Find Luxury Hotels in Athens

At first glance, Athens seems entirely to be composed of nasty, four- to six-story concrete buildings, lacking character and badly in need of a paint, but look beyond that and you will find little gems tucked in amongst the grey. The areas at the foot of the Acropolis, Anafiotika, Plaka, Monastiraki and Thissio are home to many wonderful neoclassical buildings, trendy and traditional cafes and shops, narrow winding streets, and incredible views of the Acropolis. Little Greek Orthodox churches are tucked in amongst the concrete, often in the most unexpected places. These are usually beautifully decorated with icons and brass fixtures inside, but make sure you're appropriately dressed (no short sleeves or bare legs is a good rule of thumb, as a mark of respect).

• For the best views of Athens, take the funicular railway from the top of Ploutarchou Street in Kolonaki (make sure to wear flat shoes, and bring lots of water!) and see the whole city, the port of Piraeus and the island of Aegina from the top of Lycavittos Hill. Have a drink at the cafe there, and pay a visit to the chapel of St George.
• If you're lucky enough to be in Athens for the Easter Weekend, you'll see the spectacular sight of hundreds of people making their candlelit way down the hill on Easter Saturday night as part of the Easter Vigil procession.

• Near Athens, in Glyfada (50 min by tram from the center), there is the Sea Turtle Rescue Society Archelon. They are regularly looking for volunteers who are willing to work on their own costs and are able to take care of injured Sea Turtles.

• Attend an event at the Athens and Epidaurus Festival. It runs during the summer and offers a wide spectrum of events covering almost every taste. Try to attend a performance at the ancient theater of Epidaurus -a truly unforgetable experience.

• 'Psiri' is the up-and-coming social hub of Athens- if you are looking for 'trendiness', you are at the correct place. Situated in the "warehouse" district, beside the Monastiraki metro station, it's home to many of Athens' more funky restaurants, and a great number of good tavernas and bars. The place buzzes on a Saturday night, well into the small hours.

• For an atmospheric lunch or dinner with the best view of the city, the best choice is Lycabettus Hill, where Orizontes Lykavittoy and Cafe Lykavittos present delicious international dishes seven days a week. (Tel: +30 210 7227065)

• For quick, decent and low-budget meals that do not fall into the commercialized fast food category, make sure you try 'souvlaki' (pronounced soo- VLAH-kee), mainly grilled meat (pork, chicken, it's your choice) vegetables (tomato and onion slices) and greek 'tzatziki' (pronounced tzah-TZEE-khee) which is yogurt enriched with garlic and cucumber. All the above (often accompanied by french fries) are gently (or hardly) wrapped inside a thin slice of pan bread, named 'pita' (PEE-tah). Prices of 'souvlaki' vary according to the confidence and/or nerve of the cornershop owner, but usually you can get one from €1 to €1.50; add some soda, salad and french fries and you can have lunch for no more than €7. You can get souvlaki just about everywhere, especially where tourists roam, though they are a bit more expensive in those regions. You can ask any Greek person about them; they all know.

• If you are eating in the Plaka area there are only really a couple of good eating places. The first, in the square just off of the top of Adrianou, is the Byzantino. Many Greeks still eat here and it is reasonably priced as well as having a great position for watching people walking up and down Kidathinaon. The second is the Platanos on Diogenos - a street parallel to the bottom of Adrianou near the Tower of the Winds. Try their roast meat which is a particularly good.