Athens - Elizabeth Speller

This guide celebrates Athens as it really is: a wonderful, complex city which has lived with the contradictions of its extraordinary heritage for 2500 years.;Athens, invigorated by the prospect of hosting the Olympics, has never looked better; its spirits have never been higher. This guide explores the pleasures and curiosities of this most fascinating of destinations: the courtyards and lanes of Plaka and old Anafiotika and the bazaars and food markets of Monastiraki; tiny tucked-away Byzantine churches and unfamiliar gems of antiquity; and the peaceful cemetery at Keramikos and converted warehouses in increasingly fashionable Psirri and Thisio.;From resinous amber shops or 1930s patisseries, to one of Europe's outstanding museums and its most beautiful underground station, Athens has it all. This timely guide for both first-time visitor and long-established Hellenophile includes an up-to-date selection of cafes, restaurants and hotels which reflect the best Athens has to offer the visitor.