In Athens, Work Before Play

On the other hand, availability remains so good for two reasons: the weakness of the dollar and, even more critical, concerns about security, says Don Williams, vice president of California-based Cartan Tours.

Repeatedly as I traveled around Greece, ordinary Greek citizens would ask, concern on their faces, "Do you think there will be terrorism during the Games?" Of course I had no better guess than they did. All that is clear is that herculean attempts are being made to prevent it.

Greece, a country of nearly 11 million, is spending about a billion dollars on security for the Games -- triple what Sydney spent. Even that will be supplemented: Last month, Greek officials asked NATO to provide aerial and sea surveillance. A seven-nation advisory group, including the United States, Great Britain, Israel, Australia, France, Germany and Spain, has been working with Greek experts. An operation called "Hercules Shield" has brought together U.S. and Greek military members for training exercises.

More than 50,000 soldiers and police will be on duty, along with 1,400 security cameras. Olympic venues and many other sites will be no-fly zones during the Games. Surveillance aircraft, a blimp and helicopters are expected to be searching the skies.

"It's a challenge to find the balance between safety and enjoyment," says Paparsenos. "We want visitors to feel confidence, but not feel like they are in a police state."

Cindy Loose will be online to discuss this story Monday at 2 p.m. during the Travel section's regular weekly chat on www.washingtonpost.com.

Details: Athens

GETTING THERE: During the Olympics, the lowest ticket from Washington to Athens I found on online booking sites was about $1,200 round trip. For my trip this month, I found a sale price of $460 on KLM. For June, prices are in the $1,000 range, dropping to about $800 in the fall.

OLYMPICS: There are two official ticket outlets for the Summer Games. California-based Cartan Tours (800-360-2004, www.cartan.com) sells individual event tickets and packages; New Jersey's CoSport (877-457-4647, www.cosport.com) offers packages only.

Packages that include airfare, accommodations, some meals, ground transportation and tickets are still available. Cartan's least expensive package is a six-night deal, including room, airfare from New York to Athens, airport transfers and two meals a day, from $6,789 per person double. CoSport's cheapest package of $5,464 per person double includes five nights' hotel, breakfast, event tickets and airport transfers. CoSport's packages can be purchased through travel agents. Some packages are selling out quickly.

Most hotels in Athens are already booked or are being held by tour operators. Two agencies in Greece are arranging house rentals during the Games: Alpha Hospitality (011-30-210-327-7400) and Greek Hospitality (011-30-210-327-7403).

U.S. and Greek travel agents and tour operators can help arrange accommodations. Remember that Olympic events are being staged in four areas outside Athens, where accommodations could be easier to find. You can find Greek-based travel agencies through email links at www.hatta.gr and U.S. tour agents at www.astanet.com. The Greek National Tourism Organization (see below) also has a list of tour companies.

INFORMATION: Greek National Tourism Organization, 212-421-5777, www.gnto.gr or www.greektourism.com. The organization also operates a separate site for accommodations: www.greekhotel.com. Athens 2004 has a comprehensive site at www.athens2004.com. For the U.S. Olympic Committee/Training Center: 719-866-4500, www.olympic-usa.org.

-- Cindy Loose