Walking Tours
Athens is well suited to walking, as most of the sights are centrally located. The ‘Unification of Archaeological Sites' now links the city's ancient sites by a 4km (2.5-mile) traffic-free promenade: Dionissiou Areopagitou leads from the Acropolis metro station along the south side of the Acropolis to join Apostolou Pavlou which leads to Thissio metro station. From here Adrianou runs east to Monastiraki, while Ermou runs west to Keramikos.

For private guided tours, visitors are advised to contact the Association of Tourist Guides of Athens, Apollonas 9A (tel: 210 322 0090), which provides guides for individual and group tours and supplies licensed guides to the travel agencies.

It is often more satisfactory to go it alone, armed with a map and a guidebook. Syntagma Square makes a logical starting point. From here, walkers can either advance up Vassilissis Sofias and then left through the well-to-do district around Kolonáki Square and on to Lykavittós Hill, or go south along Amalias past the National Gardens, turning right towards the Pláka and the Acropolis. Another route to the Acropolis might start at the bazaar on Monastiráki Square, leading uphill past the Agorá. A wander around the Pláka, using the main thoroughfares of Adrianou and Kidhathinaion for orientation, is equally rewarding.

Bus Tours
Τhe Athens Sightseeing Bus, line 400, begins and ends its 90-minute tour of the city's top sights from outside the National Archaeological Museum. Tickets are purchased on board. The line runs June to September 0730-2100 every 30 minutes; October and May 0900-1800 every 30 minutes; November to April 1000-1600 every hour. For further information see the Athens Urban Transport Organisation (website: www.oasa.gr). In addition, numerous companies and travel agencies offer tailor-made tours for groups, whether walking or bus or a combination. For example, Fantasy Travel (tel: 210 331 0530; website: www.fantasy.gr) offers a condensed half-day ‘Athens Sightseeing Tour', which is a bus tour with various sightseeing stops, including the Parliament building on Syntagma Square, Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.