I only spent a couple days in Athens, and barely set foot outside of the Plaka. So I didn’t see much of the modern city, except while looking down from the hill near the Acropolis. But the old city was maybe the most beautiful city I’ve ever visited. Every crooked alley and marble staircase and random dog…I can’t imagine what it must be like to live in a city with so much history. You turn down an alley and literally stumble across ancient ruins, or the guts of a 12th-century church. Plus, the city was as beautiful, safe, and fun to explore in the middle of the night as it was during the day. And the metro is top-notch.