The fascinating subject of history as well as among the most popular getaway options of the Europe, the Greek capital Athens is truly among the most fabulous cities in the continent, prominently known as the birthplace of western civilization. With its superlative range of UNESCO World Heritage sites and incredible variety of ancient ruins, Athens have been successful to derive thousands of tourists to its doorstep and gave everyone a spellbinding experience of discovering many told and untold stories about the Greek mythology and history. Recently encountered a huge crisis of economy, Athens has rapidly recovered from the loss and is again establishing itself as one of the most spectacular getaway destinations in the Europe. People who have been thinking to plan a visit to Athens shall consider the following travel guide for beginners planning Athens holidays:
1. Transportation
Despite being affected from the economic crisis, Athens has a wonderful transport system that is not only good in quality, but also pocket-friendly as well as efficient to cover almost every major and minor attraction in and around the city. The basic public transportation such as buses, trams, subways and trains are easy to get and have stops to the major access points of every city, district and town of Athens. People who enjoy riding taxis with their custom routes shall get ready to pay a good fortune as the prices of taxis are quite expensive as compared to the public transport. So, unless you don’t wish to put a dent in your savings, then you should probably consider using public transport, until you have to access the outskirts where there is a limit of public transport.
2. Prominent Attractions
Athens is like an ocean of information and everything available here has its concrete proof which can be accessed by visiting the most prominent landmarks including Acropolis of Athens, Parthenon, Syntagma Square, National Observatory of Athens, Hadrian’s Library, Tower of the Winds, Propylaea, Athena Parthenos, Jewish Museum of Greece, Temple of Athena Nike, Tzistarakis Mosque, Agios Eleftherios Church, Presidential Palace, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments, Church of the Holy Apostles and ample of other places that are really charming and connected with the heritage, culture, tradition, religion and lifestyle of Athens as well as the rest of the Greece.
3. Best Things to Do in Athens
As much as Athens is connected to its history, this Greek capital is boasted with a marvelous diversity of culture and traditions which have been the reason why most of the tours available in Athens remain majorly sold-out. The city has this amazing range of theaters and art galleries that offer not just massive amount of information to its visitors, but also is capable to entertain with an interactive and zealous way. The theaters and performing art centers across the Athens are the prominent reason why people often adore the culture and artistic diversity of Athens a lot and enjoy being a part of it by going through some crash-courses or small classes during their voyage in Athens.
4. Festivals
Athens is a religiously rich and diverse city and people who enjoy living here get delighted by the superlative celebration of both religious and cultural events throughout the year. With festivals like the Festival of Epiphany, The Greek Revolution Day, Apokries, Panigiri, Feast of the Flowers, Music Day, Epidaurus Festival, Jazz Festival, Rockwave Festival, Ochi Day and many more are a few of the festivals that will surely give you the glimpse of rich cultural values, artistic treasure, magnificent religious beliefs and unity among all religions living together in harmony and celebrating every big day with more zeal than before.
5. Money Saving Tips
Athens is among the most pocket-friendly getaway destinations, but only if you know how to behave, live and enjoy on a budget. There are a massive number of options available for every activity you do and the more you research about these options, the better results you will get. Although, the revival of Athens’ economy was majorly played by the tourism, but if you still need to save a fortune on your voyage, you can try living in the local hostels, use the public transport and get 24-hour ticket available in less than EUR 5. Eating in Athens is really diverse and if you can live with eating at the food joints rather than those fancy restaurants, you can save a good fortune. The bargaining is as common in Athens as in any other part of the world. There are ample of free walking tours available in the city as well as plenty of attractions in Athens are free of cost to visit.
The charming conurbation of Athens is a perfect combination of past, present and future and people who have been thinking to spend a vacation in the Greek capital should consider the basic tips mentioned above in order to have a vacation for not just pleasant experiences, but also to save a good fortune on their voyage. So, if you have booked your flights to Athens already and thinking too much on how will you explore this fascinating city, you all you need is to keep in mind these points as well as follow the basic style of traveling to any destination across the world.
