4 Nights in athens
Exciting and exasperating, worldly and oh so hot, Athens is a city that attacks the senses and stirs the spirit as only the cradle of Western Civilization can. Homeland to gods, goddesses and some of the world's greatest philosophers and athletes, Athens also boasts iconic ancient temples like the Acropolis and its iconic Parthenon, and glorious parks and beaches. Forever the city of a thousand contradictions, Athens is one of the few ancient cities in the world where the cutting edge, the hip, and the modern can suddenly coexist so harmoniously with the classical, complementing each other to near perfection. You may know Athens, Georgia as home to R.E.M. and the B-52s, the city Rolling Stone named "#1 College Music Scene in America." Nestled below the Blue Ridge Mountains, 70 miles from Atlanta, Athens is a harmony of old and new: wedding-perfect Antebellum architecture, contemporary art and eclectic nightlife, a Victorian-era downtown teeming with funky shops and one of the South's most progressive culinary scenes. Athens prides itself for being considered as the “Cradle of Civilization” since it was the birthplace of democracy, western philosophy, Olympic games, political science, Western literature, major mathematical principles and theater. It is also believed that the city has been around for so long, it has tried nearly every form of government known to this day. The first Olympic games were held in Athens in 776 BC. People would come from all over Greece to watch the games where the winners were given olive wreaths. As you explore Athens, try to make the city your own. Walk its streets; take in its scents; linger in its sidewalk cafes, courtyard gardens, squares, and rooftop terraces; take in a show in an ancient open-air theater, or an avant-garde performance, concert, or art exhibition at one of the new multipurpose arts complexes; or enjoy a movie under the stars. Climb its mountains, swim in its waters, visit its ancient temples and Byzantine churches, try its food and its nightlife, and see as many museums as you can. Beautiful and gritty, ancient and modern, sultry and restless, seductive and unforgettable, you will find yourself longing to return to her embrace -- Welcome to Athens.
Within City Walls
City Tour
See the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896. Pass by the Presidential residence guarded by the Euzones in their colorful uniform, the Temple of the Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian’s Arch, the Parliament and the memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Academy, the University, the National Library, Constitution Square (Syntagma). In the Acropolis visit the Architectural Masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and finally the Parthenon. Admire the statues and wonders of the classical era: the New Acropolis Museum. |
For the Kids
The child friendly Athens has many attractions including Allou Fun Park, Kidom, Hellenic Cosmos, Karaghiozis Puppet Shows, Museum of Greek Children's Art, Attica Zoological Park. It might surprise some of you to know that Athens has the world's finest, most modern, and well-equipped planetarium. The New Eugenides Digital Planetarium is a 280-seat ultramodern auditorium with many shows daily and IMAX movies. The ride up Mount Likavitos on the cable-car railway (teleferique) is often a hit with kids. Many small parks, gardens (National Gardens) are scattered throughout Athens, |
Acropolis / Parthenon
Even if you don't care about archaeology or the fact that if it were not for the ancient Greeks you might be living in a far less civilized way, you can't come to Athens and not visit the Acropolis and see the Parthenon. There are actually Athenians who have never climbed the steps to see one of the wonders of the ancient world, the reason millions of people come to their city, It was the most perfect building built by the world's most advanced civilization and even though we have been studying it for centuries we are still not sure how they did it. Oh yeah and Don't forget the new Acropolis Museum. |
Mount Lycabettus
Maybe you took one look at this green mountain rising out of the center of Athens and said to yourself "I hope there is nothing important up there because I really don't feel like climbing a mountain". There is something important up there. An amazing view. Also a great cafe, not to mention an ampitheatre where you can see such renown acts as Peter Gabriel, James Brown, and many other acts. There is no more impressive place to see your favorite band or musician. And you don't have to climb. There is a strange looking train that will take you almost to the top. Walking down is a lot of fun and not such a daunting task. |
The Plaka
The Plaka is the oldest section of Athens. Most of the streets have been closed to automobile traffic, though you should still keep a watchful eye for a speeding motorcycle or delivery truck. At one time it was the nightclub district, but most of these closed down when the government out-lawed amplified music in the area in the seventies in an effort to get rid of undesirables. The strategy was very successful and it is now an area of restaurants, Jewelry stores tourist shops, and cafes. There are several museums in the Plaka of special note the Children's Museum, the Music Museum, the Greek Folk Art Museum and the Jewish Museum. The Plaka is full of street musicians, flower sellers, photographers and people who sell beads or will write your name on a grain of rice. Cine Paris, outdoor movie theater |
Central Market
No matter how you feel about fish, meat and vegetables you won't find a more lively place than the Central market on Athinas Street. Whether you come early in the morning to watch the trucks unload because you are jet-lagged and suffer from insomnia or you visit between 7am and 1 pm with the majority of the Athenian shoppers, a walk through the market will probably change how you feel about shopping and may make you wish you had an apartment with a kitchen so you could join in. The restaurants in the meat market can't be beat for good food at a cheap price at any time of the day or night. And if that is not enough the Market is also the beginning of Athens Chinatown and Eolou Street, the pedestrian shopping district. But watch your wallet or handbag when wandering through the crowds. |
Monastiraki Flea Market
It is not really a flea market in the way most of us think of them, except when people seem to come from the hills to lay out their blankets and sell all sorts of stuffthat may be junk to you but of real value to someone else. Its a mob scene but worth the experience even if you just sit in the cafes overlooking the ancient agora and the metro tracks on Adrianou Street watching the parade of shoppers, street musicians and African bootleg DVD sellers running from the cops. During the week it an assortment of tourist shops, clothing stores, fur and jewerly stores dotted with some pretty interesting shops, especially if you like vintage vinyl and rare CDs or really stupid T-shirts. Monastiraki Square is still one of the most lively squares in Athens and at night it is filled with young people, street venders and pickpockets. |
National Museum
The National Archaeological Museum ranks among the top ten museums in the world. Its impressive collection is housed in a beautiful neoclassic building near the juncture of Alexandras Avenue on Patission Avenue. There is a gift shop, and a cafe in the sculpture garden. It is a 45 minute walk from Syntagma but this is one of the great museums of the world, right up there with ummmmm, well those other great ones. You won't find a better collection of ancient Greek sculpture, jewelery, pottery, and the Antikythera Device, a 2000 year old computer found in the shipwreck off the island of Antikithera will have you wondering just how advanced those ancient Greeks actually were. Athens has a lot of museums and depending on your interest you may find another that is more interesting. Guide |
Even the most die-hard Athens fans might need a break from the city after a couple days, and thankfully there are plenty of places around perfect for day trips.
Delphi
Delphi in ancient times was considered the center of the known world, the place where heaven and earth met. The center of Delphi is sanctuary of Apollo. The theater was also built in the 4th century and further above is the large stadium which was famous for its chariot races, considered the best preserved in all of Greece. Take the scenic drive through Levadia and Arachova (famous for its bright multi-colored carpets). Tour the archaeological site and its museum of treasures, including the unique bronze Charioteer, and proceed along the Sacred Way to the Athenian Treasury. Visit the famous Temple of Apollo and the Castalia Spring, stopover at Levadia en route. So if you go to Delphi listen with your heart. |
Kessariani
Beautiful Kaisariani Monastery stands in a cool, bird-inhabited grove of pines and cypresses on the lower slopes of Mount Hymettus, famous for its beautiful marble and delicious honey. In fact, the 4th-century-A.D. philosopher Synesius of Cyrene tells the story that the Sophists lured students to their lectures "not by the fame of their eloquence, but by pots of honey from Hymettus." This has long been a lovely place to escape the heat of Athens, especially after most of the bees left Hymettus and no longer vexed visitors. Unfortunately, the forests were damaged in the fires of 1998. Keep in mind that the remaining pine groves here are a potential tinderbox. So be careful with matchbox, etc. |
Dafni
If you've never seen Byzantine mosaics and wonder what all the fuss is about, Daphni is the place to come. Daphni is one of the greatest masterpieces of the Byzantine Empire, which was founded by the first Christian emperor, Constantine, in the 4th century A.D. and conquered by the Turks in 1453. The great art historian of Byzantine Greece, Sir David Talbot-Rice, has called Daphni "the most perfect monument" of the 11th century. The Daphni Monastery is an 11th-century Byzantine monastery.Founded on the site of a Greek temple, it is now a museum and World Heritage Site. Located between Athens and Eleusis, this site has been sacred since ancient times. Four of the frescoes can still be made out. |
Sounion
The sanctuary of Poseidon at Sounion is one of the most important sanctuaries in Attica. Sporadic finds point to the conclusion that the site was inhabited in the prehistoric period but there is no evidence of religious practice in such an early date. "Sounion Hiron" (sanctuary of Sounion) is first mentioned in the Odyssey, as the place where Menelaos stopped during his return from Troy to bury his helmsman, Phrontes Onetorides. The finds of the 7th century B.C. are numerous and prove the existence of organized cult on two points of the promontory: at the southern edge where the temenos of Poseidon was situated, and about 500 m. to the NE of it, where the sanctuary of Athena was established. |
Spetses
The small, scenic, pine-clad island of Spetses has an exclusive feel, perhaps because of its affluent residents. Cars are banned, so a scooter or comfortable walking shoes are required in order to explore the charming courtyards and grand neo-classical mansions of the port capital Spetses Town. Horse-drawn carriages are a romantic, but expensive, alternative. The majestic Mexis Mansion in the town centre, which once belonged to the island's first governor, Hadziyiannis Mexis, is home to the Museum of Spetses. As well as displaying relics from the 1821 Greek War of Independence, it houses the bones of Spetsiot heroine Laskarina Bouboulina, a leading figure in the fight against the Turks. The best beaches are at Agia Anarghiri and Agia Paraskevi, a few kilometres further west. Water taxis are an exhilarating way for groups to get to secluded beaches. |
Hydra
Arriving on this picturesque gem of an island is like stepping into a painting. The distinctive neo-classical stone mansions of Hydra Town rise above the picture-pretty port, where cafés teem with customers, and donkeys await their next expedition along cobbled lanes. Hydra is twice the size of neighbouring Spetses but has an even smaller population of around 3,000. For spectacular sea views, follow Boundouri, a pebbly path winding upwards from the port to the fishing village of Kamini. Climb the mountain from town to the Monastery of Profitis Ilias, the adjacent Convent of St Efpraxia and the nearby uninhabited Monastery of St Triada - views from the top make up for the one-hour trek. Mandraki and Vlichos are the best beaches near the main harbour, but for more secluded spots, head to Bisti and Agios Nikolaos on the west of the island or Limioniza in the south. |
Poros
Poros is a lively, pine-covered island close to some of the most striking archaeological sites in the Peloponnese, and home to around 4,000 inhabitants. Poros (meaning 'ford' or 'crossing') is actually two islands – Sferia (the tiny volcanic peninsula that is home to Poros town) and the larger Kalabria – separated by a shallow artificial canal. Poros town's skyline is dominated by the Clock Tower, which looms over the café-lined waterfront. On the west of the islan is the glorious Villa Galini, famous for having accommodated Greek Nobel-winning poet George Seferis and US writer Henry Miller. Also worth seeing are Constantinos Parthenis's magnificent wall paintings at the Cathedral of St George. Good swimming spots include Neorion Bay and Kanali (north and south of Poros Town respectively), and the pretty sheltered cove of Agapi (or the Love Bay). |
Aegina
Aegina is a world away from the fumes and angst of Athens, with its horse-drawn carriages and pretty neo-classical buildings harking back to its days as Greece's first capital after the War of Independence (for just a year). The biggest island of the Argosaronic, measuring 85 square kilometres (33 square miles) and with a population of 10,000, Aegina is centered around a pleasantly bustling town full of tavernas and cafés overlooking the main harbour. The intricate and immaculately preserved fifth-century BC Temple of Aphaia, a local goddess, later identified with Athena. En route are the Monastery of St Nektarios and the island's abandoned, atmospheric medieval capital, Paleohora. The best spots for a swim are Marathona or Aeginitsa on the west coast, and Kleidi and Keri near the southern village of Perdika – an ideal place for a seaside lunch. |