🧍‍♀️🌏 Solo Female Travel: Athens 🇬🇷

Athens trip

Ahoy Pirates, my name is Caitlin, and I've worked as an editor for HolidayPirates for over two years. I only recently started solo travelling and my preference is to stay in hotels over hostels, so I have my own space. But I still like to meet people when I'm out and about.

I took a trip to Greece last year and one of my stops was in Athens as it's Greece's major airport. I was only in the city for a few nights, and below I'll talk about my experience here.

Please note: This report is based only on my personal experience and may therefore of course differ from other people's experiences.

How safe did you feel?

For me, Athens felt very unsafe to travel solo as a female. However, I did try to keep accommodation costs down and hadn't looked into the area of my hotel. I stayed not far from Omonoia on a street called Vouigari. The area was extremely run down, mostly occupied by men, and there were obvious drug deals happening on the streets. It was only a short walk to the centre, so I had assumed it would be fine.

The centre was super busy and full of tourists, however, as a solo female I still attracted a lot of unwanted attention which did start to feel overwhelming.

However, after further research, I have found that a lot of travellers find Athens to be friendly and welcoming and that it 'looks more intimidating than it is'. My area of stay played a big part in my experience, and once you're in a negative mindset, it can affect your overall experience.

I personally wouldn't go back alone. I could see myself having a good time there if I had travelled with another person, or made friends in a hostel, etc. If I visited again, I would definitely look to pay more to be in a central hotel.

How expensive was it for a solo traveller?

Well to start with, getting to Athens is relatively cheap, you can find low-cost airlines flying here from various UK airports for under £100 return.

Accommodation costs vary, as mentioned above, I opted for a lower cost hotel that was around £35 per night called Marina Hotel. The hotel was nice enough, but the area is not somewhere I would recommend staying.

There are hostels available for lower costs, or you could look at CouchSurfing to find free accommodation. If you're looking to stay long term, then Airbnb is a good option to find a place with monthly discounts, and you can find somewhere with kitchen facilities to reduce spending costs.

Food and drink prices are quite reasonable for Europe. In terms of major cities, the prices are slightly below average. A pint of Mythos beer is around four euros.

Would you recommend Athens for first-time solo travellers?

I personally wouldn't. Athens is somewhere I would recommend visiting as a couple or a group. If you're flying there to go from one place to another, then sure, it's worth a visit. The Acropolis is an incredible historic site that you should see, and there are nice spots to grab authentic Greek food. But I would ensure if you are alone that you are staying in a safe and central area and aim to be at your hotel before it gets too late.

How to make connections:

Making connections would be a good way to tackle this. You could opt to stay in a hostel, Pink Mango is a female-only hostel or there are lots of hostels with female-only dorms. This is a great way to make friends who you can travel with.

There are lots of solo female travel Facebook groups such as Gals Who Travel, which are a great way to connect with other female travellers before you go. Or you could join a specific Athens travel Facebook group. You could also look at group tours and excursions where you can at least have company during the daytime.

How did you get around?

From the airport, I took a bus straight to the city centre, which was really straight forward. In the city I walked everywhere, the main sites are all walking distance, but there are loads of buses too.

Any other tips?

Staying safe:

• Make sure to look up your area and hotel reviews before booking a place to stay.

• Areas such as Omonia, Exarchia, Kolokotroni and Victoria Square can be quite rough and are generally better to avoid.

• Petty theft is not a huge problem in Athens, but it still happens. As with most major cities, it's important to be vigilant with your belongings.

• Avoid common scams like people offering to help with your luggage, offering you bracelets, or dropping something for you to pick up.

Running into trouble:

You can use the Gov.uk site for information on who to contact if you need advice, help or services while in Greece.

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Looking for more info and things to do in Athens? You can read our full guide below.