
The
Parthenon, atop the Acropolis: Athens' most famous
landmark.
Athens
(pop. 772,072) is the capital of Greece. The area
that is now occupied by the city has been
continuously inhabited for over 5,000 years. The
first settlers came to the area during the Neolithic
Age and built their dwellings at the bottom of the
rock on which the Acropolis stands today. During the
13th century BC, the mythical hero Theseus united
all the communities of Attica into a single city
that he named Athinai (Athens). The 6th century BC
is the peak for Athens. Three leaders dominated the
city: Solon, the politician and lawmaker;
Peisistratus, the tyrant; and Kleisthenes, the
founder of the Athenian Democracy. The three played
a great part in shaping the form that Athens would
take in the future. During the 5th century BC, after
the victory at the Median Wars, a brand new city was
built-one that will remain in history as the
Classical Athens. Themistocles, Kimon and Pericles
later, were the strong personalities that influenced
Athens during this period. The Peloponnesian War (at
the end of the 5th century BC) and the defeat of the
Athenians by the Lacedaemonians brought the decline
of Athens. In 86 BC Athens fell to the Romans. After
Christianity spread, Athens became a small and
unimportant town in the Byzantine Empire and
followed the fate of the Empire. Athens surrendered
to Frankish rule in 1204. The Turks followed in
1456. The modern history of Athens began in 1834,
after the liberation Greece, following the War of
Independence of 1821. Athens, in ruins at the time,
became capital of the new Greek state and two
architects, Stamatios Kleanthis and Edward Schaubert
drew the first city plan. At the end of the 19th
Century, neo-classical Athens became a city easy to
live in; limited in area, with two- or at the most
three-storey buildings and a population of around
200,000. After World War II, however, the city
changed rapidly, with millions pouring in from all
over the country and high-rise buildings cropping
up. The area of Greater Athens occupies today the
whole of the basin formed by the surrounding
mountains and has a population of over 4 million. |
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Travel Info:
Travel Info |
The Stadium |
Tickets
GETTING THERE:
Athens' "Eleftherios Venizelos" International Airport offers
direct connections to most European capitals and major
cities, as well as points farther afield in Asia, Africa,
the Middle East and North America. Athens is the base of
operations for Greece's two major airlines, Olympic Airlines
and Aegean Airlines, both of which offer extensive domestic
destinations in addition to their international operations.
ELECTRICITY:
Electricity
in Greece is 220V, 50 cycles, with standard continental-type
plugs with two round pins.
MONEY:
Greece is a member of the Euro-zone and
since 1 January 2002 its official currency is the euro (€).
The euro is also the official currency of Austria, Belgium,
Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Most major foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks (open
Monday to Friday 08:00 to 13:30). Other options are exchange
offices, which usually keep longer hours. Rates and
commissions at travel agencies and hotels will probably not be
as favourable as at banks and exchange offices. All banks have
ATMs available round the clock.
Major credit cards are accepted
at most tourist-oriented establishments—but always ask
beforehand.
TELEPHONES:
Direct-dial
service is available between Greece and all other countries of
the world. International calls may be placed from any of the
cardphones widely available throughout Athens. Telephone
cards are sold at kiosks and newsagents and most grocery and
souvenir stores everywhere. Phone calls placed from hotel
rooms may carry heavy surcharges.
Mobile phone networks in Greece are
compatible with the European-wide GSM 800/1900 standards, but
not with the systems available in the USA and Japan. Vodafone
(formerly Panafon), WIND (formerly Tim) and Cosmote are the leading
mobile phone service providers in Greece. Check with your home service provider to find out if
Roaming Service is available for you. Otherwise, it’s possible
with very little money to buy Connection Packs from any of the
above companies in Greece. These are compatible with GSM
900/1800 devices and include a number and a small amount of
airtime which can be easily renewed.
All phone numbers in Greece comprise of 10
digits. To call from abroad dial the international access code
of your country, followed by 30 (the country code of Greece),
followed by the 10-digit phone number. To call from within
Greece just dial the 10-digit number. There are no area codes.
TIME:
Greek Summer Time, in effect from the last Sunday in March to
the last Sunday in October, is three hours ahead of Greenwich
Mean Time. In winter Greece is two hours ahead of GMT.
NEWSPAPERS:
A wide selection
European newspapers and magazines
is available in Athens, most on the evening of the
same day of publication. The International Herald
Tribune printed in Athens is available every morning and
includes an eight-page, English-language supplement of the
Greek daily Kathimerini. The English-language Athens News is
published every Friday.
SIGHTSEEING & EXCURSIONS:
Visitors to Athens can find a wealth
of attractions in town
to while their time away. Furthermore, Athens is ideally
based for excursions to many of the major archaeological
sites of Greece. Several tour operators in Athens offer day
trips to the locations below:
The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, the southernmost tip
of Attica, is easily accessible on a half-day trip from
Athens. The 5th Century BC sanctuary, built on the location
of older temples, occupies a magnificent location atop a
cliff, which commands magnificent views of the Aegean Sea.
Delphi, site of the Delphic Oracle, was considered by ancient
Greeks as the centre of the world. The Sanctuary of Apollo
dominates the archaeological site, which offers unique views
over the olive-tree-filled Plain of Amphissa.
Epidaurus has become a major attraction for its 320 BC ancient
theatre, which continues to host ancient drama and comedy
during the yearly Athens Festival. The theatre, which has a
capacity for 14,000, is famous for its exceptional
acoustics.
The citadel of Mycenae was the centre of the 1600-1200 BC
kingdom from which spread the brilliant Mycenaean
Civilisation. The ancient site, set on the slopes of a hill,
commands spectacular views over the Argolic Plain and the
Bay of Nauplion.
Day cruises to the Saronic Gulf islands of Aegina, Poros and
Hydra are organised daily out of Piraeus. Highlights include
the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina, sailing through the narrow
channel between Poros and the Peloponnese mainland, as well
as the picturesque island of Hydra, a favourite of artists
and yachties. |