Group cycling on Areopagitou Street, Athens.
Pleasantly warm in Athens! |
Traditionally, August is a month when most Athenians used to be away from Athens, either at their regions of origin, where a family home may still offer an attractive alternative to the city's life, or simply vacationing, each to his own financial ways, to the numerous resorts of the country. Nowadays, however, and due to the long economic hardship, fewer and fewer people stay out of Athens for fewer and fewer days. Should you be planning a trip to Athens any time soon, make sure to pack a collapsible umbrella along, since afternoon rains are not unusual. You should also bring a straw hat, or purchase one here, even from a street kiosk, to keep your head cool, and always have a bottle of water handy. Kiosks and convenience stores will sell you chilled water at € 0.30-0.50 per 1/2 liter, while you may purchase the same from a supermarket at half-price or less. You may want to consider taking a swim in one of the several beaches, organized or not, near Athens. Kalimera from Greece!
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Offer Valid in Greece only!
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Welcome to The Athens Key!
The Athens Key is a travel companion for Athens and all things Greek, in English. It is designed for the potential visitor to our hometown, or for the curious mind. From the research to the text to most photographs, we strive to highlight the most interesting landmarks of this historic city worth seeing, but also some of the lesser known, quaint, yet ever so intriguing, attractions of our city. We tirelessly look for, and suggest, places, events, services, shops, museum shows, curiosities in Athens, as if a friend from abroad was about to visit for a short stay and was asking for our advise on how to best plan their visit.
For decades now and up until recently, during the official ceremony of welcoming a foreign dignitary, the Mayor of Athens would hand them the Golden Key of Athens in a well-staged photo opportunity. It used to be a somewhat exaggerated gesture in recognition of a goodwill visit and signified that the guest would always be welcome back to the city as a friend. Well, we ran out of gold, and our city is now in need. But, as citizens of Athens who love our hometown and have nothing to gain from sharing this love, to you who dropped by, we decided to offer you The Athens Key, without the hoopla and the decorum, but from the bottom of our heart!
We should note here that we are not endorsed by, supported from, or financially aided by any official or unofficial state or local government, we have no ties or affiliations with any enterprise that could possibly influence our opinion or alter our objectivity. At the same time, we can not and do not claim to have included all that is worth seeing in Athens, nor that our coverage of the subjects is complete. Thus, we strive to improve, to keep an open mind, to be informed, and to constantly add material to The Athens Key. Enjoy!
Ion Frantzeskakis, Editor & Publisher
© 2018 Ion Frantzeskakis, Athens, Greece. All rights reserved in all media. |
Athens: A Hot City that is always a Cool Destination!
Athens is World Book Capital for 2018! The city of Athens was chosen by UNESCO for the quality of its activities, supported by the entire book industry. The program includes meetings with writers, translators and illustrators, concerts, thematic exhibitions, poetry readings and workshops for publishing professionals and aims to make books accessible to the city’s entire population, including migrants and refugees. Members of the Advisory Committee also praised Athens’ cultural infrastructure and its expertise in organizing international events.
In 2017 Athens earned a spot on the New York Times' top 52 destinations for 2017. Recent years have seen a surge of art galleries, collectives and nonprofit art organizations built for leaner times, like Radio Athènes, which hosts pop-up lectures and performances, and the immigration-focused Nomadic Architecture Network.
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The renovated EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens opened and is operational in the former FIX brewery, while the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano, is now fully functional.
Athens is 7th Best European Destination for 2018, in online polls conducted by the European Best Destinations organization, whose purpose is the promotion of culture and tourism in Europe, and works alongside with the biggest tour operators in Europe covering 355 destinations. Ever since its participation in this competition, Athens has ranked among the top most favorite destinations of travelers worldwide. With a recorded history of 3,500 years, the Greek capital is constantly undergoing urban renewals to keep up with the evolution of time. Athens lives up to all the hype!
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The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
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The Greek islands topped the list of the 20 “Best Islands in the World”, as voted by the readers of prestigious Condé Nast Traveller, due to their “extraordinary scenery and people.” To top it off, Greece was voted as the second “Best Country in the World” by the readers of CNT after Italy. The readers of the luxury travel magazine voted for what they love most about travelling, including favorite countries, cities, islands, ski resorts; top hotels and spas; best airlines, airports, cruise lines, villa rentals and tour operators.
Travel, Cruises, Sailing & Yachting, Car Rentals, Tours & excursions
You can always plan your travel or vacations in Greece on your own, relying on your experience and the advice of friends or trusted sources, including The Athens Key. This way, you will enjoy the absolute independence, and utilize every single day according to your interests and needs.
You may wish to search and book a flight to or within Greece using Aegean, the Greek flag carrier and Star Alliance member, honored repeatedly with the Skytrax World Airline Award as the Best Regional Airline in Europe, serving a multitude of destinations daily in 44 countries and, of course, within Greece, performed with one of the youngest fleets in Europe. Or you may want to search and compare flights to Greece or any other destination in the whole wide world from among hundreds of airlines on the comparison search engine of Jetradar!
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Check Hotels in Athens and all over Greece by using the reliable search and booking engines of Booking.com or look around our pages and rely on the accommodation suggestions we offer close to most places of attraction.
For car rentals alone, visit Rentalcars!
Choose among the luxurious and reliable cruises to leisurely explore the Mediterranean Sea! Look for several schedules but also for special deals!
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Can one charter a motor-sailer, a motor yacht or a sailing boat, barefoot or with a skipper, to cruise the magnificent Aegean Archipelago or the green islands of the Ionian sea? Need we say yes? Visit our page Sailing & Yachting in Greece!
Are there excursions, for a few hours or a couple of days, organized or not, that one can take using Athens as a base of operations? Indeed, there are several Classical Tours available that might include Corinth, Epidavros, Mycenae, Olympia, and, of course, Delphi from Athens. Or maybe you want to try the Acropolis Walking Tour or a Cape Sounion and Temple of Poseidon Trip! For Tours and Activities in Athens and all over Greece, visit either Viator or Key Tours now for an unforgettable trip!
Please note Destinations including select places you'd visit on an excursion from Athens, accessible by land or sea. Some are popular with most cruises to the Eastern Mediterranean or accessible by the sailing boat or yacht you may charter! Corfu, Heraklion, Mykonos, Rhodes or Santorini by sea, or Delphi, Epidavros, Olympia or Marathon, a multitude of destinations await your selection!
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Hadrian's Arch, Athens.
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For ferries to the islands of the Greek Archipelago, book through our affiliate AFerry, the world's leading ferry website and the industry front-runner in booking technology, offering a simple way of easily booking ferry tickets online to make your way to Greek dream islands such as Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu, or Hydra.
Greece is the birthplace of Mediterranean Diet, the balanced diet to keep you healthy and give you a long life. A delicious cuisine, which comes as a combination of indigenous, ancient practices and recipes, along with hundreds of Middle Eastern, Southern European and other influences resulting in a tasty, hearty and healthy menu of choices. Please check our FOOD section, and the several pages under it, such as Bakeries, Farmers Markets, Juice Bars, Lunch or Dinner, etc., etc., and enjoy! Bon appetit!
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The Temple of Hephaestos.
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The Gate of Athena Archegetis, entrance to the Roman Agora of Athens.
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Among Our Pages
The Rider from Delphi, National Archaeological Museum.
Within the Resources of The Athens Key, take a look in the Basic Architectural Terminology as well as the 3 Orders of Architecture for better following the descriptions of the ancient temples but also the Byzantine churches. Also, a biography of the great romantic poet and philhellene Lord Byron. Check our Brief History of Athens, and the Greek Pantheon pages. They may remind you of key-facts that may be useful in better utilizing information that can be found throughout our website and during a potential visit to Athens. For a page full of travel resources, including links to flights to Greece or within Greece, hotel, villa, or home rentals, cruises, yachting and sailing, car rentals, tours and excursions, even travel insurance, visit this page, and you are half way to Athens already! Look for discriminating selections of Swimwear and Beachwear to wear this coming Summer on the gorgeous Greek beaches. And then, for the time of relaxation, check our Lingerie page. Checkout this page for Fashion ideas and here for Jewelry or Fragrances! For your indoor gym exercise but also for your outdoor sports activities check out our Activewear!
For a large selection of bags, suitcases and travel accessories, check Travel Luggage & Cabin Bags, who are passionate about bringing the finest quality, stylish yet lightweight luggage products from the world's largest manufacturers to their customers. in an unrivaled range, at the best prices. Last, but not least, visit our Travel Insurance page.
In our constant quest to improve and enhance the effectiveness of the Athens Key we keep making additions and navigational changes here, within the technical limitations of the platform, and our own abilities. We hope you'll find the changes practical and effective, but, if not so, we would love to hear your input and suggestions!
In our constant quest to improve and enhance the effectiveness of the Athens Key we keep making additions and navigational changes here, within the technical limitations of the platform, and our own abilities. We hope you'll find the changes practical and effective, but, if not so, we would love to hear your input and suggestions!
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