Purpose of the trip
The purpose of the international traveling plan is to visit the Greece city of Athens for five days. The five days will be spent within the city but on different sites. The first day of the tour will be spent in the region of the Acropolis in the Acropolis Museum and Plaka. The second day of the tour will be spent in the regions such as the Ancient Agora, Temple of Olympian Zeus, and Syntegra Square. The third day of the trip will be spent on the outskirts of the city of Athens.
The day will begin by picking a cab from the Athens Art Tour. The tour will comprise of visiting the National Archeological Museum, Byzantine Museum, and the Christian Museum. The afternoon part of the third day will be spent doing the Athens Bike and Ride Tour. The fourth day will be spent in Cape Sounion, Temple of Poseidon, and a half-day bus tour of the city. The last day will be spent on a private tour of the city of Athens.
A brief history of Athens
Athens is among the oldest cities in Greece. The city is known as the foundation of western cultural civilization. The city is known to have produced great philosophers such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle among others. The city is very rich in Greek artifacts such as temples and statues. The city is the current capital of Greece (Hellander and Armstrong 32). The city has world-renowned attraction sites such as the Acropolis and Plaka. These sites have big museums full of Greek artifacts which can be dated back to the 16th century.
Statistics about tourist arrivals
The city of Athens attracts an average of six and a half million tourists annually from across the globe. In the year 2013 alone, the city of Athens attracted 6,920, 678 tourists. Sixty percent of these tourists were from European Union followed by 10% from the US and %10 from the Asian continent (Greek-Athens, par. 4).
Hotel lodging: Green practices
The notable green practices in the Electra Palace Hotel lodging include paperless services, solar water heaters, natural air fans, underground floor heating system from natural solar, and energy saver bulbs. Besides, the bathrooms are fitted with water saver flashers and showers. The hotel rooms are well lit because of the large windows. Thus, electricity for lighting is only used at night. In addition, the swimming pool in the hotel is heated by a green energy source.
Different sites (Acropolis and Plaka), history, and charges
Acropolis
Commonly known as the UNESCO world heritage site, the region of the Acropolis can be dated back to the 3000 BC as a temple for the Greek goddess Athena. Most of the structures on the site have a symbolic meaning in terms of the beginning of western civilization and the establishment of the ancient Greek civilization.
The most notable feature in Acropolis is the Acropolis Museum in Makrygianni. This museum is the third largest in Athens and was officially opened to the public in the year 2009. The museum has artifacts representing the entire Greek civilization from the Roman period to the current era. The 14,000 square foot museum houses more than 4000 Greek artifacts (Athens/Acropolis, par. 5). The charges range from 10 to 50 Euros, depending on the time and number of tourists in a group.
Plaka
Plaka is the most ancient part of Athens city. The site has a continuous line of local shops, food kiosks, and restaurants. The site is one of the most lively entertainment spots in the city of Athens. Across the streets and sidewalks, there are many small Greek monuments greeting any person visiting Athens (Trip Advisor, par. 7). The houses on this site consist of modern and traditional architecture. There are no charges for visiting this site.
Reducing carbon footprint during the trip
Several activities and strategies will be incorporated into the Athens tour as part of the campaign to reduce carbon footprint. The tour will begin with a direct flight to Athens from the US. Direct flight reduces the carbon footprint as a result of flight connections. During the tour of historic sites and attractions within Athens, the tourist will walk on foot wherever possible, thus minimizing driving or taking public transportation.
On the fourth day, the decision to take the Athens Day Tour on a bicycle is meant to minimize the use of public transportation to move from one place to another. The lodging hotel was carefully chosen from the list of hotels with the most eco-friendly practices. Meals will only be taken from the local restaurants that purchase most of their food materials from within the local areas.
During the entire accommodation period in the eco-friendly hotel, all electronics and other appliances will be left unplugged when not in use. Lastly, materials that can be recycled will be reused. For instance, one or two refillable plastic water bottles will be used during the entire tour period.
Works Cited
Athens/Acropolis. Acropolis travel guide. 2014. Web.
Greek-Athens. Welcome to Athens. 2014.
Hellander, Paul, and Kate Armstrong. Greece, Athens: Lonely Planet, 2006. Print.
Trip Advisor. Best of Plaka. Web.