How to Time Your Trip to Athens

Rediscovering Athens' ancient glory behind today's smog, congestion and concrete doesn't have to be a Herculean task: Read along and go to this Greek city prepared.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Luggage Sets
• Travel Clothes
• Art History Books
• Foreign Language Phrase Books
• Local Guidebooks To Greece
• Maps
• Airline Tickets
• Travel Services
• Cameras
• Film
• Maps
• Cameras

General Considerations

1. Visit Athens during spring and fall for the most desirable weather. From Easter to mid-June and from the end of August until mid-November, the weather is especially nice. The average July high is 90 degrees F. Dreary winter lows average 43 degrees F, with occasional periods of sun and warmth.

2. Check out what festivals, expositions, and live performances are happening (see below).

3. Take care of your flight, transportation and accommodations (see Related eHows).

4. Check the weather forecast for Athens shortly before leaving, and pack accordingly.

Attractions and Seasonal Events

5. Celebrate the carnival season Greek style. During these three weeks before Lent, you'll find traditional dance, music, dress and games at feasts throughout Greece.

6. Experience Easter the Eastern Orthodox way. This is the biggest festival of the year, and is very cheerful compared to Easter celebrations in the West because emphasis is put on the Resurrection rather than the Crucifixion.

7. Take part in the Athens Festival, featuring drama and music in ancient theaters from June to September.

8. Drink like Dionysus at the frequent wine festivals held every summer. Pay admission and then it's all you can drink. The god of wine will allow you to speak Greek and other foreign languages, or imagine you can.

9. Rise up into the age of Aristotle at the Acropolis (high city), standing above Athens as if to remind us of her ancient splendor. The famous Parthenon dominates this plateau of colossal ruins, and nearby are the Erechtheion and the Ancient Theatre of Dionysus.

10. Explore the labyrinth of narrow streets of the Plaka. This neighborhood on the northeastern side of the Acropolis is the ancient city where Socrates spoke, Plato wrote and the character of the West took shape. The Plaka has many budget hotels, some of which allow you to sleep on the roof when they're full.

11. See the artifacts of ancient Mediterranean civilizations at the National Archaeological Museum. Don't miss the influential marble figurines housed at the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic & Ancient Greek Art.

Tips & Warnings

• During the high season - from mid-June through August - tourists flock to Athens, hiking up the cost of accommodations and air travel.