Athens

Ancient Athens According to mythology, the Greek Gods Poseidon and Athena wanted to claim the city for their own. To persuade the people to accept them, they granted gifts. Poseidon struck his spear into the ground and produced running water. Athena gave the city olive trees, which provide food and economic prosperity through trade. The people were then asked to vote for the Gods, and Athena won by a single vote, resulting in the city bearing her name. The first pre-historic settlements were constructed in 3000 BCE around the hill of Acropolis. According to legend the King of Athens, Theseus, unified the ten tribes of early Athens into one kingdom in around 1230 BCE. This process of synoikismos (el συνοικισμός) – bringing together in one home – created the largest and wealthiest state on the Greek mainland, but it also created a larger class of people excluded from political life by the nobility. By the 7th century BCE, social unrest had become widespread, and the Areopagus appointed Draco to draft a strict new law code (hence "draconian"). Still, the Draconian laws were a big advancement, as they codified crime and punishment unlike the previous arbitrary judgments of the rulers. When Draco's system failed, they appointed Solon, with a mandate to create a new constitution (594 BCE). This was the great beginning of a new social revolution, which was the result of the democracy under Cleisthenes (508 BCE).

By plane , located east of the city centre near the suburb of Spáta (el Σπάτα), is a major hub in the Aegean, Balkan and East Mediterranean regions. American, Air Canada, Air Transat, Delta, Emirates, Norwegian Air Shuttle and United maintain non-stop flights from North America (some are only seasonal), while a large number of European carriers fly direct into Athens. ATH was opened in 2001 as part of the infrastructure improvements in preparation for the Olympics. It is now one of the more attractive and efficient major European airports, though some old Athenian hands say they miss the messy atmosphere of the old Hellenikon. The airport has the usual array of fast food restaurants, duty-free shops, lounges, and other airport services. Free Wi-Fi used to be time-limited, but now is free to use for unlimited time. There is a landside convenience store open 24 hours opposite the car rental counters. Luggage storage, run by Care4bag, can be found at the south end of the airport, landside, on the arrivals level. Storage time varies from 6 to 36 hours, no automatic lockers. Like many midsize airports, ATH is using remote hard stands and shuttle buses as an interim measure to expand capacity until it can justify building more permanent gates and jetways. However, the shuttle bus rides can lead to significant delays if your plane is parked at a remote hard stand and not at a jetway next to the terminal. By bus KTEL regional coaches connect Athens to other cities in Greece. The fleet of buses has been upgraded, which makes the journey pleasant and safe.

Q336488 Q252135 Transport for Athens (OASA) operates public transportation in Athens. Its subdivisions include STASY and OSY. A single ticket allows you to travel on any types of transport, metro, trams, buses, with unlimited transfers anywhere time within Athens for 90 minutes. If you do not read Greek, signs on Athens transit always have a transliteration into Roman letters. Transliteration can vary; for example, Ellinko and Helliniko are both spellings for el Ελληνικό. English information is abundant and most staff can communicate in English. Fares The base ticket price is . This covers all OASA routes except for Airport Express lines (Line athens m3 and Route X80). There are also Daily, 3-Day + Airport, 5-Day and bulk ticket packs. See details on the OASA fare table. +pricetimeIncludes X80?€1.2090minNo€4.101 dayYes€8.205 daysNo€203 daysYes (As of Dec 2025) The standard fare to or from the airport is each way. This includes the full journey between any point in the Athens public transport system and the airport. The contactless payment system "tap2ride" is available on all means of transport. Just tap your contactless Visa or Mastercard card or mobile phone (GPay, Apple Pay) on the reader! This will pay for a simple ticket (or the airport fare). The cost is billed at the end of the day and capped at . Discounted fares (students, seniors) are only available through a personalised ATH.ENA card, though the hassle and one-time cost of will probably not be worth it for a short stay.

Please see this section at the country level for a full discussion While Greek is the official language in Greece, many Athenians speak English and those in the tourist industry are likely to also speak French and/or German. Almost all signs are written in Greek and English.

At first glance, Athens seems entirely to be composed of unremarkable, four- to six-story concrete buildings, lacking character and badly in need of a paint job. But if you look beyond that, you will find little gems tucked in among the grey. The areas at the foot of the Acropolis, Anafiotika, Plaka, Monastiraki and Thissio are home to many wonderful Neoclassical buildings, trendy and traditional cafes and shops, narrow winding streets, and incredible views of the Acropolis. Little Greek Orthodox churches are tucked in among the concrete, often in the most unexpected places. These are usually beautifully decorated with icons and brass fixtures inside, but make sure you're appropriately dressed (no short sleeves or bare legs is a good rule of thumb, as a mark of respect). Acropolis Atop the Acropolis are several dramatic ruins, in various states of restoration: The full ticket is €30, reduced ticket is €15 (see sidebar). Hours are 08:00-20:00 during summer (Apr-Aug). During the winter, closing time tracks sunset, down to 17:00 in Dec. Last entry is 30 min before closing time. Many portions of the site are undergoing significant but badly needed renovations. You will encounter the construction office along the south side of the Parthenon. Some views will be marred by scaffolding, cranes, tracks, and other modern equipment. The Acropolis has two entrances, from the west and the south. The main entrance is at the west end of the Acropolis.

If you're lucky enough to be in Athens for the Easter Weekend, you'll see the spectacular sight of hundreds of people making their candlelit way down the hill on Holy Saturday night as part of the Easter Vigil procession. If the weather is good, head to the beaches in south Athens. Take buses A2, B2 or E22 from metro station Sygrou, or the tram from Syntagma. Just get off wherever the sea takes your fancy. Beach-side cafes can hit you hard with prices of food and drinks. If you are the only person getting on the bus, you must flag the bus down to get it to stop or it will just fly on by. See the articles on Piraeus, Palaio Faliro and Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni for more details. Parks and nature Several of Athens' hills - Lycabettus and Pnyx (see above), , - are planted with pines and other trees, and are more like small forests than typical urban parks. Attica Zoological Park in nearby Spata. Sport thumb | 300px | Faliro Sports Pavilion Arena Football: The Greek men's national team play home games at Agia Sophia Stadium (capacity 32,500 all seated), aka Opop Arena. Completed in 2022, it's in Nea Filadelpheia 10 km northwest of city centre. The UEFA Europa Conference League final was played there on 29 May 2024. Athens has four soccer clubs playing in Super League (Σούπερ Λιγκ), the top tier: AEK Athens play at Agia Sophia Stadium.

Although a huge city, Athens has relatively few shopping malls or large department stores; the small, family run shop still conquers all. Souvenirs are of course available everywhere that tourists go. Other shopping opportunities are antiques, museum reproductions, embroideries and other folk art goods, and Greek food and drink products. Plaka is lined with souvenir shops, most of them selling cheap souvenir knick-knacks, though there are a few higher-quality shops. Prices can be high for good quality items. Flea Market could refer to two places. The sign next to Monastiraki station at the beginning of Ifaistou Street claims that you are entering "the Flea Market of Athens." The street is lined with second-hand and surplus shops of every description. Few are of much interest to the visitor, though towards the west end of the street there are some interesting shops selling old books, posters, and Greek and other music recordings. The real Flea Market is held on Sunday mornings in Plateia Avissinia at the western end of Ifaistou Street. There is incredible assortment of used objects, antiques, and junk. Among all the souvenir and second-hand stores in the area, Martinos at 50 Pandrossou (+30 210 321-3110) stands out as a genuine antique shop, offering top quality items from Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. Prices are also top of the line, so this is a shop for knowledgeable antique buyers in the market to do some serious spending.

The districts Kolonaki and Plaka are especially good areas for dining out. Fast food For a quick, decent and low-budget meal, try a souvlaki (σουβλάκι, soo-VLAH-kee), meat (usually pork or chicken) grilled on a skewer. They are typically served with tomato, onion and tzatziki (τζατζίκι, tzah-TZEE-khee), yogurt enriched with garlic and cucumber, wrapped inside a pita (πίτα, PEE-tah), a thin pan bread. Prices of souvlaki vary according to the confidence and/or nerve of the cornershop owner, but usually cost from €1.70 to €3, and another €5 for drink, salad and French fries for a total no more than €7. Take away is cheaper than if you sit at a table. You can get souvlaki just about everywhere, especially in tourist areas. At the end of Mitropoleos, just around the corner from the Monastiraki Metro station, is a trio of famous souvlaki shops — Thanasis, Savvas and Bairaktaris (Μπαϊρακτάρης) — which are, depending on who you ask, the Zeus or the Hades of souvlaki lovers. At any of the three, if you take a seat and ask for a souvlaki, you'll be served a plate with meat, pita and chips for around €9. But, if you ask cashier for a pita-souvlaki, you'll get the same stuff in a sandwich to take away for around €1.70. If you're interested in a sandwich, cheese pie, spinach pie or the equivalent of a fast snack, try Grigoris (Γρηγόρης) or Everest, two chains of fast food in most districts of Athens and the rest of Greece. Goody's is the Greek equivalent of McDonald's and offers a fair variety of tasty meals, including pasta, different salads, burgers etc.

Greeks love to socialize, and Athens buzzes long after its other European counterparts have laid their heads down to sleep. 20:00 is the earliest most Greeks will consider going to eat out, and clubbers start to get ready at about midnight. Many Athens clubs relocate to the beach during the summer months. Cafes spill onto the streets and the sound of lively conversation is everywhere in the evenings. Go to the Psyrrí area (Monastiraki or Thissio station, Lines 1 and 3 and Line 1 respectively) for a number of smart bars and small clubs. It is the area immediately north of Ermou street between these two metro stops. There are more and better bars in the area north of Ermou street between Monastiraki and Syntagma than there used to be. Aiolou and Kolokotroni streets offer a fair variety of cafés and bars. Magazé, six dogs, Booze and all the bars on Karytsi square (a small square at the end of Christou Lada street, behind Klafthmonos square on Stadiou avenue) can get very busy on Fridays and Saturdays, with visitors having their drinks even on the streets outside from spring through autumn, when the weather is nice. The area around the Kerameikos station, called Gazi (Γκάζι, gas) has been the gay village of Athens for quite a few years. Since the opening of the metro station, in 2007, the neighbourhood has attracted all kinds of crowds.

Athens has a wide variety of accommodation options, from camping and hostels, right up to 5 star luxury hotels. For most tourists, the primary question is Plaka or not Plaka. For the latter, the next question is whether to stay just outside of Plaka, or along one of the main routes going to the coast (e.g., Leoforos Andrea Siggrou is home to the Grand Hyatt, Marriott, and InterContinental hotels), or in one of the coastal suburbs like Glyfada or Piraeus. These latter options may allow for staying in more modern hotels or with a scenic coastal view, but then one has to travel to Plaka and back for sightseeing. For hotels near the airport, see listings in Spata and Rafina. Camping Budget Mid-range Splurge

As of February 2026, Athens has 5G from Cosmote, Vodafone and Nova. Wi-fi is widely available in public places.

Athens is generally a safe city. There are many police officers and security guards around the city. Many places have CCTV. Street crime is rare. Violent crime against tourists is rare. There are pickpockets on the Metro (especially at the interchanges with the line from the Airport), buses and in other crowded areas, including Plaka. You will notice that natives travel with their hands on their bags and pockets, and keep their bag in front rather than on their side or back, which unfortunately is not without reason. If any pocket, purse, or backpack is visible as you travel on the Metro, assume it will be targeted by pickpockets. Assume that any stranger on the Metro (no matter how well-dressed) is a potential pickpocket and take appropriate precautions. Beware of dense crowds at Metro vehicle doors, especially when a door seems to be broken or jammed. The friendly stranger bar scam has been reported from areas of central Athens frequented by tourists, including Omonia, Syntagma, and Plaka. There have been some reports of fraud. Usually, someone will stop you and ask for directions. A couple of other men then arrive claiming to be police, showing a badge (obviously a fake one). They ask if you were getting drugs from the other man and then ask for your passport and wallet for verification. While you are busy trying to convince them that your passport is valid, one of them sneaks out some money from your wallet. Demonstrations and riots are common and accepted as part of everyday life and democracy by most Athenians.

Islands Piraeus - the harbour of Athens, and Rafina (on the east coast of Attica) are the departure points for a large number of ferry services to the Greek Islands and other destinations in the eastern Mediterranean, including ports in Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Israel and Cyprus. The closest islands, suitable for a day trip from Piraeus, are in the Argosaronic (or Saronic) gulf: Hydra Aegina Poros Spetses Kea (also pronounced Tzia) is a very nearby destination, too, less than two hours from the port of Lavrio. Evia, or Euboea, is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete, and in close proximity to Athens. In less than 1.5 hours by bus, train, or car, you can reach Chalkis, or Halkida, the island's capital city and enjoy the local beaches, Ottoman castle on the hill, the promenade with bars & restaurants. From here you can continue to Kymi and take the ferry to Skyros island or choose to explore the islands hidden gems. If what you are thinking is an island further away, like Paros, Naxos, Ios, Santorini or any of the Dodecanese or Northern Aegean isles, consider extra days off Athens because of their distance from the mainland. Flying is also an option to the more distant islands. Nearby Sounio, Ktel bus starts from central Athens and also stop in some areas in south Athens.