Attractions

It's likely that you'll arrive in Athens in the afternoon, groggy and disoriented after a long flight. The ride into town from the airport is unlikely to help your spirits. You'll whiz along an efficient but anonymous highway that could be anywhere, before being fed into Athens's ferocious traffic; or you'll be underground in the Metro, itching to get to your hotel just so you can finally take a shower and wash the flight away. Somewhere, you know, not far away, must be the blue Aegean and the lofty Acropolis. But where?

When you get to your hotel, jump in the shower, take a nap, and then set off for an evening stroll through elegant Syntagma (Constitution) Square past the House of Parliament. Take a few minutes to explore Syntagma's handsome marble Metro station, with its display of finds from the excavations here. Sit on a bench or at one of the cafes and have a cup of coffee or a snack as you take in the city, its citizens, and your surroundings. (Syntagma Sq. has free wireless Internet, so you have many reasons to return here and linger during your stay.) If it's too warm out, escape into the shade of the National Gardens -- it's all too easy to overlook this oasis of calm and cool in the heart of Athens. You'll discover shady benches; a small cafe; the excellent Aigli restaurant in the adjacent, wider, and more formal Zappeion Gardens; and lots of opportunities to watch Greek families out for a stroll. Keep an eye out for the newly found and shockingly well-preserved Roman Baths (another important discovery during the Metro's construction), have a seat and linger by the Zappeion's handsome fountain for a while, and then head into the Plaka, the old neighborhood on the slopes of the Acropolis that has more restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shops than private homes. If you get off the Plaka's main drags, Kidathineon and Adrianou, and follow one of the streets such as Thespidos that runs up the slope of the Acropolis, you'll find yourself in Anafiotika. This Plaka district, built in the 19th century by immigrants from the Cycladic island of Anafi, retains much of its old village character. From time to time as you stroll, look up: You're bound to see the Acropolis, perhaps floodlit -- the best reminder of why you came. French designer Pierre Bideau has radically and brilliantly altered the lighting of the Acropolis and many other key monuments across the city, so be sure to admire his work.

After you have had your first Greek meal, take a little stroll on the Archaeological Promenade, stop by Thisio (at the grand cafe/bar/restaurant Athinaion Politeia, a grand 19th-c. building) for a glass of wine with an excellent view of the floodlit Acropolis, and slowly head back to your hotel and get a good night's rest so that you'll be ready for your first real day in Athens.

Athens Info -- The Ministry of Culture information site for archaeological sites, monuments, and museums is www.culture.gr. The Parliament also has its own website, www.parliament.gr. Two invaluable websites with a wealth of information and daily updates are www.athensinfoguide.com and www.breathtakingathens.com.

Tip: Strikes can close museums and archaeological sites without warning. Decide what you most want to see, and go there as soon as possible after your arrival. The fact that something is open today says nothing about tomorrow. If you're visiting in the off season, check with the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT, also known as the Hellenic Tourism Organization) for winter hours. The main EOT office is located at 7 Tsochas, Ambelokipi (tel. 210/870-0000; www.gnto.gr), well out of central Athens. The office is officially open Monday through Friday 8am to 3pm and is closed weekends. At press time it was unclear whether the office at 26 Amalias, in central Athens, would remain open. The opening hours posted at sites and those listed at the EOT often vary considerably. Officially, they should be open from 8am to 7:30pm, but this is often not the case. Alas, no information is utterly reliable.

Ask about a discounted ticket if you are a student or a senior. Often these discounts apply only to members of Common Market countries. Also, ask for the handy information brochure available at most sites and museums; ticket sellers do not always hand it over unless reminded.

The Archaeological Park -- One of the great pleasures in Athens is strolling through what's been dubbed the Archaeological Park, Europe's longest and arguably prettiest pedestrian promenade. It takes visitors past the most important of the city's ancient monuments. Thanks to the 2004 Olympics, the city laid out walkways stretching from Hadrian's Gate past the Acropolis on Dionissiou Areopagitou to the Ancient Agora, past the New Acropolis Museum through Thissio to the temple of Hephaistus, and on to Kerameikos and Gazi to the west, veering north through Monastiraki to the Plaka. Athenians use the walkways for their evening volta (stroll); the walkways have transformed much of central Athens from a traffic-ridden horror to a delight.

The August Full Moon -- For the past few years, 55 ancient sites throughout Greece -- including, of course, the Acropolis -- were open to the public on the night of the August full moon. The Culture Ministry plans to do this every August -- and to stage free concerts at some of the moonlit sites. There is nothing quite like a moonlit stroll by the floodlit Acropolis.