Going to Athens may be one of the most culturally-rich experiences your family might have. Whether you’re doing some shopping in the winding streets of the Plaka, enjoying a fresh gyro sandwich at a local lunch joint, or marveling at some of the most important historical sites in all of Europe and perhaps the entire world, Athens has something for everybody.
This is precisely what makes Athens an awesome one-stop city for every family member to enjoy. The history-loving parent will find lots of ancient sites to explore and museums to learn from, the teenager craving the perfect instagram capture will find beautiful scenery and photo opportunities, and hipster foodie in your family will find all sorts of treats to delight all of those gastronomical senses.
So where’s the catch?
Well, to be frank, Athens is expensive. While Greece is touted to be one of the more budget-friendly major European countries, even just renting a hotel room can be quite pricey.
Not to mention that you’ll have to account for all sorts of other costs when it comes to planning your activities. Entrance fees, expensive dining options, and boat tours can all make the trip hard on the wallet.
In my first trip to Athens on my own, I remember that taking a short cruise and paying for entrance fees alone added up to be a small fortune, not to mention the fact that I was paying for my hotel, food costs, and transportation.
It just ended up being quite pricey even as a solo traveler. Upon deciding to go back to Greece with my family, I came up with a plan to experience all of the above activities with them, but at a wallet-friendly budget that would still allow us to do all everything but without the cost of paying for a hotel.
How is that even possible?
Well, you can hire a yacht in Athens. Quite simply, it’s an easy-out. You get your Athens cruise and your shelter at the same time for the cost of basically, just a hotel. Surprisingly, the price of renting a yacht averages out to be about the same as staying at a hotel. So, why not just combine the cost of two separate budget items, sailing and accomodation, into one?
It’s not an immediately obvious solution, but it works. Not to mention the fact that most of these yachts come with a kitchen, so you could even save on the cost of some meals by opting to prepare your lunch and then go out for dinner.
For my family, we prefer to take our morning easy so we’ll just sleep in late, fry up some eggs onboard, and then venture out to explore the city and have lunch out. We save on the cost of breakfast, have an awesome time cooking together, and then start the day.
Bond with your family, save money
Sailing together is also an awesome family bonding experience. Whether you’re a parent that wants to teach their kids about teamwork or you’re an adult child that wants to treat their hard-working parents, there is always room to bond and grow together when you’re sharing a yacht or a sailboat.
For those with older family members that might not be able to spend quite so much time being out and about, having a yacht with onboard kitchen facilities allows more flexibility to take a break in your schedule to go back onboard, relax, cook up some food, and then venture out once more after a nice break.
You also get your share of watersports experiences when you decide to rent a boat. You can go snorkeling together, or if you rent a smaller boat, you could attach a kneeboard to the back and experience an adrenaline rush like no other.
It just opens you up to more experiences and possibilities in tailoring your holiday to suit your family’s needs.