Greece 2026 - Day 12, Athens
8 May 2026
Athens, Greece
Weather: Cloudy
Our final full day in Athens, and sadly, our last full day for this amazing Greece trip.
The Tans had an early flight home, leaving just the Yaps and us to enjoy one last day together. After a quick breakfast at TIA, a cosy café just around the corner from our apartment, we walked over to the Acropolis Museum. Spending almost three hours there turned out to be one of the best decisions of the trip. Having already explored the Acropolis a few days earlier, the museum helped connect the dots. Seeing the original sculptures, architectural fragments and detailed models gave us a much deeper appreciation of what we had seen on the hill. Sometimes, understanding the history after visiting the site makes the experience even more meaningful.
To give ourselves enough time, we pushed our lunch reservation at Akra to 1.30 pm. It was another memorable meal. We shared chicken liver skewers, a wonderfully comforting fish soup, mushroom stew brightened with lemon and a rich beef stew. The wines were equally enjoyable. We tried an orange wine and an intriguing Cabernet that surprisingly did not taste like a typical Cabernet at all. Even the pottery caught our attention. The beautiful handmade plates became a topic of conversation with our waitress. When we jokingly asked if they would sell them to us, she laughed and said no, but mentioned they would soon be sourcing their tableware from the pottery shop directly opposite the restaurant.
That was all the encouragement we needed.
After lunch we wandered over to Threesome Ceramics, where we ended up buying two beautiful plates and were pleasantly surprised with a third one as a gift.
Earlier, Alan had shared that some of their wines had almost been rejected at the airport because they were not packed in proper wine carriers. That got us thinking. Rather than risk it, we decided to buy another suitcase. We found what we needed at Apollo 23, and both Jazz and I walked away with new luggage. What was supposed to be a fifteen minute shopping stop somehow turned into almost an hour. Naturally, the extra luggage space became an invitation to shop even more.
Back at the apartment, we quickly unpacked before taking a taxi to Lycabettus Hill. The funicular itself was a little disappointing as it travelled entirely through a tunnel, offering no views whatsoever. Thankfully, everything changed once we reached the top.
We had dinner at Orizontes, perched high above Athens. Although the cloudy skies robbed us of a dramatic sunset, the panoramic view across the city was still breathtaking. We requested one of the tables along the edge, and the waiter asked if we had booked early. Fortunately, Jazz had made the reservation back in April. Seeing our early booking, he kindly gave us one of the best seats in the house, overlooking Athens with the Acropolis proudly standing in the distance.
During dinner we met Heather and her son Owen, who were travelling together after meeting up in Florence before continuing to Greece. They kindly helped us take some photographs. It was incredibly windy on the terrace. At one point, a wine glass at a nearby table was blown over by a sudden gust. The food was pleasant, but truthfully, it was the spectacular setting that made the evening unforgettable.
Before catching the funicular back down, the two ladies quickly climbed the final steps to the little Chapel of Saint George to capture a few last photographs overlooking the illuminated city.
Back at the apartment, knowing it was our final night in Greece, we opened one last bottle of wine. We packed our luggage, reminisced about the incredible memories we had made over the past two weeks and chatted late into the night. It was the perfect ending to a journey that had given us breathtaking landscapes, wonderful food, generous hospitality and friendships that we will always remember.
Tomorrow, we would head home. But a little part of our hearts would remain in Greece.
