Athens is the "cradle of democracy". For an introduction to Athens, look at the following link. See this site for a review of the major archealogical resources.    Athens (Ath’na) has been inhabited continuously for over 7000 years. The roots of our western civilization started here. Visit these Greek World Heritage sites to see the infuence ancient Greek culture has had on our modern society.

Today, there are over 5,000,000 inhabitants. The best time to visit is in the spring. Like Paris, most of the Athenians leave the city in the summer and over 50% of the summer residents are tourists. It is an exhausting but always stimulating mix of metropolis and backwater, whose population has soared in recent decades.

Though not a graceful city, its hectic modernity is tempered with an air of intimacy and homeliness; as any Greek will tell you, Athens is merely the country's largest village. For visitors, Athens' stunning highlights comprise the vestiges of the ancient, Classical Greek city, most famously represented by the Acropolis and its surrounding archeological sites, while the National Archeological Museum contains the finest collection of Greek antiquities in the world. Even on a brief visit, however, it's a shame to see Athens purely as the location of ancient sites and museums. Although the neighborhoods may lack style and monuments, they repay at least some exploration.

The old nineteenth-century quarter of Plaka, in particular, is a delight, with its mix of Turkish and Greek-island architecture, and an array of odd little museums devoted to traditional arts, ceramics and music. Further north, the bazaar area around Athens and Elou exudes an almost Middle Eastern atmosphere, while the National Gardens, elegant Kolonki and the hill of Lykavits offer respite from the maelstrom. Further afield, but still well within the limits of Greater Athens, are the monasteries of Kessariani and Dhafn, the latter with Byzantine mosaics the equal of any in Greece.