Travel Guides > Athens, Greece

Athens Travel

While the city of Athens, splendid with all its monuments, buildings, and artifacts, is a must for fans of ancient history, those who've visited this city will note that there's much more here than just some well-preserved structures and interesting ancient attractions.

Athens is a busy and crowded city but one that holds much charm; thanks to its pretty parks and gardens, sidewalk cafes offering the best in local delicacies, and friendly citizens that go out of their way to lend a helping hand.

Nevertheless, the first sites to which you'll be drawn, especially if you're a first-time visitor, will be the amazing buildings and monuments that you've been reading about in history text books for years. After all, just the fact that something this old is still standing is reason enough to pay a visit, but you'll also be awed by the fact that many of the greatest names in history once tread the ground here... Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and many more.

Head for the Acropolis, best visited as early in the morning as possible before the crowds make it difficult to see everything you'll want to see. The Acropolis is a complex made up of a number of must-see historical sites. Most tourists make a beeline for the Parthenon, one of the world's most photographed landmarks. Though you can't go inside for preservation reasons, you'll still be awed by the site of this most important religious shrine in Greece.

You'll also find a number of smaller temples at the Acropolis, ornate gates, awesome sculptures, and the excellent Acropolis Archaeological Museum, housing a myriad of artifacts and artwork from Athens' most prolific era, around the 5th century B.C.

Ancient Greeks were big on the arts and theater, so they built grand places to enjoy these leisurely pursuits. Visit the Theater of Dionysus where about 17,000 early citizens gathered to watch new plays written in the 4th century B.C.

The area known as the Agora is a complex of ancient buildings that was once the civic center of Athens. Here you'll find a 5th century B.C. temple, a pretty garden for strolling and picture-taking, and the 2nd century B.C. Stoa of Attalos, rebuilt in 1950 and home to an interesting little museum. It is said that Plato and Socrates frequented this area and that St. Paul also preached here.

Another must-see temple is that of Olympian Zeus. This is one of the largest temples of the ancient world, famous for its huge (56 foot high) marble columns.

For a more light-hearted tour, visit the Greek Folk Art Museum, full of handmade pieces crafted mostly by Greek women of long ago who often made costumes, embroideries, weavings, and other incredible works of art for their dowries.

For the kids, the newer Hellenic Cosmos museum is a fun stop, providing children with an interactive look at the history of Greece from ancient times to the present.

If you'd like to enjoy some local spectator sports, grab tickets to a Greek soccer game. You'll no doubt realize that Athenians are quite passionate about the sport and you'll certainly be treated to an excellent experience.