Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece which dominates the Attica region with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence starting somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC.

Classical Athens was a powerful city-state that emerged in conjunction with the seagoing development of the port of Piraeus, which had been a distinct city prior to its 5th century BC incorporation with Athens. A center for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum, it is widely referred to as the cradle of western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent and the Romans. In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to cultural life in Greece.

Drive through the fertile plain of Beotia, crossing the towns of Thebes connected with the tragedy of King Oedipus – Levadia and Arachova village. Arrive in Delphi, the center of Ancient World – the “Omphalos” (Navel of Earth) – whose prestige extended far beyond the boundaries of the Hellenic World. On the slopes of Mount Parnassus, in a landscape of unparalleled beauty and majesty, lie the ruins of the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios.