Destination

Boasting a history of 2.500 years with monuments incorporated into the modern city, coupled with world class museums and a vibrant contemporary cultural life, Athens is a very attractive destination.

The establishment of Athens as a city dates back to mythological times. Despite the length of the city’s history, it is still evident throughout Athens in the form of many ancient, Roman, Byzantine and Modern monuments.

A center for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum, Athens was also the birthplace of Socrates, Pericles, Sophocles and its many other prominent philosophers, writers and politicians of the ancient world. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC on the rest of the, then known, European continent.

The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by a number of ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon on the Acropolis, widely considered a key landmark of early Western civilization. The city also retains a vast variety of Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a smaller number of remaining Ottoman monuments projecting the city’s long history across the centuries. Landmarks of the modern era are also present, dating back to 1830 (the establishment of the independent Greek state), and taking in the Greek Parliament (19th century) and the Athens Trilogy (Library, University, and Academy).

Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896. Having hosted the 2004 Olympic Games, Athens can evidently meet the requirements of the most demanding of events, always delivering an impeccable result.

Today’s capital is a result of integration of ancient and medieval history into the contemporary era.