Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Welcome to the Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Destination Guides

bthere! Destination guides

Previous issues for Athens

Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy,
please confirm event/venue details in advance.

Greece : Athens - December 2007

Country Code: Dial for Greece

The Greek capital has been known throughout the world for centuries, initially for its antiquities and latterly for the Olympics. Athens’ mild climate means winter is an ideal time to stroll around a city that in many ways resembles an open-air museum. Maria Kagkelidou gets out and about

Getting around

The nearest airport is Athens International Airport, 33km southeast of the city.

Bus: Six express bus routes serve Athens and Piraeus. Buses leave from arrivals. Tickets cost €3,20 and are valid for 24 hours on all public transport.
Taxi: You can pick up taxis from exit 3 at arrivals. A journey to the city centre costs from €25 to €36, and takes about 30 minutes.
Tourist information: The main office is at 26 Amalias (tel. , gnto.gr).

OLD ATHENS

Around the Acropolis hill and Plaka, visitors can get a feel for what Athens was like during its classical heyday and 19th-century rebirth.

Sleep soundly – After the obligatory tour of the Parthenon, take a look at the New Acropolis Museum (Makrygianni Street) designed by Bernard Tschumi. Greece missed out on the Renaissance, but came up with a vocal folk tradition instead. The Museum of Greek Folk Art (17 Kydathinaion Street) by no means does this justice, but it’s a start.

Culture vultures – Splash out for a night at Electra Palace Hotel Athens (18-20 N. Nikodimou Street, tel. , electrahotels.gr, rooms from €158) or head to the recently restored neo-classical Acropolis House Hotel (6-8 Koudrou, tel. , acropolishouse.gr, rooms from €45).

Must eat – Keep up the neo-classical theme and spot celebrities at Daphne’s (4 Lysikratous Street, tel. ). Situated in the middle of Plaka, Psara’s Taverna (16 Erechtheos, tel. ) has been serving traditional Greek food for over a century.

EXARHEIA

Athens’ alternative Mecca, Exarheia, is frequented by a youthful, artistic, non-conformist, up-market crowd.

Culture vultures – Head for Greece’s National Archaeological Museum (44 Oktovriou Patission), one of the richest in the world. Book lovers can explore Hestia (60 Solonos), the most historic of the area’s many bookshops.

Must eat – Yandes (44 Valtetsiou Street, tel. ) is housed in a former open-air cinema and serves organic Greek food. At Kavouras (64 Themistokleous, ) you can tuck in to the sounds of rebetika – the ‘Greek blues’.

Must drink – Treat yourself to a cocktail at Mikro Cafe (38 Arahovis) or go to tiny Podilato (34 Emmanouil Benaki), which serves warm rakomelo (raki with honey and cinnamon).

MAROUSI

Once remote and leafy, this northern suburb of Athens is now a business and shopping hub. It’s also home to the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Must eat – Modern taverna Aneton (19 Stratigou Lekka, tel. ) serves dishes inspired by the more piquant cuisine found in the country’s northern regions. At Altamira (28 Perikleous, tel. ), take your pick from Mexican, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern dishes.

Dance the night away – Cristal Club (46 Kifisias Avenue) has a happily mixed crowd and an eclectic music policy. Stalwart La Notte (10-12 Kifissias) is good if you want to experience a more traditional Greek night out.

Shop til you drop – The Mall (35 Andrea Papandreou) houses a wide variety of Greek and international brands. Otherwise, Greece’s premier furniture maker Varangis (38 Kifisias Avenue) is worth a visit.

PANGRATI

Centrally located Pangrati has become an extension of the city centre’s upmarket areas.

Sleep soundly – With great views of the Acropolis, Hilton Athens (46 Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, tel. , athens. www.hilton.com, rooms from €300) is an Athenian institution.

Culture vultures – At the National Art Gallery (1 Mihalakopoulou Street) you can to explore half a millennium’s worth of Greek art, including three El Grecos. Discover Greece’s vast but often overlooked Byzantine heritage – from architecture to iconography – at the Byzantine Museum (22 Vassilissis Sofias Avenue).

Must eat – Voted Greece’s best restaurant six years running, Michelin-starred Spondi (5 Pyrronos Street, tel. ) serves traditional French food with the occasional Greek stroke. Informal, affordable yet celebrity studded, Alatsi (13 Vrasida, tel. ) serves delicious Cretan food.

Compiled by Maria Kagkelidou