MEETINGREECE
26
ATHENS - ATTICA
Athens is the capital and the political, financial,
industrial and cultural center of Greece. Named
after the Goddess Athena, Athens is one of the
oldest cities in the world with a recorded history
of at least 3.000 years.
T
he Athens Metropolitan Area has a population of
around 4 million inhabitants and consists of 73
municipalities that extend in virtually all
directions, north & south and east & west. Being
a melting pot of many different architectural
styles, ranging from Ancient Greek to Greco-
Roman and Neo-Classical to modern, Athens is a city with
different aspects where history and contemporary society coexist
to create an exciting city environment. Many of the most
prominent buildings of the city are built in either Greco-Roman or
Neo-Classical style.
Famous for its vibrant nightlife, Athens offers a vast variety of
choices to satisfy any demanding visitor. Theaters, movie
theaters, unique open-air summer cinemas, clubs, bars, discos,
as well as restaurants, taverns, cafes, ouzeri, etc. are at your
service to choose from. Enjoy all types of cuisine, from Greek and
Mediterranean to International in budgetary and luxurious places.
Also visit museums, galleries and archaeological sites, with
Parthenon on Acropolis and the New Acropolis Museum a must.
Moreover just minutes away, amongst other possibilities, are the
temple of Poseidon at cape Sounio and Aegina Island.
GEOGRA PHY
The city of Athens covers an area of 39 sq.km and it is located
almost in the center of the Greek geographical territory. Athens
sprawls across the central plain of Attica, referred to as the Attica
Basin. With the Saronic Gulf to the south, it is surrounded by the
mountains Parnis to the north, Pendeli to the north-east, Ymittos
to the east and Egaleo to the west. The highest point in Athens’
center at 270 m is the peak of the pine-covered Lykavittos.hill.
PUB L I C T RANS POR T A T I ON
The public transportation system is divided in four main
categories: the urban buses, the trolley buses, the tram and the
Athens metro with 3 lines (including the old electrical metropolitan
train).
Many of the Metro stations are characterized as public museums
due to the fact that many of the antiquities and artifacts
discovered during the excavations for the construction are now
being exposed in these stations.
All of the above can be used in combination to move around, in
and out of the city, at low cost fares and in reasonable short time.
It is also good to know that there is a new three-day integrated
ticket that offers unlimited use of all public transport means.
Tickets are sold at the airport and in the metro/electric rail
stations.
The public transportation system is been complemented with the
taxis as a mean of transportation. There are more than 14.000
taxis around the city of Athens, which operate 24 hours per day, 7
days per week and offer their services in reasonably low prices.
Athens city center and Athens International Airport are connected
with Athens greater area, as well as with Corinth and other cities
in Peloponnese to the south and Chalkida to the north, via
Proastiakos (suburban train).
There are also the suburban and intercity buses (under the
authority of KTEL), which connect Athens with the suburban areas
and the major cities of Greece.
T HE ACROPOL I S MUS EUM
The new Acropolis Museum has a total area of 25.000 m2, with
exhibition space of over 14.000 m2, ten times more than that of
the old museum. The new museum hosts various collections of
great historical and archaeological value such as the Gallery of
the Slopes of the Acropolis, the Archaic and the Parthenon
Galleries, the sanctuary of Artemis Vravronia and the votives of
the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman Periods, as well as the
statues of Caryatides.
The Acropolis Museum won the British Guild of Travel Writers’
Athens: A historical city
with endless
possibilities!
