Athens, Greece

Well, Symeon's in Utica, NY is my favorite Greek restaurant.

Athens, and Greece in general, is a MUST on your itinerary! If you value history, the arts, and some of the most gorgeous shoreline, beaches, and islands anywhere on this planet, you should visit at least once. Make sure you read up on Greece in advance though. I highly recommend some of the major 'travelguides' to take with you, and please be careful when you cross the streets there. They drive like French cab drivers on speed! LOL! P.S. To those that commented about how some Athenians don't like Americans, this is not true. What they don't like (which applies to most countries these days, INCLUDING many Americans themselves) is our foreign policy with assclown Bush in office. Please keep that in mind.

rude people!

The worst part? The people. If you like rude and sour...you'll like Athens.

Unwavering, selfish, and full of life. They seem not to apologize for the mess or to try to hide the mistakes. Take them as they come, this city is alive and offers with full force the greek attitude.

My husband and I visited Athens in 2001. We were completely disgusted at the filth, the broken sidewalks, horrible traffic, the rudest reception of Americans we have ever seen. Try hailing a taxi after shopping in Platka, FORGET it. If a kind Greek steps up to help you, you will still pay a very premium price for a ride from hell. Motorcycles and Mopeds drive between the cars and red lights basically mean nothing. And, please do not ask for ice tea, unless you are prepared for a long, ugly stare. They sure like to confuse Americans with regard to the dollar to drachma exchange. And, GRATUITY is outrageous, and for what? Service was hideous---everywhere. And, if you think of visiting the Parthenon on the Acropolis be prepared to side-step the dog/human feces on the sidewalks. This is one place we will never visit again. YUCK on a scale of 1-5 this trip rated a negative 5.

Athens probably conjures up memories of the glories of ancient Greece, but the modern day version of the city is actually quite different. It's a sprawling metropolis that suffers from a major pollution problem, it's overcrowded, and the roads and public transportation are poorly managed as well. But there are some great attractions here as well. The Acropolis of Athens, crowned by the Parthenon is an incredible sight to behold. It is built on a natural fortress overlooking the heart of the city. Hiking up there is an interesting experience. Down below the Acropolis is the Platka District where there are lots of interesting cafes and clubs. Athens is a big and hectic city, but you can definitely find lots to do here.

I left my heart in Greece! I absolutely love Athens! Beautifully rich in culture and history! Breathtaking scenery! What's not to love about this beautiful city? (Ok maybe the vendors)

Although Athens has its very fine points (great attractions like the Parthenon, shopping in the Plaka district, great food at decent prices), overall it suffers from too much noise and pollution, lack of public sanitation, and an overly frentic pace of traffic. Athenians are worse drivers than Neapolitans (which is saying something). Neapolitans use the accelerator and the horn; Athenians have to use brakes a lot because they are less skillful. Hotels are decent (generally better than comparable Italian hotels). Food really is great. If you've never tried retsina (wine basically made with pine resin, which it tastes like), take a chance. You'll either love it or hate it with the first sip. I guess you could say it tastes like an elegant turpentine. The foregoing comments are based upon many visits to Athens between about 1980 and 1995. Theree probably are better places to go in Greece (i.e., the islands), but if you drink enough retsina, Athens does become bearable.

Presumably, one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. From its arheological sights to the athmosphere and accomodations I can truly say that five star is far not enough to rate Athens. Go there and submerge into the past. Not to mention the food, my favourite kind. People are quite hospitable.

There is SO much more to Athens than just the Acropolis and archeology, and it's worth visiting just to experience the culture of the city. I lived in Athens for a couple of months, and it wasn't until I had been there for about 8 days or so that I really started to fall in love with the city. Night time walks down Ermou Street, lined with musicians... The grandeur of Syntagma Square... I love this city, especially at night. Remember if you go that only tourists eat supper between 5 and 8. Athenians eat around 10 PM. That's when it's really fun to be around, once the tourists have gone to bed.

This is where Democracy started. The ruins are beautiful. Don't miss the shopping at the Plaka, the store owners will make special offers to you. You'll never have to pay regular price for anything and here's a tip: if you pay with U.S. Dollars the deals get better, so don't exchange all your money. The city is crowded, no doubt and be careful crossing streets. The Olympics are coming there in 2004 so construction now is hot and heavy. Go to the top of Mount Lycabettos and see a spectacular view and grab a bite while you're up there. Many outdoor restaurants with great food. Enjoy this great old city then go to the islands to relax.

Atens is completely overated. When I was there (last summer) the Acropolis and almost all the other archeological sights were under major renovation/restoration, scaffolding everywhere which really detracted from the experience. The city itself was crowded and the Grecians attitude towards Americans was horrible. The Plaka, which is the old portion of the city under the Acropolis had its redeeming qualities, but overall I would say it was not worth the trip.