Radisson Blu Park Hotel, Athens

The square that forms the heart of modern Athens is home to the Parliament Building, built in 1840 as a royal palace. Tourists flock to photograph the unusually clad guards at the palace; the skirted and pom-pommed guard is changed ceremonially every hour. The square is a central point of access to all the major attractions of Athens, particularly 'museum mile' along Vassilissis Sophias Avenue, which runs from Syntagma Square. Here most of Athens' museums are clustered, including the Benaki Museum, Museum of Cycladic Art and the Byzantine Museum.

The Byzantine and Christian Museum is situated at Vassilissis Sofias Avenue in Athens, Greece. It was founded in 1914 and houses more than 25,000 exhibits with rare collections of pictures, scriptures, frescoes, pottery, fabrics, manuscripts and copies of artifacts from the 3rd century AD to the late medieval era.

The unique new Acropolis Museum is located in the historical area of Makriyianni, south east of the Rock of the Acropolis. Only 300 meters from the the Acropolis, the Museum is directly linked to the Athens Metro by Acropolis Station.

In Greek culture, there is no greater achievement than the world-famous Parthenon atop the Acropolis of Athens. Though it has not been in use for many centuries, it still holds power over local residents and tourists alike.

The gigantic millennial-old Temple of Zeus, the Olympian God, once housed a gilded ivory sculpture of the most wrathful of all Greek deities. Demolished in the 4th Century, the evocative temple ruin still has its 104 Corinthian columns still erect. Formerly the largest temple in the entire country, more grand than the Parthenon itself, has been reduced to a regular must-see on every tourist's attractions checklist.

The old town section of Athens below the Acropolis has become the gathering place for travellers and tourists, particularly in the warm Athens evenings. Strolling the narrow streets of the Plaka flanked by ancient monuments, Byzantine churches and mosques, stately mansions, and inviting tavernas with vine-covered courtyards, makes a pleasant diversion.

The establishment of Athens as a city dates back to mythological times. Despite the length of the city's history, it is still evident throughout Athens in the form of many Ancient, Roman, Byzantine and Modern monuments. Today's capital is a result of integration of ancient and medieval history into the contemporary era. Ancient Athens monuments can be found all around the city center, side by side with contemporary construction such as buildings, roads and train stations.