Athens Travel Guide
Vital Statistics
Population: 3,130,841
Time Zone: CET +2
Temperatures: Average High – 22.5C/72.5F, Average Low – 12.3C/54.1F
Currency: Euro
Twinned with: Barcelona, Los Angeles, Bethlehem, Chicago, Naples, Seoul
Official Language: Greek
CAPITAL of Greece, Athens is one of the world’s oldest cities.
Despite its age, the large urban area has a terrific mix of the ancient and the modern within its boundaries. With so much history lying within and around Athens, it is easy to forget that this cosmopolitan metropolis is central to the economic, financial and industrial Euro zone.
History
Classical Athens was an extremely powerful and developed state. It was formerly a centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, and was the home to developed thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle.
Known as the birthplace of democracy, and an important starting block in western civilization, the recorded history of Athens spans around 3,400 years in time.
The Greek capital has continually inhabited citizens for at least 7000 years, but Athens became a leading city around 5th century BC with cultural achievements laying the foundations for bronze and iron age civilization.
Following the Greek war of independence, Athens was chosen as the capital of the newly created state in 1834. This date saw the beginning of the city’s expansion at the foot of the Acropolis, and throughout the 19th and 20th centuries it grew and prospered to become a much more functional and progressive capital.
The Athens we visit today was largely shaped by its expansion in this era.
Transport
The 2004 Athens Olympics helped to modernise the city into the transportation hub which it currently is.
The Attiko Metro is a useful system for travelling around the Greek capital, but the proximity of most of the sights to the city centre means that going ‘underground’ is not always necessary.
City busses run around the traffic laden streets of Athens, but the amount of transport on the road often means that this is not always the most efficient way to get around.
Athens is served well by both air and sea links. Eleftherios Venizios International Airport can be found on the outskirts of the city and there are good links between the airport and the main hub of Athens. Ferries depart and arrive at the major port of Pireaus, located slightly west of Greater Athens.
City Highlights
Sites in and around Athens are in great supply.
Most relate to the city’s ancient past, but modern events such as the Olympics and European Football Championships have meant expenditure on new opportunities for tourism.
The Parthenon
Perhaps the most iconic ancient site in Europe, the Parthenon is the marble temple completed in 438BC which sits atop the city’s noticeable Acropolis. At the centre of the city, views from the top of the Acropolis area offer spectacular looks over the city whilst being an architectural marvel close up.
Temple of the Olympian Zeus
A ruined temple dedicated to Zeus, King of the Olympian Gods, presents a good opportunity to look at one of Ancient Greece’s wonders at close quarters. At the base of the Acropolis it is similarly spectacular to view as the more famous temple.
National Archaeological Museum
Hosting several of the most important finds discovered at Greece’s historic archaeological sites, the museum has an excellent collection of pottery, figurines and jewellery. The large building also holds a number of statues from the classical, Hellenistic and Roman period.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Although unused other than in the yearly festival of Athens, the theatre of Dionysas is a fantastic example of Greek architecture. Constructed of stone and marble in 161AD, the theatre demonstrates a proud history of the arts in Athens.
Panathenaic Stadium
Lying between two pine covered hills in an upmarket section of Athens, the stadium was originally built in 4BC. Reconstructed in pentelic marble, the current structure commemorates the original site of the Greek stadium. A guided audio tour offers you history lesson, and an opportunity to climb to the top of the impressive structure.
Others May Like
Athens has plenty of tour operators offering trips to the many sites outside of the city. The classic Greece site of Delphi or the costal temple of Cape Sounion are both worth the travel time, but plenty of things offer themselves up should you wish to stay close to the city. The Athens market is filled with the hustle and bustle of Greece’s past, and for a more modern feel of Greece, head out to the 2004 Olympic complex which can be toured by groups of fifteen people and over.
Food and Drink
Events through the ages in Athens have been marked by culinary ‘discoveries’. Greek gastronomy has led to a rich and varied selection of dishes, all of which are available in many of the local restaurants and taverns. The city’s close proximity to Pireus also presents the opportunity for Athens to offer plenty of seafood outlets, and in many of the Greek food outlets, seafood is the main focus of the menu.
Those less willing to embrace traditional culinary offerings will find a wide range of tourist restaurants serving well known dishes, most of these can be found in close proximity to the major archaeological sites.
Ouzo is perhaps the most known traditional Greek beverage. To be sipped straight out of a shot glass it makes a good accompaniment to seafood. Many of the popular brands of the drink can be found in rural areas alongside other local favourites such as retsina and metaxa.
Population: 3,130,841
Time Zone: CET +2
Temperatures: Average High – 22.5C/72.5F, Average Low – 12.3C/54.1F
Currency: Euro
Twinned with: Barcelona, Los Angeles, Bethlehem, Chicago, Naples, Seoul
Official Language: Greek
CAPITAL of Greece, Athens is one of the world’s oldest cities.
Despite its age, the large urban area has a terrific mix of the ancient and the modern within its boundaries. With so much history lying within and around Athens, it is easy to forget that this cosmopolitan metropolis is central to the economic, financial and industrial Euro zone.
History
Classical Athens was an extremely powerful and developed state. It was formerly a centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, and was the home to developed thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle.
Known as the birthplace of democracy, and an important starting block in western civilization, the recorded history of Athens spans around 3,400 years in time.
The Greek capital has continually inhabited citizens for at least 7000 years, but Athens became a leading city around 5th century BC with cultural achievements laying the foundations for bronze and iron age civilization.
Following the Greek war of independence, Athens was chosen as the capital of the newly created state in 1834. This date saw the beginning of the city’s expansion at the foot of the Acropolis, and throughout the 19th and 20th centuries it grew and prospered to become a much more functional and progressive capital.
The Athens we visit today was largely shaped by its expansion in this era.
Transport
The 2004 Athens Olympics helped to modernise the city into the transportation hub which it currently is.
The Attiko Metro is a useful system for travelling around the Greek capital, but the proximity of most of the sights to the city centre means that going ‘underground’ is not always necessary.
City busses run around the traffic laden streets of Athens, but the amount of transport on the road often means that this is not always the most efficient way to get around.
Athens is served well by both air and sea links. Eleftherios Venizios International Airport can be found on the outskirts of the city and there are good links between the airport and the main hub of Athens. Ferries depart and arrive at the major port of Pireaus, located slightly west of Greater Athens.
City Highlights
Sites in and around Athens are in great supply.
Most relate to the city’s ancient past, but modern events such as the Olympics and European Football Championships have meant expenditure on new opportunities for tourism.
The Parthenon
Perhaps the most iconic ancient site in Europe, the Parthenon is the marble temple completed in 438BC which sits atop the city’s noticeable Acropolis. At the centre of the city, views from the top of the Acropolis area offer spectacular looks over the city whilst being an architectural marvel close up.
Temple of the Olympian Zeus
A ruined temple dedicated to Zeus, King of the Olympian Gods, presents a good opportunity to look at one of Ancient Greece’s wonders at close quarters. At the base of the Acropolis it is similarly spectacular to view as the more famous temple.
National Archaeological Museum
Hosting several of the most important finds discovered at Greece’s historic archaeological sites, the museum has an excellent collection of pottery, figurines and jewellery. The large building also holds a number of statues from the classical, Hellenistic and Roman period.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Although unused other than in the yearly festival of Athens, the theatre of Dionysas is a fantastic example of Greek architecture. Constructed of stone and marble in 161AD, the theatre demonstrates a proud history of the arts in Athens.
Panathenaic Stadium
Lying between two pine covered hills in an upmarket section of Athens, the stadium was originally built in 4BC. Reconstructed in pentelic marble, the current structure commemorates the original site of the Greek stadium. A guided audio tour offers you history lesson, and an opportunity to climb to the top of the impressive structure.
Others May Like
Athens has plenty of tour operators offering trips to the many sites outside of the city. The classic Greece site of Delphi or the costal temple of Cape Sounion are both worth the travel time, but plenty of things offer themselves up should you wish to stay close to the city. The Athens market is filled with the hustle and bustle of Greece’s past, and for a more modern feel of Greece, head out to the 2004 Olympic complex which can be toured by groups of fifteen people and over.
Food and Drink
Events through the ages in Athens have been marked by culinary ‘discoveries’. Greek gastronomy has led to a rich and varied selection of dishes, all of which are available in many of the local restaurants and taverns. The city’s close proximity to Pireus also presents the opportunity for Athens to offer plenty of seafood outlets, and in many of the Greek food outlets, seafood is the main focus of the menu.
Those less willing to embrace traditional culinary offerings will find a wide range of tourist restaurants serving well known dishes, most of these can be found in close proximity to the major archaeological sites.
Ouzo is perhaps the most known traditional Greek beverage. To be sipped straight out of a shot glass it makes a good accompaniment to seafood. Many of the popular brands of the drink can be found in rural areas alongside other local favourites such as retsina and metaxa.