Most people visit Athens for the history, but fall in love with its far more modern way of life. In the centre, tightly packed streets are a mashup of boutique clothes stores, Byzantine churches, indoor-outdoor restaurants, rooftop bars, diverse museums, graffitied walls and café-lined squares. It’s enough to fill a week or more of any visitor's time – but then there’s the suburbs too; some boast mile upon mile of beach, others a decidedly more urban and gritty environment – both equally Athenian.

Ancient history plays out daily in this rich theatre of ruins. Originally centred around 5th-century BC hilltop citadel the Acropolis, the Greek capital has since sprawled into an urban mass with gritty appeal. Spend a morning weaving through the Parthenon’s crumbling columns and an afternoon admiring politically charged street art in this diverse destination. Escape the heat on day trips to beaches along the Attica coast. Have your camera ready at Neoma — this property is designed with the Instagram generation in mind and has views of the Acropolis from the rooftop.

Discover Santorini, Corfu, Mykonos and beyond on these sunbaked Mediterranean voyages...Greek island itineraries tend to focus on popular ports such as Rhodes, Santorini and Mykonos, as well as Syros, Agios Nikolaos on Crete and Nafplion on the mainland. As well as round-trip cruises from Athens, look out for one-way itineraries between Athens and Venice, some of which call at Katakolon, for Olympia, and Corfu. 

Temperatures in Athens often soar well above 35ºC during July and August, which means many of its beaches are crowded during the summer months as locals and tourists try to beat the heat. Want to avoid the masses in favour of a hidden stretch of sand? Your best bet is to head further out – as a general rule of thumb, the further from the city centre you’re willing to travel the more deserted the sands you’ll discover.

In a recent decision by the City Council of Athens, Develop Athens S.A., the development agency of the City of Athens, has been officially designated as the Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO) for the city. This development marks a key milestone for the city’s efforts in sustainable tourism management and paves the way for the advancement of the Sustainable Tourism Observatory.

Following a year of intensive work, the City of Athens has presented the findings of its Tourism Carrying Capacity Study. The study was carried out by Develop Athens S.A., in collaboration with the Department of Tourism Studies at the University of Piraeus and the technical office Gimisis + Associates.

Athens, a city celebrated for its ancient history and cultural significance, is poised to undergo a monumental transformation with its £4.8 billion plan to upgrade its metro system. Known for its bustling streets and iconic attractions, the Greek capital often faces severe traffic congestion, particularly on Sundays when residents return from weekend getaways. 

Solo existe una localidad en todo el mundo que ha sido testigo del nacimiento de la democracia como forma de gobierno, escenario de la Guerra del Peloponeso y sede de las míticas Olimpiadas en dos ocasiones. A menudo llamada la cuna de la cultura occidental, Atenas también ha visto sus calles llenarse de visitantes sorprendidos por su ecléctico paisaje urbano, compuesto por un fantástico patrimonio histórico, bares, restaurantes modernos, y cómodos hospedajes.