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Athens. A great capital city

The capital of Greece, Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world.

For thousands of years, Athens exerted great cultural and political influence on the ancient world to the extent that it was considered the cradle of Western civilization.

As the seat of learning and philosophy and the home of Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, Athens produced some of the leading philosophers, politicians and writers in history. The city introduced concepts such as parliament, library, university, academy and the independent Greek state. Athens is also where the Parthenon on the Acropolis and a host of other ancient marvels stand tall and proud.

Today, Athens is a concrete jungle with a laid-back style, a city characterized by its thriving café society, vibrant nightlife and a kind of quirky charm. Athens is a special place with its own signature vibe. At night, this vibe pulsates in the city’s major entertainment and dining sections. Both are close together and provide tourists with the luxury of walking from place to place.

What would life be like in a city that had many picturesque hills? Find out in Athens, a city with seven hills, including the Acropolis. Each hill is a welcome refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city streets and an excellent vantage point for viewing the Saronic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. Athens is also surrounded by mountains on three sides: Mt Pendeli, Mt Parnitha and Mt Hymettos. It’s really a unique place to visit, both historically and geographically.

Athens also has a long history as a cradle of sports. It hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and again in 2004. Both were a smashing success.

Located at the Attica periphery, Athens has a population of over 700,000. The Metropolitan Area has a population of 3.3 million. As an (LUZ) Larger Urban Zone, Athens has the eighth biggest population among LUZs in the European Union.