Athens

The temptation -- especially for visitors heading to the islands -- is to get through Athens as quickly as possible. This is a mistake. To fully experience Athens is to understand the essence of Greece: ancient monuments surviving in a sea of cement, startling beauty amid squalor, tradition and modernity side by side. Athens is home to 4 million people -- 40% of Greece's population -- and suffers from all the problems of a big city, and then some: stifling heat and air pollution in summer, noisy traffic jams, and characterless cement apartment blocks. But take the time to explore, and you will discover pockets of incomparable charm. Athens is an intriguing crossroads, blending elements of Middle Eastern and Western cultures. Underneath the confusion and modern clutter lies a palpable Mediterranean warmth that can be most appealing.

For most visitors the highlight of a visit to Athens (Athína in modern Greek) is the stunning vestiges of the ancient, Classical Greek city, most famously represented by the Acropolis and its surrounding archeological sites. Even on a brief visit, however, it is a shame to see Athens purely as the location of ancient sites and museums. Although the neighbourhoods may lack the style and monuments of most European capitals, they are worth at least some exploration. The old nineteenth-century quarter of Pláka, in particular, is a delight, with its mix of Turkish, Neoclassical and Greek-island architecture, and an array of intriguing little museums devoted to traditional arts, ceramics and music. Just to its north, the bazaar area, around Athinás and Eólou, retains an almost Middle Eastern atmosphere in its life and trade, while the National Gardens, elegant Kolonáki and the hill of Lykavitós offer respite from the maelstrom. Further afield, but still well within the limits of Greater Athens, are the monasteries of Kessarianí and Dhafní, the latter with Byzantine mosaics the equal of any in Greece.