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A stunning view from the Acropolis: the Temple of Olympian Zeus, on the right, and the Panathinaikon Stadium, venue of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, on the left.
Athens is one of the ancient capitals of the world. The city is built in a basin defined by the Ymitos, Penteli , and Parnitha mountains to the north and the east, and the Saronic Gulf to the south and west.
This plain hosts about 4.5 million people, or about 40% of Greece's population. It is the absolute center of political, social, cultural, financial, and commercial life of the country.
Athens boasts one of the best climates in the world, with almost year-round sunshine, very mild winters, hot summers, and rare extreme weather conditions. In addition it is endowed with its proximity to the natural harbor of Piraeus and the beaches to the south. As a result, the city has been inhabited for more than four thousand years and it is here that what we know today as Western Civilization was born.
Ancient Athens, not Greece in general, is the birthplace of democracy, theater, philosophy, and many of the sciences. The founders of western culture, Socrates and Plato, were Athenian citizens who thought up their revolutionary concepts in the pathways and the squares of the Ancient Agora, near today's downtown. Aristotle, the father of western philosophy, was educated here and was a disciple of Plato.
Theater is a purely Athenian invention, begun as the recitation of praises, insults, and mockery during religious processions, and reaching its apex with the dramas of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides and the immitable comedies of Aristofanes; all Athenian citizens. Theater, drama or comedy, is today considered as one of the greatest achievements of Athenian democracy, not only for its unsurpassed artistic genius, but also for what it implies about the spirit of freedom and expression in the world's first republic.
Make no mistake: of all the ancient city-states it is only Athens that endorsed and produced theater because it was only Athens that was a free, democratic state.
The end of the Peloponesian War in 404 BC, with the ultimate defeat of Athens from Sparta and its Persian allies, diminished the city's political and military power but not its cultural and artistic influence which, if anything, increased. The schools of philosophy, which included instruction in mathematics, astronomy and geometry, continued operating in the city well into the fifth century AD and attracted the best minds of, first, the Hellenistic States created by the successors of Alexander the Great, and, then, the Roman and the Byzantine Empires.
The schools were closed in the 5th century AD, along with the Delphi oracle, by Byzantine Emperor Theodosius, in an effort to eradicate idolatry and establish Christianity as the official religion of the Empire once and for all. Thus came the end to a thousand years of perhaps the most intense philosophical, scientific, and artistic production in one place that the world has ever experienced.
The city fell into obscurity for more than a thousand years, and by the early 19th century it was no more than a sleepy village in the vast Ottoman Empire. Greece was liberated from the Turkish occupation in 1827, and Nafplion was chosen as the new country's capital.
When King Otto (Othon) was installed as the country's first monarch in the early 1830s it was thought that the capital should be moved immediately away from the Peloponese to put a distance between the Government and the powerful local warlords of the region that applied an inordinate amount of influence on the new administration.
The move was completed by the late 1830s, with the building of the new Palace, the current home of the Greek Parliament at Syntagma Square. The population of Athens back then was no more than 30 thousand, including the Bavarian court that moved from Munich to assist the young King.
Athens grew after that and played host to the drama that has been modern Greek history.
In 1896, Athens hosted the first modern Olympics, after a deal struck between the International Olympic Committee's first chairman, French Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and its vice chairman, Greek Demetrios Vikelas. Under the deal, Athens would host the first modern Games as a tribute to the country that invented the Olympics, and Paris would host the second event, in 1900, which it did.
To host the Games, Athens reconstructed the Panathinaikon Stadium, which had been used as a sports site since antiquity. Benefactor Andreas Syngros sponsored the building of the stadium, using marble from Mount Penteli (the same source as for the Parthenon) and also the building of the Olympic pool, a few hundred meters away.
The city's population exploded in the 20th century, especially on two occasions. In 1922 Greece was defeated by the armies of Kemal Ataturk in an ill-advised attempt to conquer the whole of Asia Minor after the end of WW I, causing a refugee wave of about 2.5 million to Greece. This was the end of almost 3 thousand years of Greek presence on Asia Minor.
About one million of those refugees ended up in Athens, doubling its population, and tried to carve out a new living in the capital. The yellow, two-story apartment blocks lining the eastern end of Alexandras Avenue, near the US Embassy, and the streets behind the Intercontinental Hotel, that were build haphazardly to house the refugees, are a testimony to that traumatic period in the city's history.
Then, after the end of WW II, and the conclusion of the Greek civil war of 1946-49, Athens became the magnet for a huge wave of internal migration from war torn Greeks seeking job opportunities away from a pretty much devastated countryside. In 30 years the city's population went from 1.5 million to 4.5 million.
The effect of this huge population move is visible today. Six-story cement blocks were raised hurriedly to house the new Athenians, with little respect for zoning laws, where they existed, and with no planning ahead to the living and transportation needs of the emerging metropolis.
The problems caused by this sudden surge in population with no accompanying investment in infrastructure came to a head in the last 20 years. The city's traffic gridlock is notorious and tests Athenian's patience every day, throughout the day. The lack of an adequate number of parking spaces, to keep pace with the explosion in car ownership, has made double parking a permanent feature in city streets, including the main thoroughfares. The lack of multi-lane access roads intensified the city's traffic problems. Air pollution became a feature of life in Athens.
The awarding of the 2004 Olympic Games to the city of Athens led to the building of a series of major infrastructure projects that bring much needed relief to every day life in the city. Athens today has one of the best airports and one of the best subways in the world, albeit one whose coverage is still somewhat limited.
The beaches on the Saronic bay, one of the city's major attractions, have been cleaned, upgraded with new facilities and, uniquely among European capitals, offer a seaside outlet to Athenians and visitors alike. A new water treatment plant that was built near Piraeus, a few years ago, has led to most beaches south of Athens being awarded the European Union Blue Flag designating clean waters fit for swimming.
With all its traffic problems, which are on their way to being eased, and its unattractive architecture throughout most of the city, Athens is still a fascinating destination. Its archeological sites inspire awe, its more than 50 museums are second to none globally, the city offers European levels of shopping and dining, its beaches leave nothing to be desired, and, perhaps above all, the year-round sunny weather make the city's citizens and visitors face life with just a bit more optimism.
The Highlights
The Acropolis.
The archeological area of the Ancient Agora and the Thesseion.
The Temple of Poseidon in Sounion.
The National Archeological Museum, undergoing extensive renovations, and scheduled to reopen on 1 July 2004.
The National Gallery of Art.
The Benaki, Byzantine, and National Historical Museums.
The Goulandris Cycladic Museum and the Museum of Natural History.
The beaches from Glyfada to Sounio.
The new restaurant scene of Athens, with its seafood-based Mediterranean fusion cuisine.
The night scene, one of the liveliest in the world.
The sunset from Lycabettus hill.
The theater, dance, and music productions at the Herod Atticus ancient theater, below the Acropolis, in the summer.
The city's commercial center, around Athinas Street, which remains almost unchanged in the last one hundred years.
The new and shining Athens Metro.
We Recommend
Walk around the city and visit as many archeological sites and museums as you possibly can (see Museums and Sites and, also, Sightseeing Tours below and also in the Downtown Athens section).
Have coffee at Kolonaki Square's Da Capo or any of the other coffee shops and take in the city's every day busy life.
Visit the beaches along the southern suburbs. Asteras beach in Vouliagmeni is one of the best.
We Do Not Recommend
Driving in the city's congested streets.
The archeological sites in the summer peak months betwen 10 am and 6 pm.
Most of the "Greek folklore" taverns of the Plaka district.
Shopping in the overpriced boutiques of the Kolonaki district.
Read our users' reviews...
I was amazed at how beautiful and safe this country is!
I visited Athens and a few islands in Greece last year (2005) and I was amazed at how beautiful and safe this country is, compared to other parts of Europe. I have also learnt a lot from reading about Athens on this website. Well done! I am not quite happy about discouraging people from taverns in Plaka. Plaka is the heart of Athens and I think the taverns are gorgeous!!! Steph Mekwuye, United Kingdom
The country code for Greece is 0030 (from the US and Canada: 01130).
Police Station
There are police stations in every neighborhood, and police are present everywhere in the city streets. Call 100 for emergencies.
Hospital
Greece has a National Health System whose emergency services are free to all, Greek and foreigner. Here is a list of Athens hospitals.
Pharmacy
Pharmacies are ubiquitous in Athens. Convenient ones include at the corner of Panepistimiou and Kriezotou, by Syntagma Square, and at Patriarchou Ioakeim and Loukianou, near Kolonaki Square. Opening hours are Monday through Friday 8 am to 2 pm. Pharmacies open in the off hours and during weekends are posted on the door of every pharmacy, by law.
Foreign Press Outlet
Most Athenian newstands, including the ones around Syntagma, Omonoia, and Kolonaki Squares, feature extensive offerings of foreign newspapers and magazines. The Eleftheroudakis bookstore, on Panepistimiou Street is the best English language outlet in Athens.
Bus Depot
The two city bus depots are the Kifissos bus depot, in the city's Petralona western district, and the Patissia bus depot, on Liosion Street, about 5 km west of Omonoia Square. Take a cab there.
Bank
Athens is incredibly well banked. There are banks in every corner, and they all offer a full menu of services. Citibank has a major branch on Kolonaki Square (at Kanari Street), and American Express Bank is on Panepistimiou Street, across from the Saint Dennis Catholic Cathedral. Other major foreign banks are here. ATMs are ubiquitous and most offer a full array of international cash networks.
