Check for student rates. United has bargain fares along with Lufthansa right now. Best you are likely to find. Use Expedia.com or Travelocity.com.

A hotel in Athens would be best near the Plaka (old market place) so you can walk around at night. Pretend you are rich and stay at the Grande Bretagne right in the main square. The reason you want to be right in town is that the cabs in Athens are very independent and frequently will not take you where you want to go. They want fares to the airport. My husband and I wanted a cab to the top of one of the mountains on the outskirts of town where there was a monastary reachable only by funicular. However, no cab would take us and each bus was already stuffed when it arrived so we did not go.

Also you want to go when it is not too hot. Summers are a bear. BUT, you want to go before Oct 31 because that is the last date for the Sound and Light Show at the Acropolis.

From Athens, it is a couple of hour ride to Delphi (the Oracle of Delphi, etc), a terrific day trip through the mountains. At Piraeus, the port, you can take boats to the islands. College students love to go there. And, of course, you must see the Acropolis both day and night.

Don't forget to figure out the monetary exchange rate so you know how much everything costs. Some people use a calculator but sometimes you might forget to bring it. So I use my head and just find an easy number to use as a multiplier or divider. Your head, hopefully, is always with you! Have fun and good luck with your project.

In Athens, you will not want to miss the Archeological Museum. It has all sorts of wonderful artifacts from ancient Greece.