Spata Athens Airport Area
Welcome to Spata!
This fairly flat area, just 27 kilometers east of Athens, is now home to the new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, opened in 2001, and home base to the national carrier, Olympic Airways. Since its opening and right up until the 2004 Olympics, the area has been totally transformed.
Opposite the airport is the new Sofitel Airport Hotel; public transportation now links the city of Athens via public bus and new, swift train. From here, there is also direct bus service to the port of Rafina to the northeast. New highways and roads make getting to and from the airport a lot easier than one might expect, and there’s plenty of parking set aside, once you’re there.
Once an area of green fields and narrow roads, the area was chosen as the site for the new airport because of its relatively flat surface and lack of mountains in the immediate vicinity. However, in preparation of the grounds prior to construction, excavations unearthed a prehistoric settlement, which had to be painstakingly removed before construction could begin!
The airport itself is modern and functional, with up-to-date technology and information systems. There is an excellent shopping area, with a good selection of Greek products. The Greek National Tourist Organization (GNTO) has a booth here, and offers traveler’s information, boat schedules, and has maps and travel brochures in several languages.
In antiquity, the area was known as Erchia, the name of one of the ten Athenian deme (regions). A festival in honor of Kronos, god of the harvest and portrayed with a reaping scythe, was held annually and was known as Kronia. Slaves were invited to dine with their masters, and a sacrifice was made to Artemis. In earlier times, both here and in Marathon, nymphs were worshiped in a cult partnership with other gods of the life cycle. It is also from this area that the famous general and historian, Xenophon, and the philosopher, Isocrates, came from.
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