Athens

From up there, at 156 m, the view of the city stretching down to the sea is impressive. Take this opportunity to plan your itinerary and the visits you want to make on your trip to Athens! At the foot of the Acropolis, enjoy the jumble of the Plaka district. In the teeming maze of alleyways and stairways, between the stone and brick houses planted with geraniums, the souvenir shops and tavernas for tourists have long since replaced the old stalls. You can lose yourself following a stray cat as far as Monastiraki, the flea market district that runs alongside the old Agora. Terraces and ice-cream parlours bustle with life at the end of the day.

Athens also has its institutional monuments, starting with the neoclassical building of the Old Palace, now Parliament, which owes its popularity to the changing of the guard every hour. With their stiff strides and traditional uniforms - white skirts and tasselled shoes! - the soldiers get the smartphones snapping. The athletes at the nearby Panathenaic Stadium are a bit more supple. Built in 1896 for the Olympic Games, this marble-clad stadium houses the finish line of the annual marathon. 

The display of ancient stones and buildings should not mask the fact that Athens is also a maritime city. Just outside the capital, the port of Piraeus is bustling day and night with ferries leaving for the islands of the Aegean Sea. A pleasant place to take a break and admire the sea and the boats after a long day strolling around Athens. Thinking about a trip to the Greek islands?                                                                                                 

Good to know: Heraklion, in Crete, is also on a direct flight from Montpellier. 

Take off for Greece's capital on a direct flight from Montpellier.

Sites and monuments

• The Acropolis - Perched on its rock, the ancient upper city is home to some must-see sights: the monumental staircase of the Propylaea, the temple of Athena, the Erechtheion with its famous Caryatids (columns in the shape of female figures) or the Parthenon, a marvel of marble 70 metres long...  
• Kerameikos, the Ancient Cemetery - it contains the gravestones of the rich Athenians of antiquity.
• Parliament - neo-classical in style, it also has its traditional changing of the guard 
• The Central Market - a large traditional building where the inhabitants buy meat, fish, fruit and vegetables in a joyful hubbub. 
• Plaka - the most picturesque neighbourhood of Athens, a maze of narrow streets and stairs with the feel of a village. 
• Panathenaic Stadium - an impressive stadium with white marble stands, built for the 1896 Olympic Games, the first of the modern era.
•  Zappeion - in the National Garden, this neoclassical palace of ancient inspiration was built to accommodate the delegations of the 1896 Olympic Games. It was here that Greece's entry into the European Union was signed in 1981.
• The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre - surrounded by a park, a modern building (2016) with clean lines by Renzo Piano that houses the opera house and the national library. The terrace of the Lighthouse offers a 360° view of the city.

Parks

• Agora - at the foot of the Acropolis, the centre of public life in antiquity, has been turned into a huge park planted with cypress trees from which the ancient ruins emerge. Romantic!  
• National Garden - 16 hectares of lush vegetation that wrap around the Parliament, with a botanical garden and a small zoo. 
• Lycabettus Hill - the highest point of Athens (277 m), ideal for photographing the Acropolis and Athens without limits. 

Museums

• Acropolis Museum - a concrete and glass showcase that houses pieces of the Acropolis brought here to protect them from pollution: the Caryatids, the Parthenon frieze (at least the part that is not in the British Museum in London).
• National Archaeological Museum - rich collections from excavations across the country
• Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments - a beautiful exhibition, with an audio system that allows you to listen to the loveliest instruments.
• Benaki Museum - in a neoclassical building, it highlights Hellenic culture: jewellery, pottery, furniture, icons, fabrics...  
• Museum of Cycladic Art - it contains various pieces from the Cycladic archipelago.
• Byzantine and Christian museum - frescoes, icons, bronzes... enhanced by beautiful museography.  
• Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of the Goulandris Foundation - the latest of the Athenian museums, it brings together works from the 19th and 20th centuries: Monet, Picasso, Modigliani, Miro, Matisse, Bacon, Soulages...

• Set sail! On board a sailboat or a zodiac, you can sail to Aegina, the closest of the islands in the Saronic Gulf, for a day's immersion in the heart of a preserved world. By zodiac only (faster), you can reach Spetses, the hangout of Athenian high society.
• Fancy a swim? The Athenian Riviera is made for you! From Flisvos to Varkiza, at the gates of the capital, several marinas harbour yachts from all over the world; while the beaches bathed by crystalline waters attract the golden youth as soon as the fine weather arrives... 

Starters 

• Greek Salad - a must have, a mix of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, olives and feta (cheese) 
• Tzatziki - yoghurt to which cucumber, crushed garlic and mint are added. Excellent with a simple piece of bread

Dishes

• Octopus - eaten in salads or grilled. 
• Squid - usually offered fried or grilled
• Fish - sole, sea bream, red mullet or sardine, fish (grilled or fried) is a must in Greek cuisine.
• Moussaka - minced meat baked in the oven, mixed with eggplant and topped with béchamel sauce
• Dolmadès - vine leaves, stuffed with rice, onions and minced meat
• Souvlaki - pork or beef brochettes  
• Keftédès - meatballs, flavoured with mint and oregano 

Desserts 

• Feta - cheese made from goat's or sheep's milk. To enjoy with a salad of raw vegetables or fried.
• Baklava a desert of Ottoman origin, consisting of layers of filo pastry with dried fruit and flavoured with orange blossom
• Gadaifi - an oriental dessert also called "angel hair", in the form of vermicelli. You can add honey, nuts...
• Rizogalo - rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon   

Drinks 

• Wine* - as everywhere in the Mediterranean, the drink par excellence, with excellent grapes grown in the Peloponnese. 
• Retsina* - a white or rosé wine to which pieces of pine resin have been added to give it a bitter taste, perpetuating an ancient tradition. 
• Samos* - a sweet wine, especially for dessert.
• Ouzo* - the emblematic alcohol of Greece with an aniseed flavour, in the style of pastis.
• Tsipouro* - a grape marc brandy, reminiscent of Italian grappa
• Coffee - drunk "Turkish" style, i.e. with the grounds, except that here it’s called "Greek coffee".

*alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, consume in moderation