Day 4: Athens: Psiri -Car rental in Athens (Greece) - Corinth Canal - Ancient Corinth
Today is our third day of the trip to Greece in 32 days and before starting with the car rental in Athens (Greece), we will spend the morning doing some of the visits to the tourist places of Athens that yesterday we could not do yesterday.
Knowing that we have a little more margin, we do not get up as early as the previous days and we leave the Phaedra Hotel, our accommodation in Athens these days, when it is approximately 8 in the morning, going directly to what has been our usual morning place to enjoy of a perfect breakfast.
Our table seems to be waiting for us at the Phanteon cafeteria, where today we order Greek yogurt, koulouria, a typical donut with sesame, coffee, orange juice and a sandwich for 11.90 euros, which give us energy to start today in the that after rent a car in Athens, we will start the route of Greece for free.
Phanteon Cafe
It's 9 in the morning when we start our route through Athens, heading to the Central Market, which is one of the points that are not usually visited by tourists, and we have to say after our experience, which is very interesting as a possible combination with the visit to the Psiri neighborhood.
The Central Market is divided into several sections, among which fish and meat, which are indoor, and then when you go outside, you can find yourself in a small square, the area of vegetables, olives and nuts, incredibly colorful.
Athens Central Market
Athens Central Market
They say that there is no better way to get to know a town than going to their markets and that is what we propose, during practically an hour that we are in the whole enclosure, losing ourselves between positions and people buying that show us another face of Athens to the We have seen these days ago.
Although this is probably not a tourist place, we have to say that it is worth the visit, if you have this extra time, since it is not very far from the center, approximately 15 minutes and is also the perfect complement to visit the Psiri Neighborhood, located A few steps from here.
Central Market
It's 10 in the morning when we go to the next point of the route, the Psiri neighborhood, a neighborhood that has become very fashionable in recent times, which highlights street art and alternative places, full of charm.
In this neighborhood as we said yesterday in Monastiraki, Plaka or Anakiotika, it is best to enjoy a walk without a fixed direction, forget the map and stroll through the streets full of shops and premises with a lot of charm and a lot of decoration, which the truth is very interesting , in addition to surprising corners, such as Anargyron Street, where you can see a small Orthodox church, which seems a lie is in a corner like this.
Psiri neighborhood
Psiri neighborhood in Athens
It's 11 in the morning when we approach Kerameikos, a neighborhood located in the northeast of the city, which is where the potters' workshops were and where their name comes from.
It is here that we can find Kerameikos, the largest necropolis in all of Greece, from the 11th century B.C. The entrance is included in the general entrance of 30 euros that we bought the first day and with it you can tour the interior, although from the outside, through a kind of viewpoints, you can see perfectly, having a perspective, we would dare to say, even better than from the inside.
Kerameikos
After a quick visit and seeing that it is already noon, we decided to approach the Avocado restaurant, also located in the center of Athens, where we ordered guacamole, pasta with pesto and falafel plus two coffees and water for 31 euros, with which we have to say, we eat amazing!
Eating at Avocado Restaurant
From lunch, we return to the Phaedra Hotel to collect our bags and go to collect the car rental in Athens With which we will begin the route of this trip, which will take us to know some of the places to see in Greece essential.
At the time we booked the car we had doubts about whether to pick it up directly at the Athens airport or do it at one of the Budget offices, which is the company with which we have rented the car through Rentalcars.
This company has two offices in Athens, one just outside the tourist center of the city and an office in the center of Athens, which is what we have chosen, since it is only 400 meters from the hotel where we have stayed and where we take 10 minutes to arrive, with luggage.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Athens
- 10 essential places to visit in Athens
- 50 things to do in Athens
- The 8 best tours and excursions in Athens
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Athens
- The 10 best Greek Islands
- 10 essential places to see in Greece
- The best tips for traveling to Greece
Morning route in the city, before picking up the rental car in Athens
This morning's route has taken us to the Central Market, to tour and get to know the Psiri District and Keramikos, before going to pick up a rental car in Athens, with which we will begin the route through Continental Greece.
Car rental in Athens (Greece)
We leave you a series of tips and recommendations after our experience renting a car in Greece.
- As in all our trips, car rental in Athens (Greece), we have done it with Rentalcars, a car rental comparator, with whom we always get the best price, in addition to being able to contract insurance with all risks directly with them , with which we return the money we have to pay for any setback, for a much tighter price than the one that the rental companies themselves apply.
- In this case, the rental of the car has been with Budget and we have to say that both the service and the attention and the speed of the process car rental in AthensIt has been one of the best, if not the best, of all our trips.
Car rental in Athens (Greece)
- For this one trip to Greece in 32 days, we had assessed two rental options:
Car rental in Athens and throughout the route, including the Greek islands and returning it in Santorini, from where we will fly to Barcelona, or rent the car in Athens and return it in the same office and then, go renting in each of the islands we visited, which would be Mykonos , Naxos, Paros and Santorini.
In the first case, the price was 600 euros plus 150 euros of all-risk insurance and in the second case, the price of car rental in Greece, only for the first part of the trip through mainland Greece, was significantly reduced by about 250 Euros, to add the islands.
After doing all the calculations, including the price of the car on the ferries through the Greek islands against the car rental on each of the islands, we saw that the price difference was minimal, especially considering the time we would lose in each island picking up and returning the car, more later the price of transfers from the port to the hotel and then to the office.
That is why although it may seem quite the opposite, if you have to make a route like ours, it is worth doing the calculations and above all, assess if it is worth it waste that time in exchange for a few euros.
- As we mentioned before, it is interesting and advisable to have full insurance. If you hire it with the same company, the prices are usually quite high, but if you book through Rentalcars, the prices are usually much tighter.
In our case, for a month of car rental, it has been approximately 140 euros.
Car rental in Athens (Greece)
- Although you read that driving in Greece is very aggressive and chaotic, according to our experience, it is not so fierce the lion as they paint it, so the option of car rental in Athens (Greece), is more than recommended.
It is usual to see some overtaking in continuous double or even by the shoulder, but nothing that could represent a problem or a danger if you drive with caution.
- On the route we have made through continental Greece we have gone through many sections where you have to pay for the highway, most of them between 1.50 and 2.50 euros.
- All roads are very well equipped and every few kilometers you can find gas station services and service areas.
- The price of gasoline, when we have been in 2018, is approximately 1.61 euros, the super 95 in Continental Greece and 1.99 euros in the islands.
- Although, as we have said, it is usual to find gas stations, there are areas where it is more difficult to find, so it is worth taking the full tank to avoid surprises and not having to be looking for a gas station at the last minute.
- Another thing to keep in mind in the car rental in Athens (Greece), is that most of the parkings in the tourist locations of Greece are free, both in the continental zone, as in the Greek islands or beaches, even on islands such as Santorini or Mykonos.
- As an example, we will tell you that for a tour like ours through Greece of 32 days, we have filled five complete fuel tanks 95, with a Peugeot 108, which has been approximately 250 euros of gasoline.
Car rental in Athens (Greece)
With the whole process of car rental in Athens finished with Rentalcars and the car running, we have a Peugeot 108 latest model, a tiny car with which we believe this trip will be perfect, we are on our way to what will be our first stop on the route through Continental Greece, which does not It is other than the Corinth Canal, about 75 kilometers from Athens and an hour or so away, paying two tolls of 2.10 euros and 1.80 euros.
It must be said that although the traffic in the city is quite chaotic, so to speak, this is only noticeable from the car rental office in Athens until departure to the general roads, at which time the driving becomes much quieter and more relaxed.
Car rental in Athens (Greece), on the way to the Corinth Canal
We arrived at the Corinth Canal when it is 3 in the afternoon, after a quiet ride and we have to confess, we find a place that attracts us much more attention and surprises us, than we had imagined.
Corinth Canal
The Corinth Canal is nothing more or nothing less than a channel that connects the Ionian Sea with the Aegean Sea, which is more than 6 kilometers long and 23 wide, with walls 90 meters above sea level, They offer an incredible perspective from any of the points of one of the bridges that cross it.
We leave you some tips and recommendations to make your visit to the Corinth Canal much more comfortable.
- The Corinth Canal is 70 kilometers from Athens and about an hour away by car.
- Keep in mind that although you can easily reach by car, if you do not want to rent a car in Greece and are staying in Athens, another option is to hire one of the following excursions, with a guide in Spanish, which are among the best tours and excursions in Athens.
Excursion to Corinth, Mycenae and Epidaurus
4-day classic circuit
3-day classic circuit
2-day Mycenae and Olympia circuit
Excursion to Mycenae and Epidaurus
Corinth Canal
- Keep in mind that the point of the Corinth Canal that will stain your GPS, is probably the road to cross it. This is not the point where you can see the Corinth Canal as you can see in the photos, so you have to look "Korinth Bridge", besides confirming that right next to it there is a jumping company.
- It is right at that point where the bridge you can cross, through three different points, to have different perspectives of the Corinth Canal.
- Just before reaching the bridge there is a small restaurant-cafeteria, in addition to a couple of shops and a free parking lot, which is right on the side of the road, where you can leave the car on battery and from there cross walking the road and Access the three parts of the bridge to see the panoramic view of the Corinth Canal.
- Whenever you can, try to wait for the moment when you cross a ship, since the image is much more spectacular.
Corinth Canal
In the end we are in the Corinth Canal just over 45 minutes, seeing the three possible perspectives, when it takes a few minutes from 4:30 in the afternoon to make way to Corinth, in this case to the Old Corinth, to the Pegasus Rooms hotel , which will be our accommodation in Corinth tonight and where we will visit the archaeological site of Antigua Corinth and Acrocorinth.
The distance from the Corinth Canal to the Old Corinth is about 10 kilometers, which we do in less than 15 minutes, when we arrive at the accommodation, go directly to the parking lot, where we leave the car in the back and after a check In quick and take a shower, take a break as a rest in the room, we have to say, we feel great and more considering that the temperature at this time of the afternoon, exceeds 35 degrees.
After a while of relaxation, when it is 5:30 in the afternoon, we decide that the time has come to approach the archaeological site of ancient corinth, which we have right in front of the hotel, about 100 meters away and that contrary to what we thought when we included it in the itinerary of this route through Continental Greece, it is much larger than we imagined, just like the town that surrounds it, that on the map it seemed that there were two streets, but that is much more than we thought, with infinite offer of catering and accommodation.
Tips for visiting Ancient Corinth
- The price of the entrance to the archaeological site of the Old Corinth is 8 euros per person.
- The schedule is from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from April to October and until 5 p.m. from November to March.
- Keep in mind that there are very few places with shade, so if you come in summer with an elevated temperature, it is advisable to bring a hat, sunscreen and water.
- The visit lasts between 1 hour and an hour and a half.
- There are no services of any kind inside the archaeological site of Antigua Corinth, so you must buy water at any of the businesses outside.
Ancient corinth
What to see in Ancient Corinth
Keep in mind that the remains of the Ancient Corinth are mostly Roman, except for the Apollo Temple, symbol of the enclosure, which is a Doric construction.
Temple of Apollo in Ancient Corinth
One of the most striking areas is the large forum which can be seen in the southern part of the Temple of Apollo, which is one of the largest enclosures of the site.
Ancient corinth
In addition to these, they highlight the Juliana Basilica, which can be seen in the northern area and the Pirene Baja fountain, which is still used by the population to obtain drinking water.
Pirene Baja Font
We finish the visit to the site of the Old Corinth when it is 6:30 in the afternoon, taking advantage of the fact that the temperature begins to drop to sit in one of the many coffee shops there, where we have an ice coffee, very typical in Greece and a homemade lemonade, for six euros, which we take to cool off and relax for a while, just enjoying the conversation and watch life go by, something as we always say, is one of the things we like most in travel.
From here we approach to the Marinos restaurant, which is right next to the cafeteria and the hotel and which is one of the most recommended in the Old Corinth, where we order as a starter several dishes such as spicy cheese, tzaziki, fried cheese, fried eggplants and some squid plus glass of wine and water for 28 euros, which give us an amazing evening and an exquisite dinner.
Dinner at the Marinos Restaurant
It's almost 10 at night when we return to the Pegasus Rooms hotel, ready to rest after this first day of the trip, which has given us a unique day, which we are sure, will be the door to an unforgettable trip.
First day car rental route in Athens (Greece)
The route of this first day with a rental car in Greece will take us from Athens to the Corinth Canal, then go to the Old Corinth, where we stay and visit the archaeological site.
Day 5: Antigua Corinth - Acrocorinto - Visit Mycenae in Greece - Nafplio
