Athens Info
Athens, with its more than 4 million inhabitants, is the biggest city and capital of Greece. The city of Athens is located in central Greece at an altitude of 0 - 107m.
It enjoys a Mediterranean climate with temperatures in September between 290 and 190 C. The cloudy and rainy days in September are also rather limited.
History in Brief:
The history of Athens is the longest of any city in Europe. The area of Athens was inhabited at least 3,000 years ago. Its cultural achievements during the 5th c. BC ("Perikles Golden Age") laid the foundations of western civilization.
Philosohy, art, architecture, letters and science were developed in Athens by personalities like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Feidias, Iktinos, Kalikratis, Sofocles and may others, where Pericles gave to the city glance and glory and established one of superb forms of democracy.
During the Classical Period (450 - 330 B.C.) three important temples were erected on the Acropolis: the Parthenon which is the temple of Athena (patroness of Athens), the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Nike. The Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the sacred area, was also constructed in the same period.
In the centuries that followed many conquerors tried to take over Athens, including the Romans. During the Middle Ages, Athens experienced a decline, and then a recovery during the byzantine times. After a long period of another decline under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Athens re-emerged in the 19th century as the capital of the independent Greek state and became one of the most important business, educational and cultural centers of the eastern Mediterranean region.
Activities:
 A visit to Athens should not only be the visit of the museums and archaeological sites, which are, of course, highly important and attractive; there are many other aspects of Athens and its suburbs that should also be explored.
Visitors can stroll around the center of the city, taste the traditional Greek cuisine at the pictureque neoclassical streets of Plaka and Monastiraki and enjoy shopping in the Ermou pedestrian area as well as in the more expensive Kolonaki area and Boukourestiou street. In Kolonaki, which is one of the most prestigious areas of Athens, one can also choose among the numerous cafes, bars and restaurants of different types, which open from early in the morning till very late in the night.
Alternatively, visitors can take romantic walks or relax in cafes / bars of Athens or enjoy fresh sea food by the sea at Piraeus.
Important links:
Places of Interest:
In Athens
Acropolis
Plaka
Ancient Agora (Market)
Theatre of Herodus Atticus
Syntagma Square (Constitution Square)
Panathenaic Stadium
Royal Garden
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Around Athens
Sounion
Island of Egina
Museums:
Acropolis Museum
National Archaeological Museum
Museum of Cycladic Art
Benaki Museum
Byzantine Museum
War Museum
National Gallery
Gennadius Library Collections
Athens Survival Guide
Weather in Athens
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