Athens with a Teenager - Our Itinerary & Planning Tips

This post is based on a visit in April 2024. We have chosen and paid for everything mentioned in this post ourselves however most of the links are (ad) affiliate. Information last checked and correct March 2024. Always check with venues direct for the most up to date information as it can change.  Why Athens?  As a parent of three children with very different personalities, holidays were always fairly easy to choose when they were younger. I mean everyone loved cheesy entertainment, the beach and the pool. We were all happy with our caravan holidays in the UK, Eurocamp style holidays abroad or sometimes All Inclusive breaks too.  However now they've reached the teen years - choosing a holiday for us all is a little trickier. First of all, trying to find accommodation for 5 adults who all like their own space in school holidays at a reasonable price is a really hard task. Then two of my teens love staying up late and visiting bars / entertainment where as another hates doing that and would always choose a night in a nice restaurant over a lively night out.  Their daytime likes are different too - some like historical sites, others hate this. Some like browsing markets others don't. Some like waterparks others don't. It may be ok if they were a little older but my youngest teen is 13 and not old enough to be left at the hotel while we go off and do things. I know this is very first world problems and many children don't even get a holiday however I do also want the best for my children so tried to think of a solution.  My plan started when eldest teen mentioned he'd love to go to Rome. He's mentioned it for a good few years to be honest but when I looked into it, for a family of 5 it was WAY over our budget and I begrudged paying for the other two teens when it wasn't a bucket list destination for them. So we decided instead of one big family holiday this year, we'd book three mini breaks instead - one with each child to somewhere they really want to go to.  For Harry it's Rome in October Half Term, for Dee it's Ibiza in the summer and for Jack it's Athens over Easter. I have booked package deals with Jet2 City Breaks  for all of these tripswhich isn't the cheapest way to do it but I wanted the convenience of paying things off monthly.  I think it's ended up costing around £500 to £1000 more to book three short breaks instead of one 7 night holiday for us all. However, Steve and I are obviously getting three holidays and the overall total length is for 10 nights rather than 7.  So why Athens for Jack? Well during lockdown we learned a lot about Greek Mythology and that's where it stems from. He's wanted to go ever since! He also really loves Greek food and has never been to Greece. Athens has been on my radar ever since my blogger friend While I'm Young visited too and for a city, it's fairly inexpensive once you're there.  The average daily temp in Athens in April is 20C with a night time temp of 12C. I think this is perfect for a city break and sightseeing! Jack isn't keen on sitting out in the sun so hopefully this will be ideal for him.    Getting to Athens & Transfers  You can fly direct to Athens from London, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Birmingham. Use Skyscanner to find the best prices. Below are the best deals for one person flying return in April, May and October (checked at the start of March 2024 - prices fo fluctuate).  Newcastle flights don't actually start until after Easter so we are flying with Jet2 from Manchester for this trip. There are various flight times available but we are leaving Manchester at 6:30am (arrive in Athens 12:25pm) on a Thursday and leaving athens at 1:15pm (arriving back at Manchester at 3:20pm) on Sunday.  We are staying overnight at Premier Inn Manchester Airport Runger Lane North which is a 5 minute drive from the airport and has it's own car park and on site restaurant. Prices fluctuate but we paid £65 for a family room in the Easter Holidays which isn't bad at all. We'll probably just dine in the hotel and get an early night.  For Airport Parking, we booked the T1 Multistory which was £57 for three nights. This car park is covered, secure and just a few minutes walk from the check in desk.  At Manchester Airport, we have booked the T1 Escape Lounge . I wouldn't book a lounge for 5 of us (far too expensive) but it was £82 for the three of us which I don't think is *too* bad. They have a big breakfast buffet and unlimited drinks and it will be a nice start to the holiday.  I wasn't sure what would be open in the airport early in the morning and reckon we'd easily spend £50-£70 on breakfast and drinks anyway. Unlimited coffee and a cheeky glass of fizz is going to be a real treat. It's also nice knowing we don't need to budget for any airport spending as it's all paid in advance.  For transfers, it is fairly easy to use public transport and there is a taxi cap for transfers into the city so that's an easy option too. As we are arriving at lunchtime and only have three days to explore, we wanted to get into the city as quickly and conveniently as possible.  Lots of people in various groups recommended Welcome Pick Ups to us as being super reliable and friendly with English speaking divers. It was 44 euros each way for three people and three pieces of luggage which I don't think is bad and they'll take us direct to our hotel. So far, I've found their service to be excellent. The app kind of works like Uber and you upload your photo / the driver does so you know who to look for. They monitor your flight, text you updates through the app, meet you at arrivals and they let your hotel know your ETA too. Welcome Pick-Ups operate private transfers around the world and if you sign up using my referral link here you will receive 5euros off your first trip.  Our Hotel Choice  We booked a package deal with Jet2 ( check prices here ) and are staying at B4B Athens Signature Hotel.   What sold this hotel for me was:  Very close to the Plaka district with lots of beautiful restaurants  It's a small boutique hotel with excellent reviews (4.7* rating on google), especially regarding the friendly and helpful staff which is what you want from a city centre hotel!  You get your own local smart phone loaded with maps, city audio guides, a translator and recommendations in your room plus unlimited data and international calls which you can take out with you and use throughout your trip (you can use it as a hot spot too). I think this is pretty cool!  It's 4* and a pretty new hotel with lots of modern facilities including air conditioning, UK plug adaptors, Dolce Gusto machine, rainfall shower and more  There are interconnecting rooms - perfect if travelling with younger teens  The rooftop bar has views of the Acropolis  The breakfast sounds excellent and is certified by the Hellanic Chamber of Hotels to showcase the best Greek produce  Just a short 10 minute walk from the Acropolis and 500m from a Metro Station so a pretty central location  Credit B4B Athens Credit B4B Athens Things to Do with Teenagers in Athens  We will have three days in Athens with a Teenager who loves Greek food, is not keen on walking, wants to see the Acropolis and likes early nights.  Here are some of our plans (these are of course, subject to change):  Day One Late Afternoon / Early Evening  Little Kook for Hot Chocolate / desserts  Museum of Illusion (it's open until 9pm)  Taverna Saita in Plaka for Tea  Cocktails on the Hotel Roof Terrace   Little Kook is a crazy themed restaurant. The service is supposed to be terrible so I am bracing myself but the desserts and hot chocolates look cute and the decor is a talking point. I think Jack will like it.  Musuem of Illusion is a museum where you can try different illusions and mind games which again, is something Jack will enjoy.  Then for dinner we are just going to choose a traditional Taverna for some proper Greek food. Maybe the one above or maybe one that just takes our fancy.  I don't think me and Steve will be able to resist rooftop cocktails on the first night.  Day Two in Athens (Daytime)  Athens Line SightSeeing Bus Tour   - alight at some of the historical sites  Stop for Lunch at Zisis Fish in a Cone and Lucamades for Traditional Stuffed Doughnuts  Back to Hotel for Siesta  Day two will be an early start with sightseeing using the hop on hop off bus. I like using these in cities as they give you a little info and transport you around in a way where you can see everything (where as using Metro etc....you are often underground and miss things). We are sticking to the Central line and will alight where we fancy taking a closer look somewhere.  For lunch we are visiting the market area - Fish in a Cone and Lucamades are both street food vendors near the market which are supposedly not to be missed so we are hopefully heading there for lunch.  We're having a later night on day two so have planned a little siesta on that day.  Day Two in Athens (Evening)  Visit the Acropolis & Museum (open late on Fridays) - try and catch sunset  Romatella- Pizza al Taglio for Tea  I am hoping to visit the Acropolis and Museum around sunset and then on the walk back to the hotel popping into Romatella which is a casual pizza by the slice place which receives rave reviews.  Day Three in Athens  Visit Athens Port and Beach using the Sightseeing Bus Tour.  Lunch at Istioploikos Stop for ice cream at a Beach Par Dinner near the Hotel  We're using the sightseeing bus again and visiting the port and beach. I've saved a few restaurants and beach bars which offer lovely views and seafood so let's hope the weather is nice. We are just going to see where the day takes us on this day and will pick somewhere close to the hotel for dinner - I imagine it will be another Greek Taverna and I'm going to wait and see where the hotel recommends as apparantly their recommendations are really good.  A 1:15pm flight home on day four is ideal as we can enjoy one last Greek breakfast on the roof terrace before heading home.  We did also consider Lake Vouliagmeni which is easy to get to via the sightseeing bus. It's a pristine lake where you can swim and enjoy lakeside dining / drinks. It looks super relaxing. However I don't think this is Jack's cup of tea. If I was visiting with Harry or Dee, we would have booked up. Entry is 16euro per person (aged 12+, younger children are cheaper or free).  We're visiting Athens in early April and I'll be sharing our trip on Instagram so make sure you're following along here.  Please check out some of our other European City Break ideas below:  How to spend a day in Amsterdam with Kids  A day in Florence with Kids  How to spend a day in Genoa with Kids  Palma Aquarium Review  Pin Me