Although the area of Greater Athens covers 427sq km and, like any city today, it has its sprawling suburbs, most of the visitor attractions are in a small area within the city centre, mainly within easy walking distance of each other. Walking along some of the busy Athenian streets can be a noisy experience due to the heavy traffic, yet somehow this can help you appreciate what a remarkable city it is. Roads are diverted around little Byzantine churches, and the metro clanks past archaeological remains. Work had to be halted during construction of the new metro line when the engineers tried to tunnel beneath the Kerameikos Cemetery, only to find more remains far below those already uncovered. When you walk round Athens, you are just part of the latest layer of its long history.