Vacation Rentals in Athens

If you are looking for a vacation rental in Athens, the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of modern democracy, you will be spoilt for choice in the face of the huge choice. The apartments and flats on the coastline southeast of the port of Piraeus are particularly beautifully situated. Among the modernly equipped holiday homes, however, there are also some unique specimens. Especially exciting is the possibility to stay cheaply in a boat converted into a holiday apartment directly at the harbour quay.

If you like it a little more central, you can also rent one of the many holiday apartments in the centre of Athens as well as in the neighbouring districts. These are mostly located in multi-storey residential buildings, from which shops and bars as well as the many museums and ancient monuments can be reached within a short time.

Much quieter is a vacation rental on the outskirts of the city on one of the many mountains and hills that surround the Greek capital. There, for example near the Dimosio Dasos Rapentosas National Park, you will find spacious villa-like holiday homes, which often have their own swimming pool as well as a large plot of land. Especially in the summer months such an almost royal holiday home, which would have impressed even the ancient Greeks, is hard to get - so booking early is the be-all and end-all.

The city, which has been continuously inhabited since the Neolithic Age and, like Rome, was built on seven hills, lies in the middle of the largest plain of the Attica peninsula and is surrounded on three sides by high mountains such as the 1107-metre-high Pentelikon and the 1413-metre-high Parnitha. Athens is framed by the two rivers Ilisos and Kifisos and by the Saronic Gulf, which separates the province of Attica from the Peloponnese.

If you have a holiday apartment in the city, you should make use of the well-developed public transport system to get to the numerous sights of the metropolis, because the traffic in Athens' streets can be quite nerve-racking for the Central European nervous system. It is also particularly confusing for foreign motorists that on particularly hot days the city centre may only be passed by vehicles with even or odd end digits on the number plate. However, many sights are within walking distance.

However, if you have opted for a vacation rental outside the city centre, a rental car is appropriate, but it should be parked in a secure car park outside the city centre. From there the omnipresent trolleybuses and subways take over again.

Athens is dominated by a Mediterranean climate with humid, mild winters and hot and dry summers. Athens is also one of the hottest places in Greece, as evidenced by the fact that summer temperatures rarely drop below 25 degrees Celsius at regular peaks of over 40 degrees Celsius.

If you want to visit Athens primarily because of its many museums and cultural sites, it is better to do so in spring and autumn, when the temperatures are much more pleasant. Those who prefer heat and sun will travel to the city of owls between June and September.

Those who believe that the carnival is a Rhenish exclusivity are wrong, because even the Athenians transform the alleys and taverns in the old town into a madhouse full of costumed fools and let colourful dragons rise from the hills of the city. Holidaymakers who want to experience the Greek carnival should plan their trip for the end of February. The Nautical Week in July is also particularly worth seeing, with concerts and open-air plays in all three of the city's ports.

The Acropolis is probably the most famous sight in Athens and attracted countless travellers from Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Roman Empire more than 2,000 years ago. To this day, the mountain high above the city, which houses a variety of ancient temples has lost nothing of its fascination. Those who dare the ascent will not only be enriched by a few experiences, but will also be rewarded with a panoramic view full of history.

From an architectural point of view, the Odeum of Herodes Attucis is no less interesting. This antique theatre was originally built in 162 AD and extensively renovated in 1952. It is still used today for events such as concerts or plays, and the arena, which can hold up to 5,000 spectators, plays out its very special acoustics.

When the 2004 Olympic Games were held in Greece for the last time, a circle was closed because the Pamathimaiko Stadium, where several competitions were held, had already seen Olympic Games - in 1896. The stadium, built especially for the first Olympic Games of modern times, is still a crowd-puller today and captivates above all with its massive marble architecture.

If you want to experience Athens as originally as possible, you only have to step a few metres out of your vacation rental in the city centre. From there it is not far to the Plaka district. Most of the quarter's buildings still rest on ancient foundations, so that ancient Greece has preserved itself in the narrow alleys between craft businesses, cafés and restaurants.

The Greek Parliament has not only served as a meeting place for the country's representatives since 1934, but is also one of the city's most popular photographic motifs. The hourly changing of the guards in traditionally dressed guards in front of the parliament building is particularly popular with tourists.