Greece has everything a modern tourist is looking for. This country is caressed by the sun 300 days a year, its borders are washed by 4 seas and surrounded by 1,400 islands.
Greece invites you on exciting trips to ancient ruins and museums where ancient treasures are kept. This sunny country attracts with its fruit groves and delicacies prepared from the gifts of the Mediterranean Sea.
Greek beaches have earned the title of the best for relaxation in the whole world. Tourists flock here to sunbathe, spend time at youth discos, take unique photo sessions and enjoy the taste of aromatic olives.
One such tourist destination is Attica. It is located in the heart of the country. This is the area where statehood was founded and where the capital of Greece is located.
Attica means "coastal country". Attica is located on a peninsula, which is washed on three sides by the bays of the Aegean, Euboean, Petalian and Saronic seas.
How to get to Attica
The best way to get to Attica is from Athens, where tourists are delivered regularly international flights from any country in the world.You can get to know this historical area better with the help of a developed public transport system.
Station commuter buses located at 100, Kiffissou Street. From here, KTEL Attikis transport will deliver to Attica bus stations, one of which is located near the Acropolis, and the second on Egyptian Square.
Local train schedules are available at Athens stations. In addition, there are ferry and air connections to Attica.
Royal Olympic Hotel located within walking distance of the Acropolis. The hotel's luxuriously furnished rooms offer great view to the Temple of Zeus or a fragrant garden with a swimming pool.
Poseidonion Grand Hotel located on the island of Spetses and is its landmark due to its rich architecture. The rooms are stylishly furnished and feature wooden floors for added luxury. The rooms' balconies offer views of the seascape or flower garden.
Hotels 4*
Amalia Hotel is within walking distance to the Acropolis and the central square of Plaka. The hotel has been awarded the Green Key eco-label for its use of natural toiletries, cleaning products and organic products.
Herodion located at the foot of the Acropolis. Each room at this hotel is decorated in an elegant style. The hotel has a magnificent rooftop garden where you can relax in hot tubs and sun loungers with views of Athens.
Hotels 3*
The hotel rooms are furnished with modern furniture and the interior is decorated in light colors.
Plaka Hotel is located in historical center capital of Greece. There is a café-bar on the roof of the hotel with an impressive view of the Acropolis.
Things to do in Attica: Sightseeing
The lands of Attica have absorbed ancient legends and myths that come to life in the eyes of impressionable travelers.
Read also: Where and when to relax in Greece - review of resorts and tourist entertainment by month
Walking through the sights, you can easily be transported to ancient times, when the land of mortals was inhabited by omnipotent deities. Once in Attica, do not deny yourself the pleasure of visiting the following temples and monasteries and simply interesting places:
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Temple of Poseidon
A unique building located on Cape Sounion. In this temple, sacraments and rituals were performed to appease the formidable sea god. The slender columns of the temple, which frame the massive structure, amaze the imagination. The building combines subtlety and grandeur, embodying the connection between land and sea. -
Monastery of Daphne
It can be found 10 kilometers from Athens. This structure was erected on the site of the pagan temple of Apollo Daphne in the 6th century. Today the monastery has the status of a monument. -
Engina Island
This small island attracts with its luxurious beaches and transparent sea water. It is located in the middle of the Sardonic Gulf. In history, this island is known for the fact that about 360 temples were built on it. Most of them have been wiped off the face of the earth, but travelers who love antiquity can get to the city of Paleochora, considered a ghost, in which no one has lived for a long time.
About whose name the city will receive: Poseidon created the horse, Athena gave the olive tree (a source of wealth, since oil was made from its fruit), and the city was named Athens in honor of the goddess. The myth of Theseus is purely Athenian. Legend attributed to this hero the unification of all of Attica into one state by merging individual communities into one city. According to legend, Attica was invaded by the Dorians during the return of the Heraclides (in the middle of the 11th century), but was saved by its king Codrom. The Delphic oracle declared that the side on whose side the king would be killed would win. Kodr, dressed as a shepherd, sneaked into the enemy camp and was killed there. No longer hoping for victory, the Dorians retreated, and the Athenians declared that after Codrus no one could be worthy of the kingship. This is how the poetic legend explained abolition of royal power in Athens.
107. Geography of Attica
Attica, the southeastern part of Central Greece, juts out into the sea in a triangle, one side of which is adjacent to the land. This small country was in a very close proximity to the states in which navigation developed first in European Greece. On one of its shores, Attica adjoined the same Saronic the bay, near which they lay Megara And Corinnef and whose waters washed the island Aegina, the other coast of Attica was separated only by a narrow strait from the island of Euboea, on which there were located almost opposite Attica Chalkis and Eretria. Sunian The cape, which makes up the southern tip of the country, is closer than other points on the Greek mainland to the Cyclades. Thus Attica's position at sea was very favorable for the development of trade, but still Athens took an active part in trade a lot later the cities of Euboea and Isthmusu islands of Aegina. Attica was far from being fertile and did not produce enough grain to feed its inhabitants. The best terrain was the plain (Pedion) off the Saronic Gulf against the island Salamis: there were cities here Athens And Eleusis, of which one was surrounded in places with horticultural crops(grapes, olives, figs, etc.), and the other lay in the center of that part of the plain where the best grain fields.(This is where the cult of Demeter developed). Northern and northeastern Attica (Diacria) it was filled with mountain spurs and was dry and barren, just like the southern coastal part (Paralia). But the mountains of Attica abounded in mineral wealth. Pentelikon in the north he delivered beautiful white marble, Gimet(famous for its beekeeping) contained marble of a bluish tint, Lavrion in the south it was famous for its silver mines, with the income from which the Athenians subsequently built their first fleet. The Athenian plain was watered by the river Kefissom, near one of the tributaries of which, which dried up in the summer, stood main city Attica. Athens was built in a hilly area, and on one of its hills was the Athenian Kremlin, Acropolis, containing the temple of the goddess Pallas Athena and the royal palace. The city was located about seven miles from the sea coast and had three harbors. The oldest of them was Phaleron, but this harbor was open and therefore not as convenient as Munichia and especially Piraeus, which were closed bays on both sides of the isthmus of a small peninsula (Piraeus).
108. Population of Attica
The population of Attica was classified as a tribe Ionian and was proud that it had never been conquered. Initially there were several states here (according to legend 12), but they merged into one state, making it the center of Athena and even settling some of their inhabitants in this common center (sinoicism). In memory of this event, a special holiday was established in Attica, called Panathenaic. Even in historical times, the inhabitants of Attica were divided into four tribes phyla with three phratries in each, whereby these phyla and phratries had their own gods and their own leaders. In addition to citizens of the state, aliens from other places lived in Attica, engaged in fishing and trade, paying taxes and even being obliged to participate in the army, but not considered citizens; their name was tags. Compared to citizens, there were, of course, much fewer of them. The citizens themselves were divided into three classes: landowning nobility, small landowners And artisans. The Athenian nobility constituted the noble class, or eupatrids(i.e. having good fathers), whose clans occupied a leading position in the life of individual phratries, phyla and the entire state. Free peasants who lived on their own small plots were called geomors, artisans - demiurges: geomors and demiurges, taken together, constituted the demos.
109. The most ancient state structure of Athens
Athens was originally led by tsar, who ruled from advice, consisting of elders of the most important Attic clans and bore the name Areopagus. Tsarist power, however, gradually passed to elected dignitaries Moreover, the title of king itself, however, was never abolished. First of all, they began to elect a special commander to assist the king in the war, polemarch, then they began to entrust some government and judicial affairs to a special dignitary, archon(ruler), who was appointed by the Areopagus, and even later created the position of six judges, fesmofetov. The position of the king after this was limited only to the performance of priestly duties, and basileus was no longer called the ruler of the state, but the high priest of Athens. Thus, royal power was divided between nine dignitaries, who all began to be called archons.(In their college, the first place belonged not to the basileus or the polemarch, but to the eponymous archon, by whose name the Athenian year was designated). In the middle of the 8th century, when there were only the first three archons, they began to be elected for ten years, and not for life, as before, at the beginning of the 7th century. - only for one year. At first, the choice of king was made only within one clan, but little by little this title (and archonship in general) became available to all noble families. As royal power became fragmented among individual dignitaries, the former royal council, Areopagus, on the contrary, I received everything more and more meaning. It began to be replenished with archons who performed their duties well and became lifelong members of this institution. Athens became a real oligarchy in which the Areopagus was nothing more than the focus of the interests, aspirations and traditions of the Eupatrid class. All religious and government positions were in the hands of the landowning nobility; they owned the interpretation of all divine and human laws; they carried out the trial, guided exclusively by old customs and their understanding of them. It is clear that oligarchic rule could only be an oppression of the demos.
Attica is a historical region of Greece, which is located near modern capital. Spread over a picturesque peninsula in southeastern Greece, it served as the cradle of ancient culture. It’s hard to imagine a more suitable place to explore Hellas and relax in the lap of nature, among wonderful beaches, amazing mountains and emerald vegetation.
Geographical features
Atika on the map of Greece resembles a triangle that runs along sea coast and extends to the central part of the country. In its vastness there is the capital, the port of Piraeus and several cozy resort towns. The area is predominantly hilly, surrounded by limestone and marble mountains. Their peaks are sparsely covered with vegetation, but the intermountain plains amaze with all shades of dense greenery.
The coastal part is very winding, there are numerous sandy beaches. The blue waters of the Sardonic Gulf wash the shores. The beaches are very clean and beautiful, many of them boast blue flag– the highest environmental award for cleanliness and safety.
Myths and historical facts
From the few surviving sources it follows that the first settlers, the Ionian Greeks, occupied the territory of Attica two millennia BC. Although Plato in his works claims that the inhabitants of Attica did not come from other lands, but always lived here. Numerous archaeological excavations indicate that people have long settled in this territory.
Later, society was divided into small communities, each of which worshiped a separate god. Periodically, wars arose between the settlements, which were also considered wars between the gods - the patrons of the communities. At the same time, the affected community and its god did not disappear completely, but the importance of one or another patron simply changed. Gradually, as a result of several internecine wars, a single pantheon was formed.
After the expansion of Attica and the inclusion of Athens, sanctuaries of other gods of the indigenous settlements began to appear next to the Acropolis and the Temple of Athena. Athens turned into a bright pearl of Greece, where culture, art, philosophy actively developed, and new foundations of the state were formed.
Sights of the region
Attica, a land with a rich historical heritage, boasts many attractions. For the most part, these are the ruins of temples and other important buildings, as well as places where the fate of the ancient Greeks was decided. Let us dwell only on a few of the most interesting sights of Attica.
Temple of Poseidon – majestic building, which is located on Cape Sounion - the most southern point Attica. It seems that the god of the seas is still washing the remains of his temple, which is perched almost on a cliff at an altitude of 60 m. It is best to visit here in the late afternoon, when the rays of the setting sun pass through the preserved columns.
Acropolis- the oldest fortress in Athens, which even today evokes awe. Important historical events left many traces on the stone blocks. The Acropolis is a fairly large multi-level complex, where you can wander for a long time in search of unusual places and backgrounds for photography.
In the vicinity of Athens there is monastery of Daphne- Byzantine heritage of Greece. Initially it was built in honor of Apollo, but later the monastery came into the possession of Christians, then the building was used as a fortress wall and even as a psychiatric hospital.
Aegina- a small island off the coast of Attica in the Sardonic Gulf. Here you can endlessly admire the beautiful landscapes, as well as numerous churches. There are 365 religious buildings on a small piece of land. The abandoned city of Palaiochora is no less interesting.
Near Athens, in the thick of a cypress forest, an ancient monastery hid. It is located at the base of Mount Imittos, next to a healing spring. The building amazes with its size, beautiful architecture, mosaics and frescoes.
Resorts of Attica
Having sated your mind with enough sightseeing, it’s time to head to the beach. Along the coast there are several cozy towns with developed infrastructure. They are united under the name "Athensian Riviera". It is difficult to find a deserted or secluded corner here, but there is everything for comfortable rest: yacht clubs, bars, hotels and nightclubs.
Just 15 km from the center of Athens is the famous Glyfada. Here you can have a fun night in the numerous clubs and during the day go to the huge golf course.
Lagonissi– a less noisy and very cozy resort. It is ideal for measured family vacation on the Aegean coast. The calm sea with a flat bottom and the beach with the finest sand allow you to forget about time. After lunch you can stroll through the dense lemon groves.
Loutraki– a town where you can not only enjoy the calm beach holiday, but also to improve your health in famous hospitals. The mild climate and healing springs will restore health and youth to everyone.
Vouliagmeni– a prestigious resort with expensive hotels and luxury villas. The city has a lake of the same name, famous for its healing springs. With their help, it is possible to get rid of many serious diseases of the skin, bones, nervous system and reproductive organs. Within the city there are beautiful coniferous forests.
The maximum cosmetic effect will have rest in Sounione. There are many beauty centers here that use cosmetics based on local herbs, flowers and mineral complexes.
Things to do?
Attica is a place where everyone will find something to their liking. Most tourists begin their acquaintance with sightseeing or relaxing on the famous beaches. In addition to passively lying on the shore and swimming, you can ride a scooter or water skiing, and also enjoy the views from a pleasure yacht.
Adults and children will equally enjoy spending time in the water park. Lovers underwater world will be able to scuba dive. There are several diving centers on the beaches.
Connoisseurs of gambling and wild nightlife will not go unnoticed. They can head to the bustling casino in Loutraki or the numerous nightclubs along the coast.
Shopping
There are areas in Attica where people go shopping even from neighboring countries. In the center of Athens are located shopping centers and boutiques where you can buy jewelry and fur products. In memory of this paradise they buy aromatic herbal teas, leather goods, cosmetics based on minerals and olive oil, the oil itself and olives, as well as ceramic products from the masters of Maroussia.
How to get there?
Since the capital of Greece, Athens, is located in Attica, there will be no problems with the flight. The city has a large international Airport, which receives direct flights from various parts of the world.
You can get to more remote towns by comfortable regular buses or trains. They regularly operate in the suburbs. In order not to depend on the schedule, you can rent a car and create your own route to explore the region.
You can get to the island of Aegina by ferry from the port of Piraeus. It delivers passengers every hour from early morning until sunset.
Everything about Attica: hotels, seaside entertainment, beach holidays and excursions. Author's photos and videos, reviews from tourists. Location of Attica on the map.
The Attica region is geographically divided into two main parts: the capital of Greece with its suburbs and the rest of Attica. Athens, the cultural and intellectual center of antiquity, stands out for its six thousand year history. This is the city in which such concepts as Democracy and Freedom were born, a city where thousands of scientists and philosophers with their works and research “opened the eyes” of other peoples and is one of the cities that created Greek civilization. The name of the city comes from the name of the goddess Athena (favorite daughter of Zeus) - the goddess of wisdom and protector of the city.
Attica is washed by the waters of the Euboean Gulf from the northeast, the Petalian Gulf from the east and the Sardonic Gulf from the south. Essentially, it is an area of more than 3,800 square kilometers connecting the Archipelago and the Balkan Peninsula. Its neighbors are the Peloponnese and Megaris in the west, Boeotia in the north. In ancient times, Attica was called nothing more than “ coastal country", which fully reflects its location on the shores of three entire bays of the Aegean Sea.
Beaches of Attica
Local resorts delight their guests with well-groomed beaches and a huge amount of all kinds of entertainment. Most tourists who want to fully enjoy their Greek summer choose hotels located on the Athens Riviera as a place for their beach “doing nothing”. Very popular with Russian tourists are used by the following resort villages and the cities of Attica:
- Lagonissi: lemon shady groves, golden sand, sunny aura, uplifting and clean sea water- what else do people who crave a quality tan need? pleasant memories. This resort is considered ideal for vacationers coming to Greece with the whole family. For them, Lagonissi has prepared cozy and inexpensive hotels, various options for fun, and all kinds of entertainment on the water.
- Glyfada: but this Attica resort is aimed at tourists who prefer an upscale European holiday in luxury hotels. Glyfada has extensive golf courses, many establishments that open their doors at nightfall, luxury boutiques, and chic luxury restaurants. The city’s infrastructure is of truly high quality and very developed, so the “cream” of European society and fairly wealthy tourists who do not count the expenses of their holiday in Attica usually have fun here.
- Sounion: greek resort, which is known primarily to lovers of effective rejuvenating and healing procedures. Local hospitals and hotel centers use the latest products from the field of cosmetology. They are created from flowers and herbs collected in Attica, algae and salts from the sea, unique minerals that can only be found in this part of Greece. Perhaps, it is in Sounion that there are the most opportunities to have a great holiday for those who want to soak in body-relaxing jacuzzi and special pools with “water elixir” programs.
- Loutraki: also a popular resort among fans of a healthy lifestyle, the resort of Attica, on the territory of which there are a lot of hydropathic clinics. They use a wide variety of thermal waters - alkaline, containing the required amount of chlorine, radon. The effect of warm baths and medical procedures complemented by magnificent natural landscapes and a mild climate throughout the year. Peace of mind and weakened physical strength will be returned to you quickly in Loutraki!
Attractions
These lands are full of legends and ancient myths; they literally come to life before the admiring eyes of travelers. And it’s not difficult at all, during your travels to local places of interest, to be transported mentally to the times when Greece was ruled not by mortal people, but by omnipotent ancient deities. We will tell you what to see in Attica to see the best of everything:
- Temple of Poseidon: a unique structure on Cape Sounion, in which in ancient times the Greeks made sacrifices to the formidable and fickle god of the sea, trying to appease him. The sanctuary amazes with its slender columns framing the massive temple building. This combination of subtlety and power represents the union of sea and land.
- Monastery of Daphne: for many tourists, this is the main attraction of Attica, located about 11 kilometers from the city of Athens. The monastery was built on the site of a pagan sanctuary of Apollo Daphne in the 6th century. Currently, the Daphne Monastery has the status of a historical monument and is visited daily by thousands of guests in Greece.
- Aegina Island: a small piece of land in the middle of the Sardonic Gulf with clear crystal sea water and luxurious beaches. This island in Attica is famous for the fact that more than 360 temples were built on it. Now, of course, not a trace remains of many of them, but the existing historical buildings will fully satisfy the aesthetic and cultural needs of tourists who love antiquity. Also on Aegina there is a slightly mystical Paleochora, called the “ghost town”, in which no one has lived for many decades.
- Temple of Demeter (museum): located in Eleusis, it delights tourists with its special aura. The guides will tell you all about ancient rituals and the purposes for which they were carried out.
- Mount Immitos: what is of interest to travelers is not the mountain itself, but the monastery that lurks on it. It is hidden from prying eyes by forests with cypress trees, and very close to it flows a magical spring, considered healing. It is simply unrealistic to vacation in Attica and not visit this mountain.
- Hydra Island: hundreds of thousands of travelers literally fall in love with this islet of Attica after seeing its images on the pages of glossy publications printed specifically for potential guests of local resorts. It’s not cheap to rest and relax here. Hydra has long been considered an elite place, chosen by the Greek nouveau riche.
And, of course, you definitely need to devote enough time to explore the main city of Attica - Athens with its ultra-modern trade centers, ancient buildings, ancient sculptures and other unusual things.
Today? Best resorts and archaeological sites of Attica.
The most ancient period in the historical life of Attica, which later became the main territory of one of the most powerful and prosperous states - Greece, was only weakly reflected in the sources. Archaeological studies of Athens itself and the surrounding area have revealed traces of ancient life dating back to the Neolithic era. The oldest burial so far discovered here dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. e. The handmade gray clay vessels found in this burial near the crumpled skeleton are still very primitive.
The end of the fragmentation of Greece, according to legend, was put by the hero and Athenian king Theseus, who united the population around Athens and established one common council. “From that time until now,” writes Thucydides, “the Athenians have celebrated the national festival of synoikia (unification) in honor of the goddess Athena.
During excavations on the Athenian Acropolis, monuments of incomparably more high culture in the form of the remains of a Mycenaean-type palace, and in a number of other places (Acharni, Erhia, Keramik, etc.) - burials of the same time with a large number of various objects, mainly ceramics, including those of non-local origin. All these monuments, dating back to the end of the Bronze Age, give reason to believe that on the territory of Attica there existed one of the centers of Mycenaean culture, contemporary with its other centers.
The subsequent, post-Mycenaean period is characterized in Attica by the appearance of ceramics of the so-called protogeometric and geometric styles. Some of the ceramic finds of this time, such as the famous Dipylon vases that have gained wide popularity, have reached our time in excellent condition.
Excavations on the northern and northwestern slopes of the Areopagus also yielded abundant finds of protogeometric and geometric ceramics. It is noteworthy that in the cultural strata characterized by this type of ceramic finds, imported items are almost never found. This shows that the weakening of ties with other countries, typical for all of Greece in the post-Mycenaean period, also characterizes Attica.
The ancient Athenians had a strict debt law, by virtue of which the debtor was responsible to the creditor not only with his property, but also with the freedom of himself and his family members. Insolvent debtors became slaves of their creditors.
To characterize the Iron Age in Attica, it is interesting to note the burial discovered in 1949 on the territory of Athens, apparently of an artisan, in which about ten objects made of iron and a grinding stone were discovered.
Fig trees (fig trees) in Attica grew in huge numbers and produced so many fruits that they even became a proverb as something useless, of which a lot would be born. A similar proverb existed in relation to the owls nesting in the vicinity of the Acropolis.
Attica is an area bordered on the south by the Aegean Sea. Its whimsical configuration indicates the existence of many bays, bays and capes. The land here has been cultivated since time immemorial. The goddess Athena herself argued for the possession of Attica with the powerful Poseidon and won this dispute, bringing an olive tree as a gift to people. Attica has been famous since ancient times for its mild, warm climate; a large number of ancient monuments are located here. It was the proximity to the capital that determined the rapid development of this area in almost all times of Greek history.Apart from the rivers Ilissa and Kefissa, only the springs of Panopa and Kallirrhoya supplied water suitable for drinking. Only Emperor Hadrian (117-138) arranged a water supply system for the eastern part of the city. The superintendent of the wells was an important person who ensured that no one diverted water without the right to do so.
Separately, it is necessary to say about the remarkably preserved monuments of ancient architecture of Attica. Perhaps the most famous of them is the Temple of Poseidon, located on Cape Sounion. The temple consists of columns located at a distance of 70 meters. The large temple, standing on a cape where only the wind blows, leaves an unforgettable impression. It would be worth a visit ancient temple Demeter in Eleusis, located 22 km from Athens, dedicated to the secret cult of the goddess Demeter and her charming daughter Persephone.
The main resorts of the Attic Riviera are Palio Faliro, Glyfada, Vouliagmeni, Voula, Kavouri, Varkiza, Lagonissi, Anavissos, Cape Sounion, Mati, Nea Makri. And, of course, the island of Evia - with its luxury resorts Eretria, Amarynthos, Edipsos
