We're looking for a good taverna in the Skala/Katelios area. It seems like there are plenty of restaurants around, but a lot of them cater to British tourists with pizza, pasta, and English breakfasts. I can't find an authentic one with grilled octopus, sardines/anchovies, or local catches. We could travel further out if we have to.
We arrive at the Athens airport at 9:00 PM, plan to pick up our rental car around 10:00 PM, and then drive into the city center to stay for two nights. Early on the third morning, we’ll leave Athens to start our road trip. We will not use the car while we are in Athens but will just walk or use public transportation.
You might suggest taking a metro or taxi to the city center and picking up the car later, but we feel going back and forth to the airport is inconvenient. Surprisingly, renting the car for two extra days is hundreds of Euros cheaper than renting it for two fewer days, for reasons I don't quite understand. Since we have luggage, we would need a taxi instead of the metro anyway, so having the car saves us that fare also.
My main concern is driving inside Athens. Everyone says it’s horrible, but will just going in and out be that difficult? What is traffic like after 10:00 PM? Will it still be busy, and are the streets well-lit? We are planning this for June, so the days will be long.