Athens Diary

Athens’ Diary 

  july 2006

What to visit in Athens, Mikonos and Delos.

Athens the Acropolis and parts of the Agora (the ancient central market-place

to the north of the Acropolis with the rebuilt stoa on one side (interesting

museum) and the temple of Hephaistos on the other); don't forget to see the

small but beautiful Acropolis museum (in front of the Parthenon on the A.).

Further, in Athens you should go to the National Museum (take two to three

hours!) and, if you could stomach some more: the Benaki museum (small but

wonderful: not only antiquities but also some beautiful icons). Then, on the

Greek mainland you have to go to Delphi with its romantic ruins in a very

impressing landscape; again, the small museum has some very beautiful things;

after that, go on (literally, by bus or car) to Olympia, where you visit the

site of the sanctuaries and the ancient games and two musea: one, most

stunning!, on the site (with great sculptures), the other in the very touristic

modern village. From Olympia you go straight east to Mycenae and Tiryns, the

very impressive ruins of 2nd millennium BC Greek civilization (also an

interesting museum in Mycenae) and from there back to Athens (if you want: from

Mycenae - stay in the harbourtown of Nauplion - you could visit Corinth with its

ruins from Roman times on your way to Athens). The whole trip Athens - Delphi -

Olympia - Mycenae - Athens would take about five days. If you do not have so

much time, skip some places but NOT Delphi or Olympia. Then you can go on seeing

one or two islands: Santorini is always nice and worth seeing, but it is a way

off (ten hours by boat); Mykonos with the small island of Delos is much closer

and very interesting. A short trip could take you to Aigina and back again in

one day (also te be recommended, visit the Aphaia temple in the interior of that

island - 20 minutes by bus).