Takis Fyssas's guide to UEFA Europa Conference League host city Athens

"Greeks love football," says former Panathinaikos, Benfica and Greece left-back Takis Fyssas as he tackles the challenge of introducing visitors to the Greek capital on behalf of official partners, Enterprise Rent-A-Car. "Football is in our DNA, and we are very proud of having this final here in Athens."

AEK Arena – home of AEK Athens – is the venue for the the UEFA Europa Conference League final between Olympiacos and Fiorentina on Wednesday 29 May in a city that Fyssas knows well, having started his career playing for another local side, Panionios, before joining capital giants Panathinaikos.

"We played so many derbies against AEK when I was a player," he says as he takes a look around the new stadium, which was completed in 2022. "The atmosphere was fantastic, with fans trying to push the players to the victory."

With Olympiacos travelling barely ten kilometres from their home in Piraeus to this season's decider, a lively Athens derby-style atmosphere can be expected for the match against Fiorentina. However, if AEK Arena will be bouncing, Fyssas is eager for visiting fans to get a feel for the rest of the city, which has so much to offer for visitors. "If I could describe Athens in three words [it would be] history, democracy and sun," says the 50-year-old.

The historic Plaka district is a must-see for visitors, which – for Fyssas – offers a great place to relax against an incomparable historic backdrop. "A thousand years of history that we can enjoy with our friends, and we can imagine that here was Socrates," he says. And he does not mean the Brazilian football player.

The Athens skyline is dominated by two other major landmarks; the Acropolis, the ancient citadel that dates back to the fifth century BC, and Mount Lycabettus, the 300m-tall limestone hill that can be scaled by funicular railway.

Both are great sites to visit, but fans wishing to do something a little less taxing might prefer to take in a relaxed meal out. "There are great small restaurants we called Greek tavernas," says Fyssas, who reckons local feta cheese and dolmads –rice and carrot wrapped in vine leaves – are the quintessential Athenian dishes.

Walking the streets is recommended, and May days in Athens go on until very late. "There are many places where [visitors] can taste the food 24 hours a day," says Fyssas.