Athens Marathon

The bus from the Mavromateon 29 station in Athens goes to Marathon (1hr., every hr. 5:30am-10:30pm, €4.10). Look for the “Marathon” label and remind the driver of your destination. When returning to Athens, look for an orange-striped bus among scores of tourist-tour ones, and flag it down. A car or taxi (☎66 277) is the best way to see the sights; they are spread out and there is often no public transportation.

Near the end of the Persian Wars in 490 BC, an overjoyed messenger ran 42km (26 mi.) from here to bring his fellow Athenians two words: “(N4kh 3min)!” (“Victory to us!”). Though Phidippides collapsed and died of fatigue immediately afterward (this last 42km followed a grueling 450km the week before), his feat of endurance has made the town of Marathon’s name a household word. In addition to the countless marathon races across the globe, runners today trace Phidippides’s famous route twice annually here, where it all started. To tour Marathon and the surrounding area, most people find themselves taxis or cars; others go straight to Marathon beach and stay there. At Ramnous, 15km northeast, lie the ruins of the Temple of Nemesis, goddess of divine retribution, and Thetis, goddess of justice. (☎63 477. Open Tu-Su 8:30am-7pm. €3. Su free.) To reach the Archaeological Museum of Marathonas it’s best to call a taxi, but if you’re up for a walk, ask the bus driver to drop you at the “Mouseion and Marathonas” sign, after Marathon Town and the beach. Follow the signs through 2km of farms, bearing right at the fork, to the end of the paved Plateion road at #114. As you might expect, the museum highlights the pivotal battle against Persia that occurred here. An atrium displays the Athenian trophy, as well as gifts and slabs from tombs of the 192 Athenians who died in battle. The exhibits also include a collection of Egyptian-style statues, which wear Pharaoh costumes and symbols of control over Lower and Upper Egypt. Some 4th-century Greeks re-appropriated artistic traditions originally used for worshipping the Egyptian goddess Isis to create images for their cult of Demeter. Also on the museum grounds is a burial site, uncovered by archaeologist Spyros Marinatos in 1970. A wooden walkway surrounds the spooky mound of rocks, where visitors can peer through glass planks to see the remains of ancient skeletons buried there from 2000-1600 BC. The grassy Tomb of the Fallen, where the war victims from 490 BC are buried, is 15km from the town, behind the mountains and accessible only by private transport. (☎55 155. Open Tu-Su 8:30am-3pm. €3; students €2; EU students, children under 18, classicists, and archaeologists free.) Marathon beach also has an extensive, multi-building movie theater, Village Cool Cinema, 1-3 Tymbos, off Eleftherias. It plays mainstream English-language films with Greek subtitles nightly at 9 and 11:15pm. (☎55 603. Tickets €7.)

Marathon beach, a slightly hectic seaside town, is a nicer place to dine or stay than central Marathon. Some tavernas are set along the beach, and businesses center on the small plateia. Marathon Hotel 4, Ag. Pantalimonos 25, 50m before the plateia on the road coming from Athens, has rooms with air-conditioning, TV, fridge, balcony, and bath. (☎55 222. Breakfast included. Singles €40 ; doubles €55 ; triples €65 ; quads €75 .) Beachside taverna O Vrahos 2, Chrisis Aktis 14, is a few buildings to the right of the plateia. ( } 55 297. Calamari €8. Fresh fish €20-60 per kg. Open daily noon-1am.) Avlaia 2, Poseidonos 7 , on the beach, is a few doors down to the left of the plateia. (☎56 300. Spicy cheese dip €4. Fried fish €7.50.) A supermarket is inland from the plateia on Dimosthenous. (Open daily 8:30am-10pm.)