Profile
Athens is a city with about 3.7 million inhabitants. This city is also considered the birthplace of ‘The whole nation’ and therefore, also the birthplace of Western civilization. This metropolitan city is bounded by mountains on three sides namely, Mt. Ymettos, Mt. Parnitha and Mt. Pendeli. Inside Athens, there are twelve hills that can be found of which Acropolis and Lykavittos are the most prominent.

Places of Interest
Athens has a lot to offer in terms of attractions and places of interest. One of the most notable ancient landmarks in the city is the Acropolis, the ancient high city where marble temples sacred to the city’s goddess Athena can be found. At the foot of the hill of Acropolis are places worth visiting. These are the districts of Plaka, Monastiraki and Thissio. Notable on these districts are the various restored 19th Century neoclassical homes, restaurants and the picturesque ruins of the city’s Roman era.

Another place worth visiting in Athens is Piraeus, the city’s ancient port and the main post for the Islands. This port still serves as an industrial hub for products going in and out of Greece. Ferry connections to Crete and the Aegean Islands as well as almost all of Attica can be found. Heading out to the city’s business district, Syntagma Square and the old Royal Palace can be found 4miles to the east. This is where you’ll find most of the major hotels, banks and restaurants.

Getting In
Getting to Athens is fairly convenient with it being the Greek capital. This is especially true when flyng from other countries. The city’s new Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport which opened in 2001, is located just 20 miles east of the city center and has considerable modern facilities thanks to the billions of Euros invested before the recent Olympics. The new airport contains excellent public transit networks that can connect arriving tourists to various points of the city.

From the airport, tourists can get into the city center by Metro, the city’s railway system. The airport Metro is the city’s Line 3 extension which then leads to downtown Syntagma and Monastiraki stations. There are also available buses as well as taxis operating from the airport going into the city.

If coming from other regions of Greece, there are regional coaches that connect Athens to the other cities in Greece (Inter-city buses are air-conditioned). There’s also a national railway service available connecting the various Greek cities including Athens. Public transport in Athens is considered relatively cheap with a simplified ticketing system that allows commuters to travel on any means of public transport.

A short break in Athens needn’t be a problem as public transport is readily available throughout the city.

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