What to see in Athens, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Zeus and Piraeus port.
Tourist information
Capital of Greece, Athens is located on a flat area in the central part of Attica, which is one of the regions in which ancient Greece is divided, surrounded to the north by Mount Parnis, to the north-east from Mount Pentélico and to the south-east by mount Imetto.
It constitutes a unique urban area, together with the municipalities of the port of Piraeus.
In its historic center, various hills rise, including that of the Acropolis and that of Lycabettus, the largest in height with its 263 meters, from whose top you can enjoy a beautiful panorama.
The name of the city derives from that of the goddess Athena who, in Greek mythology, was the daughter of Zeus and represented the goddess of wisdom and the arts.
If we consider the entire municipal territory, Athens has over seven hundred thousand inhabitants, excluding the metropolitan area with which it would reach almost four million.
As for the climate, it is a typical Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and mild winters, rainfall is low throughout the year.
In January, which is the coldest, temperatures never drop below nine degrees centigrade, while in July, which is the hottest, they never exceed thirty degrees centigrade.
The optimal months from a climatic point of view for a visit to the city are May, September and October.
About a fifth of the population that works deals with agriculture, with the cultivation mainly of olives and vines to produce significant quantities of oil and wine.
As regards fishing, it must be said that, contrary to what one might think, it is not widely practiced and is mainly limited to a quantity suitable only for local use while.
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About cattle breeding they sell mainly sheep and goats.
The largest percentage of the economy is mainly based on tourism, which creates a widespread development of local well-being.
What see
The main places of interest include the Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus, the archaeological area of the ancient agora and the theater of Dionysus, the civic art gallery and the archaeological museum of Piraeus.
Athens is a great metropolis, which has a thousand-year history behind it, highlighted by its prestigious and fascinating ruins.
Among them dominate the Acropolis and the Parthenon, which is the most famous of the masterpieces of Greek architecture, built in the fifth century BC. under Pericles, Athenian general, to guard the cult statue depicting the goddess Athena and the sacred treasure of the city.
Erechtheum is the second largest temple of the Acropolis, which constituted the true sacred nucleus of the Acropolis and the city, where numerous places of worship were enclosed, the most important of which were dedicated to Athena Poliad, Erechtheus, Poseidon and Cecrope.
Dating from the fifth century BC, it is famous above all for the portico supported by the caryatids, marble statues depicting young girls, currently replaced by copies, with the originals preserved in the Acropolis Museum, except one that is located in the British Museum in London.
On the Acropolis there is also a museum, built in the late nineteenth century to collect only materials found on the Acropolis.
At the foot of the Acropolis lies the Plaka, the old quarter of Athens, an area that retains the most characteristic views of the city, with beautiful Byzantine churches and narrow streets lined with souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants.
Near the Plaka district is Monastiraki square, famous for its picturesque flea market.
In Syntagma Square, in the modern part, overlooks the ancient Royal Palace, now transformed into Parliament and surrounded by the National Garden.
Of great interest is the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, one of the most important museums in the world, the best equipped with regards to Hellenic art.
Piraeus, which is the city's great port, is located south on the Gulf of Aegina or Saronic.
