Districts

Acropolis

Areopagus

Pnyx

• The Acropolis— The ancient "high city" of Athens, crowned by marble temples sacred to the city's goddess Athena.
• Plaka, Monastiraki and Thissio— Charming historic districts at the foot of the Acropolis, with restored 19th century neoclassical homes, pedestrianized streets, shops and restaurants, and picturesque ruins from the city's Roman era.
• Kolonaki— Upscale residential area northeast of Syntagma with many cafes, boutiques and galleries.
• Metaxourgeio—The district of Metaxourgeio, located northwest of Psiri, has become a bohemian enclave as well as a haven for art and culture. As part of the area's continual transformation, the principal gallery of the city, The Municipal Gallery, was relocated in October 2010 to Avdi Square, which is the main square of the area. Avdi Square is a large, public space that is well suited to artistic expression of all kinds.
• Omonia and Exarheia— Formerly seedy district, north of Psiri, somewhat revitalized by the metro, it is now home to Greece's students, anarchists and the celebrated National Archaeological Museum.
• Pangrati and Mets— These adjoining pleasant residential neighborhoods south of Lycabettos and east of the National Garden are rarely frequented by tourists, but they do include a few hotels and a number of good traditional tavernas.
• Psiri— Former industrial district located north of Monastiraki, now full of trendy and alternative restaurants, cafés, bars, small luxury hotels and shops.
• Syntagma Square (Plateia Syntagmatos)— Dominated by the old Royal Palace, Syntagma Square is the business district of Athens, complete with major hotels, banks, restaurants and airline offices.
• Kifissia— Suburb at the northern terminus of Line 1 (Green), known for its high-end shopping.
• Nea Smyrni— Suburb about 5 km south of downtown Athens, known as a modern European district.
• Piraeus— The ancient port six miles southwest of Athens, Piraeus is known today as an independent, heavily industrial municipality, whose modern-day port serves almost all of Attica's ferry connections to Crete and the Aegean Islands.
• Zografou— Suburb 5 km east of downtown Athens on the slopes of Imitos, known for the many university (NTUA) buildings and several quirky bars and taverns sprinkled about.
• Glyfada— Suburb south of Athens connected by tram. Glyfada (Pronounced GLI'FADA) combines shopping with many small cafés and restaurants. Located along the ocean and sports some beaches and beach bars.

Understand

The first pre-historic settlements were constructed in 3000 BC around the hill of Acropolis. The legend says that the King of Athens, Theseus unified the ten tribes of early Athens into one kingdom (c. 1230 BC). This process of synoikismos – bringing together in one home – created the largest and wealthiest state on the Greek mainland, but it also created a larger class of people excluded from political life by the nobility. By the 7th century BC, social unrest had become widespread, and the Areopagus appointed Draco to draft a strict new code of law (hence "draconian"). When this failed, they appointed Solon with a mandate to create a new constitution (594 BC). This was the great beginning of a new social revolution, which was the result of the democracy under Clisthenes (508 BC). During the Middle Ages, Athens experienced a decline, but re-emerged under Byzantine rule. Athens was thriving and prosperous during the Crusades, actually benefiting from the Italian trade during this period. However, this fruitful period was shortlived, as Greece suffered badly under the Ottoman Empire, only to recover in the 19th century as the capital of independent Greece.

Architecture

Athens was just a small provincial village when it was chosen in the 1830s to serve as the national capital of the modern Greek State. Although it had a prestigious past, the city's political, economic, and cultural importance had declined over the centuries, leaving behind only its classical ruins as a reminder of better times. With the decision to move the national capital from Nafplio to Athens, architects and city planners were hired to build a new city next to the classical ruins, with grand neoclassical homes and public buildings, large city squares, green spaces, and wide avenues, making a conscious, decisive turn from the city's Ottoman past. The city regained its importance in Greek civilization, and by 1900 had evolved into a very attractive cosmopolitan city, with abundant neoclassical architecture harking to the nation's past.
The 20th century however, marked the rapid development of Athens. The city suffered minor damage during WWII, and suffered extensive urban planning in the decades that followed, as the nation rapidly industrialized and urbanized. In the 1960s and 1970s, many 19th century neoclassical buildings, often small and private, were demolished to make way for office buildings, often designed by great Greek architects. The city also expanded outward through rash development, particularly towards the west, as its population grew by absorbing job-seekers from the provinces. With the onset of the automobile, public officials reduced the city's public transportation services without foreseeing the traffic gridlock and smog that would menace the city by the 1980s.
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the city's reality led to a rude awakening among local and national officials and, coupled with the country's newfound remarkable prosperity, large scale projects began to slowly regenerate the city and undo some of the damages of recent decades. Over the course of the next 15 years, money was poured into new transportation infrastructure projects, the restoration of surviving neoclassical buildings, the gentrification of the city's historical center and the renovation of many former industrial areas and the city's coastline. The restoration of charming neoclassical buildings in the city's historical center has been accompanied by the construction of attractive post-modern buildings in newer districts; both of which have begun to improve the aesthetic essence of the city. Athens today is ever evolving, forging a brand new identity for the 21st century.
But, there is a piece of famous architecture in Athens, and it is named The Parthenon. The Parthenon sits at the top of the Acropolis, a very important hill in Athens, which now serves as the city center. The Parthenon was built to honour the goddess Athena/ Athene, patron of Athens and goddess of war, wisdom and crafts. She is a maiden goddess.

Olympic Games

Athens hosted the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. While most of the sporting venues were located outside the city proper - in various locations throughout Attica - the entire urban area of Athens underwent major lasting changes that have improved the quality of life for visitors and residents alike. Aside from the excellent transportation infrastructure that was completed in time for the 2004 Olympics (from new freeways to light rail systems), the city's historic center underwent serious renovation. Most notable among the city's facelift projects are the Unification of Archaelogical Sites - which connects the city's classical-era ruins and monuments to each other through a network of pleasant pedestrianized streets- and the restoration of the picturesque neoclassical Thissio and Pláka districts.

History

Athens first appears on the pages of history around 1400 B.C., at which time it was already a major cultural center of the Mycenaean civilization. The Acropolis and remnants of the Cyclopean Walls attest to its status as a Mycenaean fortress city. In 1200 B.C., many Mycenaean cities were destroyed and resettled by invading bands of Dorians, but Athenian tradition maintains that Athens escaped this fate and retained a "pure Ionian bloodline." Beginning as early as 900 B.C., Athens became a leading trade center within the Greek world, owing to its central location, possession of the heavily fortified Acropolis and its quick access to the sea.
By the beginning of the 6th Century B.C., the foundations of democratic reforms were laid in Athens by Solon, and full democracy was achieved by 508 B.C. under Cleisthenes. By this time also, the Athenian navy had grown large and powerful enough to assist the Ionian regions of Asia Minor in their rebellion against Persian rule, which lasted from 499 to 493 B.C. The revolt ultimately failed, however, and Athens' support of the rebels incensed King Darius of Persia to the point of launching an all-out invasion of Greece in 492 B.C. Athens and Sparta led a coalition of Greek city-states against the invaders and defeated them, but Athens was nonetheless sacked twice by the Persians before the war's end.
Following the Greco-Persian War, Athens entered the Golden Age of Athenian Democracy, during which time it was the clear cultural leader of the Greek world. Philosophy, drama, history-writing, artistry, and political reform all entered their "heyday." Athens also became the head of the Delian League, which began as an alliance to continue the fight against Persia, but soon became little more than a tool by which Athens promoted its own imperial ambitions. Sparta soon chafed at this situation, and the two cities — once allies, now rivals — fought the lengthy Peloponnesian War between 431 and 404 B.C. Athens was finally defeated by the militaristic Spartans, and though it remained an important city-state, it failed to become the center of a great empire.
In 338 B.C., Macedonia defeated an alliance of Greek city-states and conquered all Greece, including the city of Athens. Athens remained under Macedonian rule until the Romans defeated them in 197 B.C. While under Rome, Athens was a free city with a much-admired school system and received special favor from Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd Century A.D.
Athens passed from Roman to Byzantine rule when the empire split in Late Antiquity, declined during the Middle Ages and benefited from trade with Italy during the Crusades. In 1458, it fell to the Ottoman Empire and did not again become part of an independent Greece until 1832. In 1834, it became Greece's capital, and in 1896, it hosted the first modern Olympics. In 1922, after the Greco-Turkish War, many Ionian refugees flooded into Athens, and the city also grew exponentially during the 1950's and 60's. Today, it is a metropolis and a major world tourist attraction.

Climate

Spring and late autumn are the best times to visit Athens. Summer can be extremely hot and dry during heatwaves, but this rarely happens. Winter is definitely low season, with the occasional rainy or snowy day, but also an ideal time to save money while enjoying the city without countless other travelers and tourists.
In the summer, the weather will be too hot for much action, and in winter, you will only end up slogging through the cold, gloomy weather and atmostphere. That just is not what a vacation should be like!
Whilst peak traffic hour can be a bit smoggy on the main roads, on most sunny days the skies are azure blue. The main reason attributed for the pollution of Athens is because the city is enclosed by mountains in a basin which does not let the smog leave. The government's ban on diesel vehicles within Athens and the early 1990s initiatives to improve car emissions have greatly contributed to better atmospheric conditions in the basin.
The climate of Athens falls within the subtropical Mediterranean classification and has hot, dry summers and mild, moderately rainy winters. In general, spring and late autumn are the most pleasant times of year and the best tourist seasons. If you travel to Athens in the summer, watch out for the occasional heat wave, prefer the cooler evening hours for outings, and have a cool room to retreat to each day. If you tour Athens during wintertime, the city will be in its slow season, but at least it will be less crowded. You will also have to bear with, or schedule around, some days that are cold, rainy or even see snowfall.

Precipitation and Temperature

Average annual precipitation in Athens is 16.3 inches (414 mm), which is somewhat lower than other parts of Greece and much lower than in western Greece. The Greek city of Ioannina, for example, receives 51 inches (1,300 mm), and Agrinio receives 31 inches (800 mm). Most of the rain falls between October and April, with July and August having the least amount of precipitation. In the winter, snow storms are not very common, but when they do occur, they can cause major disruptions to traffic and city life.
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 56º F and an average low of 44º F. July and August have the hottest weather, highs of 92º F and 93º F respectively, with both months having average lows of 75º F. However, western parts of the city tend to be even warmer, and Athens' infamous heat waves often top 100º F. Interestingly, the World Meteorological Organization recorded the highest temperature on record in all Europe in Athens on July 10th, 1977- a scorching 118.4º F.

Man-made Problems

Industrialization, in combination with a geographical "heat enclave", has made Athens a city that suffers significantly from the "heat island" effect. Thus, the built up urban sprawl of Athens is a bit hotter than the immediately surrounding rural areas. This situation even leads to certain Athens-based meteorological stations having their readings thrown off, and it certainly increases energy usage and expense.
Smog is a major problem in Athens, although a ban on use of diesel-fueled vehicles within the city limits and various car-emissions initiatives implemented in the 90's have helped the situation somewhat. The main cause of the smog is that industrial and vehicular pollution get trapped inside the mountains surrounding the basin in which Athens in situated. On sunny days, the skies are blue and clear, but on certain days around rush-hour traffic time, the roads get rather smoggy.

Literature

The Greeks virtually founded all of Western literature, and ancient Athens was the center of this literary activity from very early on, though Homer's epics Iliad and Odyssey and Hesiod's poetic account of the Greek pantheon were written before Athens' rise to literary prominence.
The earliest example of a famous Athenian author is Thespis, an award-winning dramatist of the 6th Century B.C. who invented the style called Greek tragedy, but no clearly genuine example of his works survives. In the 5th Century B.C. came the Age of Pericles, wherein Athenian drama had its "heyday" and multitudes of new theaters were erected. The most famous dramatist of this era was Aeschylus, who introduced dialogue and character interaction to essentially create the modern idea of dramatic literature. Only seven out of dozens of his plays survive, including Agamemnon, The Persians, and Seven Against Thebes.

Other important ancient Greek writers of Athens include:

• Sophocles, author of Oedipus Rex, who was a rival of Aeschylus and did much to develop irony as a literary technique.
• Aristophanes, a comic playwright who led the "Old Comedy" style of ancient Athens. He wielded ridicule to the point that his contemporaries even came to fear him. Eleven of his 30 plays still survive.
• Menander, famous practitioner of "New Comedy" in Athens. He was extremely popular in both Ancient and Medieval times, though his over 100 works are now mostly fragments. His comic play Dyskolos, however, has survived largely intact.

For those who would like something more modern to read that connects to Athens, consider any of the following:

• Timon of Athens, by William Shakespeare, first published in 1623. This is a historical fiction about an Athenian named Timon, who was very generous but lost all of his money to corrupt people who bled him dry.
• Ashes, a novel published in Greek in 2007 and translated into English. It is set in Athens just before the 2004 Olympics held there, and is in the crime thriller genre. The author is Sergios Gakas.
• Tides of War by Steven Pressfield. This novel chronicles the Peloponnesian War but through the account of a fictional Athenian soldier, Polemides. Pressfield has written other classical history novels in the past, so this is from a seasoned author.

Also well known is the Biblical account of St. Paul's visitation to Athens and his speech concerning their superstitious belief in every god, to the point they even erected an altar to "the unknown God," whom Paul then preaches to them. The sermon is recorded in Acts 17 and involves teaching on the doctrines of Creation and the Resurrection of Christ. The latter doctrine led to many scoffing and a few converting. This was the beginning of the church in Athens, which is still a Christian city to this day.