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Hotels in Athens
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Athens
Athens is the capital of Greece and
one of the most famous cities in the world. Modern Athens is a large and
cosmopolitan city; Ancient Athens was a powerful city-state and renowned
center of learning. It was named after its goddess from ancient Greek
mythology, Athena. Athens is located at 38°00′N 23°43′E (38.00°,
23.72°).
The metropolitan area of Athens is home to some 3.5 million people.
Currently the city (metropolitan area) is growing eastwards across
Attica (Greater Athens). Athens is the centre of economic, cultural, and
political life in Greece today.
Athens has often been called the cradle of Western civilization due to
its cultural achievements during the 4th and 5th centuries BC, which has
left it with many ancient buildings, monuments and artworks, the most
famous being the Acropolis, which is widely regarded as one of the
finest examples of Classical Greek art and architecture. Many of these
cultural attractions were renovated for the 2004 Olympic Games.
Location
Along with its numerous suburbs, Athens has a population of about 3.5
million representing approximately 35% of the total population of
Greece. Athens grew rapidly in the years following World War II until
ca. 1980 and suffered from overcrowding and traffic congestion. Greek
entry into the European Union in 1981 brought new, unprecedented
investments into the city along with problems of increasingly worsening
industrial congestion and air pollution. Throughout the 1990s the city's
authorities undertook a series of decisive measures in order to combat
the smog which used to form over the city, particularly during the
hottest days of the year. Those measures proved to be succesful and
nowadays smog or nefos in Greek is no longer an issue for Athens, even
when temperatures soar above 40 C. As far as the situation with the
traffic congestion is concerned, the latter has been considerably
improved, even though it is not completely resolved as yet. Part of this
improvement is attributed to the transformation of the once highly
problematic Kiffissos Avenue into a modern, 8 lane Expressway that
stretches for more than 11 km along the Kifissos River, linking many of
Athens' western suburbs, from Peristeri to the port of Piraeus. Today
Athens is a vibrant, sparkling metropolis with an up to date
infrastracture, awe-inspiring ancient monuments and museums that go hand
in hand with skyscrapers and futuristic buildings, a legendary nightlife
and world class shopping malls.
Athens sprawls across the central plain of Attica, which is bound by
Mount Aegaleo in the west, Mount Parnitha in the north, Mount Penteli in
the northeast, Mount Hymettus in the east, and the Saronic Gulf in the
southwest. Athens has expanded to cover the entire plain making it
difficult to significantly grow further in size in the future due to the
forementioned existing natural boundaries. The geomorphology of the city
frequently causes the so called temperature inversion phenomenon that
was partly responsible for the air pollution problems Athens faced in
the recent past. (Los Angeles has similar geomorphology and similar
problems).
The ancient site of the city is centered on the rocky hill of the
Acropolis. In ancient times the port of Piraeus (modern name Pireas) was
a separate city, but it has now been absorbed into greater Athens.
The centre of the city is Syntagma Square (Constitution Square), site of
the former Royal Palace, now the Greek Parliament and other 19th century
public buildings. This is essentially the core of the city, the place
where most of the famous ancient monuments are located, all within a
radius of 2 km.
Tourist attractions
Athens has been a popular tourist destination even since antiquity.
Visitors from all over the globe have always been eager to visit its
famous ancient monuments. Over the past decade, the infrastructure and
social amenities of Athens have been radically improved as a result of
the city's successful bid to stage the 2004 Olympic Games. The Greek
state, aided by the E.U., has poured money into infrastructure projects
such as the new, state of the art "Eleftherios Venizelos" International
Airport, the massive expansion of the Metro system, and the new Attiki
Odos ring-road. As a result, the numbers of international visitors are
only expected to rise even further in the coming years. Currently,
Athens is the 6th most visited capital in Europe.
Athens is home to a vast number of 5 and 4 star hotels, some of which
were refurbished ahead of the 2004 Olympics. Entire parts of the
downtown area have also been remodelled. Notably, the famous Dionysiou
Aeropagitou street has been pedestrianized thus forming a fascinating
scenic route. The route starts from the
Temple of Olympian Zeus in
Vasilissis Olgas Avenue, continues under the southern slopes of the
Acropolis near Plaka and finishes just outside the
Temple of Hephaestus
in Theseum. This remarkable route provides the visitors breathtaking
views of the Parthenon and the Agora (the meeting point of ancient
Athenians), away from the bustle and hustle of the city centre. Near
Syntagma Square (described above) stands the highly impressive
Kallimarmaro Stadium, the place where the first modern Olympic Games
took place in 1896. It is a replica of the ancient Athens Stadium. It
holds a special interest, not only for romantic reasons but also because
it is the only major stadium (60,000 spectators) made entirely of white
marble from Penteli, the same as the one used for the construction of
the Parthenon.
The city's classic museums like the National Archaeological Museum in
Patission Street (which holds the world's greatest collection of Greek
art), the Benaki Museum in the northern suburb of Kifissia (including
its new Islamic Art branch) , the Byzantine Museum, or the Museum of
Cycladic Art in the Kolonaki district (strongly recommended for its
collection of elegant white metamodern figures, more than 3,000 years
old), were all renovated ahead of the 2004 Olympics. A new Acropolis
Museum is being built in the central Makriyanni district according to a
design by acclaimed architect Bernard Tschumi. Not to be missed is also
the very impressive Athens Planetarium, considered to be among the
world's best.
The old campus of the University of Athens, located in the middle
section of Panepistimiou Avenue, is one of the finest buildings in the
city. This combined with the adjacent National Library and the Athens
Academy form the imposing "Athens Trilogy", built in the late 19th
century. However, most of the university's functions have been moved to
a much larger, modern campus located in the eastern suburb of Zográfou.
The second most significant academic institution of the city is the
Athens Polytechnic School (Ethniko Metsovio Politechnio), located in
Patission Street. More than 20 students were killed inside the School in
November 17, 1973 during the Athens Polytechnic Uprising against the
military junta that ruled the nation from April 21, 1967 till July 23,
1974.
As far as entertainment and night life are concerned, Athens offers an
endless amount of possibilities, reflecting all tastes and all cultures.
To begin with, it has a great number of multiplex as well as romantic
open air garden cinemas, more theatres than any other European city
(including ancient marble ones that are home to the Athens Festival from
June to July) and many music venues including a state of the art music
hall known as the "Megaron Moussikis" that attracts world-famous artists
all year round. The Athens coastline, extending from the major
commercial port of Piraeus to the southernmost suburb of Vouliagmeni for
more than 25 km, is also connected to the city centre with a gleaming
tram and it boasts a series of high class restaurants, cafes, exciting
music venues and sports facilities. It is justifiably named as the
"Attican Riviera" by many. In addition, Athens is packed with trendy and
fashionable bars and nightclubs that are literally crowded by the city's
youth on a daily basis. Especially during the summer time, the southern
elegant suburbs of Glyfada, Voula and Vouliagmeni become home to
countless such places, situated all along Poseidonos and Alkyonidon
Avenues. Turning now to the city centre, the Psiri neighborhood - aka
Athens' 'meat packing district'- has acquired many new mainstream bars,
thus becoming a hotspot for many youngsters. It also features a number
of live music restaurants called "rebetadika", after rebetiko, a unique
kind of music that blossomed in Athens from the 1920's till the 1950's.
Rebetiko is still admired by many, therefore virtually every night
rebetadika get crammed by people of all ages that will sing, dance and
drink wine until the dawn of the following morning. Plaka remains the
traditional top tourist destination, with many tavernas featuring
'traditional' music, but the food, though very good, is often more
expensive compared to other parts of the city. Plaka, lying just beneath
the Acropolis, is famous for its numerous neoclassic buildings, making
it one of the most scenic districts in central Athens. Monastiraki, on
the other hand, is famous for its loads of small tourist shops as well
as its crowded flea market and the legendary tavernas that specialize in
what many consider to be the best souvlaki in town. Yet another district
notably famous for its student-crammed, stylish cafes is Theseum, lying
just west of Monastiraki. Theseum, or Thission is home to the remarkable
ancient Temple of Hephaestus, standing on top of a small hill. The Gazi
area, one of the latest in full redevelopment, is located around a
historic gas factory in downtown Athens, that has been converted into
the Technopolis (Athens's new cultural multiplex) and has a number of
small clubs, bars and restaurants as well as Athens' nascent gay
village.
The chic Kolonaki area, near Syntagma Square, is full of boutiques
catering to well-heeled customers by day and bars and restaurants by
night. Ermou Street, an approximately 1 km pedestrian road connecting
Syntagma Square to Monastiraki, has traditionally been considered a
consumer paradise for both the Athenians and foreign tourists. Full of
fashion shops and shopping centers featuring most international brands,
it has become one of the most expensive roads in Europe. Huge malls such
as the "Attica" mall in Panepistimiou Avenue and "The Mall Athens"
located in the classy northern suburb of Maroussi also offer an enormous
variety of international selections that can totally satisfy even the
most demanding customer. Some central areas (mostly just south of
Omonoia Square) are mainly peopled by immigrants and are therefore full
of colorful ethnic restaurants and shops.
Casinos operate on both Mount Parnitha, some 30 km from downtown Athens
(accessible by car or cable car) and the nearby town of Loutraki
(accessible by car via the Athens - Corinth National Highway or the
suburban railway). An entirely new attraction is the massively upgraded
Olympic Stadium Complex (known by its Greek initials OAKA). The whole
area has been remodelled by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava
with monuments, gardens, futuristic passages and a characteristic new
blue glass roof which was added to the main Stadium. A second olympic
area, next to the sea at the beach of Kallithea (Faliron), also boasts
futuristic stadiums, shops and an elevated esplanade.
Many of Athens' southern suburbs (such as Alimos, Palaio Faliro,
Elliniko, Voula, Vouliagmeni and Vari) host a number of beautiful, sandy
beaches, most of which are organized by the Hellenic Tourism
Organization. This means that one has to pay a fee in order to get in.
None the less, this fee is not expensive in most cases and it includes a
number of related, convenient services like parking facilities, coctail
drinks and umbrellas. These beaches are extremely popular in the summer
by both Athenians and foreign tourists. The city is also surrounded by
four easily accessible mountains (Parnitha and Penteli to the north,
Hemmettus to the southeast and Egaleo to the west). Mount Parnitha, in
particular, is the tallest of all (1,453 m) and it has been declared a
protected National Park. It has tens of well-marked paths, gorges,
springs, torrents and caves and you may even meet deers or bears while
exploring its dense forests. Hiking and mountain biking in all four
mountains have been and still remain popular outdoor activities for many
Athenians. What is more, Lykavittos is the tallest hill of the city
that, according to an ancient legend, was actually a boulder thrown down
by Goddess Athena. Located in the city center, near Alexandras' and
Vassilisis Sofia's Avenues, it offers magnificent, literally
breathtaking views of sprawling Athens that lies underneath. On top of
it, stands the picturesque St. George's church which is definitely a
must-see. The nearby islands of Salamina, Aigina, Poros, Hydra and
Spetses are also sites of spectacular natural beauty and historical
architecture. Work is underway to transform the grounds of the old
Athens Airport - named Hellinikon - in the southern suburbs into a
massive landscaped park (considered to be the largest in Europe when
ready). The Athens municipality maintains a site of tourist interest:
http://www.cityofathens.gr/
Get in Athens
Get around Athens
Temple of Hephaestus
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Acropolis
Ancient Agora of Athens
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