Been there | Athens Profile

The Olympic Agora, Athens
Photo: Cyan Eyes

The ancient city

Helena Smith

“In many ways Athens is like an ugly woman but like so many ugly women she has lots of charm,” Melina Mercouri, late actress and former culture minister.

I love Athens because it is the only city that is truly haunted by its history; a kaleidoscope of ages and eras that tells the story of us all. Because it is here, taking in the outrageous beauty of the Acropolis, that you can begin to marvel and dare to dream. Because Athena, as she is known in Greek, has a myriad hidden worlds (prehistoric, classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman) and a myriad hidden pleasures, and is the one place that will teach you the meaning of time.

Because Athenian air has a magical quality and inspired the likes of Byron to write and weep for Greece and in any season, on any day, circulates the world’s most azure, most celestial skies. Because in Athens you will learn the value of patience and the charms of the late-night taverna and (when it comes to tackling taxi drivers) survival skills you never knew you had. Because Athena is at once everything that is familiar and everything that is foreign and, even when you think you know her, never ceases to surprise.

Because in Athens you’ll discover the delights of nearby isles, open-air cinemas, oriental traditions and the inimitable scent of honeysuckle and thyme. And see that Athens is not what it is made out to be: polluted, perpetually congested and ugly. And because not that long ago, Athens was a forgotten, malaria-ridden outpost on the fringes of the Ottoman Empire but, now, is one of the most fun, uplifting towns.

Best view

Lycabettus Hill

You can’t miss it. Smack bang in the middle of central Athens, cone-shaped Lycabettus is probably the best-known natural landmark in the Greek capital after the holy hill of the ancient Acropolis. From its 300-metre high peak you have spectacular panoramas across the entire city, down to Salamis and the wine-dark waters of the Saronic Gulf. Best accessed by funicular cable car at the upper edge of Kolonaki, or if you’re feeling hardy, through the wooded trails up the side of the hill. Those who insist on wheels can also drive up.

Funicular from Aristippou & Ploutarchou; Tel: 210 722 7092; Nearest metro: Evangelismos; Open: Funicular 9am-11.45pm daily (every 30mins); Price: €3.20 single

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