Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of the arts and eloquence, awaits you to discover its beauties from atop the hill of Acropolis…

Athens

Athens Survival Guide

Table of contents Athens, A Bustling Metropolis

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

How to get to Athens

Map of the city

Hospitals and Labs

Boarding and lodging

Transportation

Exploring the City

Outside the city

Events

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Athens

A Bustling Metropolis

Athens, the capital and the largest city in Greece, is one of the

world's oldest cities. Its recorded history spans at least 3,000 years.

Today the Greek capital is where history meets the modern world to

create a dazzling mix of the old and the new.

A bustling metropolis with an urban population of 4.3 million and total

population of about 4.8 million, Athens is central to economic,

financial, industrial, political and cultural life in Greece.

Athens has, through the years, turned into a modern city with shops

that apply to every taste, areas that are suitable for every age,

opportunities for entertainment, sport and leisure activities all over

and also a really vast multicultural feeling. From Plaka to Keramikos,

and from Glyfada to Peristeri, you can experience many different city

styles, types of people and various landscapes. Hipsters in Gazi at

night, people in business suits around Syntagma, students going out

casually in Exarhia and posh ladies strutting in Kolonaki. The Sea of

Piraeus, the mountain of Lycabetus; Everything is here… in Athens!

Ancient Athens was a powerful city-state. A centre for the arts,

education and philosophy, home of Plato's Academia and

Aristotle's Lyceum. Athens was also the birthplace of Socrates,

Pericles, Sophocles, and many other prominent philosophers,

writers and politicians of the ancient world. It is widely referred

to as the cradle of Western Civilization, and the birthplace of

democracy, largely due to the impact of its cultural and political

achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC on the rest of

the presently known European continent. The heritage of the

classical era is still evident in the city, represented by a number

of ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of

which is the Parthenon on the Acropolis, widely considered as

an important landmark of the early Western civilization.

National and Kapodistrian

University of Athens

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) is the

largest state institution of higher education in Greece, and among the

largest universities in Europe. Retaining its academic autonomy, it

fully respects the constitutionally secured right to free education for

everyone, which is possible because it is funded by the state. With a

student body of about 100,000 undergraduate and postgraduate

students, over 2,000 members of academic staff and approximately

1,300 administrative and secretarial staff and specialised personnel,

the University of Athens aims at excellence in both teaching and

research.

NKUA sustains a high educational level and has managed to remain in

the world map of cutting edge research and clinical practice. You can

find more information about it here.

School of Medicine

The Medical School of Athens has been operating since 1837 and has

an active presence in the events of our country and internationally.

During these years it has provided very important educational,

research, clinical and social work. Today the educational work of the

628 professors concerns of over 2,500 undergraduates, 3,000

graduate students and 3,000 doctoral candidates. The recent

research work contributes in making our school one of the world's

leading Medical Institutions, preceding 2/3 of the American Medical

Schools. You can find more information about it here.

You can use the free Wi-Fi network inside the medical school’s

campus. Moreover, there is the Medical Sciences Library in front of

the university campus, which is open from 8:30 am to 8:30pm

(Monday-Friday). There are computers available for you there, too.

How to get to Athens

Before leaving your country, you should make sure that you have

informed your contact person with all the details of your arrival to

Athens.

Most probably you will come to Athens by plane, so you will arrive at

Athens’ International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”. Then, right out of

the airport, you will find the public means of transportation that will get

you to the city center. There are two cheap and easy ways to get there:

Bus X95

The bus line is "X95“ with direction "from the Airport to Syntagma" and

the bus stop is at the entrance of the airport. The student ticket costs

€2,5. You have to get the ticket validated once you enter the bus. Then,

after 30-45 minutes probably, you will have reached the most central

square of Athens and terminal stop of the bus, Syntagma square.

Subway - Metro line 3

Right out of the airport follow the signs to the subway station and get

the blue line (line 3) with direction to Agia Marina. The metro ticket for

students costs 4€. Again, you can get off at Syntagma station.

Of course, if your contact person suggests you a different meeting point,

you will do as you have agreed.

Map of the city

How lost would you be if it weren’t for us?

This map is a valuable tool that lists many things of interest about the

city itself. We will keep it updated throughout your exchange with

things that we think are worth sightseeing, places to shop and dine,

nightlife areas and above all places that will be useful for your

exchange! Click on the map below to see more information. If you

notice something that you’d like to see as well, tell us and we’ll add

it!

Hospitals and Labs

For both your labs and your clinics the schedule will be determined

by your professor, and he will sign your certificate at the end of

your clerkship. You also have to bring your Logbook, where your

professor will sign to confirm your presence (if you don’t know what

it is, ask your local officers to send it to you). You need to bring

your white coat with you and, for those in the clinical departments,

your stethoscope as well (scrubs only if you are in a surgical

department). Here you may find a list of our research exchange

projects and clinical departments.

Communication with your lab, clinic and exchange officers is

essential. If you have to be absent for any reason, please inform

them in advance. If you are experiencing any problems or you are

dissatisfied, please try to communicate with our local officers.

We would like you to know that due to our variety of hospitals,

departments and labs available, there are many alternatives as to

where you will be placed eventually. We will try to inform you at

least 2 weeks in advance if there is any change.

Most of the labs are located either inside the university or near it

(but that doesn't rule out the possibility of a lab far away from it).

The hospitals are spread all around Athens and where you will be

placed depends on the availability of the department (and of course

your preferences will be taken under notice).

Boarding and Lodging

Lodging

Your staying in Athens is guaranteed to be a pleasure! You will be

staying with the other exchange students from both research and

professional exchanges. You should expect that there will be about 4-

20 incoming students, depending on the month of your arrival.

We usually accommodate you in independent flats, in a student

hostel or maybe in a host family (at the house of one of the Greek

medical students). Where exactly depends on the month of the

exchange, so you will get more info about the place that you will be

accommodated by your contact person before your arrival.

You will have Wi-Fi in your place of accommodation, just ask the

password when you get there.

Boarding

We provide you two free meals every day (lunch and dinner) in the

medical school’s restaurant. You can find more information about its

location, in the map. If they ask you for identification, all you have to

do is tell them that you are with HelMSIC! The restaurant serves

lunch from 12.00 to 16.00 and dinner from 18.00-21.00.

From 15/7 till 31/7 we have arranged for you to eat inside the

hospitals. Because Athens has many hospitals and doesn't cooperate

with the same each year you will be notified for the details at least a

week in advance.

Transportation

Athens is a large city with a lot of different means of transport and you

should know how to find your way around, especially because hospitals

may not be on walking distance from your place of accommodation.

Subway (Metro)

Really quick and frequent. Average frequency is 3’-5’, less frequent at

night and weekends. It is open from 5am until midnight (until 2am on

Fridays and Saturdays). There are 3 lines of metro, blue, green and red.

You can find more information about it here.

Metro line 1 - Green

Important stops are: Monastiraki (change for line 3), Thissio and Kifissia

(nice places to hang out), Omonoia or Attiki (change for line 2),

Nerantziotissa (The Mall Athens and Olympic Complex facilities) and

KAT (if you are going to KAT hospital).

Metro line 2 - Red

Important stops are: Syntagma (most central square, heart of the

city, change for line 3 and tram), Panepistimio and Acropolis (famous

sightseeing sites), Agios Dimitrios (Athens Metro Mall) and Agios

Antonios (if you are going to Attikon hospital).

Metro line 3 - Blue

This line will be of great use for you! It connects the center of the

city with the Medical Faculty and with the main hospitals

(Ampelokipoi stop for the medical school and Ippokrateio, Laiko and

Agia Sofia hospitals, Evangelismos stop for Evangelismos and

Syggros hospital, Megaro Mousikis stop for Alexandra, Aiginitio and

Aretaieio hospital).

Other important stops are: Keramikos, which gets you to Gazi, an

area in which you can go for both coffee and drinks at night,

Monastiraki and Airport.

Attention: Trains to the airport leave every 30'. All the other trains in

the line have their terminal station in Doukisis Pakentias stop and

they do not reach the airport.

Tram - Yellow

Tram connects the center of the City (Syntagma) with suburbs

located at the seaside. The main areas that one can reach with tram

are Glyfada, Voula, Faliro, Mikrolimano.

Average frequency of tram is 17'. Tram operates from 5.15 in the

morning until 12 at night (the last trams often leave around 12.30),

but only for Friday and Saturday they operate until 2.30am.

Bus

There are a lot of buses going around the whole city. They are

really useful and they can take you to many places around the city!

Average frequency of buses is 10'-20', but they are less frequent in

the weekends. Be extra careful… stops are not announced! So, you

might want to ask a passenger or the driver where to get off the

bus. Tickets should be bought in prior and get validated in the bus.

Most buses work from 5am until midnight, but some of them stop

earlier. You can find more information about it here.

Useful lines

Some buses that connect the Medical Faculty with the city center or

metro:

Bus 230 connects the Medical Faculty with Metro Station

Ampelokipoi.

Buses 622 & 815 connect the Medical Faculty with Syntagma and

Metro Stations Evangelismos, Panepistimio and Omonoia.

Buses 3, 550 and A7 connect the Medical Faculty with Metro Station

Evangelismos, Megaro Mousikis and KAT.

Bus 822 connects the Attikon hospital with Agios Antonios station.

Buses X95 & X96 are express buses for the airport. X95 leaves from

Syntagma and X96 from the port in Piraeus.

Where can I buy transport tickets?

Student single ticket: €0.6 (unlimited use of all means of transport for

70 minutes). You can purchase the ticket at automated vendors or at

the kiosks “periptero”. A student monthly card costs €15 (unlimited use

of means of transport for 1 month).

To get the student discount you just need your university card, as long

as are under 26 years old.

Be careful!

Metro Ticket for students to the airport costs 4€.

Bus ticket for students to the airport costs 2,50€.

Tip!

If you have a smartphone, you could install an app (android) about

Athens before coming here, that will help you with transportation, show

you a map of the city even if you are offline, etc. Just search for what is

more convenient for you!

Exploring the City

Plaka

Plaka is one of the most enchanting places you can visit in Athens. A

neighbourhood at the foot of the Acropolis, constructed on the same

site as the ancient residential areas. Today it’s a labyrinth of narrow

lanes lined with beautiful neo-classical buildings. Plaka is divided into

Upper Plaka and Lower Plaka by Adrianou Street, which runs through

the neighbourhood. Here you can find shopping, good restaurants,

outdoor cafes, pedestrian streets, street musicians and public

squares. Also search for Anafiotika and Arios Pagos (or Vrachakia)

which are very popular places especially in the evening for

something more relaxed.

Monastiraki

A large part of the district of Plaka and a famous district of Athens. It

extends from the Monastiraki Square to Thission. It’s named after a

small church (monastery) right on Monastiraki Square. There you will

find the Monastiraki Athens Metro station and the main entrance to

the flea market.

Acropolis

Athens' top must-see attraction and a UNESCO site is the Acropolis,

High City or Sacred Rock, a hill overlooking the city and home to the

most recognizable symbol of the city, the Parthenon. The Acropolis

has been inhabited since the Neolithic period and has been used

both as a religious cult site and a residential area. Most Greek cities

were built around a central hill or mound as it made a good look-out

point and place to retreat in the event of an attack. From the

Acropolis you can look out to the sea and down onto the city, the

remains of the ancient Agora and Plaka, which hugs the foot of the

hill.

The Parthenon

The Parthenon is the main ancient structure on the Acropolis. It is a

UNESCO World Heritage Site, the symbol of Athens and the most

famous of the surviving structures from the world of ancient Greece.

The building was originally built in honour of the goddess Athena,

the city's patron. The Temple of Athena the Virgin (Parthenon is the

Greek word for virgin) was built following the Persian Wars in thanks

of the city's victory. It was built on the site of an earlier temple

which the Persians had destroyed. As rulers and occupiers changed,

the temple was used for different purposes, including a church, a

mosque and a fortress.

The Acropolis museum

Until the 17th century visitors could see the beautiful temples, gates

and tombs on the Acropolis relatively intact. However, since then the

structures have been blown up, ravaged by natural disasters,

damaged by pollution and dismantled for reuse as building materials.

Two of the most significant losses were the 1687 bombing by the

Venetian forces which blew off the roof of the Parthenon and the

removal of artefacts by Lord Elgin. Today the museum houses

Athens’s most important historical artefacts discovered in the hill of

Acropolis.

Roman Agora

Roman Agora of Athens is a large building measuring 111 x 98 m,

comprising a spacious rectangular courtyard surrounded by stoas,

shops and storerooms. It has an east, Ionic propylon and a west,

Doric propylon, known as the Gate of Athena Archegetis. It was built

between 19 and 11 B.C. with a donation of Julius Caesar and

Augustus.

Athens Concert Hall or “Megaron”

Since it opened its doors to the public in 1991, the Athens Concert Hall

has been regarded as one of the most comprehensive culture centres in

Europe. Its superb acoustics have been acclaimed both by the public

and by renowned performers of the music and the art world.

The National Library

It forms part of the so-called "Neoclassical Trilogy" of the City of

Athens: Academy - University - Library. It consists of three solid parts,

out of which the one in the middle -which is also the biggest- houses

the Reading-Room National Art Gallery

National Art Gallery & Alexandros Soutzos Museum

The most important institution in Greece devoted to the subject of the

history of Greek and Western European art.

Syntagma Square

The central square of Athens. It is located in front of the 19th century

Old Royal Palace, housing the Greek Parliament since 1934. Syntagma

Square is the most important square of modern Athens from both a

historical and social point of view, at the epicentre of commercial

activity and Greek politics.

National Gardens and Zappeion

Τhe National Gardens or Vassilikos Kipos (Royal Gardens in Greek as it

was formerly known) is a peaceful, green refuge of 15.5 hectares in

the center of the greek capital. It is located directly behind the Greek

Parliament building (the Old Palace) and continues to the south to the

area where the Zappeion is located, across from the Panathenaiko or

Kalimarmaro Olympic Stadium of the 1896 Olympic Games. The

Gardens also enclose some ancient ruins, tambours and Corinthian

capitals of columns, mosaics.

If you would like to go swimming we suggest: Glyfada, Vouliagmeni,

Kalamaki and Alimos, which are all located very close to Athens. Ask

us on how to get there!

Outside the city

Coming to Athens offers you the greatest opportunity to visit other

places in Greece on your free time.

Cape Sounio

Only about an hour away from the city centre, you can reach it by

bus (KTEL) for a day trip. There you can visit the great temple of

Poseidon, enjoy the beautiful beaches and see the spot from where

the mythological king Aegeas fell in the sea, that later took his name

(Aegean Sea).

Nafplio

About two hours away from Athens by Intercity bus (KTEL), also

ideal for a day trip. There you can visit this beautiful town, see the

fortress of Bourtzi right inside the sea, visit the Palamidi castle (with

its 999 steps) above the town and enjoy the view from the top. If

you intend to stay longer, you can also visit the archaeological sites

of Mycenae and Epidavros, situated very close to Nafplio.

Meteora

About 3-4 hours away from Athens by KTEL, Meteora is the name of a

big complex of Greek monasteries, located on the top of huge steep

rock pillars. It offers an awesome view and a natural landscape hard to

find elsewhere.

Islands!

There are about 6000 Greek islands that wait for you to explore them.

The choice may be difficult and depends on how far you want to go and

what kind of entertainment you desire, but we have chosen the most

famous ones for all tastes. You can purchase ferry tickets here:

Aigina, Poros, Hydra, Spetses

The closest islands to Athens, from 1,5 to 3 hours away from port

Piraeus. They are small but ideal for 1-2 days. Aigina and Poros are

more quiet, while Hydra and Spetses are more famous destinations.

Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Ios

Those belong to the complex of the Cyclades, about 5 hours away.

Santorini offers a magnificent volcanic landscape, one of the most

beautiful and romantic destinations. Mykonos is widely known for its

endless nightlife, the most cosmopolitan of all islands. Paros and Ios

are known for their nightlife as well as their beautiful beaches, while

Naxos is more quiet and combines great landscape with historical

sites.

Crete

About 8 hours away, the biggest Greek island, third in size in the

Mediterranean sea. Being huge, it can offer endless beaches,

picturesque towns (Chania, Rethimno) and lots of archaeological

sites to visit, as it is the heart of the ancient Minoan civilization

(Knossos, Phaestos sites).

Events

Depending on the month of your stay there are many events

happening in Athens, that you may be interested to see and

experience first-hand.

Here you can find the site of the municipality of Athens to get

informed on the latest events happening in the city.

Here is the site of Athens Concert Hall in case you’re looking for a

concert to attend to.

Here is the site of the theatre of Herodus Atticus, the ancient

theatre on the foot of the hill of Acropolis, that houses many

theatrical and musical performances.

As always, you can also ask us if there are any new shows or

performances, worth paying a visit to.

On behalf of

The Local Committee of

Athens

We’re looking forward to meeting you!

National Exchange Officer (NEO)

National Officer on Research Exchange (NORE)

Publisher Hellenic Medical Students’ International Committee (HelMSIC)

General Secretariat Mikras Asias 75 Athens 11527

Greece Phone: +302107462033 E-mail: info@helmsic.gr

www.helmsic.gr

Copyright © 2016 - HelMSIC