Car Hire: Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates. Visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +30 210 353 3321. Open 7.30am-9pm seven days a week.

Airport Transfer: Pre-book your door-to-door transfer with easyJet’s transfer partner, Holiday Taxis—from home to the airport, then city or resort (easyjet.holidaytaxis.com).

Train: Trains depart every 15-30 minutes for Larisis station in the centre. Tickets: €6 single (€5 each for groups); €10 return. Line 3 trains to Monastiraki leave every 30 minutes.

Taxi: The fare is about €28-€33.

Bus: The E95 express bus leaves every 15-50 minutes, making 15 stops on the way to the city centre. Tickets: €3.20.

Off Road Kitchen
( The Mall, 35 Andreas Papandreou, Marousi. Tel. 210 630 0333 )
Great snacks, salads and pasta in generous quantities—and at reasonable prices.

Barbounaki
( 2 Vassileos Konstantinou, Stadiou Square, Kallimarmaro. Tel. 210 701 1753 )
With a Greek island feel, the menu is built around the small, fried fish that Greeks love to accompany wine and ouzo.

Small Talk
( 2 Naiadon & Antinoros, Pagrati. Tel. 210 722 2607 )
Design and gastronomy join forces for an atmosphere full of possibilities. In the kitchen, Sotiris Evangelou has created a menu that is inventive but fundamentally Greek, backed by an extensive wine list and more than 50 cocktails.

Orizontes Lykavittou
( Lycabettus Hill. Tel. 210 722 7065 )
Easily the most unbeatable location in Athens, with a stunning view of the city from the top of Lycabettus Hill, especially on the verandah. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis dines at this luxurious Mediterranean-fusion restaurant, often hosting dinners for visiting foreign dignitaries.

Ginger Ale
( Exarchia Square. Tel. 210 330 1246 )
Retro, chic lounge bar with authentic vintage furniture and décor that also spills out onto the square.

Half Note Jazz Club
( 17 Trivonianou, Mets. Tel. 210 921 3310 )
Mecca for lovers of jazz, ethnic and world music in Athens.

Fantaseed
( 8 Triptopolemou, Gazi. )
Arty and fun club with several rooms set around a central, open-air courtyard and no hang-ups concerning the sound track!

For high-end shoes and leather accessories at affordable prices try the Greek boutique JB Bournazos, with outlets on Ermou Street and other high-class shopping areas in Athens, including The Mall and Attica Department Store.

A visit to Athens' state-of-the-art digital Planetarium, featuring several shows each month, is a great way to spend a wet afternoon (387 Synggrou, Paleo Faliro. Tel. 210 946 9600).

Busy Mavilis Square, in Ambelokipi, has long been considered the perfect place to start or end a night on the town, with the best-value drinks and great bars like Briki.

Mycenae – Ancient Mycenae is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece and easily reached by driving down the Athens-Argos-Nafplion national highway. Here you will find the remains, discovered by Schliemann in 1876, that proved Homer’s Iliad was more than just legend.

Before the vicissitudes of acid-rain corrosion and losing its Marbles to Lord Elgin, the Parthenon was also blown up by the Venetians during a siege of the Acropolis in 1687.

Compiled by Eva Webster