Athens

Introduction

Antoher view of Acropolis and Lycabettus Hill

© All Rights Reserved malasue

As the capital of Greece, Athens is the nation's most important city and has been attracting travellers for countless centuries. While it may not be as popular as many other European capitals, it has seen a steady rise in the number of visitors over the past few years, particularly after the Athens Olympic Games of 2004 - the first time Olympic Games in Athens since 1896. With a population of nearly 4 million, Athens is the largest city in Greece. Unfortunately, it has also become one of the most polluted cities in the continent as well.

Athens is one of the longest inhabited cities, dating back 3000 years or more. During the glory years of Ancient Greece, it was one of the most important city states in the world. Today, historical monuments such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Temple of Hephaesus and the Agora are the landmark attractions which continue to draw visitors from across the globe.

Neighbourhoods

Plaka is one of the most traditional neighbourhoods in Athens.

Sights and Activities

Parthenon

The Parthenon

© All Rights Reserved DBassler

Originally built in the 5th century BC the Parthenon (Παρθενών) is the most famous ruin in all of Greece and is located on the Acropolis. This building was built as a temple to Athena in Athens. This building also represents an enduring symbol of Athenian democracy. It has many excellent examples of ancient Greek architecture and art work on the inside. The temple has had many forms in the different eras of occupation ranging from a temple to Athena, to a christian church to a mosque. Today it is one of the most popular tourist sights in all of Greece.

Other Sights and Activities

• Temple of the Olympian Zeus
• Temple of Hephaesus
• The Agora

Events and Festivals

Weather

The combination of pollution and high temperatures (up to 43 °C), makes summer a bad time to visit Athens. Winters are mild with occasionally some frost at night, but usually above zero. Spring and autumn have very nice and warm conditions and nights are pleasant as well. In general, Athens is a dry and sunny city during these times with some showers possible but rarely rainy all day.

Getting There

By Plane

International
Athens International Airport (ATH) is the main airport in the city and is the main hub for the national airline of Olympic Airlines. Destinations with this airline include Alexandria, Amsterdam, Berlin, Cairo, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Montreal, Moscow, New York, Paris, Toronto and Vienna. Aegean Airlines has several flights within Europe as well, including Rome, Milan and Düsseldorf. Many European airlines have direct flights to Athens. Easyjet is a low-cost airline serving Athens from London, Berlin, Paris and Milan.

Domestic
Olympic Airlines has domestic flights to many destinations from Athens including Alexandroupolis, Chania, Chios, Corfu, Heraklion, Ioannina, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kithira, Kos, Limnos, Milos, Mykonos, Mytilene (Lesbos), Naxos, Paros, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Sitia, Thessaloniki and Zakynthos. Aegean Airlines has a share of domestic flights as well.

To/from the airport

• Car: The airport is accessible by the Attiki Odos toll highway from the centre of Athens and northern Athens, Varis-Koropiou Avenue from the western part, Laurio Avenue from the south and Spata-Loutsa Avenue from the east. Parking places and rental car companies are both widely available at the airport. Also taxis and limousines are available, albeit at a cost of course.
• Rail: A train station next to the airport terminal is accessible by an elevated walkway. The station is served by both the Athens Metro and Suburban rail service Proastiakos. The station is connected with line 3 of the Athens Metro, while it is also connected to the Athens Central Railway Station (Larissis Station) and the port of Pireaus as well as to Corinth via Proastiakos.
• Bus: Four bus lines (X93, X95, X96, X97) connect the airport directly to metropolitan Athens and the port of Piraeus. Regional bus services by KTELKTEL Express also operate to the airport, with connections from Athens Airport to Rafina, Markopoulo, Lavrio, Kalyvia, and Keratea.

By Train

The Hellenic Railways Organisation operates a network of train, most of them originating and terminating in or near Athens. Trains north stop in Thessaloniki, Livadia, Paleofarsala, Larissa, Plati, Edessa, Florina, Seres, Drama, Komotini and Alexandroupolis while trains south stop in Kiato, Xylokastra, Diakofto, Patras, Olympia, Argos, Tripoli, Megalopolis and Kalamata.

By Car

By Bus

KTEL operates numerous buses from Athens throughout destinations in Greece.

By Boat

There are dozens of ferries to and from Piraeus, the port of Athens and located within the municipality.
Check the Greek Travel Pages for an impression about companies, schedules and prices, as the choice is very wide. Or check the Greek Ferries website or another one about Ferries between islands in Greece. This applies to both international and even more so domestic connections to many of the islands. Routes from Piraeus usually go to the Argo-Saronic, Cyclades, Dodacanese and the Northeast Aegean island chains and also to Crete and other mainland ports as far as Thessaloniki.

On some routes, faster hydrofoil services operate. There are two classes on most ships (first and second) and couchettes are available on night trips. In summer, book well in advance.

Italy

• SNCM between Pireús and Genoa.

Although remember that time schedules are not an exact science in Greece. Therefore many ferries leave early or more often extremely late from port. This means do not depend on time schedules ever! Always get to port a little early and be prepared to wait.

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

Hellenic Post is the Greek postal service. On their website you find more information about options to send letters, postcards and parcels and there is a search function regarding post offices and post boxes. It also has information on services like paying bills, transferring money, financial products etc. Greek post codes are five digits long and are usually written as follows; 123 45.
The first three digits are used to identify the city, municipality or prefecture, for example the digits between 100 and 180 relate to the city of Athens. The last two digits identify a street or part of a street. Most post offices are open Monday to Friday from 07:30-14:00, although the largers ones usually have longer opening hours.