With so many cheap flights available online such as Travelzoo, flying to Athens has never been easier and with more regional specialists such as Fantastic Greece it's simple to find Athens hotels close to the important historical sites and other amenities, making weekend or short stays accessible and straightforward whatever your budget.
Once you have arrived in Athens, there is so much to visit that you can easy become overwhelmed - of course there is the fabulous Acropolis, but there are other things to see as well. Here are three that you might want to consider:
To the north west of the Acropolis on the banks of the Eridanos River, there is an area called Kerameikos (from which the word "ceramic" is derived). Here there is an ancient Greek cemetery, with tombs and shrines dating back to 1200 BC. The area around the river itself has been used as a burial ground since around 3000 BC, and archaeological excavations have allowed historians to gain a fascinating insight into the development of the area over the centuries through both the shrines to the dead and the architecture that has been uncovered. The area is easy to find, as there is a Kerameikos Station on the Metro line.
One of the greatest monuments - and one that would have been very important to the ancient Athenians - is the Temple of the Olympian Zeus. Zeus is well known as the ruler of the Greek gods, "The Thunderer" and - at least for the ancient Greeks - the archetypal father figure. The temple itself is in the centre of Athens and is easily accessible from the Metro. Of course nowadays it is in ruins but in its heyday it was the largest temple in the whole of Greece and one of the biggest religious centres of the ancient world. Construction on the temple began as far back as the 6th Century BC, although it later fell into disuse following the barbarian invasion in 3rd Century AD and, after the fall of the Roman Empire, it was quarried for stone for buildings elsewhere in the city.
Another spectacular sight is the Panathinaiko Stadium. Even though the stadium has been complete renovated, and is in use today, it dates back to classical times. The stadium originally had wooden seating but was rebuilt in 329 BC from marble; it remains the only stadium in the world that is made from marble. It was enlarged in 140 AD so that it could seat 50,000 people although, since its renovation for the revival of the Olympic Games in the late 19th Century, it now holds 80,000 people and has been used to house European football events and part of the 2004 Olympic games.
Athens is a safe and pleasant city wherever you're travelling it's worth taking out adequate travel insurance from a reputable company such as AA Travel or visit an online comparison company such as moneysupermarket.com where you can see the best deals side by side. A good all-round travel operator such as Lastminute. will be able to provide you with airport parking to cheap car hire.
