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For a city so steeped in myth and history, Athens is a surprisingly modern metropolis. Contemporary Athens is more about the here and now – after-hours bars and bouzouki stars, designer studs and beach parties – than the ancient classics. But turn almost any corner and the Parthenon still looms large. Most Athenians rarely bother to visit but the new archaeological park circling the Acropolis, which links all the major monuments with pedestrian walkways, has been a hit. Olympic regeneration has also revived the capital’s coastline, now dubbed the Athenian Riviera.
Ravaged by time and partially dismantled for restoration, the Parthenon (210 321 0219, www.culture.gr) still inspires awe. The on-site Acropolis Museum (210 323 6665) is small and run-down, but its holdings, including the original Caryatids, are spectacular. The new €100-million museum designed by Bernard Tschumi should be ready in 2007. A combined Acropolis ticket (€12) gives entry to all the major sites for a week, including the Ancient Agora, a faded picture of the romantic Athens that greeted Byron in 1810, and the open-air Theatre of Dionysus.
More antiquities than you’ll probably ever need can be found at the National Archaeological Museum (Patission 44, 210 821 7717). But if appetite for the antique remains unsated, the Museum of Cycladic Art (Neophytou Douka 4, 210 722 8321, www.cycladic.gr, closed Tue, Sun) houses the mystical marble statuettes that continue to intrigue archaeologists and artists. For a more contemporary flavour, visit the new Benaki Museum (Pireos 138, 210 345 3111, www.benaki.gr, closed Mon, Tue), a purpose-built red marble masterpiece that showcases design, photography and architecture.
After all that marble, the green and overgrown National Gardens, lodged between the presidential palace and houses of parliament, come as a relief. Look out for the changing of the guard – a flourish of rifles by high-stepping soldiers in miniskirts – outside Parliament every hour.
Further greenery and marvellous views can be had by handing over €4.50 and taking the funicular from the corner of Artistippou and Ploutarchou streets to the summit of Lycabettus Hill; there’s a pricey café and a restaurant.
For a glimpse of a survivor of the city’s ruthless post-war urbanisation wander around Plaka. It is a pretty jumble of shady lanes lined with pastel-coloured cottages, souvenir shops and quaint cafés. Stroll past the fallen columns, Byzantine churches, and neoclassical mansions of pedestrian Dionysiou Areopagitou to Thisio, awash with outdoor cafés. Beyond lies gentrified Psyrri, whose decaying alleyways buzz with bars and ouzeris.
• Tourist information: GNTO (Amalias 26, 210 3310392/ 3310529, www.gnto.gr); there is also an office in the arrivals hall of the airport.
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