Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Athens and around
For all too many people,
ATHENS
is a city that happened two-and-a-half
thousand years ago. It's true that even now the past looms large - literally, in
the shape of the mighty Acropolis that dominates almost every view, as well
as on every visitor's itinerary. Yet the modern city is home to over four million
people - more than a third of the Greek nation's population - and has
undergone a transformation in the twenty-first century.
On first acquaintance, Athens is not a beautiful place - the scramble for growth in the
decades after World War II, when the population grew from around 700,000 to close
to its present level, was an architectural disaster. But, helped by huge investment for the
2004 Olympics, the city is starting to make the most of what it has, with new roads,
rail and metro, along with extensive pedestrianization in the centre. The views for
which Athens was once famous have reappeared and, despite inevitable globalization
and the appearance of all the usual high-street and fast-food chains, the city retains its
character to a remarkable degree. Hectic modernity is always tempered with an air of
intimacy and hominess; as any Greek will tell you, Athens is merely the largest village
in the country.
However often you've visited, the vestiges of the ancient Classical Greek city, most
famously represented by the
Parthenon
and other remains that top the
Acropolis
, are an
inevitable focus; along with the refurbished
National Archeological Museum
, the finest
collection of Greek antiquities anywhere in the world, they should certainly be a priority.
The majority of the several million visitors who pass through each year do little more; they
never manage to escape the crowds and so see little of the Athens Athenians know. Take
the time to explore some of the city's
neighbourhoods
, and you'll get far more out of it.
Above all, there's the sheer vibrancy of the city.
Cafés
are packed day and night and
the streets stay lively until 3 or 4am, with some of the best
bars and clubs
in the
country.
Eating
out
is great, with establishments ranging from traditional tavernas to
gourmet restaurants. In summer, much of the action takes place outdoors, from dining
on the street or clubbing on the beach, to
open-air cinema
,
concerts
and
classical
drama
. There's a diverse
shopping
scene, too, ranging from colourful bazaars and lively
street markets to chic suburban malls crammed with the latest designer goods. And
with good-value, extensive public transportation allied to inexpensive taxis, you'll have
no difficulty getting around.
Outside Athens are more Classical sites - the
Temple of Poseidon at Soúnio
,
sanctuaries at
Ramnous
and
Eleusis
(Elefsína), the burial mound from the great victory
at
Marathon
- and there are also easily accessible
beaches
all around the coast. Further
afield,
Delphi
(p.204) and the
islands
of the Saronic gulf (Chapter 5) are also in easy
day-trip distance. Moving on is quick and easy, with scores of
ferries
and hydrofoils
leaving daily from the port at
Pireás
(Piraeus) and, somewhat less frequently, from the
two other Attic ferry terminals at
Rafína
and
Lávrio
.
The Athenian Golden Age
p.63
The Olympic legacy
p.64
A brief history of the Acropolis
p.65
The Elgin Marbles
p.70
A slice of old Athens: Anafiótika
p.75
Roman Athens
p.76
November 17: the student uprising
p.83
A city with a view
p.89
City beaches
p.92
Ethnic eats
p.101
The Athens and Epidaurus Festival
p.110
Bazaars and markets
p.112
Pay beaches
p.116
The Mysteries of Eleusis
p.120