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For over forty years the Hellenic Festival of Athens has maintained Greece's status as the cultural heart of Europe. It celebrates the country's proud tradition as the birthplace of Western theatre, and is generally regarded as one of the most important events in the European cultural calendar.

The festival takes place at a number of historic locations around Athens that perfectly reflect the history and ethos of the event. The most spectacular of these is the theatre at the ancient Greek city of Epidaurus. Built in the 4th Century BC, this huge structure delighted the writer Pausanias with its symmetry and beauty and is still used today to host performances. The theatre is famed for its incredible acoustics which allow every word spoken on stage to be heard clearly by all 15,000 spectators, even if you are sitting on the back row. Experts now believe that the rows of limestone seats filter out low-frequency sounds such as the murmur of the crowd, although no one is sure whether this is by accident or design. Another major venue is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, located on the south slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built in 161 AD by a Greek aristocrat and Roman Senator, and is still used as a venue for music concerts today.

The Hellenic Festival offers the rare opportunity to see Ancient Greek plays performed in the venues that they were originally intended. Live performances were the cinema of the Ancient world, and the plays offer more drama, comedy and tragedy than anything that you can watch on the silver screen. Although the performances are in modern Greek, programs are handed out beforehand with a synopsis in a variety of languages, and the plays are so full of extravagant gestures and speech that you should have no trouble following the plot. It is important to remember that, unlike Roman theatres, the Ancient Greeks believed that the beautiful landscape behind the theatre was an integral part of the setting, so feel free to simply sit back and enjoy the breathtaking scenery.

If this description makes it sound like Athens is stuck in the past then its worth noting that the festival's organisers also make it their mission to promote the work of young artists, by featuring a variety of exhibitions and performances to showcase contemporary trends in dance, music and theatre. The festival runs throughout June and August so you can book your flights to Greece any time during this period.