Athens is the Capital of Greece; it is also the largest city and one of the world's oldest cities with a recorded history that spans at least 3,000 years. Athens is a bustling and cosmopolitan metropolis, central to economic, financial, industrial, political and cultural life in Greece. Ancient Athens was a powerful city-state known as a center for the arts, learning and philosophy, and the birthplace of Socrates, Pericles and Sophocles as well as many other prominent philosophers, and writers. Athens is widely referred to as the ‘Cradle of Western Civilization’ and the ‘Birthplace of Democracy’, due largely to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC.
Famous tourist sites include the Acropolis, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Parthenon, Agora, and the National Archeological Museum.

City Accessibility

^{Athens is served by the modern Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport located 35km east of Athens. The airport has numerous flights to domestic and international destinations. The Athens Mass Transit System consists of a large bus fleet, including a trolleybus fleet that mainly serves the downtown area. The Athens Suburban Railway services and Athens Metro, connects the southern suburbs to the city center. The Athens subway also houses artifacts found during construction of the subway.}