A Day In Athens During The Full Moon Festival

08 Sep A Day In Athens During The Full Moon Festival

This was not our first time in Athens. Those who have been reading our blog since the beginning will remember our trip back in 2015 when we attended a big, fat Greek wedding and marvelled at the open-air museum that is Athens. Now, almost exactly three years later, we’ve returned, but for a slightly different evening extravaganza – the August Full Moon Festival.

If you’ve never heard of the Full Moon Festival in Athens, you should know that several museums and archaeological sites around the city open their doors to the public free of charge in the evening, with extended opening hours until midnight. The Greeks are a romantic people, so viewing some of the world’s most ancient human creations under the full moon is exactly the type of experience they wish to be known for.

But keeping in mind that the festival only happens on one day of the year, we thought we’d create a perfect one-day itinerary for Athens, whether you were attending during the Full Moon Festival or not (of course the evening on a regular night will be a little different – but don’t worry – we have you covered either way 😉

Side note: if you’d like to stay a little longer, make sure you check out this three day itinerary to Greece over on at Guide To Europe.

One Day Itinerary For Athens During the Full Moon Festival

MORNING

Start your morning strolling through the cute, old, historical neighbourhood of Plaka (we’re assuming you chose to stay near the central part of town, like at the Hotel Grand Bretagne). You’ll more than likely get lost in the labyrinth of streets in this little neighbourhood, but hey, that’s half the fun, right? Make your way to Nova Gea, a self-serve juice bar, and then take said juice (don’t forget to bring your own straw and #saynotoplastic) to discover the secret little district of Anafiotika, which can be best described as a slice of Greek Island paradise in the centre of the bustling metropolitan city of Athens.

You can go to the Parliament Building any hour on the hour to see the change of the guards, but if you happen to be there on a Sunday (like we were this year), make sure to be around the building at 11am for a colourful performance, with marching band et al. It’s pretty difficult to get close, as security will keep you back and the crowds will swallow you in, but we found standing on the street at the beginning was a fun viewpoint.

Next stop, head to the city’s own oasis – the National Garden of Athens. You’ll be welcomed (and cooled) by the towering palm trees and the other 6,999 trees that are found throughout the gardens. If you’re a fan of petting zoos, the gardens have one of those too, as well as many ancient artefacts, scattered throughout the grounds, and the mighty impressive Zappeion building.

It’s time to tick off any athlete’s bucket list item – a run around the world’s only olympic stadium made entirely of marble, the Panathenaic Stadium, also affectionately known as Kallimarmaro (which means ‘beautiful marble’). To get the best view of the stadium, you’ll need to walk to the end, and then to the top, but be warned, with the midday heat and the marble-clad stadium stairs, it’s going to be HOT, so keep sipping on those liquids (note: only water is allowed inside the stadium, but other soft drinks are served just outside the entrance).

AFTERNOON

Next stop, not too far from the stadium (not coincidentally – the design of The Temple of Olympian Zeus aka Protector of the Olympic Games and Supreme God of the Olympians, was placed strategically nearby the olympic stadium), lie the ruins of one of the oldest temples in Athens. Although only 15 of the originally-erected 104 Corinthian columns remain, it won’t take too much imagination to envisage this ancient masterpiece. You’ll get a great view of the Acropolis from the ground, looking up past the temple, so just make note when you visit (see pic below).

After passing through the Arch of Hadrian, leaving behind the new city and heading back into the old part of town, make your way to the Hotel Grand Bretagne – if you’re staying there like we did, then great – head to your room to freshen up, but if it’s only lunch you’re after, go enjoy the prominent (and unbeatable) view of the Acropolis from the hotel’s GB Roof Garden Restaurant & Bar.

If you’re still around the hotel in the late afternoon (and are in the mood for something delectable), you can reserve a table for the daily High Tea experience at the Winter Garden City Lounge, which will definitely get you ready for the evening ahead. For all the vegans out there – fear not. The sweet and creamy treats are also available vegan-friendly (see pic below), just make sure to call ahead and let the chef know in advance.

It’s time to visit the iconic temple that sits above the city (trust us, to see it glow in the late afternoon sun was well worth the wait). Entrance to the Acropolis of Athens will cost you 20 Euros per person, and the walk up will take around 15 minutes (if you go directly and don’t stop to admire the sites along the way). You will need to fight the crowds for a selfie (of course), but if you’re patient enough and are happy to crop in, there’s many photo opportunities in front of this iconic UNESCO World Heritage site, including seeing the famous flag pole that inspired the WWII resistance movement back in 1941 (read more about that here).

EVENING

After watching the sun go down atop the Acropolis (which does in fact mean “highest point in the city”), head down to the Acropolis Museum on Dionysiou Areopagitou street, which, if you happen to come for the Full Moon Festival, will have a concert on, and will be open later than any other night of the year (as will most of the archaeological sites – in case you want to revisit some of them or add more to the list). There’s street vendors and restaurants all around, so now would be a good time for some dinner too (in between all the site visits of course).

Lastly, if you’re in Athens during August and September (as you would be if you were visiting for the Full Moon Festival), end off your night with a visit to the National Observatory of Athens (one of the oldest research institutes in Southern Europe) for an Astronomy tour, and chance to really look at the biggest Full Moon of the year through the Doridis refracting telescope.

There really is no better, or more romantic time, to visit Greece’s capital.

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