لماذا أثينا؟

The Parthenon is visible from rooftops, hills and street corners all over the centre. It gives the city its compass.

The Acropolis Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, the Benaki and the Cycladic each deserve an unhurried morning.

Classical temples, Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques, neoclassical mansions and Renzo Piano’s cultural centre, all within a short ride.

Lycabettus, Filopappou and the Areopagus give free, open views over the city and out to the Saronic Gulf.

The Athens Riviera starts half an hour from Syntagma. In October the water is still warm enough to swim.

Plaka’s lanes, Koukaki’s cafés and Kolonaki’s boutiques each feel like a different small town.

Aegina, Poros and Hydra are short ferry rides from Piraeus, easy as a day out.

After the summer rush, queues shorten and walking between sites becomes a pleasure again.