As you would expect, Athens lends itself to a journey through history and acquaintance with the culture that gave birth to European ideals. It is not surprising that most people who visit Athens either for holidays or for work, try to steal some time in order to admire up close the monuments and sights that the city offers.
What people from USA & Canada chose to do in Athens in June 2022
According to the data we gathered, one of the most popular sightseeing is the Acropolis of Athens. The greatest jewel of the Acropolis is the well-known Parthenon which was built in the 5th century BC and was an architectural miracle of the time. Today there are at least 6 copies of the Parthenon in the world, of which 4 are in the USA.
It is therefore not surprising that visitors from the USA are among the first in the ranking of those who visit the Acropolis of Athens. Among their preferences are also a visit to the Acropolis Museum as well as the ancient Roman Forum.
Canadian visitors to the city of Athens are of similar interest for the Acropolis, which as shown by the diagram, is for them a top-priority attraction. They have a similar percentage of visits to the Acropolis Museum. It also seems that Canadians also like a walk in Plaka, which apart from being a very picturesque area, also has restaurants with delicious food.
Of great interest in the Roman Agora of Athens are visitors from Hungary, Italians and Canadians. For Italians perhaps the statistic is obvious since everyone would like to go and visit archaeological monuments of their ancestors, especially when these are in other countries.
British and EU countries June 2022 Tourism Stats
The British, on the other hand, belong to those who will spend one day of their holidays in Athens in order to visit the most important archaeological sites. It also seems that they have a special interest in visiting the Lyceum of Aristotle. The Lyceum was a holy temple that was built in honor of the Lyceus Apollo and then became the seat of the philosophical school of Aristotle and his students. From the Lyceum is inspired the work of Raphael entitled "School of Athens". The school of Aristotle is also known as the walking school because he used to walk and teach.
Another quite visitable attraction, but unfortunately not so popular is the "Kerameikos", there one can see two districts known as the Eso and the Exo Kerameikos. In fact, the Sacred Way (Hiera Odos) that led to the Sanctuary of Eleusis passed from Kerameikos. Those who seem to honor Kerameikos the most, are visitors from the USA and then visitors from Hungary.
According to other data, another sight that tents to become more and more popular, mostly to European visitors (mostly British, Italians, UK, Dutch and Germans) is the sight of Delphi. One of the most sacred and mysterious places of all antiquity, Delphi lies in Phoci. Someone can go to Delphi as a daytrip from Athens, and will ever ever regret it. Many people say that there is a kind of special energy there and British say that they have the same feeling as visiting Stonehenge. And for those who consider if Delphi worth visiting, the answer is totally yes. Not to mention that there are plenty things to do around Delphi, like visiting the picturesque villages of Arachova and Chrysso.
Is it necessary to visit all these archaeological monuments?
Since they are close to each other, it is good to dedicate a breakfast to make a complete journey to antiquity. So for those who manage to combine in their excursion all the above, then they will definitely return home much fuller of experiences, knowledge and history.
But what else do visitors to Athens like to do while they are there? According to SETE's data, what most interested parties are talking about visiting Athens are a) Culture and b) Gastronomy.
In fact, those who are more interested than the rest in gastronomic tourism are the English, Italians, Canadians and Australians. Gastronomy is an integral element of Greek culture and tradition, based on the Mediterranean diet, the core of which is olive oil, vegetables and legumes.
In areas such as Plaka and Thissio the visitor can find very remarkable restaurants that honor the Greek gastronomic tradition. However, for those who want a more intense gastronomic experience and want not only food to get knowledge, there are many excursions on the subject of gastronomy and food tasting in Athens.
Who stays and spends more in Athens?
Last but not least, another interesting fact for the visitor’s of Athens, is that visitors from US and Canada tend to stay more days in Athens. According to the statistics they spend more money in activities and excursions, which probably means that they want to do the most out of their days in Athens.
But, whoever your are, whatever your interests are, Athens is a dazzling place not only to have fun but also to become familiar to the roots of our western culture that born the great ideals, science and philosophy!
