Tasty 1$ Street Snacks You Must Try in Cairo

This post is about snacks in Cairo, not much traveling. However, food and traveling go hand in hand for me, can't have one without enjoying the other.

I think the best snacks aren’t in stores and restaurants – they’re in the streets, by the Nile River. As you walk by the Nile banks, you'll pass by many street vendors. Those are the best budget snacks you can get from wooden street carts without breaking your pocket.

All of the following items cost around 1$ or about 6-7 Egyptian pounds, per serving. Again, street vendors will double the price for tourists, but you should insist not to pay more than 1$ and that is more than a fair price.

1- grilled sweet potato: it has a beautiful taste and the way it is made even better? A man pushes the wooden cart, and on the top of it there is an old oven. They put the sweet potato inside and leave it to be done slowly.

www.aljazeera.net

2- termes or lupins: it’s very easy to get by the Nile river, especially in summer time. It’s one of my favorite snacks. It’s better than popcorn, especially with salt and lemon flavor.

www.fashion.azyya.com

3- grilled corn: street venders use a small fire to grill the corn on. It has a beautiful smell and the taste is even better.

www.mitsalsil.blogspot.com

4- hummus el-sham drink: it is a spicy drink, made of chickpeas. On winter nights young lovers walk by the Nile river and drink it. The recipe is in my book, Fast and Easy Egyptian Recipes.

www.women.bo7.net

5- sunflower and watermelon seeds: the seeds are dried, then salted then put it in special type of oven to be hard on the outside and soft and tasty on the inside. Peel the outside and eat the inside.

www.eg.all.biz

6- Semid, an Egyptian pretzel: OMG, love them and miss eating them. Usually it's sold with a tiny bag of spices to enhance the taste. 

www.forums.fatakat.com

Enjoy your visit to Egypt!

Planning Your Trip to Egypt

Egypt is one of those countries that you have always dreamed of visiting. If you're a young traveler or a backpacker and you think Egypt is an inexpensive holiday destination, you're wrong about that. Some places in Egypt are so fancy that I wouldn't dare to go there, but it's not all exclusive attractions for rich travelers. It depends on what you do and where you go.

www.elbanota.com

                                  

Egypt is a unique country. It's rich with history. You can pretty much see the world's wonders in Egypt. Ancient Egypt, Greek antiquities, Roman monuments, Jewish temples, ancient Coptic churches, Islamic Cairo. Nature and wildlife destinations, like the white desert reserves and safari trips. Beaches that are famous for diving.

The first thing you need to know is that the fact that you're a foreigner will make people in the touristic areas try to rip you off. People in the local market will do the same. Child beggars will also do the same, and taxis, etc.....

Want to know what locals are saying around you? Check out my book about Egyptian street culture and language.

http://www.amazon.com/Egyptian-Street-Culture-That-About-ebook/dp/B0080NWBII/ref=la_B00D8XWC70_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415881012&sr=1-1

Here are some tips for you:

1- Women should wear conservative clothes. I've met a lot of western women in Egypt who told me before they came to Egypt their embassies recommended that they should dress conservatively. What they don't know is, just the fact that you're a foreign woman will make people stare at you, especially if you wander into non-touristic areas and some neighborhoods in Old Cairo. I would say don't wear revealing clothes in Cairo. Short sleeved shirts and a short or a knee-length skirt is okay. In the Red Sea and upper Egypt you can wear whatever you want. Tourism is the main industry there and people there try their best to make the tourists happy.

2- For women: Do not couchsurf with single Egyptian guys. If you're a single woman who is traveling solo, you want to save some money while traveling or you just like meeting locals, you might want to couchsurf. Before you send any couchsurfing requests make sure that you read all of the references that were written by other couchsurfers, Not by the guy's best friends. There are great Egyptians guys who are couchsurfers, but unfortunately there are those guys who joined the site just to hook up with foreign women. So be careful there.

3- Always carry cash around. Not all ATMs accept foreign cards. You should go to a bank or a hotel to find an international ATM. Small shops, small restaurants and small cafes don't accept credit cards. Check the door of any store to see if they have a Visa or Mastercard sign. That means they accept cards. Having cash is a good idea to get around.

4- Be aware of pickpockets. Put your wallet in a safe place and be careful in subways, trains and buses and in the local markets. In fact, I don't recommend riding the local buses at all.

5- Take the white cab. It's a meter cab. It's better than the regular cabs that would charge you whatever they want.

6- Having a local friend will make getting around easier.

Eating in Egypt:

I'm not one of those people who say they love their countries' food the best just because they are from that country. Egyptian food is my favorite. I love other ethnic food as well, but Egyptian food is simply the best. Whatever your taste is, you'll find it in Egypt. Spicy food, mild food, meaty food, vegetarian food, vegan food. There are a lot of international restaurants in Egypt too, like Mexican, Indian, Italian, and other Middle Eastern food.

If you're a vegetarian and going on a trip to Egypt, or simply want to try ethnic vegetarian dishes, check out my book, Vegetarian's Guide to Egyptian Street Food.

http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarians-Guide-Egyptian-Street-Food-ebook/dp/B00ON28UH6/ref=la_B00D8XWC70_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415881012&sr=1-4

You can't miss having dinner in Al-Hussin area. There are plenty of choices there, like outdoor restaurants and cafes.

Al-Hussin area. www.youm7.com

Shopping in Egypt: Whether you're shopping for clothes or groceries in Egypt, don't shop in street markets. Street markets are cheap for Egyptians. However, they raise the price when they see a foreigner. I know that many foreigners don't care about this because however high the price is, it would be still cheap in dollars. But to me it's a matter of honesty and really I don't like people who double the price just because you're a foreigner. I recommend shopping in Carrefour and shopping malls, as they don't rip you off there.

Accommodation:

I had my own home in Egypt, so I don't have a lot of experience staying in hotels. However, I have some friends who do. Don't expect much from cheap hostels, they might be really bad.

My Korean friend stayed in Oum Kalthoum hotel in the Zamalek area. The room was over 120$ and it wasn't good at all. It was spacious, but the furniture was broken. The service was very poor, the manger and the receptionist were rude. We asked the hotel to arrange a car to pick up my friend from the airport, but the car showed up an hour late. Also, this hotel doesn't serve alcohol, which is not a problem if you don't drink.

There are cheap hostels in Cairo, which start from 10$ a night. That's very cheap. Even in Egyptian pounds it would be around 60 pounds. I imagine the room would be bad for that amount of money, but I may be wrong. Just read the reviews of the hostels before you book a room.

Unfortunately, the best hotels are the most expensive ones, just like anywhere else.

Places to Visit:

1- The Pyramids. Of course it comes on the top of the bucket list to many travelers. I know that many people think the pyramids are located in the heart of the desert. Well, they aren't. Maybe they once were. One side of the pyramids is facing the city, so don't get disappointed if you don't see enough sand. It's still a beautiful place to go to. BE AWARE of scams in the pyramids area. For example, they will overcharge you for camels and horse rides. You might end up paying hundreds of dollars. Also, you might meet those guys holding cards from the national tourism organization. They will tell you they can tour you around and tell you some historic information about the place for free. After the tour they will ask you for money. That happened to my husband and me when we visited the pyramids in 2010.

www.onmasr.com

2- Old Cairo is a place filled with art and beauty. While you're in Old Cairo you must visit the Religious Complex, which includes Babylon fortress, the hanging church, Amr Ibn Al-Aas mosque and Ben Ezra synagogue.

3- Khan el-Khalili, it's an outdoor bazaar.

forums.fatakat.com

4- Simon the Tanner church in Mokattam area. It's a beautiful place but unfortunately the road there is neglected, so it might be a rough ride to get there. I went there in 2003. I hope the roads are fixed now.

5- Saladin Citadel in old Cairo, a medieval Islamic fortress. The stunning mosque of Muhammed Ali is located inside the citadel. The mosque is a piece of art. You must take your shoes off to enter the mosque. Women are given robes to wear to enter the mosque.

www.chess.com

6- Nile cruise: There are all boat sizes and prices for Nile cruises. I would recommend you choose a boat that serves dinner while cruising the Nile.

Museums in Cairo:

1- The Egyptian Museum.

www.egyptiantalk.org

http://www.egyptianmuseum.org/

2-Islamic Ceramic Museum.

3- The Coptic Museum.

www.egyptexpresstvi.com

4- The Museum of Islamic Art.

www.classic.aawsat.com

5- National Library and Archives.

Museums in Alexandria:

1- Bibliotheca Alexandria Museum.

2- Roman Auditorium.

3- The Greco-Roman Museum.

For information about the museums, please click the link below:

http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet?ee_website_action_key=action.display.sites&language_id=1

Cities You Must Visit:

1- Alexandria: I've traveled to many places but Alexandria will always be number one in my heart. Alexandria is a Mediterranean beauty. It's has a lot of monuments from the ancient world.

www.women.bo7.net

2- Upper Egypt is one of my dream destinations. Sadly, I haven't had a chance to visit Upper Egypt before, but will do someday. Upper Egypt is certainly the place richest with history.

Al-karnak temple

Aswan, upper Egypt www.immigration4visa.com

3- The Red Sea: There are a bunch of cities over there, and all of them are perfect beach vacations, especially if you love diving. Hurgadah is gorgeous. There are some topless beaches there, but not all of them.

Diving in Hurgadah www.viator.com

4- Sharm Al-Sheikh is a must if you're around there.

5- Dahab, is a small town on the southeast of the Sinai Peninsula. It's a favorite for many tourists.

While in Sinai you should visit Saint Catherine's Monastery.

www.vb.n4hr.com

Nightlife in Egypt:

There are plenty of bars, night clubs, and gambling casinos in Egypt. The casinos are located inside the big hotels. You can gamble as long as you have a foreign passport.

90% of hotels serve alcohol. There are alcohol shops downtown and other places. 

forums.graaam.com

For more tourism information please visit the following sites:

http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Templates/Categories/wucTourism.aspx?CatID=415 

http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet?ee_website_action_key=action.display.home&language_id=1

The Best and The Worst Airlines I've Flown With

This is a review of the airlines I've flown with and the review is based on my personal experience. I love traveling, but I can't afford flying with 5-star airlines every time I travel. I travel on economy class or on budget airlines. I loved some airlines, some were neutral and I really disliked others.

The Best Airlines:

1- Korean Air: yes it's expensive but it totally worth the money. Even the economy class has good sized seats, the food is good and the service is outstanding.

                                                                                http://exyuaviation.blogspot.kr/   

2- Egypt Air: I swear I'm not saying that because I'm an Egyptian. The gate agent in Cairo International Airport wasn't good at all, and he had no clue what he was doing. However, on the flight from Egypt to Japan where I had a layover I had the best flying experience ever. I had a little cold and the flight attendant kept checking on me and made me tea without me even asking. The food was simply delicious.

The Neutral Airlines:

1- Fin Air: we flew on Fin Air from Korea to Europe. Everything on the fight was average. Average seats, average food and average service.

2- Asiana Airlines: in few words, nothing special.

3- Japan Air: Average.

4- Malaysia Air: it was a domestic flight for an hour. It was fine and they served a sandwich. Most airlines don't serve a snack on short flights.

5- Thai Airways: it was a domestic flight, it was average.

6- Alitalia Air: flying in the EU is considered domestic. We flew from Rome to Athens. The flight itself was okay, the service wasn't.

7- Peach Airlines: It was good for a budget airline. The seats were a good size. However, the take off was delayed twice and we only saw the flight attendants when they tried to sell us things from the air shop. Of course they don't serve you anything, not even water, just like any budget airline.

The Worst Airlines:

1- Qatar Airlines: I have a mixed feelings about this one, it wasn't as bad as other experiences, but for sure it wasn't a good experience. The gate agents were terrible in Cairo International Airport, not once but twice. They're so unprofessional. They didn't know what they were doing. The first time I flew with them the gate agent was horrible. That was before I moved to Korea, and even though Egyptians can go to Korea with no visa and I already had two Korean visas in my passport from previous visits, he wouldn't let me go through till I showed him that I had more than 500$ in cash with me. But, I thought it must be just that guy. The second time I flew with them, they gave me hell. I'm a resident of S.Korea. I have an alien card, which is written in Korean. Last year I visited Egypt and I flew on Qatar Airlines. At the gate I showed them my alien card, but none of the agents could speak Korean and they actually harassed me about it for like an hour. They asked me why my Korean alien card was written in Korean, which was a ridiculous question. The service was okay and the food was above average but not delicious.

2- China Eastern Airlines: I flew on China Eastern twice because they had inexpensive tickets. However, it isn't worth it. On both round trips the flights were delayed for over an hour. On the first flight with them, I booked my ticket to Shanghai online and asked for a Muslim meal. On the flight itself they served me pork. The service was very bad. Also, they broke my small suitcase. They did replace it with a new one, but I have no idea how they broke it.

3- Air Asia: it's a budget airline and everyone I know who has ever flown with them have this love-hate relationship with them. The flights are cheap, but once you click on a flight, they start giving you all of the hidden extras and taxes. The flights are bad, the seats are very small, the service is poor, and yes you have to buy water if you're thirsty.

4- American Airlines: everything was below average.

5- Delta Air: this is definitely the worst airline ever. We flew from L.A to Las Vegas. I've never seen or met flight attendants that rude. They look at you in the eye and totally ignore you as if you aren't there. They f**ked up our reservations, they didn't fix them, and the flight itself it was a nightmare.

Birthday Trip to Kyoto

Kyoto was a city that I really wanted to visit. It was my first time ever to visit Japan. Since we didn't get to travel in the summer vacation, we wanted to celebrate my husband's birthday somewhere nice and inexpensive to get to. Flying on Peach air was very affordable. My review of Peach air is coming soon in an upcoming post of the best and the worst airlines I flew with.

We flew to Osaka, Kansai airport and from there took the shuttle bus from outside the terminal and got off at the train station. We took JR rapid train to Kyoto central station. It takes around 80 minutes. A one-day pass is 25$ per person for foreigners, you must show your passport. You can buy the pass from the train station.

If you arrive at Kyoto station at night the tourist information booth will be closed. You can find a wifi spot and look up Google maps for the place you want to go to on your smart phone or tablet.

Shocking Things I Found in Kyoto:

1- Not all ATMs there accept international cards. Most of the machines didn't accept Mastercard. The post office has ATMs that accept all cards which was nice after wandering around for 40 minutes trying to withdraw cash. That was shocking because Kyoto is a popular destination for westerners.

2- Many places didn't have wifi, which isn't that important unless you need to look up directions, which happened in our case.

Sleeping in Kyoto:

There are a lot of hotels near Kyoto station with different prices. Some are expensive and some are affordable. Staying near the station is a smart thing, as you would be near everything: trains, subway and buses.

We stayed at Kyoto Garden Palace. It's a nice hotel, pricey, more than I would usually pay, but again it was my husband's birthday trip and it was nice to stay at a good hotel. The room was fantastic, the bed and pillows were comfortable, the bathroom had a bidet which I loved. The room was clean and the staff were helpful. The only thing that I didn't like was that the TV didn't have any English channels, they all were in Japanese.

http://www.hotelgp-kyoto.com/english/

Things To Do in Kyoto:

1- Dress up like a geisha or a samurai and have a photo shoot. There are studios everywhere for this kind of thing. We booked a package with Shiki studio. You can choose which package you want to have. They have different prices and some packages are expensive. The make-up artists are very nice and professional. However, there are a lot of hidden expenses that weren't mentioned in the website. For a example, I chose a stroll package which cost around 80$ that should include the Japanese socks. We went there and filled the form and there were a lot of extra stuff they wanted me to pay for after paying 80$ already.

http://www.maiko-henshin.com/en/

2- Visit Gion neighborhood for some glances of the past and a walk through the old and beautiful buildings. You might get lucky and see a real geisha.

3- While in Gion you can stop by Gion Corner theater to watch a show about traditional Kyoto art and music. It costs 31$ but they had a special price for tourists of 25$ per ticket. They accept cash only. It worth watching the show. From Kyoto central bus terminal take bus 206 direct to Gion area, it takes about 15-20 minutes.

http://www.kyoto-gioncorner.com/global/en.html

4- Go to Fushimi Inari Shrine, such a beautiful place, free admission and easy to get to. From Kyoto station take the subway and get off at Inari station.

5- Visit Kyoto Imperial palace. It closes on weekends, which we didn't know, so we didn't get a chance to enter the palace. However, we walked in the garden. It was beautiful and peaceful. From Kyoto station take the subway for 4 stops and get off at Marutamachi station and walk for about 5 minutes.

6- Universal studios in Osaka. You might think it's hard to get to but it wasn't. From Kyoto station take the rapid train to Osaka station and from there take the subway to Universal City station, a few minutes ride. I know many people would love to go there and that why I'm including it on my list. As for me I found the studios very disappointing and poorly managed. Most of the space was taken by restaurants/cafes/gift shops, the space for the rides and theme parks weren't as big, which meant very long lines for each ride. The entrance ticket cost 65$ and that amount of money doesn't save you from standing for an hour in a long line. They sell an express ticket which cost 50$ extra according to a worker. This super expensive ticket would actually save you from standing in unmoving line until your back hurts. I didn't buy it because it's stealing. You know, you pay a price and then you have two options - pay them more money or stand for hours.

Eating in Kyoto:

The first thing you need to know about traditional Japanese restaurants there is that most of them are hidden behind wooden doors and the signs are all written in Japanese so you wouldn't even recognize the place as a restaurant. Eating in Kyoto was harder than I expected. I'm not talking about Kyoto central area.

Do not eat at the Gion area if you are on a budget. The prices there are very expensive.

Two restaurants in the Shijo area in the back streets refused to let us in and I believe it had something to do with racism. It was around 7:00pm we had long day walking around and exploring places. We got hungry and we really wanted to have sushi. One restaurant was open. We tried to get in and the waiter, who was standing near the door, told us that the place was closed despite the fact that the lights were on, the tables were set and the menu was outside. At the second restaurant, which was a few doors past the first one, people were in eating. Once we stepped in two waiters started shouting at us saying “No, No.” We looked around and there were 6 available seats on the bar and 2 available tables, we pointed at the empty places and they answered that it was reserved but there was no sign whatsoever say those seats were reserved. I hope they weren't racist to foreigners but it sure seemed like it and unfortunately those two restaurants' names were written in Japanese only, so I don't their names. The second one had a Japanese title followed by the word Miki.

1- Musashi Sushi: eating there was a treat. The best sushi that I've ever had. Each plate had the price on it so you would know how much you're spending.

http://www.sushinomusashi.com/

2- Eating in the Porta, which is underground in Kyoto station. It's a sort of food court. A lot of restaurant with different prices, you can pick affordable places or fast food places like a Subway branch there.

3- Cosme Kitchen Cafe in the Cube shopping mall, also in Kyoto station. I want to recommend this cafe with good coffee, good service.

How to Travel for Free

Yes, you heard right. There are ways to travel for free, there's no catch and there's no scam. However, you should know where to look and choose a legitimate source. I was one of the lucky people who traveled for free, I won a free ticket and free accommodation too. Life is good, right?

Back in 2008, I was working hard and saving money to travel. One day I was browsing the internet and found something that absolutely changed my life. At that time I was very interested in Korea and its unique culture. I was checking a website and it had an international essay contest about Korea. The prize was a paid trip to Korea. That was perfect foe me. I loved doing research and reading about Korea, I loved writing, and who doesn't love traveling for free? That was a win-win deal for me. I worked hard on the essay and submitted with my best hopes. After 2 months, the results came out and I had won! I traveled to Korea for the first time in winter 2008. I stayed in Seoul for a week and everything was paid for me.

That could happen to any one of you and your dreams could come true. Even if you don't win a free ticket, you could win hotel voucher, tickets for landmarks and performances, and much more.

1- First of all you should like the tourism page of your target country on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on their latest offers and promotions. I have to say, the Korea Tourism Organization is one of the best. They always have different contests with awesome prizes, like photo contests, video contests and some writing contests.

2- Do a Google search for international essay/photo contests. Never ever enter a contest with an entry fee unless it's known internationally and has a good reputation. I only enter contests that don't ask money from me.

3- Know your audience, to win an essay contest. You must know your target audience and be smart. Usually when tourism organizations have international contests, they set a theme and ask foreigners to write about it. You can write about that theme with a different angle, or focus on one point you know is important to the tourism organization. For example, last year I won the second prize in Thai essay contest. The theme was “A Place In Thailand That Inspired You.” It was a cash prize which I saved to travel later. Anyway, I wrote about my favorite place in Thailand, The Elephant Nature Park in Chang Mai. I focused on the positive image of Thailand.

4- Enter sweepstakes on social media websites.

Don't give up, I've entered many contests and I've won a few of them. I've won cash prizes, a digital camera, movie tickets, performance tickets, and traditional souvenirs.

Happy traveling :)

Hydra and Romantic Nights

Hydra isn't as famous as Santorini for being romantic and exotic, but believe me, Hydra looks like heaven on earth. We wanted to go to Santorini, but we couldn't because of a lack of time and money. Remember, I travel on a budget.

Getting to Hydra is very affordable and easy. We booked our ferry tickets in advance from Athens' port at Piraeus. We traveled with Flying Dolphin ferry. It cost 25 euros a ticket and the trip is about 90 minutes. The ferry wasn't bad for a short trip, but came a little later than scheduled.

Once you get off the ferry you will see a breathtaking view of Hydra. The white buildings, the hills and the Mediterranean. People there are very nice and helpful.

                                                                        The Harbor

There are no cars allowed in Hydra. On the land you can get around by foot or by hiring a donkey to carry your bags for 10-15 euros up front from the harbor.

To get around in water you can take a shuttle boat for 3 euros (not working in winter), or a water taxi, which is more expensive.

The harbor area is lively. Restaurants, cafes, shops, a bank, ferry ticket office, a museum – pretty much everything is there. It wasn't very crowded in winter. It was beautiful and calm.

Sleeping in Hydra:

We stayed at Nereids Guest House. Just a few minutes' walk from the harbor. It was simply perfect. Our room was on the third floor with a view of half of the island. You could sit on the terrace area to enjoy the lovely breeze and listen to the leaves shaking. The guesthouse doesn't offer breakfast, but there are small grocery stores everywhere on the island so we just bought bread and cheese, sat on the terrace and had breakfast. The owner was nice and helpful. The only negative thing I would say is the wifi was broken most of the time. I heard the slow internet connection was all over the island.

http://www.nereids-hydra.com/en-index.html

                                                            The View from the Terrace

Eating in Hydra:

As I mentioned before, there are a lot of restaurants along the harbor. You can walk around and check the menus and prices.

Psaropoula restaurant offers you dinner on the top floor. You can enjoy the view of the island. The food was tasty and the service was outstanding. I asked if they have pastitsio, which wasn't on the menu and the chef nicely made it just for me. And the dessert was on the house, which was yummy.

                                                                           Pastitsio

                                                                  Chocolate Dessert

You can hike to Kaminia village, just 10-15 minutes from Hydra town. In between the way from the harbor to the beach, there's Kodylenia's Taverna restaurant, which is a family restaurant. The fish dishes were so expensive that we couldn't afford them. However, the starters were at reasonable prices from 4-10 euros and that what we got. The location of the restaurant was perfect. You could see the small fishing boats while dining. The food was ok, but I wasn't impressed with the food or the service.

                                                                Red Pepper and Cheese

Things to do in Hydra:

A visit to the Historical Archives Museum. The museum has a big collection of Hydra's history. Cost 5 euros a ticket. Opens daily from March-October 9:00-4:00 and from November-February from 8:00-3:00.

Beaches:

The water was a little cold in winter but it was still nice to walk barefoot and feel the waves on your feet.

Spilia beach, which is the only swimming beach in town. It was a very basic beach, no showers or changing rooms.

Mandraki beach is located to the east of Hydra. It's a private beach dominated by the hotel Miramare. Kaminia Castello beach is located to the west of town. Vlychos beach located past Kaminia, you can rent a chair and an umbrella for 3 euros each.

Hike to the 6 monasteries and the churches of Hydra. Unfortunately I had a foot injury and couldn't hike to the monasteries, but I heard they are beautiful.

                                                             A Church in Hydra Town 

As for the night life, there are a lot of bars by the harbor.

Hydra was the place to be on Valentine’s day. It was romantic and gorgeous. Highly recommended for an affordable romantic destination in Greece.  

Greece, the Land of Gods: Athens

Greece has always been my dream country. It's very close to Egypt culturally and geographically. After all, Alexandria was named after Alexander the Great. Funny thing is that I never got a chance to visit Greece when I was living in Egypt.

From Athens airport you can take a train to downtown Athens. It's about 7 Euros per ticket. The trip takes about 1 hour.

English is widely spoken there, so you don't have to worry about the language. And Greeks are very nice.

Being in Athens, especially downtown and the harbor area, was a little bit hard on me. It looked like home. Many Greeks looked like Egyptians, it smelled like home, and the food was very close to Egyptian food.

Greece is an absolutely gorgeous country. We visited in February, but it felt like autumn, with bright sun, beautiful weather during the day and a little bit of wind at night. I didn't have to wear my winter jacket during the day in Athens.

Visiting the Acropolis:

12 Euros a ticket from the Acropolis ticket office. They don't accept credit cards, so make sure you have cash with you.

Open daily Sep-May from 8:00-5:00 and from June-Aug 8:00 AM-8:00 PM.

The closing time is 5:00pm but they kicked visitors out at 4:30.

I recommend visiting the Acropolis after 3:00pm. It was quiet and not crowded. Being up there is like being in the sky, you get to see Athens from the top.

The Acropolis Museum:

Unfortunately we couldn't visit this one. It's closed on Monday and we didn't know about it. I heard it's very amazing.

Cost 5 euros per ticket.

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 to 8:00. Friday until 10:00pm.

National Archaeological Museum:

Cost 7 euros a ticket. Opens: Tuesday-Sunday from 9:00-5:00. Monday from 1:30-8:00. May open later in the summer or close earlier in winter.

You can spend the entire day there looking at the exhibits easily. From ancient Greece, ancient Egypt to ancient Rome. Totally amazing.

The Museum Garden cafe in front of the building is pricey. For cheaper food/coffee option, just walk out of the museum for 1 minute and you'll find a lot of cafes in the area.

                                                                  Poseidon/Zeus figure 

                                                              Aphrodite Beauty Divine  

Sleeping in Athens: 

We stayed at Cecil hotel for our first three nights in Athens. The hotel is located in the Monastiraki area, which is very central. It's a few minutes away from the market, 2 minutes away from subway and about 15 minutes away from the Acropolis. And that's it. The location is all this hotel has to offer. The wifi was broken for our 3-night stay. The bedroom floor was squeaking every time we walked. The bed was half broken and it almost collapsed while we were sleeping. The bathroom was tiny and the toilet flush was broken. The walls were so thin that I could hear everything that was happening in the other rooms, literally. There were three guys working on different shifts at the front disk and only one of them was nice and smiling to the customers. The breakfast was okay.

For our last night in Athens we stayed at the Magna Grecia Boutique Hotel in the Plaka area. The rooms with the Acropolis view are more expensive. The hotel is cheaper off-peak season, also we got a good deal through Agoda. We got a room with the Acropolis view. The bed was very comfortable, the size of the room was nice, but the bathroom was tiny. The service was very good and pleasing. The breakfast was good with a beautiful view on the top of the roof. The lady who worked in the kitchen was very nice and smiled the whole time.

Eating in Athens:

My favorite two things in the world are traveling and eating ethnic food while traveling. Greek cuisine is simply delicious and you'll want to eat more and more of it.

You can get gyros, pita wraps with chicken, beef or pork and fries, everywhere in Athens. They're delicious and cheap, and start from 2 euros.

                                                                         Gyros

Eating at O Nikitas restaurant near the Monastiraki area, such a wonderful experience. When you walk by the restaurant and its outdoor tables, you would think the place doesn't look like much. However, the smell of food will stop you. You'll take a table and order food. Then while you're eating you will want to hug the chef. I had an orzo and beef dish, and it tasted heavenly. This dish brought tears to my eyes, it tasted like my mom's cooking. I couldn't believe how something that simple tasted that good. The menu was at reasonable prices. I highly recommend eating there.

                                                           Beef and orzo, amazing taste

Grand Dionysus cafe/restaurant/ grill-house. Downtown Athens, Patission8 and Gladstonos2. You can sit outdoors or indoors. I had the best cappuccino in the entire trip there. The grilled meat was tasty and the service was good. The menu offers reasonable prices.

                                                    lamb Fingers. In Egypt we call it Kofta

Lontos restaurant in Thissio, near the Plaka area. You can dine with the Acropolis view. Loved everything about this restaurant. The penne pasta was cooked to perfection. The lamb chop was tender and juicy and the moussaka was yummy. The only thing that bothered me was that the waiter asked for a tip. We were going to give a tip anyway, I just didn't like the way he asked for it.

                                                                        Lamb Chop

                                                                   Chicken Penne

Kotili Restaurant in the Plaka area was decent and a bit pricey. It had live music and that was the best thing about it. The moussaka there was fantastic, better than Lontos'. The service was okay. The waiter opened a bottle of water and brought us bread without asking us first, and of course we had to pay for it.

                                                                      Moussaka

Unfortunately all of the restaurants in the Plaka area serve the same dishes. The restaurants have guys who stand in the streets and try to push you to get inside their restaurants. Be aware that those might lie to you. My friend who visited Greece before recommended that I should have pastitsio. So while we were walking in the Monastiraki area one of those guys in front of the restaurants talked to us and we asked if they serve pastitsio. He lied and said they do. We got inside to find out they don't and we left.

Getting Around the City: 

For 6 euros for adults and 4 euros for children, you can ride the happy hour train that takes you to more than 15 ancient sights and monuments. It's really great after a long day of walking around and when you can't walk any more.

http://www.athenshappytrain.com/en-athens-sightseeing.html

Churches offer free admission and you can enjoy the amazing artwork inside.

In Plaka and Monastiraki areas you can shop for religious items, cloths, souvenirs and post cards, jewelry, and fancy clothes, including fur coats.

Have fun in Athens. I miss it already.