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Athens from Above – Backpacking Europe
The Final Days in Athens
Alrighty. This is my last post for not only Athens, but my entire backpacking trip. I spent over two weeks combined all over Spain, driving Italy’s Tuscany region and wrapped it all up in mainland Greece. There were some amazing and funny experiences along the way and I’m glad I was able to meet up with my sister and her boyfriend for some of them. Additionally, travelling minimalistically really gave me some great insights on how far you can travel with just a normal backpack. I’ll likely include more on that in another post.
So here begins the end, and it starts right back in Plaka with a warm up hike to Lycabettus before the real deal at Radio Tower – the highest point right outside of Athens. I don’t think I have ever walked so much in a 48 hour period.
Lycabettus and Panathenaic Stadium
Before setting my sights on overlooking Athens, I needed to check out a few places right around Plaka. Firstly, I attempted to get better pictures of Acropoli without getting struck by lightning. Mission success!
The second was Mount Lycabettus – more of a big hill that sits in the middle of the city. After the morning clouds cleared up, the day was perfect out, so I had to take advantage of the sun before the rainstorms inevitably hit in the afternoon. The hike up was not too bad, and there was the option of taking a low-incline or steep route to the top. Naturally, I took the steep route. This place has got to be the highest point in central Athens, so get those 360 panos here.
Lastly, I took a short walk over to the ancient Olympic grounds where the Panathenaic Games were held. This place was 2.50 Euro with a student ID and well worth it. I was amazed at how empty such a historic place was. With the place basically to myself, I took my time climbing the massive stairs and workin’ on those 4 – 40’s.
Why the Stadium is Unique
The Panathenaic Stadium is the only stadium in the world made completely of marble.
Bring a student ID!
It's crazy how many places offer discount or free entry if you simply flash a student ID. Bring it if you have one.
At this point, the rain broke out, and people were scurrying from every direction to take cover under trees. Radio Tower would have to wait until tomorrow…
Radio Tower
For the last day of the trip I had to go out with something epic. So what better way to end the travels with one last hike to see Athens in its entirety? For starters, I severely underestimated how long it would take. Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing nor what to expect. I saw the place on google maps, and said, “Let’s do it.”
Besides the lack of planning, the hike turned out to be quite the day. One of my roomates at the hostel was willing enough to join, though I’m sure he regretted it later on, haha 🙂 We made our way east on foot, hopping a few fences and playing real-life frogger passing a highway. When we arrived at the base of the mountain, there was only one road up. Here goes nothing.
I thought we were making good time. The road was an easy walk, especially with hydration and activation drinks in the backpack. However, the road soon deceived me. We were definitely gaining elevation, but the snaking of the road was adding some serious distance to this logistical operation. Each turn began to blur together and the body was going on autopilot, focusing solely on getting to the top. We’ve come too far to turn back!
The Summit and Hitch-hike
Alas, after some minor strife, we made it to the top. Of course, the first thing to do is look down upon the beautiful city of Athens. You can’t get a more bird’s eye view than this without going airborne. Lycabettus looks like an ant hill!
Radio Tower is a weird place. It’s almost like you’ve been transported to a post-apocalyptic world. It is very calm and quiet up here. The road up top is seldom traveled and buildings looked abandoned. Though, there was this one guy just chilling on the roof on a rundown concrete structure. Maybe it is occupied? Regardless, I felt like there should have been a tumbleweed or something to give it a more barren feel.
This place must get its name from the obvious amount of antenna towers at the top… just taking a guess here. It’s like an old antenna farm, that apparently is operational. We verified this when happening to catch a random van pull up to the gate and watch a guy start some repairs.
Overall, strangely niche area to get out of the city and spend some time in neature.
The best part about Radio Tower was definitely the trip back. There was no way in hell we were walking that road again. Fully knowing that cars were a slim chance, we still somehow managed to flag a driver. The Greek gods were watching over us, and I was super grateful that some random guy from Denmark spared us the hike.
Sunrise in Athens
The following day, it was time for reality to start setting in. I had to catch a flight, and make it back across the pond. But before leaving, I had the opportunity to take in Athens, early morning. I wasn’t sure if I could top Italian sunsets, but I’m confident I got the best sunrise here.
All in all, Athens was a solid experience. If I have the opportunity to go back to Greece, Meteora is top of the list, followed by some island hopping.
This concludes my backpacking in Europe series! Hope you enjoyed.
-ML
Recap of Places
- Mount Lycabettus – Highest views inside Athens
- Panathenaic Stadium – Ancient Olympic grounds that you can walk around (they have a podium, too!)
- Radio Tower (Mount Hymettus) – Very gnarly, very desolate
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Michael Lakus
IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
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