Click to enlarge

Who doesn't know the Acropolis of Athens? Photos and history of the most famous archaeological site in Europe have made the world tour causing feelings of admiration from millions of people worldwide. Acropolis is nominated to be included in the list with the 7 new miracles of the world. In fact the trademark of Athens is one of the favorites. The Holy Rock of Acropolis has structures dated back to the 5th BC, the famous Golden Age of Periklis. Apart from glory and grandiosity, they carry Athens' chequered history, which met times of bloom and decline, but still shines under Attica sky and gazes future. Shining like the white of pendelikon marble.

If you want to buy a few gifts for friends and family at home or a souvenir for yourself, Plaka and Monastiraki are the places to be. You will find a lot of shops that sell the same things and you can compare prices but you will find they do not differ much. Don’t forget to bargain on the price.
The busiest shopping street of Athens is the pedestrian-only Ermou, off Syntagma Square, where shoppers can pick up the season's latest souvenirs, clothing and accessories. The most up market shopping district in Athens is nearby Kolonaki, where designer boutiques (such as the Italian Versace and the newest Greek talent Eleftheriades) rub shoulders with coffee shops and chic restaurants. This area includes Tsakalof, one of the most expensive streets in the world. Thankfully, Athens has not adopted mall culture and no massive retail emporiums taint the city's shopping scene.
Attica, the country’s largest department store, opened its doors on April 9, 2005 at CityLink, the city’s sole listed architectural block, which spreads from Panepistimiou to Voukourestiou, Stadiou and Amerikis streets. Part of an entirely revamped 1930s construction — formerly the Army Pension Fund Building — the new department store covers an area of 25,000 square meters (out of CityLink’s total 65,000 sq.m.) stretching to eight floors and featuring more than 300 shops in a shop, 500 brands as well as a cafe-restaurant.

As you'd expect in a city that houses almost half the Greek population, Athens has the best and the most varied restaurants and tavernas in the country - and most places are sources not just of good food but of a good night out.

Starting with breakfast , most Athenians survive on a thimbleful of coffee, but if you need a bit more to set you up for the day, you'll easily find a bakery, yogurt shop or fruit stall. Koukáki is particularly good for this, with the Nestoras Tzatsos bakery at Veïkoú 45, another at no. 75, and still another on pedestrianized Olymbíou, just off Platía Koukáki, offering excellent wholegrain bread and milk products. For a regular English breakfast , there are several options in and around Pláka. For a proper American or Continental breakfast, from croissants and pastries to multi-filling omelettes, head for Neon at Mitropoleos 3.

Later in the day, a host of snack stalls and outlets get going. If your budget is low you can fill up at them exclusively, avoiding sit-down restaurants altogether. The standard snacks are souvláki me píta (kebab in pitta bread), tyrópites (cheese pies) and spanakópites (spinach pies), along with bougátses (cream pies) and a host of other speciality pastries. There is a cluster of good souvláki stands around Exárhia square, while those in the immediate vicinity of Omónia are best avoided. At Omónia square 18, however, and at several other points in the city, such as Tsakálof 14, Kolonáki, look out for the Everest chain, which does a nice line in pastries, sandwiches and ice cream and stays open past midnight.

Krinos at Eólou 87, an old-fashioned cafeteria operating since 1922 behind the central market, has delectable loukoumadhes (pastry puffs soaked in honey-citrus syrup and dusted in cinammon), tyrópites and rizogalo (rice pudding). There is a Bagel Café at Karayeóryi Servías 9b, just below Syndagma, while the Aríston around the corner at Voulís 10 has been famous for years for its good, inexpensive tyropites .

For main meals , Pláka's hills and lanes provide a pleasant evening setting, despite the aggressive touts and general tourist hype. But for good value and good quality, only a few of the quarter's restaurants and tavernas are these days worth a second glance. For quality Greek cooking, if you're staying any length of time in the city, it's better to strike out into the ring of neighbourhoods around: Mets, Pangráti, Exárhia/Neápoli, Koukáki, Áno Petrálona or the more upmarket Kolonáki. None of these is more than a half-hour's walk, or a quick trolleybus or taxi ride, from the centre - effort well repaid by more authentic menus, and often a livelier atmosphere.

The Olympic city of Athens has many activities on offer to tempt all lovers of the outdoors. Sports in Athens are mainly water-based and there are many beaches offering a range of popular water sports. Athens’ sporting calendar is full of exciting events throughout the year.

The Glyfada Golf Course and Club

• 12km out of Athens,
• close to Elliniko Airport, Athens
• Tel 210-8946820.
• Open till sunset.

An 18-hole course measuring 6,776 yards for men and 5,634 for ladies. Par is 72. Facilities include changing rooms, restaurant, bar and a shop selling golf clubs and other equipment. Rentals and lessons available. Hotels near Glyfada Golf Course and Club