Athens, the capital of Greece (or Hellás to locals) has a history of nearly 3,000 years. It’s a modern metropolitan area graced with unique archaeological treasures.  The Parthenon on the Acropolis Hill dominates the city’s center.  Significant monuments such as the Propylea, the temple of Athens Nike, the Erechteion, the Theatre of Herod Attikus, the Askleipion are largely within a walking distance around the Acropolis. The temple of Poseidon in Sounio, the Delphi and the grand theatre of Epidavros are located 70 (45), 165 (105) and 175 (110) km (miles), respectively, from Athens.  Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, is located 325 km west of Athens near the Greece-Italy port city of Patras.

The 2004 summer Olympic Games were a strong incentive for upgrading the transport facilities in and around Athens.  The ATTICA TOLLWAY, known locally as ATTIKI ODOS, is a modern 65 km (40 mile) expressway that constitutes the backbone of the road network of the area.  It connects the new Athens Airport with the center of the City and with two major intercity tollways, National Road 1 and 8 (NR1, NR8). The transport network also includes a 20 km metro system, a 10 km on street tramway, expanded bus and electric trolley networks and three ports serving over 100 islands in the Aegean well as international freight operations.

The weather in Athens in early June is dry and warm with an average temperature of around 21-32^o C.  In addition to ancient sites and the rich Hellenic culture, Athens is world renown about its shopping, sidewalk cafes, open air taverns and nightlife variety.