Car Hire Athens - Mini guide to Athens

There’s no escaping the gobsmacking examples of antiquity in Athens, and it’s worth spending a day or two there en route to the islands.

The elevated Acropolis stands sentinel over Athens and is visible from almost everywhere in the city. Dating from 510 BC, it is entered through the architecturally brilliant Propylaia gate, and crowning the hilltop is the recently restored iconic Parthenon – among the finest surviving examples of pre-Christian architecture. Other important features are the graceful Erechtheion (from where the Elgin Marbles were pilfered) and Ancient Theatre of Dionysos. Located at its foot is the lively and ancient Plaka district, loaded with Mediterranean restaurants and guest houses. Nearby is the ancient Agora (marketplace).

A fifteen-minute walk from the Acropolis is Hadrian’s Roman Arch, the lovely, oft overlooked monument of Lysikrates (dated 335 BC) and the few remains of the enormous Zeus’ Temple. Further along is one of Athens’ most famous landmarks, the Panathenaic Stadium, used for the original Olympics in 1896.

Other attractions include the National Archaeological Museum, which houses magnificent gold artifacts from Mycenae and spectacular Minoan frescoes from Santorini (Thira), among other exquisite objects and antiquities; and the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic and Ancient Greek art, with a collection of elegant marble figurines.

By car you can explore the Peloponnese and Corinth or catch a ferry to the Saronic Gulf islands.