Explore Athens, the historic capital of Greece, boasting ancient treasures like the Acropolis, Parthenon, and Temple of Olympian Zeus. Discover its rich culture, delicious cuisine, and diverse attractions in this comprehensive guide.
Unveiling Athens: Ancient Wonders and Modern Delights
Athens is the largest and the capital city of Greece. It is one of the world’s oldest cities. This city is filled with archaeological treasures. This city has a lot to offer if you have interest in knowing about its wonderful history. In this article, you will know about things to do in Athens, the food that you must try in Athens and the ways to reach Athens.
Things to do in Athens:
1. Acropolis of Athens:
It is an ancient fortified area located on the top of a rocky outcrop. The Acropolis of Athens contains the remains of many ancient buildings. Out of all the historical buildings, Parthenon is the most famous. At the entrance of the Acropolis, you will find a monumental gateway termed the Propylea. In the south of the temple, you will find a Temple of Athena Nike. On the East of the entrance and north of the Parthenon, you will find another temple known as Erechtheum. Every four years a festival known as the Panathenaea is celebrated at Acropolis.
2. Acropolis Museum:
This museum houses the findings of the historical site of the Acropolis of Athens. It is located on the southeastern slope of Acropolis Hill. It was opened in 2003 and was opened to the public on 20 June 2009. This museum is spread over 14,000 square kilometres and you can explore more than 4,250 objects in this museum. Out of four levels in this museum, three levels exhibits the historical collection, while the fourth middle-level house the auxiliary spaces such as a museum shop, cafe, and offices.
3. Temple of Olympian Zeus:
This site, also known as the Olympieion or Column of the Olympian Zeus, is a former colossal temple located in the center of Athens. It dedicated to “Olympian” Zeus, a name originating from his position as head of the Olympian gods. Builders constructed this temple of local limestone in the Doric style. Today, this temple is an open-air museum. In this museum, you will find a screen mounted at the Olympia showing images of ancient Greek performances, vases, frescoes, and statues
4. Mount Lycabettus:
This hill is also known as Mycabettos. This cretaceous limestone hill is located in the Greek Capital Athens. This is the highest point in Central Athens with a height of 277 meters above sea level. Its base is severed with the pine trees. At the peak of this hill, you will find a 19th century Chapel of St. George, a restaurant and a theatre. The large open-air amphitheatre housed many Greek and international concerts. It will take you 90 minutes to hike to the top. This is one of the best and most romantic places to enjoy the sunset.
5. National Garden of Athens:
This national garden is located in the centre of Athens and is spread over 15.5 hectares of land. Just opposite this national park is located the Greek Parliament Building. This garden encloses some ancient ruins, column drums, and mosaics. Earlier, the upper garden behind the Old palace was fenced off for private use of the King and Queen. This garden has three entry gates; the central gate, Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, and Herodou Attikou Street. In the garden, you can explore the duck pond, botanical museum, children’s library and playground and a cafe. This garden opens at 6 am and closes at 7 pm. Entry to this park is free.
Food to try in Athens:
1. Mousaka:
The base of this dish is eggplant or potato. This dish has three layers. The bottom layer contains sliced eggplant sauteed in olive oil. The middle layer contain lightly cooked ground lamb with chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, cinnamon, black pepper, and allspice. The top layer has bechamel sauce or savoury custard.
2. Kolokithokeftedes:
Kolokithokeftedes means “Zucchini meatballs”. To prepare this dish, grate zucchini with a pinch of salt and mix it with fresh herbs. Shape the mixture into balls and fry them until they become light golden brown. Serve the balls with tzatziki or marinara sauce for dipping.
How to reach Athens:
1. By plane:
Athens has its own international airport the name “ Athens International Airport”. This airport is located 27 kilometres away from the city centre. The major airlines that fly to Athens are Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Oman Air, Air France, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, and Egypt Air. You will get the metro, buses and private cabs to reach the city centre.
2. By rail:
You can reach Athens from all the major cities of Greece. There are two railway lines approaching Athens. One goes to the south towards Peloponnese and the other goes to the north towards Thessaloniki.
3. By road:
If you are reaching Athens from within the country then travelling by road is most convenient. There are plenty of regional bus operators offering plenty of buses joining all the major cities in Greece.
Click here to read more travel blogs https://leeandlucy.com/blog/
