Athens is the capital of Greece and of the peripheral unit that it forms with the neighboring municipalities (Central Athens), as well as of the region of Attica, on a plain in the center of which the city stands, divided into seven districts (in turn divided in different neighborhoods), which, having merged over time with the surrounding urban centers, has formed a single metropolitan area, the seventh largest European conurbation. Also for this reason the port of Piraeus, which falls within the municipality of the same name, about 12 kilometers from the capital, is considered the port of Athens to all intents and purposes.
Athina (transliterated in Greek) is known to have been the cradle of Western civilization, the place of development of science and culture and the place of origin of democracy and important philosophers. The myth says that to protect the city founded by Cecrops, a reptilian man, was Athena, goddess of wisdom, of the arts and of strategy in battle, preferred by the citizens, gathered on the Acropolis, to Poseidon. The highest part of the Athenian polis, where there are the Parthenon, the temples of Athena Polias and Nike, the Erechtheion, the theater of Dionysus, sanctuaries, statues and other archaeological remains, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it can be visited following the ancient Peripato (route in Greek). The temple of Hephaestus is located in the ancient Agora, where there are the Stoa of Attalos rebuilt in the 20th century, the remains of other structures, such as those of the temple of Apollo Patroos and a museum dedicated to the functioning of Athenian democracy. The temple of Olympian Zeus is located a few hundred meters from the Acropolis and the important Syntagma Square, where there is the Hellenic Parliament and the tomb of the unknown soldier, in front of which the characteristic changing of the guard ceremony takes place. Ceramico is the Athenian necropolis, an archaeological site whose remains are kept in the adjacent museum and in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. However, the most important in the city and in all of Greece is the Byzantine and Christian Museum, which houses art collections relating to religious artefacts from the early Christian, Byzantine, medieval and post-Byzantine periods.
One of the most visited neighborhoods is the Plaka, with the upper area at the foot of the Acropolis and the lower area located between Syntagma and Monastiraki squares, full of traditional eateries and small shops both along the Odos Adrianou avenue which divides it in two, that nearby. Monastiraki, as well as that of the square, is the name of the Byzantine church (Pantanassa) and of the market located here, as well as of the entire neighborhood. The national garden of Athens, covering more than 15 hectares, is a verdant park which is also home to ancient ruins. Among the seven historic hills of the city, the Acropolis and Lycabettus are the favorites of those who want to escape the metropolitan chaos (who can find a very quiet area during the day even walking through the narrow streets of the Anafiotica ward) and at the same time admire amazing panoramas. The historic center, in addition to Plaka and Monastiraki, is made up of the districts of Theseus, Psiri and Gazi.
The three underground lines are also interesting, both architecturally and artistically, with stations in which archaeological finds and works by contemporary Greek artists are visible. Line 1 crosses the so-called Greater Athens from north to south, from the port of Piraeus to the suburb of Kifisia passing through the center (Omonia Square and Monastiraki). Line 2 connects the two terminus of Peristeri and Elliniko passing through Syntagma Square and the Acropolis. Line 3 connects the city center to the airport.
In the international airport of Athens operate the planes of the major European companies. Piraeus is the most important Greek port and one of the main ones in the whole Mediterranean; as regards the transport of passengers, cruise ships and ferries are operating in the Athenian port, making connections with the Aegean islands and mainland Greece.