Overview

A Holiday in Athens – Soak in the Cradle of Civilization

It is the undoubted grand dame of all cities in the world; it was the world’s biggest center for the arts, learning and philosophy and there isn’t a country in the world that hasn’t been touched by this great city in some way; the birthplace of Socrates and home to Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’ Lyceum, Athens is the undisputed cradle of western civilization.

Athens is one city capable of stopping you in your tracks. Look around and you see three thousand years of civilization around you - the Acropolis, the Parthenon and the Temple of Poseidon – all are the symbols of a city which has been inhabited continuously by some peoples or the other.

But Athens is not just history and ruins. Look around more carefully and you will find the modern Athens weaving in and around its ancient fabric like a beautiful patchwork quilt. It is this mix of history, heritage and modernity that attracts people to Athens. Add to the city's gregarious nature, its friendly people and the warmth in everything around you and you have a place that tops the list of 90% of tourists.

When you come to Athens, you walk into the midst of a crucible where ancient culture is mixed with a modern one, where debates and the Forum have given rise to a people who believe in true democratic governance and in a system. And that’s not all because Athens is a city that also has all the bells and whistles you expect from a tourist destination. Here you can take in a twilight view from Athenians' favorite "violet-crowned" aerie, Mt. Lycabettus, and drink in the twinkling lights of the metropolis that is home to more than 4 million souls, still growing and still counting. Who wouldn’t want to be here?

The History of History

Athens at a Glance

c.3000BC Evidence of first settlement around the Acropolis

1400BC The Acropolis becomes a royal fortress

620BC Draco formalizes the laws of Athens and Attica

594-593BC The birth of democracy under the constitution of Solon

490BC The Battle of Marathon. Athens defeats the Persians

480BC Persian invasion of Athens

479BC Defeat of the Persians at Plataea by Greek force led by the Spartans

461BC Pericles replaces Cimon as the ruler of Athens

461-429BC The Golden Age under Pericles. Construction of the Parthenon and other Classical buildings

431BC Start of the Peloponnesian War against Sparta

430-428BC Plague wipes out a quarter of Athens' population including Pericles (429BC)

404BC Peloponnesian War with Sparta ends in defeat

338BC Philip II of Macedon conquers Athens and other Greek states

336BC Murder of Philip and succession of his son, Alexander the Great

336-323BC Expansion of the Macedonian Empire under Alexander through the Mediterranean and Middle East as far as India

146BC Roman Empire subjugates Macedonian rulers; Athens is incorporated into the province of Achaia

200BC-AD300 Roman rule in Greece

AD50 Paul the Apostle visits Athens to preach

AD330 Foundation of the Byzantine Empire by Constantine I as successor to the Roman Empire

AD395 Athens captured by Visigoths

AD529 Schools of Neo-Platonic philosophy closed by Justinian I, temples reconsecrated as Christian churches

1204 Franks and Venetians capture Constantinople and divide Greece between them

1456-1821 Athens under Ottoman rule from Constantinople

1687 Venetians besiege the Acropolis

1821 Hellenic rebellion against Turkish occupation

1821-29 The Greek War of Independence

1832 Prince Otto of Bavaria is selected by Western powers as king of the modern Greek state

1834 Capital of modern Greece transfers from Náfplio in the Peloponnese to Athens

1896 First modern Olympic Games held in Athens

1917 Greece joins the Allied forces and enters World War I

1920-23 Greece at war with Turkey

1923 End of Greek–Turkish war sees massive influx of Greek refugees from Asia Minor to Athens and Piraeus

1940 General Metaxas refuses Mussolini's fleet access to Greek ports in a now famous one word rebuttal – 'Óhi' (no)

1941 40,000 Athenians die in severe food shortages caused by the German and Italian occupation

1944 Liberation of Greece

1944-49 Greek Civil War

1967 Military coup results in the exile of King Constantine I. Greece ruled by Colonel Papadopoulos

1974 Overthrow of the military junta

1975 Republican constitution inaugurated

1981 Greece joins the European Union

1985 Athens becomes Europe's first Cultural Capital

1998 Devaluation of the drachma to prepare for European monetary union

2004 Athens hosts the Olympic Games

Spring or summer?

The Best time to go to Athens

Except for August and major holidays, when many Athenians migrate to their ancestral villages outside the city, the city remains wall to wall with tourists. So, the best times to visit the city are late fall and spring, when you can avoid the grimy heat and the busloads of tourists at every city attraction. This is also the time when you can make the most of the city’s famed nightlife; which in the low season either becomes non existent or moves to the seaside. Holy Week of the Orthodox Easter, usually in April or May, is a chance to observe Greece's most sacred holiday, including mournful Good Friday processions accompanying Christ's bier, and the candlelit Easter midnight service, complete with fireworks.

If you must come in summer, visit the sights in the early morning; then -- as the Greeks do -- take a nap or eat a leisurely lunch before continuing your explorations after 5 PM, when several museums and sites are still open.