Athens

Draped in centuries of history, the cradle of Western philosophic thought began in Athens, a once glorious city-state of immense wealth and power.

Today, Athens, also Greece’s present-day capital, is somewhat polluted with 750,000 inhabitants jostling about the hillsides. It’s once beautiful structures and monuments have been devastated by a series of wars and invasions throughout history, but it’s still enchanting and enticing, proudly retaining the historic relics of its ancient civilization.

The most iconic structure in Athens is its Acropolis sitting on one of the city’s several hills as a sentinel. This portion of the city is Old Athens and had been constructed to showcase the city’s wealth and beauty with huge buildings that were lavishly colored and gilded, monumental statues dressed in bronze, marble, gold, and precious stones. While nearly anything of wealth has been stripped, buildings reduced to rubble, and statues defaced, the crumbling ruins of the Acropolis still hold an unsurpassed magnificence.

The largest Doric temple ever completed in Greece, the Parthenon, still stands, almost completely made of Pentelic marble. Near the Parthenon is the Erechtheion with its six Caryatids. You can find even more sculptures and reliefs form this site at the Acropolis Museum.

The very heart of Ancient Athens was its Agora, a center for administrative, commercial, political, and social activity. From Socrates to St. Paul, several key figures of history graced this center and persuaded the masses to new modes of thought and belief. Today you can really do little more than window shop, taking in several reconstructed buildings in the area like the Stoa of Attalos and the Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios. The Agora Museum has a large collection of relics originally found in the site, including the Temple of Hephaestus, one of the best-preserved Doric temples in Greece.

If you’re in the mood for a little museum-hopping, check out the Benaki Museum for Greece’s best collection of Eurasian art and relics, including objects form the Bronze Ages of Mycenae and Thessaly, ecclesiastical furniture from Asia Minor, a significant Byzantine collection, and early works by El Greco. The country has taken several steps in keeping its history within its borders by housing old relics in the National Archaeological Museums, the world’s best collection of Greek antiquities.

For a walk around the more modern neighborhoods, check out the Plaka district nestled below the Acropolis. It’s the last Turkish quarter in the city and is one of the most beautiful areas of the city.

Plateia Syntagmatos houses the old Royal Palace and constructs the business district of modern day Athens with its many hotels, banks, and airline offices, while Monastiraki and Psiri are filled with markets, cafes, and bars. For ultimate class, try the Kolonaki district, which is full of trendy boutiques, art galleries, and cafes.