Athens Greece

---

Athens the capitol city of Greece is a thriving, busy metropolis home to some 4.5 million Greeks. It is a sprawling overcrowded concrete jungle, plagued by daily traffic jams and smog. Just about the same thing you will find in any major city. Dispite all the negative aspects, Athens retains a certain charm combining old with modern making it a unique cultural experience.

For most tourists Athens is usually the starting point for their holidays to the Greek Islands. It's worthwhile to stay in Athens for a couple of days and explore the sights, sounds, and tastes of Athens city.

---

---

The City of Athens has received a much needed renovation in preparation for the hosting of the Olympics which greatly impoved the city's look and facilities. Major renovations took place for over 90% of the hotels, public transportation, streets and squares.

At the center of Athens is Omonia Square, one of the most famous landmarks in Athens located in the heart of the business and shopping district. Everything is within reasonable walking distance to most of the important attractions such as the Acropolis, Parthenon, Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma, archaeological museums and other places of interest.

Under Omonia square you can find the train station, which runs across the city starting from Kifisia all the way to the port of Piraeus, as well as the new metro system.

If you are staying in Athens, you might want to hit the beach and work on your tan, as there are many organized beaches on the coastal road of Attica (Possidonos Ave.) Athens Coastal suburbs of Alimos, Glyfada, Vouliagmeni, Varkiza, Cape Sounion, and Anavissos have great beaches for swimming and easy to travel to by public transportation are just under an hour drive depending on the traffic.

Those of you who want to do a little island hopping, you can visit nearby islands like Aegina, Poros, Hydra, Spetses, Tzia (Kea) or Evia for quick day trips by ferry in less than an hour from Piraeus.