Athens City Guide - overview

Athens exudes a unique charm, its lively character winning over tens of thousands of visitors every year. Street markets, vine-covered tavernas, souvenir stalls and ancient monuments all form a conglomerate with buildings old and new in this city, which one out of four Greeks call home. For tourists the greatest advantage is that most attractions are accessible on foot in the central area around the landmark Acropolis. Walking is the best way to soak up the Athenian atmosphere because the traffic can reach nightmare proportions.

Athens was named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, who according to mythology won the city as prize after a duel against Poseidon. The city can chart its history back thousands of years and is regarded as the cradle of western civilisation; the place where democracy was invented and philosophy, art and architecture were refined. After a classical golden age when it was home to Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the city declined in the Middle Ages, dwindling to nothing but a town with a few thousand residents gathered in the colourful area that is now known as the Plaka, until its rebirth as capital of an independent Greece in 1834.

Getting around: Most tourist sites are within the city centre, which is easy to get around on foot, however there is an extensive public transport network consisting of buses, trolley buses, minibuses and a fast new 3-line underground metro service that requires a standard ticket for a 90-minute usage span. The metro is especially useful to get to Piraeus to catch a boat to the islands. The metro stations double as impressive archaeological art and artefact galleries. Transport is cheap, but often overcrowded especially during the siesta rush hour between 1pm and 3pm, and operates until midnight; a limited night bus service operates along major routes. Bus and metro tickets are not transferable, but a daily pass can be used on both; single tickets or packets of 10 must be bought in advance and validated when getting on. Although taxis are plentiful it may be difficult to get one during the siesta rush hour, and it is not unusual to share the ride with other passengers going in the same direction. It is often easier to phone ahead for a radio cab. Taxis are inexpensive, but always check that the meter is on and set to the minimum fare of EUR1 as drivers will often attempt to overcharge tourists - if its 'not working' look for another taxi. Legitimate surcharges can increase the final bill, but these should be displayed on the dashboard. Driving in Athens is not recommended, there are new laws banning cars from the commercial centre to reduce heavy traffic and pollution, and parking anywhere is near impossible.