Παρακαλώ να μην αυταπατάστε!...Η Αθήνα κατά τον παγκόσμιο τουρισμό αξίζει ΜΟΝΟ για μια μέρα και ΜΟΝΟ για layover για τα νησιά! Διαβάστε ρε σεις κριτικές για την Αθήνα σε κάνα ξένο φόρουμ ή κάνα trip advisor για να σας λυθούν οι απορίες. Και ψίτ! Οι τουρίστες δεν είναι χαζοί (εκτός κι αν αποφασίσουν να πάρουν ταξί στην πρωτεύουσα της Ελλάδος, χωρίς να ξέρουν την αξία της διαδρομής!)... Σε γενικές γραμμές οι γνώμες κυμαίνονται στα εξής (δυστυχώς είναι στα Αγγλικά) :Hi.I am in the finishing stages of planning my first trip to Greece. Many people have stated here and elsewhere that Athens does not merit more than a one-day stay. Why is that? Would two days be too much? Is Athens thought of in the same way as Brussels, boring and ugly? Everyone told me not to spend too much time there, and to my first hand experience, they were right. I don't want to do the same thing in Athens when I could spend that extra day in the Greek isles.Any comments or suggestions wuld be appreciated.Thanks again.Ross. 23 Replies | Jump to last reply | Add a ReplyReport AbuseCalamari on Aug 1, 12 at 8:51pmI have not been to Greece in many years. From what I remember, the islands are fantastic but Athens is a pit. Most people only use Athens as a launching point. Sadly, Athens is very polluted, dirty, smoggy, crowded and vandalized. I doubt it has improved with age. Everything about the islands is better than Athens.Report Abuseflanneruk on Aug 1, 12 at 9:01pmAthens is certainly not boring, but it's very ugly. Except for the occasionally sublime bit around the Acropolis. And - which is why limiting your presence to a day isn't a bad idea - polluted more than almost anywhere else in the EU.You can "do" the Acropolis in a day. Personally, I'd give it a lot longer, and there are some other things - like the Byzantine Museum - that are worth a trip to Athens in themselves.But, monuments apart, it's not a nice city, the food is worse than London was 30 years ago and it's horribly noisy. And the smaller islands aren't the only alternative. Delphi, Knossos, Corinth, Olympia...Classical monuments on Crete and elsewhere on the Greek mainland are much more worth visiting than most of Athens.The islands, however, are mostly just islands. By all means cut down on Athens time to visit Knossos, Delphi or Delos. But don't waste time on a Mykonos beach you could be spending in places that created our civilisation.Report AbuseSurlok on Aug 1, 12 at 9:09pmExcept for the Ruins, the Parthenon, the Acropolis, and National Archeologic Museum, Athens is an ugly city with lousy architecture. Given the many wars and earthquakes, most buildings were destroyed, and the replacements are ugly. As says calamari, the city is very polluted, dirty, smoggy, crowded and vandalizedNevertheless, I still like Athens. The Acropolis is unique and not to be missed, as well cape Sounion, about 30, 40 mins from Athens.I don't think it's boring, Plaka is fun, there are nice restaurants, and Greek food is wonderful, but beware, some Greeks, from restaurants' waiters and owners to taxi drivers will try to rip you off.I still think it deserves 2 nights and days, or at least 1 night and 1 day and a halfReport Abusejor on Aug 1, 12 at 9:23pmSpend one morning at the Acropolis then get the hell out of Athens before the pollution makes you sick. The diesel fumes and smog are the worst I have ever experienced.