Author: Celeste

Every holiday in Greece is celebrated with lots of food, symbols, and traditions. This is the same for welcoming the New Year. In this post, I have listed the most important New Year traditions in Greece. New Year traditions in Greece: Celebrating the name day of Agios Vassilis The most important of all New Year Traditions in Greece is the name day of Saint Basil or Agios Vassilis, the Greek Santa. Saint Basil arrives a week after Christmas and brings presents for the children on New Year’s Eve. Basil the Great was born 330 AD and is one of the…

Related blog post about the most important family Christmas traditions and customs: Christmas-holidays-in-greece-with-kids In order to get the most out of Christmas in Athens with your kids, plan ahead to buy tickets, make reservations, and ensure you’re not shut out of any of the activities that make the city a magical place to visit at Christmastime. Thinking about an Athens Christmas break? This list of my favourite tried & tested Christmas activities in Athens will get you started. Free family activities in Athens This Christmas, the City of Athens prepared an events program dedicated to “Love with our Angels as…

Christmas dinner in Athens and the bliss of the holidays. The sheer, serene joy of not having to plan several weeks in advance a meal that will take about an hour to demolish. Not having to order a turkey or free-range goose before it’s too late. Enjoy a relaxing festive family meal together without the fuss and clean-up! Christmas dinner in Athens Are you traveling to Athens for the Christmas period, and looking for a place to celebrate the holidays? Or do you live in Athens and are looking to have Christmas dinner in a restaurant or hotel instead of…

Update April 2022: The Athens Hilton has closed for reconstruction. The building is set to reopen under the name Conrad Athens at the end of 2024. It had been a while since our last family meal at the Byzantino Restaurant. And thus we ventured out to the Athens Hilton Hotel in the city center on a rainy Sunday in November. The hotel’s celebrated Byzantino Restaurant prides itself on being a ‘family-friendly haven’ during Sundays. This, and the fact it’s a bright, spacious venue with excellent food, service, and indoor parking, has made it a hot destination for quality family time during the…

If your heart sinks every time you have to ask for the menu in English – with pictures – it’s time to do something about it… It is never too late to learn Greek. If you’re worried about spending all your precious time in a boring classroom, don’t be. Kids in Greece recently added a brand new service to their portfolio. Glossa Pals offers Greek language tutors to foreign visitors and expats in Greece, whether you are here for a holiday or a longer stay. The Glossa Pal language friend will be at your place or your holiday destination to…

Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, and a very long to-do list. For those looking to avoid the fuss, relax and let a chef take care of the cooking! There are several international hotels, restaurants, and organizations in Athens organizing Thanksgiving dinner. I have selected some of my favorite places suitable for celebrating Thanksgiving with family. Here is your guide to my favorite Thanksgiving dinner venues in Athens for 2018. From all-day lunch/dinner at the elegant GB Roof Garden Bar and the mouthwatering buffet at the Byzantino Restaurant complete with a turkey carving station to mind-blowing Acropolis views at the St.…

October 28 is a National Memorial Day in Greece. It is called ΟΧΙ Day or NO Day. What does it mean, and what is going on in Greece on this special day? What does Οχι Day mean? Greek: Επέτειος του οχι – The anniversary of ‘NO’ Οχι Day on October 28 commemorates the anniversary of an important moment in Greek modern history. It’s been described as the day when former military general and Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas said no – ‘Οχι’ – to an ultimatum made by Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini to allow Italian forces to occupy strategic locations…

It does not often rain in Athens. The city has a dry climate with hot summers and soft sunny winters. This means that it only rains in fall and in spring. We love finding mud puddles when it rains. They are great fun and there are many parks in Athens to find them. Prefer to stay dry? Find some indoor fun where the mini citizens of the Greek capital can let go of their energy. Here are some of my favorite things to do with kids in Athens on a rainy day! 1. Visit a shopping mall I am not…

A Grecotel family-friendly resort! Over the years we had a chance to visit several resorts of the Greek Grecotel luxury hotel chain. Last summer we went to Grecotel Olympia Riviera Resort and more recently to LUX Me Daphnila Bay Dassia in Corfu. The resorts of Grecotel have never been disappointing. At the end of this summer, we wanted one more relaxing escape before school would start. One more old-fashioned beach holiday – somewhere to stay, relax and spend quality time together. It had to be close to our hometown Athens and fun for all of us. We found this at the new Grecotel…

Family-friendly Daphne’s Club Hotel Apartments in Xylokastro is run by Daphne, a lady with unbridled energy and vision. Not only for her hotel but for the whole region in which it is located. She has turned a vintage hotel from the seventies into a child-friendly haven of peace and creativity. A place where you immediately feel at home and where you can be active but also relax. Daphne’s Club Hotel Apartments: location Daphne’s Club is conveniently located just a stone’s throw from a pebble beach and pine forest on the Gulf of Corinth near Xylokastro (the tourist and cultural center…

Me and my family recently went to explore the East of Crete. It took us a good while to get to our destination since we live in the exact opposite side of the island. We decided to stay at the family-friendly Blue Marine Resort and Spa Hotel. The Blue Marine Resort and Spa Hotel After our 3 1/2 hour drive the kids didn’t want to leave the hotel. You see the pool had the shape of a huge fish and the view below made the rest of us agree to the plan of relaxation for the day. We much enjoyed the…

Athens is great for families, but it can be very warm during the summer. In the article, I share my insider summer tips for Athens with kids! When to go? July and August are the months that most people come to Greece. These are also the hottest months of the year, with July being the hottest. For a family vacation with babies and young children, it is, therefore, best to visit Greece in May/June or in September/October. Not only is the temperature child- friendlier, it is less crowded at the holiday destinations too. The Greeks go on vacation in July…