Here you are in Athens: the birthplace of democracy, theater, and Western civilization.
Athens can’t help but wear its history on its sleeve—it’s hard to go anywhere in
the city out of sight of the Acropolis—and millions of tourists flock here every year to
visit the iconic Parthenon, Agora, and Dionysus’s Theater. But Athens isn’t all white
marble and crumbling columns. If Athens were a person, it would probably have a
copy of Plato’s Republic in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. It’s a living,
breathing modern metropolis, home to three million people and enough street-side
souvlaki stands to feed all of them. From the narrow, cobblestoned streets of hilly
Kolonaki to the hip counter-culture nightlife of Exarhia and the singular sight of the
changing of the guard in central Syntagma Sq., Athens awaits your explorations.
This is also the gateway to the sun-drenched Cyclades, defined by white and blue
stucco buildings, notorious nightlife, and fabulous beaches. Mix some hangovers
with all your history by heading to Mykonos and Ios, then check in on Santorini’s
world-famous sunsets, Naxos’s peaceful mountain villages, and Delos’s ancient
sanctuaries. They’re all just a short ferry ride away. Even with all those thousands
of years of history, Greece remains dynamic, and there’s always something new to
discover in this ancient land.