi there.
No mention in your blog about safety. Were you traveling on your own in Athens? Did you feel safe or encounter any issues?
Nic
Hi Nicola. I wasn’t on my own in Athens – I was with a tour group, and so was always out and about with at least 1 or 2 other people. I never felt unsafe at any time, though I’ll admit that I wasn’t on the streets much after dark, except in the really touristy area of Monastiraki.