Getting to and from Athens’s airport - Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (locals call it “Spata,” the name of the surrounding area), 20 miles east of downtown, is remarkably easy to reach by metro or taxi. The Athens Metro’s blue line takes you from Syntagma Square or other central locations to an in-airport station; tickets are $9 and must be purchased at a ticket window, not from the machines. A taxi is faster but make sure the driver has his meter on; with the airport fee and extra luggage-handling charges, it should cost about $45 to get to the city center. After midnight, prices increase considerably, so ask your hotel to set up a taxi for you ahead of time.

Athens online tourist resources - A homemade but wildly useful site is the Athens Survival Guide, produced by  Matt Barrett, a North Carolinian transplant who offers advice on everything from getting to the airport and where to eat to how to reach George, his favorite taxi driver. Read for opinions, not accuracy of prices, as the site is not frequently updated. The incredibly detailed Athens Info Guide offers downloadable maps, hotel search options, a calendar of cultural events, online ferry booking, a live webcam that shoots Athens from Mount Penteli, gay-friendly locales, and more. Check the English edition of Kathimerini, the Greek newspaper that is included in editions of the International Herald Tribune, for current news and events.