The Athens Key

Daisies in our front balcony.

Only United, we shall prevail!

Today is Sunday, April 5th, 2020. Temperatures up to the upper 50°s F, under cloudy skies, with a good chance for rain. 6 more days to the Orthodox Christian Greek Easter Sunday or Pascha.

By now, it is apparent that the consequences of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, will affect the health and daily lives of all of us, but also tourism and the global economy, in a major way. As of today, the official numbers of WHO are: 1,051,635 cases globally, and 56,985 confirmed deaths. Greece has 1,673 confirmed cases since the beginning of this ordeal, and 68 deaths, at present, most with serious preexisting conditions, as well as 92 patients in Intensive Care. Since March 23rd, Greece is on general lockdown. People are only allowed to go to work, to buy food or medicine, visit a doctor, walk a pet, exercise by themselves or in groups of two. They must carry an official ID, and a permit stating the reason for their movement. Most retail shops, all hotels, archaeological sites and museums are closed, and all religious gatherings, sports and cultural activities, indoors or outdoors, are cancelled indefinitely, throughout the whole country.

"We Stay at Home" Greek campaign graphic.

Anyone with symptoms of the coronavirus, in Greece, do not take yourself to a hospital or pharmacy, but call, or have someone call on your behalf 210-521 2054 for further instructions and medical care.

The World Health Organization states that people of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus. Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus. Whether or not panic is justified or exaggerated, people are more than cautious to travel, especially for leisure, and only time will tell what the real outcome will be. One after the other, airlines, cruise companies, and tour operators, are halting their services for the immediate future, in anticipation of the effect that counter-measures to the coronavirus outbreak will have. Greece has ordered the closure of all hotels throughout the country. Countries and regions are closing their borders in an effort to control the spread.

This pandemic will get worse before it gets better. But it will only get better if we do our part! We all stay at home! We try to find creative ways to entertain ourselves and our loved ones. We try to keep fit using ways we never had to think of before this crisis. We keep in touch with distant friends and relatives. We have compassion for the ones who suffer. We show gratitude to the ones who risk their own safety to assist and save lives! We remind ourselves of the reasons why we take pride on being humans!

All of us at the Athens Key send our deepest sympathy and best wishes to our Italian and Spanish neighbors, we send our love and compassion to our family and countless friends in the USA, but also to our friends all over the world in this time of trial and pain, and express our relief that China reports no new cases of the COVID-19! Our heart aches for the loss of the doctors, medical staff, rescuers and everyone whose life was lost in their effort to save others... This global threat can only be met with a global response!

Welcome to The Athens Key!
We are a travel companion website for Athens and all things Greek, in English, designed for the potential visitor to our hometown. 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. So, 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 supported from, or financially aided in any form by any official or unofficial state or local government agency, nor have we 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. Finally, if you come across a service or a product featured here in an advertisement by an affiliate, please purchase it through one of our links and help us support the website financially. Thank you in advance! Enjoy!

Ion Frantzeskakis, Editor & Publisher

Athens: A Hot City that is always a Cool Destination!
Insider named Greece the best place to visit in 2020, based on research and their viewers' votes. The country has a lot to offer — rich ancient history, beautiful views of sunsets, and plenty of activities, like swimming at beaches and skiing down mountains. Stay in its iconic white and blue houses through boutique hotels and Airbnbs. Try some traditional Greek food like baklava or feta cheese. Insider is great journalism about what passionate people actually want to know, from news to food, celebrity to science, politics to sports and all the rest.

Athens International Airport, El. Venizelos, (ATH) was named 3rd Best Airport in the World for 2019, by AirHelp, an organization that specializes in air traveler rights, and seeks compensation in cases of delays or cancellations. The airports are rated based on on-time performance, service quality, and food and shopping options. AirHelp’s data comes from multiple commercial vendors, along with its own database, plus 40,000 passenger surveys collected in 40 countries during 2018.

Recent years have seen a surge of new art galleries, collectives and nonprofit art organizations in Athens. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center has fast become a cultural beacon for the Greek capital. The newest addition is the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation Museum of Modern Art with a monumental art collection by international masters, as well as works of prominent Greek artists. Athens was voted 2nd Best European Destination for 2020, among 355 cities, in online polls conducted by the European Best Destinations organization. Trendier than ever, Athens is an open-air museum, where tradition meets modernity, and a dynamic, lively, sparkling city of paradoxes and great contrasts. Athens is a sophisticated cosmopolitan hub with delicious gastronomic delights, electrifying nightlife, creative vibes and a booming art scene.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.

Greece was voted "2019 Destination of the Year" by over 10,000 ASTA travel professionals in the U.S.A. The Greek islands topped the list of the 20 “Best Islands / Favorite Islands in the World”, by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller 21st Annual Readers’ Awards 2018, due to their “extraordinary scenery and people.” To top it off, Greece was voted as the “Best Country in the World” by the readers of the luxury travel magazine. Crete is TUI’s top holiday destination for European travelers this year, and Greece is the second country of choice after Spain, according to the holiday bookings made through the largest leisure, travel and tourism company in the world. Three of the five most popular destinations for Germans are found in Greece: Crete, Rhodes and Kos. Greece is also very popular among Northern Europeans. For Norwegians, Swedes, Danes and Finns, Greece is the number one holiday destination.

Why Do You Travel?

In general, there are are two major factors in a person's decision to travel to a place like Greece: Leisure, or the need to escape from routine and get some well-needed relaxation, in the form of sunbathing, swimming, partying, eating well, shopping, and in general recharging one's batteries, and tourism, or the need to explore new places, see breathtaking landscapes, delve into history, admire art, visit museums, meet people, try their cuisine and their culture, see as many things as possible in the limited time most of us have, and can afford, during our vacations. The frequency in which we travel, due to the time available, and funds at hand, but also our personalities, determine the weight that each of these two major factors play in our selections.

Much the same as Northern Americans prefer Florida, or Mexico, for leisure, since these are the closest to home places to find warmth, sun and relaxation, Northern Europeans prefer Greece, or Italy for the same. These are mostly the people who may opt for an all-inclusive package, anchor in a major hotel offering all amenities, and have a good time at a mostly fixed price. They know that since the destination is relatively close to their home, they can always come back for a more thorough visit, to explore the country.

The further away one visits from, the more expensive the trip generally is, the less chances that the trip may be repeated any time soon, so, the more experiences the traveler wishes to collect from the visit. This is the type of traveler the Athens Key attempts to assist, by offering information and choices, so that he or she may create their own menu of experiences, while in Greece. To plan your travel 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, make best use of your financial resources and utilize every single day according to your own interests and needs.

Accommodation in Athens and throughout Greece
Check out, compare prices and locations, and book your accommodation in Athens, all over Greece, and, in fact, all over the world, by using the most reliable search and booking engine of Booking.com. Another reputable affiliate of ours, KAYAK searches and compares hundreds of travel sites to show you the information you need to find the right flights, hotels, rental cars and vacation packages. Agoda is one of the world’s largest online travel accommodation platforms with a network of over 2,000,000 vacation rentals and hotels worldwide providing the best deals for all travelers: business, leisure or solo or family travelers, resorts or secret gems…

Car Rentals in Greece
For the best prices and availability in Greece among the most reputable car rental companies worldwide, visit KAYAK, where, with every query, their engine searches hundreds of travel sites to show you the information you need to find the right rental car offer, or Rentalcars, the first ever global, fully serviced and bespoke end-to-end B2B car rental solution.

Destinations within Greece
Browse through select places you are able to visit on an excursion from Athens, accessible by land, sea or air. Some ports of call are popular with most cruises to the Eastern Mediterranean and certainly accessible by the sailing boat or motor-yacht you may charter! Crete, Corfu, Heraklion, Mykonos, Rhodes or Santorini by sea, or Corinth, Delphi, Epidavros, Olympia or Marathon by land, a multitude of destinations await your selection!

Eating Greek - The Mediterranean Diet
Greece is the birthplace of the Mediterranean Diet, the balanced diet that keeps you healthy and gives you a long life. A delicious cuisine, which comes as a combination of indigenous, ancient practices and recipes, along with hundreds of Mediterranean influences resulting in a delicious, tasty, hearty and healthy menu of choices. Check out our pages for Athenian Bakeries, Olives & Olive Oil, Ouzo, Tsipouro & Meze Appetizers, Farmers' Markets, Juice Bars, Greek, but also International Cuisine, Bistros, Pastry Shops, Street Food, etc., and bon appetit!

Hadrian's Arch, Athens.

Excursions & Tours from Athens
There are several tours and excursions, for a few hours or for a couple of days, that one can take using Athens as a base of operations. Finally, at GetYourGuide, they’re on a journey to transform ordinary trips into extraordinary ones. They are your guide, bringing you personal experiences. Wherever your travels take you, they’ll show you unique and unmissable things to do in your destination.

iVenture Card combines the best attractions, tours and experiences into one pre-paid attractions pass to save you time and money. Athens Unlimited Attractions or Athens Museum Pass, there are several plans to chose from!

Ferries to Greece and the Greek Islands
To easily book your ferry tickets online to the islands of the Aegean Archipelago, such as Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, go to BookaWay now! The Cyclades group of islands consist of 39 islands, of which 24 are inhabited. They are the most popular of all the islands and attract thousands of visitors every year. Cyclades are famous for their extraordinary weather, the beauty of the beaches and the charm of the architecture, with ancient sites, droves of vineyards and olive trees, and stark whitewashed cubist houses. Whether you want to party, explore culture and history, or simply soak up the sun and swim in crystal clear waters, the islands within the Cyclades are the perfect destinations. Booking a ferry to Greece and the Greek islands couldn't be easier than with BookaWay.

Flights to Greece and within Greece
As of March 18, all traffic to and from Greece is restricted in order to provide a shield against further outbreak of the coronavirus. For future reference, you may wish to search for and book a flight to Greece via the Greek national carrier Aegean Airlines, or within Greece via Aegean Airlines or Olympic Air, an Aegean Airlines subsidiary. For international flights from and to anywhere in the world, anytime, but also for hotels, rental cars and vacation packages, go to KAYAK or to Cheapflights now! Their extensive range of partners, great deals and travel content should make them the natural starting point for your travel research. Last, but not least, momondo is an inspirational global travel search site, comparing billions of cheap flights, serving travelers across 35 markets globally.

Sailing & Yachting in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
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!

Tickets to Major Attractions in Athens
For skipping the lines and getting your admission tickets to the Acropolis of Athens, but also the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Benaki Museum, and several other attractions and activities in throughout Greece, visit Tiqets, an innovative ticketing platform that is revolutionizing the way visitors discover, buy and use tickets for museums, shows and attractions and thus makes culture more accessible.

The Temple of Hephaestos, Athens.

The Gate of Athena Archegetis, entrance to the Roman Agora of Athens.

Among Our Pages

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.

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. Read a short biography of the great romantic poet and grecophile Lord Byron. For a page full of travel resources, including links to flights to Greece or within Greece, hotel, villa and home rentals, cruises, yachting and sailing, car rentals, tours and excursions, visit this page, and you are half-way to Greece already! For a selection of bags, suitcases and travel accessories, check Luggage, featuring some of the very best luggage products from the world's largest manufacturers, at the best prices.

The Rider from Delphi, National Archaeological Museum, Athens.

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!