Travel Articles - Athens Holidays

Athens is famous for being one of the most important locations in the development of civilisation as we know it: the birthplace of democracy and many of the most important philosophers in history. This beautiful city has so much to offer.

Attracting three million visitors a year this beautiful city is like no other and given its status in the foundation of modern Western thought, is appropriately named after Athena - the goddess of wisdom.

Athens is surrounded by three mountains, Mount Parnitha, Mount Penteli, and Mount Hymettos and houses some of the greatest architectural landmarks in the world including important Byzantine (4th to the 6th Century) and Medieval buildings as well as famous World Heritage sites such as the Acropolis.

When staying in Athens the most desirable areas to look for Athens hotels are in the districts of Plaka, Makrianni, Koukaki, Thission, and Monastriraki. These districts surround the Acropolis and give beautiful views of this world famous landmark as well as of the archaeological park that borders it.

There is so much to do in Athens once you arrive and are booked into your hotel; whether you are looking to explore the city’s rich history through archaeological sites, museums or to go and make the most of the stunning sandy beaches and go windsurfing; whichever type of holiday experience you are looking for Athens has it all.

There are many websites available offering advice on how best to make the most of your Athens holiday and of course as with everything planning your holiday beforehand in order to maximise on your time there is the key.

There are so many ways to discover this important city and options seem to pop up overnight; for example easycruise.com are now offering tours of Classical Athens by day and by night at very reasonable prices, which is an ideal way to get to grips with Athens if you want to relax and see it at a distance.

If you are looking for a more hands on approach to getting to know Athens there are half day tours of historical Athens available to get you orientated and ground you in the basic history of each of the famous landmarks. A good start to your holiday, a sightseeing tour can give you ideas about which facet of this complex city you’d like to spend time looking at whether it be modern or classical during your stay.

There are many ferry trips available to the surrounding Greek islands as well some of which allow you to hop between islands returning to your hotel overnight if you wish. There are many companies offering this service, once again it is advisable to research which type of trip you’d like to take on the internet before you arrive.

Useful links for holidays in Greece:

Cheap flights to Athens from cheapflights.co.uk

Travel insurance from AA Travel.