Introduction

Greece is ancient, classical and modern with breathtaking scenery, sparkling seas, beautiful islands and picturesque coastlines. The Gods chose this land as their home and Greece lures travellers from all over the world. Its history, mythology and beauty combine to make it an experience visitors will never forget. Located at the tip of the Balkan Peninsula, Greece is divided into continental Greece and its many islands located in the Ionian Sea on the west coast or in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey. The sea is never far away in Greece and has had a profound influence on its history and way of life. Greece is the 12th member of the EU (European Economic and Monetary Union) and is considered the origin of Western civilisation, the birthplace of Democracy and the Olympic games.

Athens is the Capital of Greece, a large modern city that dates back to the dawn of civilisation. The sprawling city is bounded on three sides by mountains with the Acropolis and Lycabettus being the most prominent hills. Visitors must explore the Acropolis with its main attraction of the Parthenon, the Olympic Stadium, Temple of Zeus and the ancient marketplace of the Plaka. Piraeus, the port of Athens, is where visitors can start their exploration of the Greek islands. The most popular Greek islands are Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Corfu and Crete.

Travel to Athens

Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (ATH) opened in 2001 and is 36 km (22 miles) east of the city center. A Tourist information Centre is located in the Arrival Hall. Visitors can obtain a free copy of city transport map and if travelling to the Greeks Islands pickup brochures on Ferry information and timetables from Piraeus and other Attica ports. A free wireless internet zone service is available within the airport’s terminal areas. The airport has excellent public transport connections to the city.

Metro is the easiest and least expensive mode of transport from the airport to the city. The Airport Metro line is an extension of Line 3 (blue line) that takes passengers to the downtown Syntagma and Monastiraki stations. Passengers can change trains at Monastiraki to the green line for Pireaus Harbour. [Airport trains run every half hour]

Suburban Railway from the Airport to Larissis Railway Station then change to Line 2 of the subway to the downtown area of Omónia and Syntagma stations. [Airport trains run every half hour]

Bus services are available from the Airport and operate 24 hours a day. The main routes are X95 to Syntagma Square (connects with subway Lines 2 and 3), X96 to Piraeus (connects with subway Line 1). [Airport Buses operate 24 hours a day every half hour, journey time is 45 min to 1.5 hrs]

Taxis are available outside the arrival hall. Ensure the driver uses the meter or negotiate a fixed fare. [Airport to city takes about 30-45 mins, tariff 2 applies after midnight and is twice as expensive].

Local Transport

A simple integrated ticket lets you travel on any form of transport (metro, suburban trains, trams, buses) with unlimited transfers anywhere within Athens (except the metro airport line and the airport buses) for 90 minutes. There is a daily ticket valid for 24 hours or a weekly ticket.

Metro is the easiest and quickest mode of transport around Athens. There are three lines connecting the port of Piraeus, western and southern Athens, the city center, the northern suburbs and the International Airport. Syntagma and Monastiraki stations in the center of the city are where the lines interchange. [Standard metro fare is $1 for trips between all stations except the Airport line. Standard fare to or from the Airport is $6]

Athens Tram connects the city centre, Syntagma, with the southern suburbs and has connections with the metro lines. There are three tram lines and a single ticket costs €0.60.

Suburban Railway has a main line starting from Piraeus passing through the main train station of Larissis in Athens. The train travels either west to Kiato and Corinth or east towards the Airport.

Bus services operate to most parts of Athens and there are some services through the night. [Standard bus ticket costs €1.00 for multiple trips within 90 minutes, €3.20 ticket to or from the Airport, weekly pass for €10]

Athens Explorer Bus (line 400) is a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus visiting 19 of Athens most famous attractions such as the National Archaeological Museum, National Gallery, Plaka, Acropolis, Olympic Zeus Temple, University, Greek Parliament and many more. The line starts and terminates at the Athens Archaeological Museum. Each bus operates at 30 minute intervals and takes 90 mins to complete the entire journey. [One-day ticket purchased on the bus is valid for 24 hours and is valid on all other forms of public transport (except airport lines), adult €6, tickets should be validated on the first ride and be kept and shown to the bus attendant every time you board on the bus or to the inspector on the other means of public transport]

Taxis in Athens are numerous and reasonably priced. Taxis must use the meter so ensure the driver has turned it on before you move off or you will pay more.

Athens Weather

The climate of Greece is temperate most of the year but the summer can be hot although the humidity is low. The best time to visit Greece and the Greek Islands is from April to October, although the mainland can be visited any time of the year. The climate of Athens is Mediterranean, characterized by hot summers and mild but rainy winters. The summer months of June to August can be hot and there are approximately 300 days sunshine each year.

Language

English is spoken by people in the tourism business. Many staff at hotels, shops, restaurants and museums will speak English.

Athens Attractions

The Acropolis, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is one of the most significant and most visited monuments in the world. It was the original fortified ancient "high city" of Athens built on the Acropolis hill, a prominent rock plateau high above the city, with commanding views and an amazing array of ancient architecture dating back to the Classical period of Ancient Greece. The main buildings of the Acropolis are the Erectheion Temple, the Temple of Athena Nike and the famous Temple of Parthenon, dedicated to the Goddess Athena, protector of the ancient city of Athens. The external pillars of the Parthenon are slightly curved to give an optical illusion as being straight when viewed from every angle. Other sites to view are the Kerameikos, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Roman Agora, Ancient Agora, and the nearby Odeum of Herodes and Theatre of Dionysus. There is a museum behind the Parthenon preserving many of the artifacts from the site. [Open daily, 8am-sunset, European students free, entrance to the Acropolis is off Theorias Street]

Ancient Agora is the green parkland next to the Acropolis Hill with a very beautiful view of the Parthenon. An Agora was an open place of assembly in ancient Greek times where free-born male citizens would gather for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later in Greek history, the agora served as a marketplace where merchants kept stalls or shops to sell their goods. There is the Temple of Hephaestus, the best preserved ancient Greek temple, the Attalos Stoa and the museum of the ancient Agora.

Odeum of Herodes is a Roman theatre addition to the Acropolis, built in the city around 167 AD and located on the side of the Acropolis hill easily viewed from the front of the Parthenon. Today, concerts are held here and is where the musician Yanni recorded his album ‘Yanni Live at the Acropolis’.

Lycabettus Hill is the highest point in the city at 277 m (908 feet) above sea level and is a popular tourist destination for the spectacular view of Athens, the Acropolis, the port of Piraeus and the island of Aegina . At the peak are the 19th century Chapel of St. George, a theatre, and a restaurant. The hill borders the Kolonaki district and can be ascended by walking or by a funicular railway which climbs the hill from a lower terminus at Kolonaki, Aristippou street.

Syntagma Square is located at the centre of the city and is the business district of Athens. Many hotels, banks, shops, restaurants and airline offices are located in the area. The Parliament building faces the square where visitors can view the changing of the guards in front of the Parliament every hour on the hour. Many places of interest to visitors are located relatively close to the Syntagma Square. The districts of the Plaka to the south, Monastiraki to the west, Kolonaki to the east and Omonia to the north.

Temple of Olympian Zeus, once the largest temple in Greece, is a Greco-Roman temple in the center of Athens, southeast of the Acropolis. Construction began in the 6th century BC, but was not completed until the reign of the Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. Only ruins remain today as the temple would have been destroyed by earthquakes.

Three Island Cruise is a delightful day cruising the beautiful islands of the Saronic Gulf. The cruise stops at Aegina (the first capital of Ancient Greece), Poros and Hydra. Passengers have free time for shopping, swimming or enjoy a drink at one of the many foreshore tavernas. This cruise is very popular and a highly recommended introduction to the Greek Islands. [Daily departure 8am, returns 7pm from Piraeus Harbour, Lunch is provided on board]

Cape Sounion is the southern most point of Attica where the white marble pillars of the 5th Century BC Temple of Poseidon stand. Visitors are taken on a scenic drive along the coastal road past the popular beaches of the Athenian Riviera, set against a backdrop of breathtaking ocean views, offshore islands and rugged mountain terrain.

Corinth Canal is a man-made canal connecting the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea and was a great technical achievement for its time. The canal cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, near the ancient town of Corinth, and separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from the Greek mainland. The canal is 6.3 km in length and was built between 1881 and 1893. It saves the 400 km journey around the Peloponnesus for smaller ships, but it is too narrow for modern ocean freighters. Corinth is about one hours drive south west of Athens.

Dining

The Plaka area is the most popular with tourists - there are many bars, cafes and restaurants.

Shopping

There are many shopping areas in Athens. The official retail trading hours are M,W,Sa 9am-3pm and T,Th,Fr 9am-2pm and then 5.30-8.30pm every day. The ancient marketplace of the Plaka, a charming historic district located at the base of the Acropolis, is very popular with visitors and has many tourist shops, restaurants, cafes and bars open every day until late at night, even on Sundays. Kolonaki, located at the base of the Lycabettus Hill, is an area of up-market, quality shops and fashionable boutiques with clothing, children’s wear and leather goods. Ermou Street is affordable and specialises in ladies fashions, shoes, gifts, homewares and leather goods. Mitropoleos Street runs from Syntagma Square parallel to Ermou Street and is popular for clothing, jewellery and handicrafts. The Monastiraki Flea Market has great shopping bargains and is open every day with Sunday the busiest and most colourful day of the week.

The Mall at the Neratziotissa Metro Station is the biggest shopping mall in Athens.

Street vendors with their products laid out on the pavement can be seen around the city. The goods are mostly copies of major brands and if the vendors are unlicensed they are in violation of Greek law.

Beyond Athens

Delphi is one of the most popular archaeological sites in Greece and is an extremely popular tourist destination because of the magnificence of its natural mountain setting and its historic associations as the spiritual centre of the ancient world. Located 180 kms, or two hours, north west of Athens, a trip to Delphi is on every tour itinerary and is the most popular day trip from of Athens. On the slopes of Mt Parnassus, in a landscape of beauty and majesty, lies the ruins of ancient Delphi where visitors can view the Santuary of Apollo, Treasury of the Athenians and the Museum containing famous Greek sculptures such as the bronze Charioteer.

The Oracle at Delphi provided a primary meeting place for the exchange of intellectual ideas and information and its prestige extended far beyond the boundaries of the Hellenic World. The oracle of Delphi was a spiritual experience whereby the spirit of Apollo was asked for advice on critical matters relating to people's lives or affairs of the state. Questions were asked to the Pythia, or priestess, who 'channeled' the spirit of the God Apollo and would pronounce her prophesies while the priests wrote them down and translated them to the people. Apollo’s sacred precinct in Delphi was a pan Hellenic sanctuary, where every four years athletes from all over the Greek world competed in the Pythian Games, a precursor to the Modern Olympics.

Nearby the modern town of Delphi has spectacular views over the valley and out to the Corinthian Gulf. There are many hotels, restaurants, taverns and bars in the town. Only a few minutes away is the picturesque mountain village of Arachova, famous for its handicrafts and splendid views of the mountains and valleys.

Mycenae is located about 90 km south-west of Athens. It is a popular tourist attraction as it is a major archaeological site of early Greek civilization built a thousand years before the monuments of Classical Greece. Visitors enter the Beehive Tomb of King Agamemnon and pass through the famous Lion Gate into the hilltop fortress town of Mycenae which was a military stronghold that dominated most of southern Greece. Behind the ancient ruins is a museum housing the major artifacts of Mycenae.

Epidaurus is a World Heritage listed ancient site located 60km south of the Corinth Canal or 2 hours from Athens. According to Greek mythology Epidaurus was the birthplace of Asclepius, the god of healing and the son of Apollo. Epidaurus was the most celebrated healing center of the Classical world, the place where ill people went in the hope of being cured. The ruins of Epidaurus include the foundations of the Temple of Asclepius, a sports stadium, odeon and bath complex. But the major attraction is the large, well preserved theatre, built 2500 years ago, that has near perfect acoustics and today hosts theatrical plays to audiences of up to 15,000 persons.

Olympia is the birthplace of the Olympic Games, home of the Olympic Flame and one of the most popular archaeological sites to visit in Greece. Located in a valley in the western Peloponnese, the site of Ancient Olympia is where the Greeks held athletic contests every four years. The most celebrated temple was the Temple of Zeus, dedicated to the father of the gods. Next to the Temple of Zeus is a temple dedicated to Hera, the wife of Zeus. To the east, lies the Stadium and the Hippodrome, where the Olympic contests took place. To the west was the Palaestra, or wrestling school, and the Gymnasium, where the competitors trained. Visitors should give themselves at least half a day to explore and experience ancient Olympia and view the museum exhibiting a selection of findings from the area. Olympia is 360km from Athens and can be easily reached by train and bus services from Athens.

Meteora is the site of the famous Greek Orthodox Monasteries built on spectacular natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly a few miles northwest of Kalambaka in central Greece. Meteora is home to six monasteries and is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The 1981 James Bond movie, 'For Your Eyes Only', was filmed on location at one of the monasteries. A trip to Meteora is very popular with tourists and is on many tour operator itineraries.