Tallinn? What's that?

Having lived abroad majority of my life and currently being ever further than ever before I have gained some perpective when it comes to my home country Estonia. While people living far from the Baltics often ask "Estonia? What's that?" there's also equally large amount of those who know the country very well and can easily point it out on a map. Quite often these incredibly knowledgeable folks can be found in surprising locations such as Bosnia, Hawaii and Taiwan - not exactly neighbouring countries!

I could write a praising post on the tech development and innovations or the rich history, years under the soviet occupation and current era of innovation but I won't. You can read about it elsewhere. Instead, I'll share everyday tips on why Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, should be your next destination for a weekend away.

Medieval Tallinn

Tallinn is small yet has something for everyone. A must see location is, of course, the medieval old town (UNESCO heritage site) that has been an important trading hub since the 13th century. Walk along the city walls, step inside one of the museums or cafes built literally into the walls or one of the towers and inhale all of the history! Join a walking tour and get to know the stories and the tales of those who used to walk the cobbled streets of this enchanting city.

Tasty Tallinn

My most favorite activity in Tallinn is enjoying all of the cafe's, restaurants and bars. The quality is incredible and you can choose a place to get a drink at pretty much any theme you can come up with. New places arise constantly so there's always something new to try. Compared with many other cities in the region, Tallinn is a very energetic and bustling city - a little like Berlin.




Indulging Tallinn

Visiting a spa is quite a popular activity among both, the locals and the tourists. The city of Pärnu as well as the islands have some of the best spa's but also Tallinn has it's share. Not into getting in your swimsuit? Well, get a haircut or a facial instead. Tallinn has definitely one of the best, if not the best beauty professionals in Europe when it comes to hair, skin treatments, make-up, nails, you name it. Especially local ladies love to look beautiful on a daily basis and are frequent users of the beauty services making the quality of beauty treatments high and the prices low.

Green Tallinn

With nice weather, summer or winter, you should visit the Kadriorg Park, have a picnic surrounded by the beautiful nature, visit the art museum KUMU (you really should!), view the presidential palace or have a run around the park all the way to the direction of Pirita while enjoying the fresh sea breeze. You can also rent a bike and cycle to Kadriorg and Pirita. Pirita beach is absolutely beautiful, surrounded by a forest of pine trees, nearby the beautiful St. Birgitta's Convent ruins dating back to 1407. Traveling during hot summer days? You must spend a day at the beach! While it doesn't sound like the number one activity to come to mind when thinking of the northern regions, the water is surprisingly warm during the summer months, especially August. On the opposite direction, also on the shore, you have the young Kalamaja district. Haven't been there myself but it definitely has people talking so it must be good!




Other suggestions

Planning a trip in the late July? Visit the annual Öölaulupidu, Night Song Festival. It's an annual song festival where you can enjoy traditional music performances by local musicians. It's quite a cool event even if you don't understand a word of it. Check Google for dates and more information.

Shopping is always a success in Tallinn. You should try local brands such as Ivo Nikkolo, Baltman, Monton and lots of smaller boutiques you can find spread out across the city centre. Visit visitestonia.com for more information, http://www.visitestonia.com/en//things-to-see-do/interests-lifestyle/shopping/design.

For some great reading to better understand Estonia and its history I recommend one of the amazing bestsellers written by an incredible author Sofi Oksanen.

While in the area, you should take a ferry to Helsinki and spend a day or two. Consider continuing to Turku for a day followed by a trip to Stockholm either by sea or air and spend a couple of days in the beautiful Swedish capital. Visiting these three/four cities really gives you a great understanding of the differences of the countries, the cultures and the richness of the region.

Porto, Portugal

Destination: Porto, Portugal
Time of travel: July 2012
Duration: 14 days
Travel plan: 7 days in Porto with day trips to nearby towns, overnight trip to Santiago de Compostela via Vigo (Spain), 6 days on the island of Madeira. Beginning and end of trip from Porto.

Porto is a great base to explore northern Portugal, including Douro valley and all the vineyards as well as north-west part of Spain. Porto itself is amazing also; you can easily take a weekend trip to explore the city without paying a small fortune.

The climate in Porto is not even nearly as hot as it can get in Lisbon due to it's location by the Atlantic ocean. Makes it even nicer to explore the city by foot. While Porto might not be the best beach destination due to the winds and chilly water, it is however, great for history, food, shopping, architecture and more.


Why should you travel to Porto instead of a more popular city in Europe?

Porto is very authentic, to us it seems like the most authentic Portugal. It is somewhat touristic with the Port wine tastings but that's about as touristic as it gets - which isn't that much at all!

The city is very beautiful and if you've been to Lisbon before, you will surely love Porto! Due to it's long and rich history, the city is full of beautiful architecture, museums and sights. 

The cost of the trip will most likely be a fraction of what you need to pay for pretty much any other European city destination including flights, hotel and food. From further parts of Europe flying can be pricey, though. In that case we recommend a longer trip. 

Port wine at Graham's

Talking about food, Porto is a great food destination. In our experience the food was even better than in the capital itself! Try the espresso and one (or many) of the amazing savory pasties, Pasteis de Nata (of course!), or the sandwich everyone, especially the locals are boasting about, called Francesinha. However, be aware that it's important to pick a really good restaurant to try the sandwich, if it's not well made you'll probably hate it, like we did at first because it was cold and mushy. The meat and the fish is, however, the best! Try the Espetadas, meat skewers as well as the Bacalhau, the cod. 

Porto is known for it's excellent seafood

Few tips for port wine tastings:

- Do 2 or max. 3 tastings a day, otherwise you'll be quite tipsy by the end of the day
- Walk up the hill to the more authentic, traditional wineries
- no need to pre-book a tour, just walk in. You might have to wait for a while in case you’re interested in a tour around the winery also (recommended!) but you can taste some port while waiting.

Visit at least the following wineries

- Caves Croft, Rua Barão de Forrester, 412, 4400-034, Vila Nova de Gaia

- Caves Sandeman, Largo Miguel Bombarda, 3 , 4400-222, Vila Nova de Gaia

- Caves Grahams, R. Rei Ramiro 514, 4400 Vila Nova de Gaia

During a longer trip you can easily have your base in Porto and travel around the surrounding areas especially by car as car rental is very cheap and the service is great. Being located in the North of Portugal, you can explore the beautiful yet windy coast and it's beaches, the nearby towns and villages that will blow you away in their beauty, drive up to the Douro valley for the wines and take a trip to Spain to visit the famous Santiago de Compostela which is only 2,5h drive away from Porto.

Bewildered horses in the mountains somewhere near the borders of Portugal and Spain

right across the ancient Via Nova Romana.

Great places to visit nearby in Portugal are Guimaraes, Braga and Coimbra.

You can also easily fly to Azores or Madeira.

Ponto da Rosto, Madeira, Portugal

We go on and on about combining destinations and Porto is one of the greatest destinations for a multi-location trip. Have a 2 week holiday? Book 5 days in one city, 6 in another one and three in the third one. It's cost efficient, you see more and this will make the holiday feel much longer than staying in one place.

On the cost efficiency I have a good example here;

From central Europe you can fly to Porto for 50-150 euro's, from Nordics and Baltics 200-350.

You can combine this and fly to one of the Portuguese islands for about 40-70€ (Transavia, Ryanair) and 90-120€ (TAP Portugal), which is a great deal! There are several airlines flying daily to Madeira and Azores from Porto.

Flights from further Europe to the islands are about a double in cost. It really pays off to combine!

Tip: 5 steps of planning the perfect weekend getaway

Even though the best holiday is never overly planned and definitely not scheduled, sometimes it's essential to ensure an easy going trip by writing down a schedule to follow. One of these times is during short weekend trips. You'll know in advance when and where you must be and when it's time to leave. Many people seem to think that it's not worth it to fly somewhere just for the weekend but we'll ensure you, with these tips it'll be easy, comfortable and effortless.

Try it once and you'll love it forever!


Weekend trips are perfect to visit your favourite cities again and again, especially those within a 1-3h travel time. There's no need to take days off if you travel after work on Friday afternoon or take a couple of hours off.

            

1. Plan your Airport -- Hotel transportation (at location) ahead

Plan and schedule your travel from the airport to the hotel (and back) in advance for both ways, leave some time for cancellations, delays and traffic & plan your trip in between the transportation schedule. Choose the best option for your hotel. Make sure you do your homework here and compare several options!

Sometimes, when you're short on time, it actually becomes smarter to pay a little extra for a taxi than using public transportation.

Also, always Google the best options (especially bus companies offering Airport Shuttle) and check options on Google Maps and Rome2Rio.

Tips to pick the best transport options to and from the airport:

- Ask your hotel

- Google (always!)

- Google Maps

- Rome2Rio

- WikiTravel

2. Book a hotel close to transportation options and your plans

Needless to stay, hotel location is the key. It has to be close to everything you'll need; transportation, sightseeing/events and restaurants.

Most central location to sights is not always the best as you need to be centrally located for your plans. If you need to be able to travel to several locations in the city, stay near the central station, that's often a great option.

3. Find and book restaurants in advance

When your time is limited, it's better to know where you're going! Find restaurants nearby your hotel or event, and book in advance! You'll have a table waiting for you at the time most convenient to fit your plans. Depending on the restaurant, give yourself 1-3 hours time to enjoy your meal.

We absolutely love the Browse Nearby feature on TripAdvisor. We always find great restaurants just around the corner from our plans.

4. What to plan

There are a few things you need to work out:

- How to travel from and to the airport (also have a plan b, just in case)
- Number of pre-planned taxi company or a general taxi number

- Hotel address and phone number

- Addresses and the time of your restaurant reservations
- Phone numbers of the restaurants in case you're running late or need to call for directions

- Transportation to and from your plans/destinations during the stay

- Other things you need to remember, buy or take a long

- Make a schedule

Here's a schedule sample; as you can see, not too strict, not too planned.

Highlight critical points, such as the time when you need to get on your way.

morning - 16.00 sights, shopping
16.00 - 17.45 lunch / dinner at restaurant XX (500m from the hotel)

17:50 Leave restaurant now
18.00 - 19.15 getting ready for the concert at the hotel

19.30 Leave hotel now
19.45 Get a subway to concert now
20.45 concert

Find and print routes from hotel to all your destinations or mark them on your map in advance. This will save you loads of time.

Although planning too much might leave you feeling rushed, a little planning here and there will make it much smoother! Don't make the schedule too tight, it's a weekend after all!

5. Take it to another level

For those who like to take it on a completely different level, check out my travel plan (click on the thumbnail of the text file) for a weekend in Rome a couple of weeks ago. It's all on one A4 sheet with the schedules, addresses and even a map of some of the locations near the hotel with walking times from hotel. Make it a 2-sided print and carry it with you. If the place you're visiting is small enough, you can even print the city map.

The map has our hotel, the restaurants, an important bus stop to reach the Palalottomatica where the concert was at and finally the Termini station where we were supposed to catch a bus to the airport. We didn't make it on the bus and ended up taking the taxi.

Always have a plan B when it comes to transportation. And always Google the shuttle services to avoid unpleasant surprises. 

     

Relaxing Bali, Indonesia

Destination: Bali, Indonesia
Time of travel: May 2014
Duration: 10 days
Travel plan: 7 days on Bali, 2 in Jakarta

Bali, for us, meant total relaxation. We left the hiking boots behind and grabbed along a couple of books to enjoy by the pool. We didn't run up a volcano, instead hired a driver to take us there. Bali was the perfect destination for an easy going trip like this; it's affordable, touristic enough for all the services you'll ever need and the climate is lovely.

Location & Hotel

We stayed in the brand new 4* hotel Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar in small town of Sanur on the southeast coast of the island of Bali. Sanur is quite peaceful, smaller town with good connections to nearby attractions. Sanur is tranquil and, as we read, a more luxurious destination. Well, not sure if luxurious is really the best adjective to describe it but it definitely was free of all of parties which was exactly what we were looking for.

Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar was an excellent hotel. We loved the airiness of it, the modern brand-new look, huge pool with sun loungers in the water. Sounds good? It was even better, actually! Can you imagine a jacuzzi on your balcony, a'la carte breakfast with beautiful little portions made just for you and an amazing coconut creme brûlée? Oh yes, it was heaven!

The heavenliness of it all was shattered slightly when it got a little more crowded because of a holiday in South-Korea and Japan. Suddenly the hotel was packed and even though it was still lovely, they decided to drop the a'la carte breakfast and turned it into a buffet. Still very delicious, though, just a little less luxurious.


Activities

Snorkelling:

Sanur is an excellent location for snorkelling - with some incredibly amazing Manta Rae's! You do need to book yourself a snorkelling trip as the locations to spot Manta Rae's aren't accessible unless you have a boat and know where to look. While Toni was in the water totally amazed by these deadly beautiful creatures swimming right under him, Kris was, well, unintentionally feeding the fish from the boat. Even though the weather on the island was amazing the whole time, the sea was a little unpredictable and we were caught in a huge storm lasting for about 15 minutes.

Aside the beautiful Manta Rae's we snorkelled in three different locations and saw some amazing sea life. This is definitely something we'd recommend for everybody going to Bali.

Massages:

The typical Asian treat - massage! Find the best massage salon in town and go there every day. Or at least as often as you can. On Sanur, we warmly recommend Koa. The staff was amazing and none of them stood by the road yelling "Massage, massage!". Sort of classier than the rest.


Sunrise:

Not sure if getting up at 5:30 is really your thing? With the sun rising straight from the ocean on the Sanur beach, this is an ideal location to catch the sunrise. Grab a flash light for the road.

Rent a scooter? It was fun and totally worth it but Bali is a relatively large island with a lot of traffic. Driving around on a scooter was rather uncomfortable due to long distances and crazy traffic.

Shopping? Jakarta is an amazing shopping location with huge malls of western and local brands. We tremendously enjoyed shopping in Jakarta. The selection of things to buy is amazing. Prices are about the same as in Europe. Not much to buy on Bali, though even though there are some shopping centres (didn't visit!).

Bali is a great destination for a relaxing vacation. Selection of hotels is great, sea water is warm and it's a great choice all in all.

Would we travel there again? Well, maybe not but we're definitely happy we've been there!

As if nothing ever happened. Our Macedonian adventure.

Destination: Skopje, FYR Macedonia / Thessaloniki, Greece
Time of travel: August 2014
Duration: 10 days in total
Travel plan: Thessaloniki, Greece - Skopje, FYR Macedonia - Prizren, Kosovo - Sofia, Bulgaria - Skopje - Thessaloniki.

16:59
We stared at the empty bus platform where our bus was supposed to be. We ran back to the ticketing counter, where we stood with the bus driver just a couple of minutes earlier, to check if we got the platform wrong but they said it must have left early. 

Our Greek driver actually left ahead of schedule. 

Next bus was leaving the next morning and there were no trains either. The lady at the ticketing counter called the bus driver and asked him to wait by the Hilton hotel in Skopje and we were told to catch a taxi and drive there. There were no buses by the hotel. 

We call again and again while our taxi chases the bus. He said he'll wait but he was no where to be found. We drive further yet nothing. The bus was out of sight. We had been chasing him for a good half an hour him telling us he'll wait but he actually didn't.

With a hiking trip all planned for the next morning and a trail guide waiting for us in Thessaloniki we had no time to waste. With no hotel in Skopje and dragging two large suitcases with two smaller ones we weren't up for a hitchhike either. 

What to do.. 
Where to go..

Our taxi driver was shaking his dark haired, lightly tanned head. He was probably around 45 years old, thin man, who had been driving this illegal taxi in Skopje for over 20 years. His car and him looked like they knew the roads of this country. Yet they both had certain charm about them. They were warm, friendly, just a little scruffy.

With our limited Macedonian, the taxi drivers limited English and equally limited Russian we started discussing the options. He couldn't drive further because of the old motor he had in his car, according to the driver. It was an old Volvo or Mercedes, from the 70's probably. The black color had faded into slightly brownish black, with a hint of rust here and there.

He called a couple of friends and finally we were getting somewhere. 150 EUR to drive to Thessaloniki from Skopje. Our haggling attempt led to the new driver, a friend of the first driver, rolling his eyes and almost driving off.

17:40
After about 30 minutes driving outside the city we felt the car nudging a little every now and then. Then the driver started calling on his phone and sighing. Eventually we ask if everything's ok. He shakes his head, stops the car, says he is not sure, and stares at the open hood for a while, yet we manage to continue driving for a while. He wasn't sure what it was but it was indeed  something and he was afraid to drive across the border. He stopped at the gas station to get some water. He bought three bottles. One for each of us.

Some more calling followed, he was trying to find someone to drive us from the border to the city -  an hour and a half drive away.

Matka canyon near Skopje.

20:15
We were at the border right after the sunset. A guy with a rough voice, bodybuilders physique, shaved head and some miscellaneous tattoos pulled over with his yellow old Mercedes to pick us up. He didn't speak much and his driving habits were terrifying. 

The sun had gone down and it was dark already when we passed our passports to the border control. They had a few words with our driver; asking about how his family is and making few jokes. It sort of assured us that we'll get to our destination safely. 

Almost there

We were about to reach Thessaloniki when he asked for the address of the hotel. We both put it into our navigators yet he was taking us to a completely different direction. We pointed it out but he insisted he knew where he was going. 

We passed the city and it was getting darker again with less street lighting and less houses. We were getting a little worried.

We asked him to stop again yet he claimed he knew where he was going.

Finally we demanded him to stop.

21:45
Tony and the driver went to a cafe to ask for directions when a lovely elderly gentleman said he knows the place and insisted to show us the way on his scooter. Off we went following this incredible Greek in our yellow taxi cab along the long streets of Thessaloniki. Every now and then he looked back at us, showing where to drive next. 

The lovely Greek was gone as fast as he appeared when we reached the hotel. Off he drove on his red scooter and white hair.

22:00
The kind Macedonian driver helped us with our luggage and off he went. Half an hour later we sat at the restaurant of our hotel munching on some Greek delicacies with a glass of Italian wine as if nothing ever happened.

Fashion Outlet Shopping Malls in Europe

A list of European designer fashion outlets in Europe that we have tested and approved to be worth a trip. Happy fashion hunting!

Drop us a note if you can add to the list. We'd be happy to explore more!


Netherlands

Covered: Amsterdam, Roermond, Roosendaal

Amsterdam

Batavia Stad
http://www.bataviastad.nl/en/
Bataviaplein 60, Lelystad.
40 minutes from Amsterdam.

Comments: Smaller than an average outlet. Please note the opening hours.


Roermond

Roermond McArthurGlen Designer Outlet
http://www.mcarthurglen.com/nl/designer-outlet-roermond/en/
Stadsweide 2, Roermond
2 Hours from Amsterdam / Brussels 
1 Hour from Dusseldorf

Comments: In the middle of the city of Roermond, huge and very popular among visitors from all of the nearby countries. Gets very busy during weekends and national holidays. Parking costs 5€ per stay. Only 30 minutes by car from Maasmechelen Chic Outlet in Belgium!

Roosendaal

Rosada Fashion Outlet

http://www.rosada.nl/

Rosada 70, Roosendaal

60 minutes from Amsterdam / Brussels

Comments: Smaller than an average outlet. Please note the opening hours.

Belgium

Covered: Maasmechelen

Maasmechelen 

Chic Outlet Shopping

http://www.maasmechelenvillage.com/en/home/home

Zetellaan 100, Maasmechelen

30 minutes from Brussels

1,5 hours from Dusseldorf

2 hours from Amsterdam

Comments: Big one, can be easily combined with Roermond outlet in Netherlands. Close to Carrefour in case you're looking to buy some Belgian food.

See also the next one in Luxembourg.

Luxembourg

Covered: Luxemburg (Messancy, Belgium)

Luxembourg

McArthurGlen

http://www.mcarthurglen.com/be/mcarthurglen-luxembourg/en/
Rue d'Arlon 199

6780 Messancy (Belgium)

Germany

Covered: Berlin

Berlin 

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet

http://www.mcarthurglen.com/de/designer-outlet-berlin/en/

Alter Spandauer Weg 1,

14641 Wustermark OT Elstal

30 minutes from Berlin

Comments: Huge outlet! Please note the opening hours. Closed on Sundays!

France

Covered: Paris

Paris

La Vallee Chic Outlet Shopping

http://www.lavalleevillage.com

3 Cours de la Garonne, Serris

40 minutes from Paris

 Italy

Covered: Milan, Verona / Mantova, Rome, Naples, Catania (Sicily)

Milan

Serravalle Designer Outlet  (McArthurGlen)
http://www.mcarthurglen.com/it/serravalle-designer-outlet/en/

Via della Moda, 1,
15069 Serravalle Scrivia (AL)
50 minutes from Milan

Vicolungo - The Style Outlets

http://vicolungo.thestyleoutlets.it/it 

Piazza S. Caterina

28060 Vicolungo

Fidenza Village Chic Outlet Shopping
http://www.fidenzavillage.com
Via S. Michele Campagna
Chiusa Ferranda
Fidenza (PR)

Franciacorta Outlet Village
http://www.franciacortaoutlet.it/en/home
25050 Rodengo Saiano (BS)

Check also: FoxTown, Lugano, Switzerland

Rome

Castel Romano Designer Outlet (McArthurGlen)
http://www.mcarthurglen.com/it/castel-romano-designer-outlet/en
Via Ponte di Piscina Cupa 64

20 minutes from Rome.


Valmontone Outlet
http://www.valmontoneoutlet.com/?lang=en
Via della Pace località Pascolaro 

00038 Valmontone (Roma)

Verona / Mantova

Fashion District, Mantova
http://www.fashiondistrict.it/en/mantova
Via M.Biagi,
località Bagnolo San Vito
46031 Mantova
How to reach: Uscita (Exit) A22 Mantova sud

10 minutes from Mantova

40 minutes from Verona

Naples

La Reggia Designer Outlet (McArthurGlen)
http://www.mcarthurglen.com/it/la-reggia-designer-outlet/en/

S.P. 336 Sannitica,
81025 Marcianise
30 minutes from Naples

Sicily / Catania

Sicilia Outlet Village

http://www.siciliaoutletvillage.it

Highway A19 Palermo-Catania

Exit Dittaino Outlet - 94011 Agira (EN)

Switzerland

Covered: Lugano, Landquart

Lugano (close to Italy)

FoxTown Factory Stores

http://www.foxtown.com

Via Angelo Maspoli 18

6850 Mendrisio

Landquart (close to Liechtenstein and Austria)

Landquart Fashion Outlet
Tardisstrasse 20a
7302 Landquart

Spain:

Covered: Madrid, Barcelona, Vigo / Pontevedra




Madrid

These two shopping outlets are located very close to each other  (less than 1km, maybe less)

Las Rozas Village (Chic Outlet Shopping)

http://www.lasrozasvillage.com/en/

C/ Juan Ramón Jiménez

3 28232 Las Rozas, Madrid


Las Rozas - The Style Outlets
http://las-rozas.thestyleoutlets.es/es/informacion-centro

C/ Pablo Neruda

28232 Las Rozas (Madrid)

Barcelona

These three outlets are located by the same road, very close to each other.

La Roca Village (Chic Outlet Shopping)

http://www.larocavillage.com/en/home/home

08430 Santa Agnès de Malanyanes

(La Roca del Vallès) Barcelona

Nike Outlet / Mango Outlet 
Polígono Industrial Can Massaguer
08430 La Roca del Vallès, Barcelona

(there's also some kind of a children's store next to the Mango outlet)

Pontevedra / Vigo (Between Porto in Portugal and Santiago de Compostela in Spain)

Outletui Fashion Center

http://www.outletui.es

Parque Empresarial Area

salida 30, Autovía, AP9/A55, Tui, Pontevedra, Spain

Portugal

Covered: Lisbon, Porto





Lisbon

Freeport Outlet Alcochete Lisbon

http://www.freeport.pt/index_en.php 

(Please refer to the website on how to get there, we are not sure if the address is the visiting address or only postal address)

Avenida Euro 2004

2890-154 Alcochete

Portugal

Porto

Vila do Conde - The Style Outlets

http://vila-do-conde.thestyleoutlets.pt/pt-pt

Avenida Fonte Cova 400,

4485-592 Modivas ,

Vila do Conde, Portugal

Turkey

Covered: Antalya





Antalya

Deepo Outlet Center

http://www.deepo.com.tr/EN

Altınova Sinan Mah Serik Cad. No:309

Havalimanı Karşısı, Kepez / Antalya

10 days in Athens, Greece

Destination: Athens & island of Aegina, Greece
Time of travel: July  2010
Duration: 10 days
Travel plan: 10 days with base in Athens, day trips to surrounding towns


Athens is a huge, beautiful city bathing in the mediterranean sun. It's certainly not polished and architecture is what it is but look beyond that. Look at the history, at the tasty food, the warm people, the beautiful nature and landscapes. Athens is amazing!

Aside all of the reasons to visit we've mentioned above, you can also plan other trips while in busy Athens; beaches, islands, even hikes. Athens and its surroundings have it all.

After you've seen all of the historical sights (and this is what you should do, see all of them!), it's time to hop on the train and head to Piraeus to catch a ferry to the island of Aegina.

Aegina

Being located only about an hour away from Athens, the island of Aegina is easy to reach and will offer you a completely different holiday than what you probably expected in Athens. A daytrip is completely doable, better yet, stay the night, or even two!

We recommend booking ferry tickets in advance and being in the harbour on time as it's surprisingly large and it'll take time to find the right ferry.

The island is relatively small but you'll definitely find plenty of things to do. Either you just stay at the Aegina town itself or rent a scooter or a car, you'll have a lot to see. The island has lots of beaches, some secluded, some not, but all of them are clean and the water is crystal clear. The best beaches, however, are in between the towns of Vathi and Perdika, cornering Aegina.

Try some delicious seafood while on this island. You'll have plenty of restaurants to choose from.

Vougliameni & Varkiza

For beaches reachable by bus or car, from Athens try Vougliameni and Varkiza.

What we adore about Greece is that you have beaches everywhere. You can swim and snorkle just about anywhere. Vougliameni and Varkiza actually have it all, natural beaches, public beaches and private beaches! Take some time to walk around the area as it's quite versatile. You have the usual sandy beaches with umbrellas and sun loungers, but you can also find beautiful white rock beaches as well as cliffs - whatever works for you!

Beware of the tide in the afternoon!

Sounio

We did a bus trip but not sure if that's really the best way to travel here as the road leading here is beautiful and you have many roadside towns and villages you might want to stop at. So rent a car and spend a day in this beautiful region. Other reason for us preferring car is that the bus takes almost three hours and stops frequently.

Sounio is an amazing historical site with the temple of Poseidon standing on a hill overlooking the sea.

Nearby you have a small beach and restaurants. Great daytrip destination by car!

Other great places worth mentioning in Athens and surroundings are

- Mount Lycabettus in Athens: Amazing views over the city
- Slightly off the central Athens, Piraeus is the part of the town where you'll find the sea, some say even beaches (though not recommended for a swim!) but also lots of shopping.