Only a trickle of the 12m holidaymakers who visit Greece every year bother to spend any time in Athens. But after years of talk, the city is cleaning up its act. The much talked-about downtown historical zone is being transformed for the next Olympiad in 2004. Scruffy old buildings around newly renovated Omonia Square have been liberated from 500 smog-stained billboards (the Psirri and Gazi districts will shed a further 10,000).
Witness the first tranche of mayor Dimitris Avramopou los' £8.5m plan to create a network of footpaths and an archeological park. Relieved of noisy coach tours' belching fumes, a strip of road called Dionyisiou Areopagitou is now a marble walkway between Hadrian's arch and the Acropolis.
Six ancient sites (including the Olympian Zeus Temple, gorgeous Philopappou Hill, Ancient and Roman Agoras plus the slopes of the Acropolis) are being tidied up and in some cases fenced off. Cracked old flagstones, a classic Athenian trademark, are also destined for the skip. Pink marble pavements and Parisian-style street furniture already grace main thoroughfares, while others are to be widened.
The Acropolis
The Acropolis is in the midst of a five-year restoration. The 5th-century BC Parthenon and the Temple of Nike are receiving major surgery. Wander the Erechtheion with its six caryatids and have a nose around the adjoining museum. Exit via the lanes of Anafiotika, a jumble of houses styled like a Cycladic village.
Where to stay
The Cecil Hotel (39 Athinas Street (tel: 321 7079) is a retro gem in the thick of it all. Aim for one of the four double rooms on its roof terrace graced with magnificent views towards the Acropolis. A bargain at £30 a night B&B.
The Athenian Inn (22 Haritos Street, tel: 723 8097) is a cosy hotel located on an elegant street in Kolonaki Acropolis House. Old-fashioned charm on the edge of Plaka with original prewar frescoes. £34 B&B.
Nightlife
Athens truly comes alive after dark, and clubbing is a serious industry.
Basic protocol: dress to the nines or risk being turned away; gangs of males are frowned upon, so are drunks; don't turn up before midnight. Men must dowse themselves in aftershave; ladies, flash the flesh. Average entrance is £6, which includes one drink.
Guru (Plateia Theatrou 10, tel: 32 46 530) is probably the chicest emporium. Top floor is the dance club, mezzanine is a Moroccan lounge, while downstairs is another bar and Thai restaurant.
Food
If you've only eaten island fare, you're in for an awakening. Alongside great gourmet restaurants, classic old-style tavernas flourish such as Delphi (Nikis Street, Syntagma) with its mouthwatering array of magierevma (oven-cooked dishes). Eat heartily for £7 per head. Then there is the homely Psarras Tavern (Erechteos and Erotokritou, Upper Plaka, tel: 32 18 733), one of the oldest and most charming tavernas in Plaka. An open fireplace upstairs is a romantic touch, and it has great views over the city. Oven-baked specialities, good barrel wine, £8.
Drink
Call in for a home-made brandy at Brettos (Adrianou Street, Plaka), which has been brewing up on the premises for over a century.
The elegant Caprice (Ag Anagnostopoulou, Kolonaki, tel: 36 19 646) has red leather booths and massive lilies which stand on the bar.
Go for a stroll
The volta , or stroll, is even better now that Athens has vastly improved air quality by reducing traffic.
Day or night, Plaka - the old town beneath the Acropolis - oozes charm. Adrianou and Kidathineon are the main drags cum tourist bazaars, but amble off down some of the smaller sidestreets for classic glimpses of daily life. Cut past the Roman Agora and Tower of the Winds in lower Plaka (admission £2) towards Athens' most peaceful oasis, the Ancient Agora with the Temple of Apollo Pastroos, Library of Pantainos and lovely Byzantine church. The star turn is the magically preserved Hephaisteion temple.
City lights
Climb Pindarou Street in Kolonaki, through Dexameni square , and it feels like a village. Ouzerie tables lining the little boulevard offer a quirky service (packed on warm evenings). Have a drink or a meal at Zonars and watch the city turn into a map of floodlit monuments. Situated one block north of Hotel Lycabettus, catch the funicular (£2) to the top of Lycabettus Hill.
Music
Megaron Musik (Vas Sofias & Kokkali, box office 728 2333) is one of Europe's largest concert halls and showcases both Greek and international artists.
Greek soul, known as rembetika , arrived from Anatolia and still tugs at the nation's heartstrings. For a big night out, book a table at Diogenis Palace on Syngrou; you may catch one of Greece's most celebrated singers such as Adonis Remos or George Dalaras. From £50 a head.
For fuller listings, check the Friday edition of The Athens News (sold at most downtown kiosks) or the English version of Katherimerini, published with the International Herald Tribune.
Shopping
The world's first shopping mall, Stoa of Attalos, opened five centuries ago in the centre of old Athens. Now Kolonaki is the smartest place to shop - designer boutiques are racked up along its elegant streets.
Voukourestiou Street has more expensive stores such as Bulgari. Venathakis, a Cretan designer, exhibits her stunning ceramics at 4 Valaoritou, Kolonaki, pieces from £50.
Trawl Ermou Street , the main shopping route, then Monistiraki flea market which retains a kind of Balkan third-world charm.
Way to go
Getting there: Three airlines serve Athens from London, but the bargain fares are with easyJet (0870 6000 000, easyjet.com) from Luton (twice daily) from £59.
Getting around: Sprawling El Venizelos airport opened this spring. Express buses shuttle downtown and to the port of Piraeus (£2 single), every 15-20 minutes. Two new metro lines have breathed new life into an otherwise poor public transport system. Call 185 for information on how to get to your destination. Taxi rides remain the cheapest in Europe; sharing is the norm; if that doesn't suit, then book a radio taxi (Express; tel: 99 34 812).
Further information:
The Greek National Tourist Office, 4 Conduit Street, London W1R 0DJ (tel: 020-7734 5997, gnto.gr). Area code: 00301. Flight time from London: 3hrs. Time difference: GMT+2hrs, +3hrs during UK summer. £1 = €1.57.
