The capital of Greece Athens
Greece
Greece is one of the countries I have been to many times, on business, leisure and in transit. However, I have never written about this country so far, so here not only about Athens, the capital of Greece, but also a little bit about Greece in general.
To be honest, there isn’t much that can be said about Greece that is unknown to everyone, so at least a few figures and a little bit of history.
Greece is located at the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, covering an area of almost 132 thousand square kilometres. This is comparable to countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, which are slightly larger than Greece and North Korea and Nicaragua, which are slightly smaller. Compared to the United States, Greece is two times smaller the size of the state of Colorado.
Greece owns 227 islands, of which at least 166 are inhabited. The largest Greek islands are Crete, Evia, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. The area of Crete is just over 8,000 square kilometres, larger than Palestine and slightly smaller than nearby Cyprus. Crete is 260 kilometres long and 12 to 60 kilometres wide.
According to 2020 data, a bit less than 11 million people live in Greece, of which more than half a million live in the central part of Athens.
The capital Athens
Athens is the capital of Greece and, like many other major cities, form a conglomerate of around three million people living in the area.
Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, historians say it is about 3,400 years old. Names such as Plato and Aristotle are associated with Athens.
Athens is associated with such things as ancient temples, amphitheatres and, of course, the Acropolis. Athens has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Acropolis of Athens and the Byzantine monastery of Daphne (Daphni or Daphne), which is much less well known than the Acropolis.
Acropolis
The Acropolis is a complex of buildings on the top of a cliff in the centre of Athens, the most famous object of the Acropolis is the Parthenon. The Parthenon is a temple (more precisely, its remains) that was built in honour of the Greek goddess Athena. The temple was completed more than 400 years BC.
Athena is the daughter of Zeus, one of the gods of Olympus, the goddess of wisdom and war. The Roman equivalent of Athens is Minerva, although Mars is more widely known as the god of Roman warfare.
The word acropolis means the highest point, as it actually is when you climb it. At the foot of the Acropolis you can find some parking lots if you are there with your own or rented car. We parked our car ate Rovertou Galli street 39 parking lot. And the climb is worth it – from above there is a fantastic view of the city.
Entrance to the Acropolis Museum is for fee. Tickets start at 12 euros and more, up to 80 euros for a of ancient Athens, both privately and in a group tours (I didn’t spent money on this, so cannot say if it’s worth it and any better than cheaper option).
Accommodation in Athens
We chose accommodation outside the city centre closer to the sea – Tropical Hotel, which is located a little more than ten kilometres southwest of the Acropolis.
In Google reviews I wrote about hotel that it is in a very convenient location, the rooms are clean and tidy, the staff is welcoming and breakfast is good. It should also be noted that we also were lucky to have a wonderful view towards the sea as our balcony was on that side of the hotel. Overall, a very good hotel at a reasonable price, especially when you need a place to stay for a short time.
One more thing I wanted to add about Athens. We tried to drive early in the morning and late in the evening, because driving around Athens during the day can be a nightmare, especially if you are in a busy populated area.
I remember that during another trip I was waiting for a bus quite long time, which did not arrive at all. In the end, I decided to walk on my own several kilometres and it paid off because traffic jams were heavy and many cars I left even behind.