Greek Guidance
As the Olympics return to their original home in Greece this summer, tourists and sports fans will be flocking from all over the world to Athens; bringing a guidebook may well be worth it.
For many, the obvious choice is the Lonely Planet Guide to Greece (Lonely Planet, 2004, £14.99), with a simple layout and attractive pictures. Although the information on practicalities is adequate and up-to-date, it is truly abysmal when writing on the many classical sites.
The smaller Lonely Planet Best of Athens (Lonely Planet, £6.99), the official choice of the British Olympic Association, is a little worse. Our Olympians will need to get past the relentless drive towards the tacky and touristy.
Quite the opposite of this, the Blue Guide: Athens - City Guide (A & C Black, 2002, £14.99) gives detailed and elegantly written information about all things cultural, and it is particularly good on architecture, but the dull layout and lack of pictures make it heavy going. There is very little information on restaurants, cafes, and accommodation, so it's best to use this in combination with a more practical guide. In a similarly non-practical bracket is the very charming and beautifully written Strolling Through Athens, by John Freely (Penguin, 2004) - an old-fashioned but enjoyable walking guide to the city, encouraging tourists to explore on foot and discover less well-known areas.
The all-American team behind the Let's Go! Guide to Greece (Macmillan, 2004, £15.99) avoid theless touristy areas. It is predictable and unadventurous on food, and only the tamest of tourists will be satisfied with its scanty information on sites, and the consistent 'how quaint' approach is little less than nauseating.
For tourist snobs like me, the Rough Guide to Greece (Rough Guides, 2002, £13.99) is the natural choice. It is informative and unpretentious when writing about the sites, and the large team of contributors ensures that there are useful recommendations throughout. Although two years out of date, the information on practicalities is solid stuff, and has a pleasing anti-touristy bias, guiding you away from the honey-traps of Plaka towards simple, cheap, and usually Greek inhabited zones.
The pace of change in Athens this year is rapid and unsettling. Any accommodation recommended in a big name guide will be booked up months in advance, and the best way of exploring the city is still to wander on foot and stop when you see somewhere that takes your fancy.
6th May 2004