Athens in the Rain
Athens in the rain? This is hardly likely to be a problem in the summer months, but it does rain in Athens. Most rain in Athens falls in the winter, but sometimes there can be rain in the spring and autumn too, so it's as well to have some ideas of what to do if it happens.
National Archaeological Museum
Fortunately Athens has plenty of museums, and in some ways you can regard rain as a blessing – having to be indoors in a museum in the sunshine can sometimes seem like a waste of good weather. Not so when the rain is battering the pavements.
Athens in the Rain: Museums
If it rained from dawn till dusk, you could probably spend all that time in the National Archaeological Museum and not get bored. Most people would probably prefer a little variety, though, in which case there are two areas to head for in a downpour. One is the Plaka, where as well as sheltering in shops there are also several museums to explore, including the Museum of Greek Folk Art, Museum of Greek Musical Instruments, the Kanellopoulos Museum, the Jewish Museum of Greece, and also several churches, including both the new and old cathedrals on the edge of the Plaka.
Otherwise make for Vassilisis Sophias, the main street which runs from Syntagma Square past the north side of the Parliament building. Here you'll find in close proximity the Benaki Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, the War Museum and the National Gallery, which should provide something for everyone.
You can always go shopping when it rains.
Musical instrument shop in the Plaka (Photo (c) Donna Dailey)
Go Shopping in Athens in the Rain
If you prefer couture to culture, the shops in the Kolonaki district, immediately north of Vasilissis Sophias, will keep you occupied. For more basic high-street shopping, the pedestrianised Ermou will keep you both out of the traffic and mostly out of the rain.
Our Pick of the Athens Guides
Go See a Movie
If you don't trust yourself to keep control of your credit card, a cheaper option to keep you dry is to visit one of the city's numerous cinemas. Here films are almost always shown in their original language, with Greek subtitles, so look on a rainy day as a chance to catch up on one of the latest releases.
Don't miss this visual tour of Athens with photos by Donna Dailey of Greece Travel Secrets.
Other Athens pages
This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
Athens car rental options include almost all of the major international car hire firms such as Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Europcar.
Athens Airport car rentals include Alamo/National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt, all with offices at the airport.
Athens is a top vacation destination. The Greece Travel Secrets Athens guide has information on hotels, museums, Athens airport and all the best things to do.
Greece Travel Secrets chooses its top ten Athens restaurants with Acropolis views, perfect for dining by day or by night, including places with Michelin stars.
If you're wondering where to eat in Athens and Piraeus we have a few suggestions including some favorites around the Acropolis, Omonia Square, and Syntagma.
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
Athens Airport hotels include the luxury Sofitel at the terminals, Holiday Inn near the airport, and others close by like the Hotel Pantheon.
This beginner's guide to Greek architecture explains how to tell your Ionic from your Doric columns, and what to look for in temples and Byzantine churches.
There are lots of flights from Athens to Santorini as well as a ferry service from Piraeus, with flights to Santorini leaving from Athens International Airport.
The beach resorts of Athens are easily reached from the city and also close are Cape Sounion with the Temple of Poseidon, ancient Marathon and Rafina's port.
The Pnyx hill near the Acropolis is one of Athens' true hidden gems, a place to wander freely away from the crowds and discover ancient places and mysteries.
Ten Fun Things to Do in Athens include eating in the Central Market, watching the sun set over the Acropolis and seeing one of the world's oldest theatres.
Greece Travel Secrets lists the ten best museums in Athens, with the top two being the National Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis Museum.
Syntagma Square or Constitution Square is the main square in Athens and has a metro station, the Greek Parliament building, hotels, cafes, and a post office.
Piraeus is the port of Athens from where many ferries to the Greek islands depart, and it also has an Archaeological Museum and the Hellenic Maritime Museum.
Pictures of Athens from the Greece Travel Secrets website
The National Archaeological Museum is one of the best things to see in Athens, and the best museum in the world for seeing Greece's archaeological treasures.
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
Mount Lykabettos is the highest hill in Athens and provides some of the best views of the city, with a funicular cable car the easiest way to get to the top.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Monastiraki Flea Market, followed by Sunday lunch at Sigalas on Monastiraki Square
Around Monastiraki is the flea market, Athens cathedral, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and the Psirri and Gazi nightlife districts.
A History of Athens from the first people to live on the Acropolis through the Golden Age of Pericles and Alexander the Great to the military junta.
There's all kinds of entertainment in Athens whether you're interested in theatre, dance, classical music, jazz, Greek music, rock music, disco, opera or movies.
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