Athens found in Greece, is this country’s largest city and capital. This is a city with excellent transport links within the city and to rural areas surrounding the cities, these transport links include: electric railway, suburban railway, bus and tram. Athens is reached by flight to Athens’s airport, or to use its correct name Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, an airport that receives many flights throughout the year so there are bound to be cheap deals. For the holiday maker wanting more independence the ability to go where you want without timetables and have a bit of a ramble into Greece countryside in a car, car hire is available from this airport. Some of the companies offering excellent deals include: National Car, Budget Athens, Economy Car Rentals and Kosmos Car rental. When you arrive in Athens there is so much to choose from to do, as you would expect there are street markets, selling food and clothes, while also having amazing historical sites such as the Pantheon, National Archaeological Museum, The Temple of Poseidon and much more.
Athens Airport information
Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (ATH), located 20 miles southeast of the city center, is composed of two terminals. ATMs and a Bureau de change can be found in the Main Terminal and the majority of shops, including duty-free, and food outlets are also located here. For disabled facilities, the airport provides elevators, toilets, Braille signage and electric cars on request. The Sofitel Athens Airport Hotel can be found adjacent to the airport. Information on cheap car hire in Athens is also available.
Places to visit around Athens
Architecturally, Athens contains some of the most resplendent ancient buildings in the world. There’s no better place to start exploring this amazing city than at the Acropolis. This rocky outcrop incorporates four religious buildings and a museum, all of which were built in 5BC. At the top of a steep climb is the stunning gateway of Propylaea through which you enter the area. The Parthenon, the largest structure, is constructed from marble and was originally built to house a statue of Athena. The Erechtheion temple was built on the site where the mythical battle between Poseidon-Erechtheus and Athena took place. Although the Temple of Athena Nike suffered major damage ifrom the Turks in the 1600s, the reconstruction is fantastic.
The Temple of Olympian Zeus is a massive building which reflects the fact that it was built to honor the god of gods. Construction started in 515BC and took 700 years to finish. Visitors can marvel at the massive marble columns and wander under Hadrian’s Arch. Slightly more modern, the Panathinaiko Stádio was built in 1896 for the first contemporary version of the Olympic Games, although it was designed based on a 4BC stadium design.
Agora is a great place to head to witness a mix of architectural styles spanning a range of eras. Landmarks of note are the Temple of Haephaistos,constructed in 5BC, and the Museum of Agora, dating back to 2BC, in which visitors can marvel at a range of archeological finds. For a high quality museum, however, Ethnikó Archaiologikó is regarded as one of the best in Greece. It contains gold craftwork created in 11BC and a bronze statue that depicts Poseidon which has been dated back to 460BC. Athens is also home to a multitude of other intriguing museums, including Mouseío Kykladikís kai Archaías Ellinikís Téchnism, which displays artifacts from the Cycladic people who lived in 3000BC, and the contemporary Néo Mouseío Akrópolis, which contains finds from the Acropolis archeological site. car hire in Athens is a great way to guarantee that you’ll see all you want.
A different form of cultural heritage can be found in Syntagma Square from which Ermou Street leads off. Filled with boutiques and department stores, this is one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world. Alternatively, you can find escape in the Ethnikós Kipos, a green space in which you can sit and relax as peacocks parade through the park.
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