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The country was founded back in 7000 years till then it is continuously inhabited. Athens has been inhabited continuously for over 7000 years. Its acropolis, supplied with spring water, commanding views of all seaward approaches and encircled by protective mountains on its landward side, was a natural choice for prehistoric settlement and for the Mycenaeans, who established a palace-fortress on the rock. The discontinuity from ancient to medieval Athens was due, essentially, to the emergence of Christianity. Having survived with little change through years of Roman rule, the city lost its pivotal role in the Roman-Greek world after the division of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western halves and the establishment of Byzantium (Constantinople) as capital of the Eastern Byzantine empire. Athens rarely featured in the chronicles of the time, enjoying a brief revival under the foreign powers of the Middle Ages. Four centuries of Ottoman occupation followed until, in 1821, in common with the inhabitants of a score of other towns across the country, the Greeks of Athens rose in rebellion. They occupied the Turkish quarters of the lower town and laid siege to the Acropolis. For all the claims of its ancient past, and despite the city's natural advantages, Athens was not the first-choice capital of modern Greece. While the archaeologists stripped away all the Turkish and Frankish embellishments from the Acropolis, a modest city took shape along the lines of the Bavarians' Neoclassical grid.
For tourist arrival, spring with mild and sunny days is the best month of the year. The most popular months to visit Athens are May, June, July, August, September, and October. Athens is known as one of the sunniest cities in Europe, with a semi-arid climate and low average annual rainfall. The rain that does occur falls during the winter months, between mid-October and mid-April, usually as short, heavy showers.
ZVnViMapq5oSummers are very hot with high pollution level, while their nights are cold, with light frost sometimes. Rain falls during the winter, from mid-October to mid-April. The most popular months to visit Athens are May, June, July, August, September, and October. Athens is known as one of the sunniest cities in Europe, with a semi-arid climate and low average annual rainfall. The rain that does occur falls during the winter months, between mid-October and mid-April, usually as short, heavy showers.
The wide network of buses and metro serves the city of Athens, currently undergoing massive expansion; taxis fill in the gaps. Public transport networks operate from around 5am to midnight, with the airport buses being the only ones running in the small hours. Buses-The bus network is extensive and cheap. Tickets must be bought in advance from kiosks, certain shops and newsagents, or from the limited number of booths run by bus personnel near major stops. The metro-The Athens metro has been much expanded recently, with the long-awaited addition of two new lines and a significant extension of the original Line 1 (green). The new system is designed to handle almost half a million passengers a day and is. Taxis- this is the cheapest way for visitors among any other EU capital.
The transportation in Athens is well developed. A brand new rail network, new road and bridge are constructed in the city. A lot of transportation problems in the city have reduced because of the new mean of transportation such as the Athens tram, the suburban railway and the Athens Metro.
You can use public transports to move around the city. The transportation system of the city is divided into four categories. The urban bus services in Athens are operated under the authority of the OASA (organization of urban transport of Athens). These services link all the municipalities of Piraeus and Athens.
The suburban buses are served under the authority of KTEL. Athens is connected with suburban areas and the rest of the mainland of Greece by suburban uses. The price of bus ticket is 0.5 Euro and the price of daily ticket is 3 Euro. Metro service is also a good option for you. There are three lines of Athens Metro. Line 2 and line 3 run under ground while line 1 serve in the Old Athens.
These services cover a significant part of the Attica region. Tram and train services are also very successful in Athens. The tram network connects the southern suburbs and the centre of the city.
The Archaeological Park-One is one of the great pleasures in Athens and strolling through what is been dubbed as the "Archaeological Park" is a great sense of pleasure. It takes visitors past the most important of the city's ancient monuments. The August Full Moon-For the past few years, 55 ancient sites throughout Greece including, of course the Acropolis. Acropolis-Dominating Athens, the Acropolis is one of the archetypal images of Western civilization. Herodes Atticus theatre-The ancient Roman Herodes Atticus theatre is a major venue for classical music concerts during the Hellenic summer festival. Poseidon temple, Cape Sounion. The dramatically sited Poseidon temple is a familiar landmark to boats at sea. This is the finest collection of Greek antiquities anywhere in the world. Tower of the Winds is also a graceful octagonal structure and is the best-preserved and easily the most intriguing of the Roman Forum ruins.
Athens is the most popular city of Greece because there are many attractions for visitors in the city. The top rated historical site of the city is The Acropolis Hill. It was a place of worship in 650 BC. The three important temples including The Erechtheion, the Parthenon and the temple of Nike were built here during the classical period.
If you want to see the excavated treasures of this remarkable site then you should visit Acropolis Museum. The Agora is another famous place in the city. It is an open space and is the centre of many commercial, social, administrative and political activities. There are plenty of things to see and visit such as the Stoa of Zeus, the Temple of Apollo, the temple of Hephaistos, the Eleutherios and the monument of the Eponymous Heroes.
The National Archaeological Museum of Athens is included in one of the top ten museums of the world. It has a large collection Mycenaean, Minoan, Cycladic and classical Greek art. It has a sculpture garden caf? and you can spend your time by relaxing here.
The Plaka is another attraction in the city and situated downhill from the Acropolis. The central square of Plaka has many cafes, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. It is considered as the best area in the city to shop traditional jewelry of Greek.
The Greeks have their night-life with full of enjoyment. Traditional Greek music – Rebetiko and Dhimotika, provides the city's most compelling night-time entertainment. Check the Athens News (published Fri) or the daily Kathimerini insert in the InternationalHerald Tribune for listings of current cultural and entertainment events, including films, lectures, theatre, music, and dance. The weekly Hellenic Times and monthly now in Athens list nightspots, restaurants, movies, theatre, and much more. Most Greeks don't think of dinner until at least 9pm in winter, 10pm in summer. The midnight time is for the parties moving on to a club for music and dancing. As for other forms of live music, there are small, indigenous jazz and rock scenes, perennially strapped for funds and venues, but worth checking out. Classical music performances tend to form the core of the summer Hellenic Festival
Accommodation in Athens is affordable for any tourist. Therefore, finding good accommodation in the city is very easy. The Arion Astir Palace Hotel is the top rated hotel of the city. It is present near to downtown Athens and Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport.
The city's ancient and stunning vestiges are the main highlights for most of the visitors coming to this classical Greek city, mostly represented by the Acropolis and its surrounding archaeological sites. Athens is the city that Greeks love to hate, complaining that it's too expensive, too crowded, too polluted. Some 40% of the country lives here, making the city burst. Athens now boasts an "Archaeological Park", which for tourists means that they now can walk along streets (including Dionissiou Areopagitou), for pedestrians only, that link Hadrian's Gate, the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, and Kerameikos cemetery. Even though you've probably come here to see the "glory that was Greece," perhaps best symbolized by the Parthenon and the superb displays in the National Archaeological Museum, allow some time to make haste slowly in Athens.
Athens is the capital city of Greece. It is the largest city of the country and very famous among tourists. Athens is considered as the best place to spend holidays with family. It is a calm and peaceful city. But for the sake of convenience you should note down the useful contact numbers of the city. Some important numbers are given below:
Medical emergency:
Ambulance services: 116
SOS doctors: 10 16
Poison Treatment services: 21 07 79 37 77
Emergency services for women: 21 05 23 52 50
Pharmacy services (24 hours)/ Hospital: 14 34
Fire Emergency:
Forest Fire: 191
Fire department: 199
Police Services:
Emergency police: 100
Traffic Police: 21 04 11 38 32
Tourism Police: 171
Police emergency (24 hours): 21 07 70 57 11
Traffic Police Athens: 21 05 23 01 11
Transportation services:
Bus schedule: 21 08 21 08 72
Timetable of Urban bus: 185
Athens International Airport: 21 03 53 00 00
Long distance transportation services: 14 40
Taxis: 21 06 45 70 00
Taxi services for northern districts: 21 08 01 40 00
Taxis services for southern district: 21 09 96 14 20
Other contact numbers:
Internationalinformation: 139
Directory assistance Greece: 11 888
General information services (24 hours): 134
Tourist information services: 21 00 60 68 800
Weather forecast: 14 48
Coast guard: 108
Athens is included in one of those cities which are famous because of their festivals, traditions and culture. Athens InternationalFilm Festivals is the most popular festival of the city. It is also known as the Opening Nights Festival.
It is considered as a non-competitive festival. It is celebrated in the month of September every year and emphasis on the American indie cinema and independent productions having low Budget . Athens Biennial InternationalContemporary Art Exhibition is organized in the month of September every year. It is one of the famous events and activities that are held in Athens.
Lycabettus Festival is another famous event in the city. It is celebrated from May to September annually. It is a summer art festival and organized in Lycabettus Theater. It provides theater events and exciting music. MIR festival promotes the contemporary arts through visual media. Tourists from all around the world moves towards Athens every year to attend this latest Internationalcontemporary art festival.
Traditional Greek Dance Festival depicts the traditional costume and culture of the city. It starts from the month of May and continues till 20 September. August Moon Festival is another interesting festival of the city. It is celebrated on the night of the full moon in the month of August. The sites such as Roman Agora, Odeion of Herodes Atticus and The Acorpolis are opened for the public.
It is very hectic to visit all the places of Athens in public transport.
There is a great fun for kids in Athens. There are many parks, garden and libraries that are scattered throughout the Athens. The National Garden of the city is very famous among kids. The garden has a playground, a lot of rooms to run around and many duck ponds.
There is a library for children in The National Garden of Athens. The timing of the Children?s library is from 8:30 am to 3 pm, from Tuesday to Saturday. The library remains closed in the month of August. A small zoo is also present in the National garden. The garden is located in Syntagma Square and open from sunrise to sunset. The National garden is considered as the best place for kids among all the parks, gardens and zoos. Dexamini Square is also a good place for kids.
It has many cafes and a small playground. Attica Zoological Park is privately operated and has more than 2000 birds. It houses a small farm and a butterfly garden. It remains open throughout the week from 10 am to 7 pm.
The charges of ticket for children are 5.20 dollars and for an adult are 10 dollars. There other amusements for kids in Athens including Mount Likavitos, The museum of Greek Children?s art, Karaghiozis Puppet Shows, Greek Folk Art Museum, Goulandris Museum of Natural History, Gaia Center and Hellenic Cosmos.