Your guide in visiting Athens, Greece

How to get to Athens?
Where to stay in Athens?
What to do and see in Athens?
Where to eat in Athens?

Athens has been inhabited for more than 5000 years. In 507 BC, the Athenian leader Cleisthenes also introduced a democratic government which will be the first in the history of the world.

Greek mythology have it that the name of the city Athens was named after the goddess Athena. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Poseidon, the god of the sea, were battling to have the city named after them. The battle was not a street fight but Zeus, the king of gods, asked both of them to offer the city a gift. The city will be named after the one who presented a gift that will be accepted by the citizens of the city. Poseidon produced a water spring by smashing his trident on the rock of Acropolis. This symbolizes naval power. Athena created the olive tree by dropping a seed on the ground symbolizing peace and prosperity.

The citizens accept Athena’s gift and named the city after her. It is fitting that the mythology also suggested that the naming of the city is through a democratic process of popular vote.

Athens today is an urban sprawl with a population of more than 3 million people. With the Acropolis being the center of the city, the urban area seems to stem out from this limestone rock unsystematically maybe due to the fact that it is one of the oldest cities in the world.

HOW TO GET TO ATHENS

Most will arrive at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”. The airport is around 20km to the east of central Athens. It is very convenient to get to the city because the Athens metro line 3 runs from Agia Marina, the port of Piraeus to the Airport, via Syntagma. It takes around 40 minutes to get from the Airport to Syntagma station on the metro. A one-way ticket will cost 10Euros per person. Alternatively, you can take a taxi which will cost around 40 Euros.

WHERE TO STAY IN ATHENS

Most of the sights in Athens are centered around the Acropolis where the Pantheon is located. Therefore, the best place to stay is around this area within walking distance to most of the sights.

I’ve stayed at the NEW Hotel which was opened for less than a year when I visited in the summer of 2017. The NEW Hotel is a short walk to Syntagma Square and The Parliament Building.

Other choices that were in my shortlist include: AthensWas Hotel & Electra Metropolis Hotel.

King George Hotel and Hotel Grande Bretagne are two historical landmark hotels across from The Parliament Building and Syntagma Square.

WHAT TO SEE & DO IN ATHENS

Syntagma Square & The Parliament Building

Syntagma Square is the main square in Athens and where most public demonstration takes place in the city. The Parliament Building is directly across it and the change of guards there is worth your time if you are around the area. The change of guards is right in front of the Parliament Building at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Every Sunday at 11am is the official ceremony but there is a routine change of guards every hour which is worth to see if you are not available at 11am on a Sunday. These Presidential Guards are dressed in the same beautiful uniforms worn by Greek Warriors during the War of Independence against the Ottomans in 1821. They are a symbol of bravery and courage of the Greek people.

Acropolis of Athens

The landmark in Athens where the temple of Parthenon is located on top of the Acropolis. The Acropolis is on top of a flat limestone rock that rises almost 500ft above sea level. Documented habitation on the Acropolis dates back to 6000 BC. Other than the Parthenon there are a number of other significant archaeological remains on the Acropolis and the area around it.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus – A stone theater that is at the southwestern slope of the Acropolis. The structure was built in 161 AD and renovated in 1950. It is still used for performances today.

Theatre of Dionysus – The theater is at the southern foot of the Acropolis and is dedicated to Dionysus, the god of plays and wine. It can sit as many as 17,000 people. It is believed to be the first stone theater to be ever built and hosted theater performances since 600 BC.

Temple of Athena Nike – As you begin your ascent to the main entrance of the Acropolis, you will see the beautiful Temple of Athena Nike on the right. It is named after the Greek goddess, Athena Nike, and built around 420 BC. Nike means victory in Greek and Athena was worshipped as the victory of war and wisdom. You cannot physically go inside the temple and the closest view is from the entrance of the Acropolis, Propylaea, at the top of the steps.

Propylaea – In Greek architecture, Propylaea means any monumental gateway. The entrance to the Acropolis is one typical example of a Propylaea. Once you walk up the steps and enter the Propylaea, you can imagine how grandeur this entrance will be in ancient times.

Erechtheion – Although there are a number of ruins on the site of the Acropolis, the Erechtheion and the Parthenon is the most well preserved and restored. The Erechtheion, standing at the north side of the Acropolis is well visible to the far left once you enter the Acropolis from the Propylaea. The temple is dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon. On the north side, there are six columns with a large porch. On the south which is visible from the entrance of the Acropolis is the famous “Porch of the Maidens”. There are six draped female figures, caryatids, as supporting columns. Five of the original caryatids are now restored and displayed in the new Acropolis Museum with one of them being in the British Museum where Lord Elgin in the 19th century removed a lot of the Acropolis relics back to the United Kingdom.

Parthenon – The Parthenon is the main temple on Acropolis where it can be viewed almost anywhere around Athens on top of the Acropolis. The Parthenon is dedicated to the goddess Athena. The people of Athens considered the goddess their patron. The construction began in 447 BC and was completed in 15 years.

Other than the gigantic marble columns, the metope and the east and west pediment is one of the highlights of the temple. The east pediment tells the story of the birth of Athena from the head of her father, Zeus. The west pediment tell the story of the competition between Athena and Poseidon for the naming of the city and to become the city’s patron. The metope is 92 marble panels on the outside walls of the Parthenon. Each four side of the metope on the temple tells a story of ancient Greek mythology. Today, you can see the remains of the panels and its original depiction in the new Acropolis Museum.

The Parthenon frieze which is the decoration of the temple inside the exterior walls of the inner structure of the Parthenon is also one of the jewels of the temple. The decoration is of marble sculptures which shows the people of Athens in two processions that begin at the southwest corner and parade in opposite directions until they converge over the door of the cella at the east end of the Parthenon. Most historian would believe this to be the Panathenaic procession which is an ancient Athenian celebration. Today, you can see the remains of the panels and its original depiction in the new Acropolis Museum.

If your exit the Acropolis as you entered from the Propylaea and walk down the hill past the ticket office, you can turn right to reach the Areopagus Hill or more known as the Mars Hill. It is a rocky hill that gives an amazing view of the Propylaea, Temple of Nike and the Acropolis. Although, do take care when you climb up the rocky hill as it is rocky and is not paved.

The new Acropolis Museum is a must visit as well as many of the original relics are now inside the museum. The museum is also laid out like the Parthenon where the remaining of the metope, pediment and frieze is placed in the museum exactly the same orientation as the real Parthenon. The museum also has a casual restaurant with outdoor terrace giving a great view of the Acropolis.

Not far from the Acropolis Museum is the Arch of Hadrian and Temple of Olympian Zeus.

The Arch of Hadrian or Hadrian’s Gate is thought to be an arch which was built to honor Roman Emperor Hadrian for all he did to the city.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus was dedicated to Olympian Zeus, which was the name given to Zeus as the head of the Olympian gods. Today only 16 columns remain standing but the sheer size of the columns and the grounds will give you a good idea as to how large the temple was. The project started in 6th BC and was completed more than 600 years later when the Roman Emperor Hadrian completed the project. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the temple was significantly quarried for materials used to build other projects in Athens.

Panathenaic Stadium – Panathenaic Stadium is also called Kallimarmaro which can be translated to beautiful marble because it is the only stadium in the world that is built entirely out of marble. An older stadium stands at the same location at around 300 BC but Herodes Atticus, an Athenian Roman senator, rebuilt the stadium as out of marble by 144 AD and had a capacity of 50,000 seats. It was refurbished and hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896.

Roman Agora

The Roman Agora (Market of Caesar and Augustus) is located on the north side of the Acropolis, and not too far from the Greek Agora. An inscription on the monumental Gate of Athena Archegetis (“Athena the Leader”) tells us that Julius Caesar and Augustus provided the funds for its construction in the 1st century B.C. The Roman Agora consists of a large, open-air courtyard surrounded by colonnades on all four sides. Today, it mostly lay in ruins except for the columns at the Gate of Athena Archegetis and the “Tower of the Winds”. The Roman Agora seems to have become the main market in Athens taking over the commercial functions of the Greek Agora. The Tower of the Winds was designed by a famous astronomer, Andronikos of Kyrrhos, to be an elaborate water clock (on the inside), sundial (on the outside), and weather vane (on the top).

Ancient Agora of Athens – Stoa of Attalos – Temple of Hephaestus

An Agora was a central public place in ancient Greek cities. The meaning of the word, Agora, literally mean a gathering place or assembly. Today, the word means marketplace in Greek. It is the athletic, artistic, spiritual and political center of the city. The Ancient Agora of Athens is a great example of such a public space in ancient Greece.

The Ancient Agora today is an archeological site at the northwestern slope of the Acropolis at the heart of the city. It is believed that the area has been used since 5000 B.C.

Temple of Hephaestus

The Temple of Hephaestus is probably the most well preserved Greek temple in Athens. The temple is up on a hill at the Ancient Agora. It gives a great view of the Acropolis and Athens as well at the temple. Hephaestus is the patron god of metalwork, craftsmanship, and fire. Archaeological finds suggest that there were many potters and metal workshops near the temple.

Stoa of Attalos

A Stoa is a covered walkway and the Stoa of Attalos was built and named after King Attalos II of Pergamon who ruled between 159 BC and 138 BC. The building now is a reconstruction of the Stoa and was built by American and Greek Architects in 1952 for 4 years. The stoa is thought to be a gift to the city of Athens by Attalos for the education that he had received there. Today, the Stoa of Attalos has turned into the Ancient Agora Museum which was created by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Interesting artifacts in the museum include the Kleroterion, which was an apparatus used for the jury selection system in Athens.

Monument of Philopappos – Great view of Athens, the Acropolis, and Sunset without the crowds. The monument is an ancient Greek tomb dedicated to Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos. He was a prince from the Kingdom of Commagene from 65 to 116 AD. It is located on Mouseion southwest of the Acropolis.

Aristotle’s Lyceum – The Lyceum is where Aristotle founded his Peripatetic School in 335 BC. The School’s structure followed the standards of Plato’s Academy. Today, it is mostly in ruins.

Mount Lycabettus is a limestone hill more than 900 feet above sea level not too far from the acropolis. There is a 19th century Chapel of St. George, a theatre, and a restaurant up on the hill. You can choose to walk up the hill of take the Teleferik Cable Car which is more of a funicular which will take you up to the top of the hill in 5 minutes from the station at the bottom of the hill.

National Archaeological Museum – It is considered one of the greatest museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek antiquity worldwide.

Hadrian’s Library – Today the Hardrian’s Library lay mostly in ruins but was created by Roman Emperor Hadrian in AD 132 on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens. It is very close to the Roman Agora and beside Monastiraki Station.

Athens Central Meat and Fish Market – A great market if you are into food.

Anafiotika is in a small neighborhood in part of the old historical neighborhood of Plaka. It lies on the northeastern side of the Acropolis hill. Plaka today is usually full of tourists and commercialized due to its proximity to Acropolis. However, if you wander into the tiny streets of Anafiotika, you might feel like you are on a Greek Island. The streets are full of cats and beautiful houses that are unlike those in any other areas in Athens. This is a must visit.

Retaining wall of Pnyx – The Pnyx was used for popular assemblies in Athens as early as 507 BC, when the reforms of Cleisthenes transferred political power to the citizenry. It was then outside the city proper, but close enough to be convenient. It looks down on the ancient Agora, which was the commercial and social center of the city.

At this site, all the great political struggles of Athens of the “Golden Age” were fought out. Pericles, Aristides, and Alcibiades spoke here, within sight of the Parthenon, temple of Athena. Here Demosthenes delivered his vilifications of Philip of Macedon, the famous Philippics.

National Observatory of Athens – is a research institute in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest research foundation in Greece, as it was the first scientific research institute built after Greece became independent in 1829, and one of the oldest research institutes in Southern Europe. (astronomy and physics)

Psyri District – Other than the Plaka and Monastiraki district below Acropolis, the Psyri District is much less touristy and full of bars and restaurants.

WHERE TO EAT IN ATHENS

Below are a number of easteries that I’ve been to or was in my to go places for my next trip to Athens.

Acropolis Museum Cafe and Restaurant – For a quick bite after the museum with a terrace and indoor seating with great view of the Acropolis.

2 Together – Great modern Greek restaurant with outdoor terrace seating.

Nolan – Amazing Greek and Japanese fusion food. Must try in Athens.

GB Roof Garden Restaurant & Bars – At the rooftop of the Grande Bretagne Hotel. Outdoor seating available with an amazing view of Acropolis and Athens.

Cookoovaya – Modern Greek cuisine in a modern setting with outdoor terrace seating outside the tourist path.

Hytra – Modern Greek cuisine on the roof of the Onassis Art Center.

La Esquina – Burger joint.

Malconi’s Italian Restaurant – Popular Italian Restaurant.

Orizontes Lycabettus Restaurant – Restaurant on top of the Lycabettus hill with spanning view of Athens.

Peri Kafe – Cafe with good breakfast beside Syntagma Square.

Mikel Syntagma – Cafe with good breakfast beside Syntagma Square.

Klepsydra – Greek cuisine at the bottom of the Acropolis beside the beautiful Anafiotika district.

Davinci Gelateria – Great gelatos.

Coco’s – Another place for gelators in Plaka.

Kuzina – Modern Greek cuisine.

360 Cocktail Bar Restaurant – Beside Monastiraki station, greek terrace and indoor seating with a direct view of the Acropolis. Great place to have a drink and snack as well.