Rick Steves Pocket Athens - 5th Edition (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Make the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves! This colorful, compact guidebook is perfect for spending a week or less in Athens:

• City walks and tours: Five detailed tours and walks showcase Athens's essential sights, including the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, the National Archaeological Museum, and more
• Rick's strategic advice on what experiences are worth your time and money
• What to eat and where to stay: Sip authentic ouzo at a sidewalk café, chat with locals over traditional Greek mezedes, and admire views of the Acropolis from your hotel rooftop
• Day-by-day itineraries to help you prioritize your time
• A detailed, detachable fold-out map, plus museum and city maps throughout
• Full-color, portable, and slim for exploring on-the-go
• Trip-planning practicalities like when to go, how to get around on public transit, basic Greek phrases, and more

Lightweight yet packed with valuable insight into Athens's history and culture, Rick Steves Pocket Athens truly is a tour guide in your pocket.

Expanding your trip? Try Rick Steves Greece!

Review Quotes

"...his books deserve to be in the pop-history canon. Steves possesses a surprisingly strong authorial voice, one that permeates through the expected contrivances of a typical guidebook."

--Slate

"...he's become the unofficial guide for entire generations of North American travelers, beloved for his earnest attitude and dad jeans."--Outside Magazine

"[Rick Steves'] neighborhood walks are always fun and informative. His museum guides, complete with commentary about historic sculpture and storied artworks are wonderful and add another dimension to sometimes stodgy, hard-to-comprehend museums."--NBC News

"[Rick Steves] laces his guides with short and vivid histories and a scholar's appreciation for Renaissance art yet knows the best place to start an early tapas crawl in Madrid if you have kids. His clear, hand-drawn maps are Pentagon-worthy; his hints about how to go directly to the best stuff at the Uffizi, avoid the crowds at Versailles and save money everywhere are guilt-free."--TIME Magazine

"Every country-specific travel guidebook from the Rick Steves publishing empire can be counted upon for clear organization, specificity and timeliness."--Society of American Travel Writers

"His books offer the equivalent of a bus tour without the bus, with boiled-down itineraries and step-by-step instructions on where to go and how to get there, but adding a dash of humor and an element of choice that his travelers find empowering."--The New York Times

"His guidebooks are approachable, silly, and even subtly provocative in their insistence that Americans show respect for the people and places they are visiting and not the other way around."--The New Yorker

"His penchant for creating meaningful experiences for travelers to Europe is as passionate as his inclination for making ethical choices his guiding light."--Forbes

"Pick the best accommodations and restaurants from Rick Steves...and a traveler searching for good values will seldom go wrong or be blindsided."--NBC News

"Steves is a walking, talking European encyclopedia who yearns to inspire Americans to venture 'beyond Orlando.'"--Forbes

"Steves is an absolute master at unlocking the hidden gems of the world's greatest cities, towns, and monuments."--USA Today

"The country's foremost expert in European travel for Americans."--Forbes

"Travel, to Steves, is not some frivolous luxury--it is an engine for improving humankind, for connecting people and removing their prejudices, for knocking distant cultures together to make unlikely sparks of joy and insight. Given that millions of people have encountered the work of Steves over the last 40 years, on TV or online or in his guidebooks, and that they have carried those lessons to untold other millions of people, it is fair to say that his life's work has had a real effect on the collective life of our planet."--The New York Times Magazine

About the Author

Since 1973, Rick Steves has spent about 100 days a year exploring Europe. His mission: to empower Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. Rick produces a best-selling guidebook series, a public television series, and a public radio show, and organizes small-group tours that take over 30,000 travelers to Europe annually. He does all of this with the help of more than 100 well-traveled staff members at Rick Steves' Europe in Edmonds, WA (near Seattle). When not on the road, Rick is active in his church and with advocacy groups focused on economic and social justice, drug policy reform, and ending hunger. To recharge, Rick plays piano, relaxes at his family cabin in the Cascade Mountains, and spends time with his son Andy, daughter Jackie, grandsons Atlas and Dashel, and favorite travel partner Shelley. Find out more about Rick at RickSteves.com and on Facebook.

Connect with Rick:
facebook.com/RickSteves
Twitter: @RickSteves
Instagram: ricksteveseurope

Cameron Hewitt was born in Denver and grew up in central Ohio. Since moving to Seattle and joining Rick Steves' Europe (where he serves as content manager) in 2000, Cameron has traveled to more than 35 European countries, contributing to guidebooks, tours, radio and television shows, and other media. Cameron is married to his high school sweetheart (and favorite travel partner), Shawna, and enjoys taking photos, trying new restaurants, and planning his next trip.

Gene Openshaw has co-authored more than a dozen books with Rick, specializing in Europe's art, history, and culture. In particular, their Europe 101: History and Art for the Traveler and Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces have helped bring European art to life. Gene also writes for Rick's television shows, produces the audio tours, and is a regular guest on Rick's radio show. For public TV, Gene has co-authored two television specials with Rick: Fascism in Europe and the ambitious six-hour series Art of Europe. Outside of the travel world, Gene has composed an opera called Matter, a violin sonata, and dozens of songs. Gene lives near Seattle, where he roots for the Mariners in good times and bad. Check out his latest book on art, travel, and love: Michelangelo at Midlife.