Athens

Athens is the capital city of Greece.

It is home to two UNESCO World Heritage sites - the medieval Daphni Monastery and the Acropolis. Here you can see the famous Parthenon temple, which was built in 447BC for the ancient Greeks to worship the goddess Athena in. The city is also a world centre for historical research and the world's largest collection of ancient Greek: sculptures, jewellery and pottery can be found in the National Archaeological Museum.

Other attractions are:

the National Garden of Athens which contains: a duck pond, a small zoo, a Botanical Museum, a small cafe and a Children's Library and playground;

148 theatres (more than any other city in the world), including the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus;

the 'agora' - Athens Central Market where everyone shops for: meat, fish, vegetables, spices, olives, cheese and even pets.

People can travel around Athens using its: buses, trolleybuses, underground Metro system and electric trams. Planes arrive and depart from Athens International Airport.

Air pollution and 'nefos' (smog) is a big issue for Athens, particularly during the hot, summer days. Large forests like in the Parnitha National Park have been planted around the city to help improve the air quality but these get burned in regular bush fires.

Hiking and mountain-biking are popular activities in the mountains that surround Athens, as well as visiting the Attica Zoological Park in the suburb of Sparta, home to about 2,000 animals representing 400 different species.