Athens, Greece.
In Athens you will find hotel accommodation of a high
standard, good
transportation and excellent shopping and
dining. A warm welcome will always be found. You will
find much to do and see. Many wonders of ancient Greece
await you. Athens is a large modern city to explore, busy
streets and squares with many bars and restaurants but one
can easily find quieter little alleyways in the Plaka and
Mets areas. Athens is a dynamic city, rich in culture and technological innovations. Its eagerness for renovation however, still links it inevitably to its glorious past. The modern architecture is daring, yet it has a strong classical influence, the post-industrial areas are filling up with theatres, art galleries and nightlife.
Modern Athens
Athens is more than just a showcase for its history. Take some time to smell the souvlaki, wander through the Plaka district, browse the Monastiraki flea market, or explore the Psyrri neighborhood, the cutting-edge place to go for nightlife and dining. The narrow winding streets can be little confusing, but you can keep your bearings by the Acropolis looming above.
Shops: Athens is a paradise for shopping, all kind of shops are to be found in the most famous shopping areas of Athens the Ermou street, Aiolou street and in the area of Kolonaki. For books and music instruments the Solonos and Academias street. Many shops are on the two main streets that heading to the Parliament square Panepistimiou and Stadiou. But the most famous market place for the tourist is Monastiraki and the flea market. Worth of a visit is the Athens market at Athinas street and the small shops at Evrypidou street.
The area of Plaka is one of the most attractive districts of Athens. Under the slopes of the Acropolis, the Plaka attracts many visitors of Athens with its neoclassical mansions and houses with red tiled roofs. The Plaka is referred to in Greek literature as the neighbourhood of the Gods as the sacred rock of the Acropolis dominates the area.
Syntagma and Omonia are the main central squares of the
town; they are linked by Stadiou Street and Panepistimiou
Avenue, along which some of the town’s most beautiful
Neo-classical buildings have been erected.Dominating
Syntagma
Square is the Greek Parliament building and in
front of it the Monument
of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by the Evzones
in traditional costume. From this square starts the
beautiful (40 acres), south of which stands the impressive
Zappeion Mansion (1874-1888). From there you can continue
towards the Presidential
Mansion (1897) and thence to the Panathenaikon
(Kallimarmaro) Stadium , where the first Olympic Games in
modern history were held (1896). From there, crossing the
Mets neighbourhood, the road leads you to the the oldest one
in Athens, basically an outdoor sculpture display with a
wealth of wonderful monumental tombstones by some of the
most important sculptors of the 19th and 20th centuries.
From Omonia
Square starts Patission street, a busy street
with interesting buildings, amongst which are the
Neoclassical mansions of the Polytechnic School and the
National
Archaeological Museum , one of the leading
museums in the world which hosts rare art treasures from the
Neolithic era up to the Roman period. nearby is the Exarhia
area, a charming and lively neighbourhood, a meeting point
and home to many students and artists. From Exarcheia,
crossing the Neapoli neighbourhood, you can ascend Lycabettus
Hill . From its top you have a view of the
entire city, all the way to the Aegean. Looking over the
other side of the hill you will see the Kolonaki
neighbourhood which includes Sophias Avenue, one of the most
grandiose streets of Athens with beautiful buildings,
museums, {Cycladic
Art, Benaki,
Byzantine} the National
Gallery and green areas. In Kolonaki, considered to be
the most “aristocratic” area of the centre of Athens,
there are many shops selling expensive brands, modern
restaurants, tavernas and cafes. Other placesworth a look :
Piraeus
, Greece’s main port , the Daphni
Monastery (11 km. west), one of the most
significant Byzantine monuments of the country (12th c.)
with unique mosaics, the Kaisariani
Monastery (5 km. east), which
was founded in the 2nd century, the temple of Poseidon (5th
c. B.C.) on Cape
Sounion (58 km. south), following a scenic
route along the coast through the area of the battle of
Marathon (490 B.C.) with the Tomb
of Marathon .
So many things to do and see, ancient historic sites, museums, tavernas, concert halls, nightclubs, restaurants, markets, ancient Greek drama, open-air cinemas, traditional Greek music, all is there. The public transportation in Athens has a city bus that goes to all of the tourist attractions.
A trip around the streets of Athens today including The Plaka district.
The Tram was abandoned in the 60s because if was thought of as noisy and out of date. It has now once again become part of the Athenians way of life
since the 2004 Olympics.
The application of advanced technologies to ultramodern and highly aerodynamic transport means it has convinced the inhabitants, who are very suspicious by nature, to welcome this practical, fast, quiet and especially ‘green’ form of public transport.
Thanks to the 28.9 km of new Tram lines, the city has finally managed to take possession of its beaches. There is now a fast link between the
center and the beach areas of the south coastline, which once could only be reached by car or bus.
The two Tram lines are perfectly integrated with the rest of the Athens Metro Network, the underground and the suburban line, creating an urban network of rail transport 156 km long!!!

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Hotel Philippos King George Palace Hotel
When the Persians destroyed the old city of Athens in 480bc they
presented the citizens with an ideal opportunity for the
building programme which resulted in the construction of the
buildings, the remains of which, can now be seen on the
Acropolis. The Parthenon, the Erechtheum, the monumental gateway
to the Acropolis and the exquisite little Nike temple on the
west bastion beside the entrance. Inscriptions state that the
majority of the work on the Parthenon was begun in 447bc and
completed by 432bc, an amazing feat of creative achievement.
The
Erechtheum is rich in beautifully carved architectural
ornament but its chief glory is the Porch of the Caryatids whose
serene poise and rising lines brilliantly avoid any feeling of
weight and pressure and constitute one of the most successful
examples of this form ever to be created.


