Athens Attractions

Get Away From It All On Aegina

Advantages: Lovely Little Island
Disadvantages: Poor Beaches

When your best friend decides to spend a year living in a foreign land, it is a great excuse to go travelling. Throw in a free bed, reduced flights through my job and a bank holiday weekend and it seemed stupid not to fly out to Athens for the second time this year. My girlfriend and I had previously been out in January and had done most of the big things that Athens has to offer but this time my future sister-in-law and her boyfriend joined us so ...
...country for a day longer and we wanted to do something new and exciting, we decided to visit the island of Aegina. Aegina is the biggest island in the Sarconic Gulf and is located about 30 miles off shore from Athens. It has had quite an interesting history throughout ancient times where it was once a major power alongside Athens but today it is a sleepy little outlet from the hectic Athens city life and many Athenians own second homes on the island. ...

StereoMike1983 15.05.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Aegina, Athens

And Not A Flying Horse In Sight!!!

Advantages: New, Clean
Disadvantages: Poor Implication of new security rules

...was built with the 2004 Athens Olympics in mind and unlike a lot of the infrastructure for these games, was actually opened before the games in March 2001, replacing the previous international airport. As the crow flies, it is quite close to the city of Athens but due to the hills surrounding the city, it is nearer a 30km drive to the centre. There is a direct train line that will take you to the city centre (something that apparently wasn't ready ...
...If you are flying to Athens (as I will again in a couple of months) then you will have no choice but to go through this airport and will probably not have any problems. However, all it takes is one or two annoyances to lead to a bad review and that is what happened to me! ...

StereoMike1983 08.04.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Athens International Airport - Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH)

Don't forget the Erechtheion

Advantages: Wonderful monument, spectacular views.
Disadvantages: Hot, busy.

The Erechtheion is the most sacred of the ancient temples. It was the last of the great works of Pericles. Athena and Poseidon were worshipped here. Poseidon who was the city's old patron was also known as Erechtheus. According to legend, the Erechtheion was the site on which Athena and Poseidon held a contest to see who would posses Athens. Athena won and at the touch of her spear the first ever olive tree appeared from the ground. The Erechtheion ...
...and from most of Central Athens it is the monument that one can see. Until I actually went up to the Acropolis, I assumed that this was probably The Parthenon. When you actually get to see both monuments, it is very clear that the Erechtheion is rather dwarfed by its older cousin. However, it is less visited, under less scaffolding, and more accessible than the Parthenon itself. It truly is a wonderful building. At night the Erechtheion is beautifully ...

GF1124 13.12.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Erechtheion, Athens

The Maiden's Apartment

Advantages: Historical Monument, magnificent structure
Disadvantages: Surrounded by scaffolding and people

The Parthenon is the most impressive and important monument in Athens. Representative of the Golden Age of 5th Century Athens, the Parthenon tops the Acropolis. And so, it is here, that I will begin my reviews on Greece. As part of my studies for my diploma and degree in Classic Studies, 5th Century Athens had occupied a large proportion of the work. We planned a tour of mainland classical Greece combined with a five-day stay on the island of Corfu. ...
...includes a guided tour. The Parthenon can then be viewed at liberty. The Parthenon dominates the Acropolis, situated on the highest point and rising to massive proportions. It stands 101 feet tall and is 228 feet long. Although now in ruins, it retains a magnificent that is awesome. The effect, sadly is somewhat spoiled by scaffolding that surrounds the exterior as protective work is being undertaken. The Parthenon has an extraordinary history. ...

MAFARRIMOND 14.07.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Parthenon (Athens)

A fantastic concert venue

Advantages: Easy to get to, great views, great concerts and events
Disadvantages: Can't think of any!

Lycabetus Hill is one of the main hills surrounding Athens city centre. If you have allowed yourself some time to see Athens and are not immediately sailing off to an island (unfortunately, many people skip the city altogether), I can highly recommend catching a concert here. Perhaps surprisingly for some people, a lot of big names have played here in the last few months and years including Moby, Duran Duran, Pink Floyd. Why do they come? Because ...
...air. The seating is arranged in a sort of Greek semi-circular ampitheatre, using a large metal structure, bolted together. The cheapest seats are in the back, but don't be afraid to go for these because the view is breathtaking - not only do you get a great view of the performance, but you also get fantastic views over Athens by night. There are drinks and snack on offer, but why not take along your own chilled bottle of wine and a few glasses, sit ...

Emmanuel2005 13.01.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Lycabetus Hill (Athens)