Don’t assume that Athens is just a transport hub. It may be a teeming metropolis of 4 million souls (and its fair share of soulless urban jungle), but the 2004 Olympics have granted it a rebirth which was long overdue: not just in terms of infrastructure (though the new ring road, metro lines, tram link, museum- and hotel refurbishments are a godsend), but also in terms of culture and high life. Syntagma and Plaka, now partly pedestrianised, brim with shoppers, flaneurs and new-found confidence. Kolonaki is a boutique-lined, poodle-walking Nice-in-Greece. Psiri is a gritty neighbourhood of meze bars and music clubs. Even the cuisine is inching towards the haute. Sure, spend a day in the Acropolis and Archaeological Museum (you can’t not), but consider an extra day or two for the lesser sites (Kerameikos, Pnyx hill), the smaller museums (Benaki, Cycladic Art) and the out-of-centre monasteries of Kaisariani and Dafni. And keep plenty of time spare for strolling the streets of historic Plaka, with their outdoor tavernas, crumbling houses and churches, and no end of jewellery / clothing / carpet / souvenir shops.
If you want to combine Athens with a taste of island life, the Saronic islands – Hydra, Spetses, Aegina – are an hour or two by hydrofoil, yet retain the painterly beauty and the slow pace of the remotest archipelago (Hydra and Spetses are largely traffic-free). Four days here and three in Athens would make a wonderful week’s break from northern Europe, especially in spring or autumn.

ATHENS TRAVEL - PRACTICAL TIPS
Try to visit in winter (Oct-April), or over the Greek holidays (Easter, Whitsun, mid-August), when the city empties. Carnival (Feb) is also a fun time. Failing that, weekends are quieter, and Sunday morning is the best time for major sites. Avoid driving anywhere: there are few road signs and fewer road manners. Use the metro or take a taxi (but watch out for scams on the airport run). Consider visiting the Acropolis late in the afternoon (it's open until sunset); everyone tries to beat the rush with the result that no-one does.

BEST ATHENS EXCURSIONS
The Temple of Poseidon at Sounion (1 hour's drive south) is spectacularly poised above the sea, on the tip of the Attican peninsula. Everyone goes for sunset so you can have it almost to yourself in the morning. You can also walk down to the western shore to discover a cave-harbour where ancient boats were hidden.
Dafni monastery (30-45 minutes drive west) has some of the most poignant icons in Orthodox ecclesiastical art, philistines might be more interested in the wine festival during August.
Aegina island could not be easier to get to: regular hydrofoils (1 hour) and ferries (2 hours) leave from Piraeus harbour (from the metro station turn left until a 90 degree right corner in the quayside road). Once there, you can explore the atmospheric old town (buy local pistachios, sip ouzo on the harbour), then bus to the stark temple of Afea before wandering down to Ayia Marina for lunch and a swim on the busy, sandy beach.
Angistri island, only 1/2 hour further, has two villages, one road and half a bus (it's tiny). It also has extensive pine forests and some of the clearest waters in the gulf. If it's going, catch the bus to Limenaria for a simple lunch and a plunge off the rocks; otherwise, from the harbour, follow the lane left, past Rosy's Village and the Angistri Club (where it becomes a path) to one of the loveliest pebble beaches within striking distance of Athens (some nudism in summer).

Hotel Fresh - Athens
Amidst the sizzling hustle and bustle of downtown Athens, the Fresh Hotel is nothing short of a spacious and calm sanctuary, allowing its guests to attain an instantaneous state of inner well-being in an environment of clear stylish lines and vivid yet balanced colors. At the onset of the summer season 2004, the sleek, 133-room Fresh Hotel came into being, adding a hip – and yes, fresh – location with subtle, state-of-the-art contemporary lifestyle design to the diversity of the city's hotel and nightlife scene