If I could travel back to any other time in history, I would choose the Golden Age of Greece. I would live amongst philosophers and poets in a time when the division between mythology and reality was a blur and when life seemed somehow more sophisticated than today.
Fortunately I don't need a Tardis to recapture that feeling. If any city can take me back to the magic of its past so effortlessly, that city is Athens. Before flying or sailing off to the Greek islands, a short stay in Athens is a must and I strongly recommend you Put this city on your list of places to visit.
Walking the streets of Athens, you sense you are being watched by a mighty presence. From almost every point you can catch glimpses of the Acropolis (meaning upper city), with its breathtaking Parthenon, the temple of the goddess Athena, protector of the city. One of the few surviving wonders of the ancient world, it stands magnificent against cerulean skies, towering over the theatres of Herod Atticus and Dionysius and the ancient Agora where Socrates once walked with Plato.
Take the funicular up to Mt. Lycabettus, said to be formed by Athena when she dropped a rock she was carrying to Acropolis, and look at the stunning panorama of the city. Lose yourself in the narrow streets of Plaka, the oldest neighbourhood in Athens and full of quaint shops and architectural curiosities.
Shop in Monastiraki, the famous Flea Market, or upmarket Kolonaki. When you need a rest or some refreshment, street cafes and open air restaurants and tavernas abound the city that never sleeps. Until you have visited Athens, you will never know Greece.