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Athens guide

Introduction
Get your Bearings
Shopping
Dine & Unwind
Culture & Entertainment
Did You Know

Airport Guides

Athens Airport

Useful links

What's On
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Location

Athens Introduction

Al-fresco dining in Kolonaki, the sun-bleached Acropolis high above the city

In a Nutshell

| Sightseeing

| When to Go

| Nearby hotels

In a Nutshell

Top

Athens is a city on the move and a proud Mediterranean one at that – mopeds scoot around the streets at all hours and much of the city shuts down during the daily siesta. The sun-bleached Acropolis is a constant reminder of past glories, but modern Athens is much more than a bunch of clichés: increasingly affluent and eager to embrace all things European, it's even becoming hip.

Athens is named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom, who, according to legend, won the city after defeating Poseidon in a duel.

Sightseeing

The hilltop Acropolis, marble sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum

The Acropolis

Museum of Greek Folk Art

Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art

Byzantine and Christian Museum

National Archaeological Museum

Kerameikos Archaeological Site

When to Go

Top

From carnival to marathon with a festival in between

Athens Carnival (Feb-Mar), Athens French Film Festival (Apr), Art Athina (May), Eco Art Festival (May-Jun), Athens Festival (Jun-Jul), Athens Marathon (Nov).

TopNearby Hotels

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Hilton Athens

Superbly designed with views of the Acropolis

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