3 Day Travel Itinerary in Athens for Craft and Food Lovers

Athens’ thriving creative community merits more time than a stopover before heading to the islands. A prime example—and place to visit on a trip here—is the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum. It tells the story of the eponymous jeweler who founded the legendary brand. Today, Ilias Lalaounis’ goldsmiths continue to use the jewelry-making techniques he revived, some tracing to the classical era.

Lalaounis’ work is the focus of a new Made Here by Afar episode hosted by Jenny Walton, the illustrator and vintage expert who debuted her first book, Jenny Sais Quoi, earlier this year. In this itinerary based on that video, you can visit the jewelry museum along with Melissinos Art, the third-generation sandal atelier that’s outfitted everyone from a First Lady to rock stars since 1920. This trip skips Athens’ well-covered territory for the workshops defining creativity in the city today.

Traveling to Athens is easy on American Airlines, with nonstop flights from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) operating seasonally starting in May. In addition, American offers summer seasonal service from Charlotte, Chicago, New York’s JFK, and Philadelphia.

Book with your Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive card to earn 4X AAdvantage® miles on eligible American Airlines purchases. Plus, it’s the only card with Admirals Club® membership, giving you a place to relax and unwind before takeoff. Walton is a fan of allowing for quiet time in the lounge rather than rushing straight to the gate.

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Itinerary / 3 DAYS

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Closeup of a jeweler's hands working with a small hammer at Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry

Trip Highlight

Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum

Lalaounis spent decades reviving goldsmithing methods few others still practice, and his studio and museum in Athens are where that work is on display. It’s also the studio behind the companion "Made Here by Afar" episode: the pieces in the video are the same ones sitting in the cases.

Dark gray Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Mastercard

Trip Designer

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive card

This itinerary is presented by the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive card. Beyond the 12X miles you can earn on eligible AAdvantage Hotels® bookings, everyday purchases—like a pair of hand-cut sandals or a piece of jewelry made using techniques passed down for generations—also earn AAdvantage® miles along the way.

Blonde woman with navy blue and white headscarf in a long sleeve navy dress with yellow patterned purse stands in front of a yellow building with a black door with two yellow patterned windows. — Walton walking in Athens (L) and jewelry by Ilias Lalaounis (R)

Day 1:Visit the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum

Check into the stylish Zillers Boutique Hotel. With your Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive card, you can earn 12X AAdvantage® miles on eligible AAdvantage Hotels® bookings. Then, head to the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum, a working showcase of jewelry made using granulation, filigree, and hand-weaving, all methods with ancient roots.

From there, make the short walk to Melissinos Art in Makrygianni, near the Acropolis Museum. Founded in 1920 by Georgios Melissinos and now run by his grandson Pantelis, this sandal-making workshop doubles as an art gallery, with Pantelis’ own paintings on the walls and a baby grand piano in the corner. Sandals are cut and fitted on-site, custom or ready-to-wear.

Finish the day at the award-winning Zillers Rooftop Gastronomy for dinner, with a view of the Acropolis lit up in the distance. Chef Vasilis Roussos runs two tasting menus, Synecdoche and Synthesis, both built on traditional Greek flavors with a modern, technique-driven twist—the Prawn Valley, raw prawns with tomato sauce, bergamot, and kumquat, is the dish reviewers keep coming back to.

Walton at AbraOvata on the natural geothermal Lake Vouliagmeni

Day 2:Day Trip to the Athens Riviera

Head out of the city center for a day on the Athens Riviera, a region about 30 minutes outside of the city that’s been experiencing a revival. Asteria in Glyfada has a beach club and an adults-only pool. Have lunch at the onsite Bungalow 7, where chef Dinos Fotinakis’ Mediterranean-Japanese menu plays out against mid-century glamour that nods to the original Asteria’s 1960s heyday. Order the lobster tempura sushi with oscetra caviar if it’s on the menu.

By late afternoon, head to AbraOvata on Lake Vouliagmeni—a natural geothermal lake—for a sunset dinner. The restaurant is named for a rare shell found in that lake, and chef John Skotidas’ menu leans into Greek seafood with Latin American and Asian inflections. The seafood paella is the dish to share.

Blonde woman holding a camera and wearing goldenrod shawl in the Park of the Torn Stone — Walton at the Park of the Torn Stone

Day 3:See the Views from the Park of the Torn Stone

Start the last morning with a frappé, a frothy iced coffee popular in Greece, and freshly baked pastries at Neropistolo, a concept that Athens designer Costas Voyatzis helped create. Then, shop Crini & Sophia for hand-painted tableware, linens, and Murano glass in Kolonaki, the city’s high-end shopping district. Here, you can wander side streets lined with ateliers like Lito, known for fine jewelry that reimagines ancient Greek talismans, and other boutiques selling handmade accessories such as leather goods.

Make your next stop at It’s a Shirt, a bespoke shirtmaker where a made-to-measure order makes for a memorable souvenir. Walk to Park of the Torn Stone, one of the city’s best sunset spots, for a view of the city that few travelers get to see.

Close the trip with dinner at Iodio, a dedicated Kolonaki seafood restaurant featuring mosaic floors and marble-topped tables, created by chef Georgianna Hiliadaki. Try the sea urchin pasta and tuna tartare. The homemade pistachio ice cream is well worth saving room for—or stroll to Tamara for Greek frozen yogurt.

Between hand-forged jewelry in Kolonaki’s shops and a sunset from one of the city’s best-kept secrets, Athens leaves you with keepsakes—and a view—you won’t find anywhere else.