Athens Tourist Attractions

Athens International airport is one of the main gateways to the ancient city of Athens, found in the Attica region of the country Greece. The airport handles over fourteen million passengers per annum, is known by the IATA code of ATH and is also referred to as the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport. A large number of the airport’s passengers fly on international flights, and many of those arriving are tourists, coming to browse the variety of Athens attractions that have become very popular over the years. Although the city is perhaps not described as the most attractive in the world, it is certainly filled with its own charming characteristics, and has much that is found appealing by its visitors.

Athens is the capital city of Greece, and is most famous for being the original city to host the Olympic Games, over one hundred years ago. In 2004, the city was once again host to the event, and underwent major improvements, which included the new Athens International Airport (that replaced the older Athens Ellinikon International Airport) and new trees and shrubs to improve the attractiveness of the city. Several buildings were also specifically built for the Olympic Games event. Besides for the Olympic Games, Athens is famous for its many wonderful historical attractions, which include the Agora that was built by Roman emperors, Hadrian’s Arch, the original city gate and the Temple of Zeus that was built about 1,500 years ago. The city also boasts the stunning Dionysos Theatre, which is considered as the oldest in the world. During the years of its existence many great performances have taken place within.

The city of Athens holds 40% of the country’s population. Over four million people reside in Greater Athens, an area that includes Pireaus. The city covers an average area of 428 square kilometers, or 165 square miles, and the majority of people who reside here speak Greek. Athens has quite an extensive public transportation system in place that makes use of buses, trains and trams. The Metro trains are often considered as most convenient, and there are currently three lines in operation. Buses are very popular as well, and cover many parts of the city. Both trains and buses are available from Athens International Airport. Visitors of Athens will also find the Port of Piraeus to be friendly and efficient, and from where they can take ferries to the Greek islands and other international locations. Nearby the port are some lovely beaches as well, all with good facilities.

Landmarks and monuments of Athens

People who are interested in historical buildings and constructions will find Athens very appealing. With a little imagination, all of Athens’ famous historical sites can be brought to life, as they once were in their heyday. The Temple of Olympian Zeus dates back to the sixth century when it was built for the worship of the Greek God Zeus. It was only completed, however, by the second century AD. The temple, although a very impressive structure, wasn’t used for very long. Today only a few of its once more than 100 Corinthian columns remain. Visitors can view the temple every day between 08:30 and 15:00, except on Mondays, when it is closed to the public.

The Athenian Acropolis, or Akropolis, is one of Athens’ world-famous landmarks, and can be seen at Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. It consists of a series of classical Greek temples, of which the most popular is perhaps the Parthenon of 432 BC. The temples were mostly constructed about 2,500 years ago. A few of the other buildings of interest include the Old Temple of Athena, the Erechtheion Temple, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaea. The Parthenon is one of the temples that is particularly well reserved. Similar to many European cities, Athens has an ancient monument/landmark that once served as a gateway. It is known as the Hadrian’s Arch, and is found just off Vassilissis Olgas Avenue, on Amalian Avenue. The gate was built to connect the ancient city with the Roman quarters, and consists of marble. This interesting construction is about thirteen meters wide and eighteen meters tall.

Further landmarks of interest in Athens include the Hellenic Parliament in Syntagma Square, built in the early 1840’s, and the archaeological site of Ramnous, containing some very important and preserved ruins. Ramnous is not quite in the city of Athens, but approximately 35 km to the north-east. From the site, visitors can enjoy lovely views over the Euboean Strait. The area is also the location of two old harbours that connect the Aegean Sea.

Additional attractions in Athens, including museums and parks

The Attica Zoological Park is the third largest bird park in the world, home to over two hundred bird species. This park is always a wonderful outing for the whole family, as there is a children’s play area, a café and lovely picnic spots. Although the park is most famous for its wide variety of winged creatures, of which some are tropical species, it also has kangaroos, llamas, reptiles and many other small animals. At the base of Ardittos Hill, the large Panathenaic Stadium hosted the very first Olympic Games in 1896, and is today still used for many events. It has the capacity for around 80,000 people. The Athens Concert Hall, or Megaron, is another popular construction for world-class events. It consists of two concert halls, one of which is larger, and is a very stylish building. Many tourists find the best way to see Athens’ attractions is by guided bus tours, that provide ‘hop on and hop off’ services.

There are many museums of interest as well, such as the Benaki Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Museum of the City of Athens, the University of Athens Museum and the Byzantine Museum, and Athens has a few green areas that provide some peaceful space, for example, the National Gardens and the Zappeion Gardens.

Tourists arriving at Athens International Airport can find out more about Athens’ attractions from the visitor information desks, or from official tourist outlets in the city. A couple can be found in the Syntagma area.