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Athens Flights

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Epidavros Hotel - 2* - Athens
from £41
Enjoy a break in this unique boutique deluxe property in Crete - self catering apartments with panoramic seaviews with a choice of UK departure airports and free room and board upgrade
from £389
Aristoteles - 2* - Athens
from £34
Have a fantastic holiday in Crete
Heraklion from £245
The Athenian Callirhoe Exclusive Hotel - 5* - Athens
from £93

Athens (Athina) is named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom, who, according to legend, won the city after defeating Poseidon in a duel. The goddess victory was celebrated by the construction of a temple on the Acropolis, the site of the citys earliest settlement in Attica.

As a city state, the coastal capital of Athens reached its heyday in the fifth century BC. The office of the statesman, Pericles, between 461BC and his death in 429BC, saw an unprecedented spate of construction resulting in many of the great classical buildings (the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Hephaisteion and the temple at Sounion) now regarded as icons of ancient Greece. Physical evidence of the citys success was matched by achievements in the intellectual arts. Democracy was born, drama flourished and Socrates conceived the foundations of Western philosophy. Remarkably, although the cultural legacy of this period has influenced Western civilisation ever since, the classical age in Athens only lasted for five decades. Under the Macedonians and Romans, the city retained a privileged cultural and political position but became a prestigious backwater of the Empire rather than a major player. The birth of Christianity heralded a long period of occupation and decline, culminating in 1456 and four centuries of Turkish domination, which has left an indelible cultural mark on the city. By the end of the 18th century, Athens was also suffering the indignity of having the artistic achievements of its classical past removed by looting collectors.

Modern Athens was born in 1834, when the city was restored as the capital of a newly independent Greece. Greek refugees flooded the city at the end of the GreekTurkish war, swelling the population. After World War II, American money funded a massive expansion and industrialisation programme. The rapid growth of the post-war years and the high temperatures of its Mediterranean climate have created a city that can often be polluted and could be described as an urban sprawl. Excessive traffic creates a gridlock on the streets and noxious fumes (néfos) in the air, although great efforts are being made to reduce this. Visitors with visions of gleaming marble and philosophers in white robes are understandably perturbed that the architectural achievements of Athens classical past are surrounded by the unforgiving concrete of indiscriminate 20th-century urbanisation. Over three million visitors come to the city each year but the majority see the sights as quickly as possible (as if fulfilling some cultural duty) before heading off for the easy hedonism of the Greek islands.

However, Athens repays a closer acquaintance. In addition to the celebrated classical sites, the city boasts Byzantine, medieval and 19th-century monuments, as well as one of the best museums in the world and areas of surprising natural beauty. Despite the traffic, an appealing village-like quality becomes evident in the cafés, tavernas, markets and the maze of streets around the Pláka. Moreover, Athens has the finest restaurants and the most varied nightlife in the country and remains a major European centre of culture, celebrated each year at the Athens Festival. The metropolitan area, including the port at Piraeus, is the indisputable industrial and economic powerhouse of the country, while the return of the Olympic Games in 2004 is prompting a flurry of new development. Major projects include the new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, the extension of the Athens metro system, the building of new sports venues, the upgrading of hotel accommodation and the revitalisation of the Piraeus port area. The world-renowned National Archaeological Museum, which was closed for renovation through 2003, is due to reopen for the Olympics, although the long-awaited New Acropolis Museum has fallen way behind schedule. In addition, ancient sites within the city centre are being linked by a traffic-free archaeological promenade intended to enhance the urban environment for locals and visitors alike.

The return of the Olympic Games in 2004 prompted a flurry of development, including a new airport, the extension of the metro system, the building of new sports venues, the upgrading of hotels, the renovation of several top museums, and the formation of a traffic-free archaeological promenade.

Athens Tourist Office

Address: 2 Amerikis St, 105 64 Athens, Greece

Email: info@gnto.gr

Phone: +30 (0) 210 327 1300/2

Dimitris Pierides Museum of Contemporary Art
The Dimitris Pierides Museum of Contemporary Art houses over a thousand paintings, sculptures, engravings and ceramics and includes works by artists from Greece and Cyprus. It is open to the public every day and hosts many cultural activities.

Airport Guide

Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport

Airport Information

Country

Greece

Address

Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, Administration Building 17, Spata 19019, Greece

Country Code

Telephone

(0)210 353 0000 or 353 0001

Fax

(0)10 353 0001

E-mail

airport_info@aia.gr

Website

www.aia.gr

Location

The airport is located 33km (20 miles) southeast of Athens

Time Zone

GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October)

Number of Terminals

Transfer between Terminals

An underground walkway connects the Main Terminal with the Satellite Terminal.

Driving Directions

The airport is accessible via Attiki Odos, the Athens ring road.

Car Parking

There are spaces for around 4,700 cars at the airport. Short-term car parks P1 and P2 are located just outside the Arrivals halls of the Main Terminal. Long-term car park P3 is connected to the Main Terminal building via a courtesy shuttle bus and by a pedestrian bridge over the main road. Parking is free for 20 minutes in all car parks. Valet parking service is also available (tel: (0)210 353 4260).

Car Hire

Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National/Alamo and Sixt are all represented. They are located in Arrivals in the Main Terminal.

Public Transport

Rail: A light railway service is planned between the Athens metro and the main railway station to the airport before the 2004 Olympic Games. Road: Taxi: Taxis leave from outside the Arrivals level of the Main Terminal Building. Limousine: Limousines are available on request. Bus: Several bus routes connect the airport with Athens and Piraeus daily 24 hours. Some connect with the metro. Two KTEL express services run between the airport and Markopoulo and Rafina. Coach: KTEL coach services run to Lavrio, Kalyvia and Keratea; coaches depart from the Arrivals level of the Main Terminal, near door 5.

Information and Help Desks

The airport information line operates daily 24 hours (tel: (0)210 353 0000). The Greek National Tourist Organisation (tel: (0)210 327 1000) is located in the Arrivals area of the Main Terminal and can provide information on tourism, hotels, transportation, attractions, airport shopping and conference facilities.

Airport Facilities

Money and communications: The Main Terminal has banks, bureaux de change, automatic exchange machines and ATMs, as well as a post office. Courtesy telephones are located throughout the airport. Eating and drinking: Most restaurants and bars are located in the Main Terminal. Shopping: Shops, which are concentrated in the Main Terminal, include duty-free. Luggage: Left-luggage (tel: (0)210 353 0352) and a lost property office (tel: (0)210 353 0000) are located in Arrivals in the Main Terminal. A porter service is available 24 hours (tel: (0)210 353 0100). Other facilities: Therese include first aid and baby changing rooms, and a pharmacy.

Conference and Business Facilities

The IT&T Business Centre (tel: (0)210 353 6416) has offices equipped with desktop PCs, Internet access, telephones, photocopy and fax machines, laser and colour printers, scanners and office supplies; the centre also has one conference room. In addition, there are meeting rooms to hire from the airport facility and administration department (tel: (0)210 353 6318). Conference facilities are also available at the Sofitel Athens Airport Hotel (tel: (0)210 354 4000).

Disabled Facilities

Facilities at the airport include easily accessible and text telephones, disabled toilets, adapted walkways and lifts for visually-impaired travellers, dedicated check-in counters and rest areas, lifts, Braille signage, tactile flooring, and an alarm system to alert visually and hearing-impaired passengers in case of emergency. Electric cars are available to transport disabled passengers between the two terminals, and there are around 90 disabled car parking spaces at the airport. Disabled passengers should inform the airline of any special assistance and needs, prior to travel.

Airport Hotels

The Sofitel Athens Airport Hotel (tel: (0)210 354 4000) is located close to the Arrivals and Departure halls of the Main Terminal, and the Satellite Terminal.