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Athens
Fast Facts
Country Name: GreeceCapital: Athens, 3,247,000 (metro. area), 747,300 (city proper).
Largest Cities (apart from Athens): Thessaloníki, 361,200; Piraeus, 179,300; Patras, 167,000
Currency: Euro
Religions: Greek Orthodox (approximately 98% of citizens), with Muslim (1.3%), Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, and other religious communities
Population: 11,104,000
Climate: Mediterranean; mild, wet winter and hot, dry summer.
Language: Greek
Time Zone: GMT +2 hours
Country code: +30
POPULAR
(must-sees for the 5-days-tourist)
There is just one thing I would like to mention before I tell you all about the best five days you can, in my opinion, spend in Athens, and that is don't plan too much, the heat and the pollution will tell on even the fittest among us, so take things easy and take plenty of water. Our hotel was the reasonably smart Central Hotel and central is the right word for the hotel, the Acropolis was just 200 metres away. We booked it purely and simply because it had a .gr address, that way we knew were weren't going to have agents and other fees added to the cost of the rooms do the same here http://www.centralhotel.gr. When we arrived the rooms looked more or less like the website photographs and so we were reasonably satisfied although they do seem to like to use a lot of MDF chipboard stuff - probably watch too many TV DIY programmes.The standard room we booked cost 128.00 Euros (including a Breakfast Buffet) for both of us per night and although we played around with the dates it never was more than 152.00 Euros, so considering the location we thought that the Central scored at least 8 out of 10.
Day One
A day for old buildings and ruins, some like the Agora are more or less buried beneath more modern one but starting early I would visit the Agora first and check out old and new Athens. The Agora is right in the middle of Athens and little remains from the building of antiquity. Originally the Agora was a marketplace and marked the very centre of the ancient world in political, economic and cultural terms. From the Agora it is a short distance to The Acropolis, or to give it its proper title The Acropolis of Athens, there are other Acropolis through the old world but none are so well known as The Acropolis of Athens and you will probably spend the rest of the day meandering around the sites that comprise the Acropolis because there is just so much to see. The are around 20 building dating from the fifth century BC through to the Roman period of occupation add that to two major amphitheatres. Places not to miss in The Acropolis are The Parthenon, the Altar of Athena and the Sanctuaries of Zeus and Pandion, but honestly do check out everything here it is amazing and as night falls and you are on your way back to your hotel look back at The Parthenon - it is wonderful. The Greek department of culture have a special ticket package of Full: €12, Reduced: €6 which is valid for: Acropolis Museum, Acropolis of Athens, Ancient Agora of Athens, Archaeological Museum of Kerameikos, Kerameikos, Museum of the Ancient Agora, North slope of Acropolis, Olympieion, Roman Agora of Athens, South Slope of Acropolis, I really recommend you buy it and see everything.Day Two
Day two hop on the metro (cost about 6 Euros) and visit National Archaeological Museum it is worth a trip not only because it houses over 20,000 exhibits in its 8,000 square metre floor space but it really is one of the world's great museums.The cost of entry is 7 Euros full price and 3 Euros reduced and you may be lucky to visit on one of the free days see http://www.culture.gr for more information. A comprehensive visit to this amazing museum would take much more than one day but save some time to go out and enjoy the Athens nightlife.
Go back to the Agora and take a stroll into Athens Chinatown and Eolou Street, the pedestrian shopping district beyond, you will find all sorts of entertainment and night time excitement.
Day Three
If you fancy a lazy day, then how about climbing a mountain today? Don't worry there is no walking involved you can catch a really odd looking train that for two Euros each way will do all the hard work and take you to the top of Mount Lycabettus. Mount Lycabettus is the large green mountain that overshadows Athens.At the top is a wonderful amphitheatre where rock stars like James Brown, Leonard Cohen and Peter Gabriel have performed, the amphitheatre is a true wonder and one of the most amazing sights outside of the Acropolis.
The trip doesn't take all day and you may well have time to do a little shopping in the middle of Athens, again head for the Agora market and then go on out through Chinatown, which is a great place to stop off at and have a meal on the way back in the evening if you are going that way.
On the way we had a beer at the Wunderbar on Themistokleous Street the beer was cheap and so we stayed for a few more, the Wunderbar is a great little place and it got better as the evening went on, so we cancelled plans for a Chinese and had loads of Greece food their stuffed vines leaves are marvellous. Afterwards we caught the Underground back from Omonia station.
Day Four
Today we are not going to climb any mountains just a hill over looking the sea at the edge of the Attiki Peninsula and see The Temple Of Poseidon at Sounion. It is probably the most perfect spot to worship a sea god and as you travel around Athens you will see that the ancient Athenians knew a thing or two about great locations. Sounion is just an hour outside of Athens and well worth the visit and travelling there by bus will only set you back a three Euros. Below the hill is a small beach with two great Tavernas which; yes you guessed it, specialise in fish.This evening how about a stroll through The Plaka which is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Athens. There are over a hundred cutesy shops selling things that you either never knew existed or until you set eyes on them you didn't know you needed.
You can mingle with artists, street theatre performers and if you are hungry try one of various excellent restaurants, and yes of course you can sit outside and not only in the summer, you can sit outside for most of the year. In addition to these attractions you can also one of the famous Ouzeries (where they distil Ouzo) or watch a movie at the outdoor Cine Paris. The movie is projected onto a roof below you. Do visit The Plaka it will reward you.
Before going back to the hotel we stopped at Perivoli T Ouranou Club in the Plaka, and drank a lot of great Greek Beer and listened to a lot of - what at the time sounded like great Greek music - you have to be there is all I would say. The beer was cheap though and the place was a lot of fun.
Day Five
You may want to revisit The Acropolis of Athens today or maybe do a little shopping, either are enjoyable especially if you drop by the Monastiraki Flea Market.It is more of a flea market on Sundays when all the world comes down from the mountains and lays out a blanket covered with more or less junk, but wandering around Monastiraki Flea Market is fun on any day and can sit outside a café overlooking The Agora and watch live bustle and breathe around you. And if you are looking for a particular DVD then I am sure one of the hundreds of African sellers will be able to accommodate you, barter with them for added fun and enjoyment. Finish the day at a restaurant with a view of The Parthenon at night it is one of the best sights I have ever seen and deserves to be seen at least twice during a trip of five days. So find a restaurant with a great view drink a soft Greek wine and eat something delicately spiced and you will be enjoying one of my ideas of heaven. We ate in the hotel it was great and not too expensive.
NATURE & GEOLOGY
Athens itself is built on a high plateau and surrounded by tall hills and low mountains, there are any number of caves and beautiful lakes covering the landscape on the outskirts of the city. The ground is dry but supports all manner of flora and fauna including beautiful Cypress trees. Long ago Wolves roamed the slopes of the mountains but they are long gone.Today the wildlife includes deer, rabbits, badgers, foxes and in the mountains one or two jackals, these are kept company by a variety of birds including vultures, hawks, owls together with examples of most European garden type birds such as blackbirds.
In the southern suburbs towards the south of Athens there are a number of sandy beaches.
HISTORY
At the end of the Greek War of Independence in 1830 England, Russia and France forced the Ottoman Empire to give Greece its independence under a European monarch, Prince Otto of Bavaria. For the next 117 years Greece expanded absorbing the Greek speaking populations around it notably it acquired the Ionian Islands in 1864, followed by Thessaly and part of Epirus in 1881. In 1913 Macedonia, Crete, Epirus, and the Aegean islands were added to the state of Greece then Western Thrace in 1918; and finally in 1947 the Dodecanese islands. In the 20th century Greek expansion was effected by the world wars, after the first world war Greece helped occupy Turkey where a large number of Greeks had always lived, in 1921 the Greek attempted to take Ankara but was defeated by Ataturk.Following that defeat Turkey forced Greece to absorb more that 1.3 million refugees which created enormous problems for the Greek economy. Inside Greece the 20th century saw a great struggle between the Monarchists and the Republicans both sides scoring temporary victories. Until 1974 when the Monarchy was finally abolished. It is almost true to say that Athens is central to the history of Greece because by some it is considered to be central to the history of the West. People have lived in Athens for over 3,000 years which makes Athens one of the oldest cities in Europe. In the first millennium Athens became the leading city of Ancient Greece and for the next 6 centuries the Athenians culture and its achievements became the foundations for western civilization.
The first settlements were located on the Acropolis and from there Athens flourished based on trade and learning, until the 8th Century when Athens fortunes declined due to invasion. But the solid foundations of reforms implemented in the 7th Century to the way the country was ruled saw Athens flourish as a democratic state. Wherever you look in Athens you will see evidence of previous rulers and regimes the Romans, Alexander the Great and so on all who contributed to the beauty and power of the city.
CULTURE
The population of Athens which is the capital city of Greece is around 1 million but if you add the 2.2 million people in the urban area the whole of Athens has a population of around 3.2 million. Because of its long history as one of the world's leading cities Athens is and always has been a centre for the arts, philosophy and learning and the birthplace of democracy. The centuries of cultural and political achievements have left their marks on Athens and it is covered in famous classical buildings and site. Today Athens is a lively happy place to be, with plenty of things to do and see, for example it has 148 theatres more than any other European city. The Athens Festival which runs from May until October and has its home at the Herodes Atticus Theatre and is a must see when visiting Athens.POLITICAL
Athens is the capital of Greece and has been since 1834, in addition Athens is the capital of the Attica Periphery and the Athens Prefecture. The head of the local government is the Mayor and there have been 77 Mayors of Athens.INFRASTRUCTURE
The public transport of Athens is well run and well organised and the tourist have a choice of Metro known locally as the Attiko Metro, the metro has three lines and connects with the Airport. In addition to very inexpensive buses there are Trams and the ISAP Electric Railways which can swiftly take you to the Port of Piraeus.DOS & DON'TS
Where do you start? There are so many things to do in Athens, and sadly so many things not to do too. If you don't do anything else you have to visit the Acropolis, it is just wonderful. As for the other side of the coin we tried the Athens Walking Tours http://www.athenswalkingtours.gr who have an very odd pricing structure "Adults 34 Euros, Full time students and children under 18 years of age 22 Euros and wait for it Children under 12 Free." Well we were dragged around various 'sights' paying the normal entry fee on top of the cost of the tour, at the end my feet hurt - the tours last for three hours (yes three hours in the heat and pollution that is wonderful Athens) you actually only walk about a mile and a half, but and it is a big one you are walking or standing for three hours, yes I know I mentioned that before.My head was spinning from the whistle stop speed we whizzed through each attraction, do you want my candid advice? Buy a guidebook and 'do' the sights yourself after you have read my POPULAR (must-sees for the 5-days-tourist) of course.
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