Athens

A unique mix of historic Athens and modern day Mediterranean culture

Athens, which sprawls well beyond its official limits, is unlike any other European capital. Home to roughly one-third of the Greek population, its fabric has been woven by successive waves of migrants – initially from the Greek provinces, today from abroad – since it was designed and built in the early 19th century. The Greek capital may exhibit all the trappings of a big city but at heart it remains a small town. From the air, Athens is an amorphous grey mass; at ground level, it dissolves into neighbourhoods, each separate yet each a part of the rest of the city.