Modern Athens is divided into districts but Plateia Sindagmatos (Syntagma or Constitution Square) is the epicentre of the city - almost everything worth seeing in Athens is within half an hour's walk of here. Other useful landmarks are the unavoidable Acropolis and Lykavittos Hill. The Plaka covers the area below the Acropolis, to the east of the Agora. Despite being heavily commercialised, this is the most pleasant part of the city to explore on foot. Narrow winding streets are lined with 19th-century buildings, souvenir shops and bustling tavernas. In particular, Anafiotika - at the base of the Acropolis - is a delightful area that recreates the style and atmosphere of a Greek village. The area was settled by workers from the island of Anafi, who came to Athens to build a palace for King Otto. In addition to simply wandering the streets or watching the world go by over a lengthy coffee, the highlights of the Plaka include several specialist museums. On the edge of this district, the Monastiraki bazaar is a grimy, bustling slice of authentic Athenian life, with neighbouring Psirri the newly fashionable area for bars, restaurants and nightlife. At the other end of the scale, the Kolonaki district on the edge of Lykavittos is wealthy and fashionable, providing a welcome retreat from the harder edges of the city. The tourist season lasts from April to October and is at its peak in August, when the city is crowded and often horribly hot.
Key attractions
Akropoli
The Acropolis (upper city) dominates both the city's skyline and any tourist's itinerary. The name refers to the rocky outcrop that formed the site of the original settlement in Athens. Foundations for a temple dedicated to Athena were laid in 490BC, however, work did not begin in earnest until the Golden Age of Pericles (461-429BC). The Acropolis site includes the Acropolis Museum and four sacred buildings, all from the fifth century BC. The steep ascent to the summit leads to the Propylaea, a monumental gateway in the Ionic and Doric styles, which serves as the entrance to the site. The Temple of Athena Nike is to the left of the Propylaea - the original was destroyed by Turkish forces in the 17th century but has been beautifully restored. The Parthenon is the largest building on the Acropolis and an icon of Western civilisation. Built entirely from marble that glows gold at sunset, the Parthenon was intended as a sanctuary for Athena and housed a statue (no longer in existence) of the goddess. Despite the tourists, the perfect harmony of the structure is still awe-inspiring.
The British Museum seized many of the Parthenon's greatest sculptures in the 19th century, nevertheless, the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis Study Centre contain many sculptures and artefacts originally found within its walls. The Erechtheion Temple is a dual shrine to Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus and was built on the site of the mythical battle between the two deities. The south side features a series of six support columns designed as maidens or caryatids. Due to severe environmental damage, the caryatids have been replaced by models. Many of the treasures from the Acropolis can be found in the Acropolis Museum, in the southeast corner of the complex. Nine rooms house objects from the four buildings, including five original vcaryatids.
Acropolis Hill, centre of Athens
Phone: (010) 321 0219 (Acropolis) or 323 6665 (museum). Fax: (01) 321 4172 (Acropolis and museum).
Transport: Acropolis/Monastiraki metro.
Opening hours: Daily 0800-1900 (summer); Mon-Fri 0800-1630, Sat and Sun 0800-1430 (winter).
Admission: EUR6 (all inclusive).
Agora
Although the site is now a jumble of monuments and ruins from different periods, in Athens' heyday, the Agora (market) was once the focus of city life, serving not only as a place of trade but also as the city's political, administrative and cultural heart. Law courts, temples and public offices were all based in this area, where ordinary Athenians, stall holders and merchants mingled with officials, politicians and philosophers. The site is dominated by the Hephaisteion (Temple of Haephaistos), from the fifth century BC, one of the best-preserved ancient temples in Greece. Its name comes from the god of fire and metalwork - this area of the city was originally the blacksmiths quarter - but it is also known as the Thiseio (Theseion), because its friezes depict images of Theseus from Greek mythology. The Agioi Apostoloi (Church of the Holy Apostles) dates from the second century AD and was restored in the 1950s. Interior features include post-Byzantine frescoes and early wall paintings.
Other attractions around the Agora include the statues of the ten eponymous heroes, Poikile Stoa and the Basileios Stoa. The fascinating Museo tis Agoras (Museum of Agorá) contains an eccentric array of everyday artefacts found in the area. It is housed in the Stoa Attalou (Stoa of Attalos). This two-storey structure from the second century BC was restored by the American School of Archaeology and is thought to have been an early shopping arcade containing 42 separate shops.
Museo tis Agoras
Adrianou 24
Phone: (010) 321 0185. Fax: (01) 321 0185.
Transport: Thissio or Monastiraki metro.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0830-1430.
Admission: EUR3.50.
Panathinaiko Stadio (Panathenaic Stadium)
The elegant three-sided stone stadium was built in 1896, for the first of the modern day Olympic Games. The design by Ernst Ziller was based on the plan of a fourth-century BC stadium that originally stood on the site. The Stadio is the finishing point for the Athens marathon in October and should not to be confused with the modern Olympic Stadium that was built in the north of the city, in 1982.
Leoforos Ardhittou
Transport: Bus 2, 4, 11 or 12.
Opening hours: Daily dawn until dusk.
Admission: Free.
Green Spaces
The Ethnikos Kipos (National Gardens) are a welcome green haven in the centre of the city. The gardens have peacocks and a small botanical museum. Another calm spot is the Kerameikos Cemetery, named after the patron saint of potters and ceramics and dating from the 12th century BC. Tombstones range from the grand to the poignantly simple.
Ethnikos Kipos
Amalias Avenue
Transport: Syntagma metro.
Opening hours: Daily dawn to dusk.
Admission: Free.
Kerameikos Cemetery and Museum
Ermou 148
Phone: (010) 346 3552
Transport: Thissio metro.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0830-1430.
Admission: EUR1.50.
Sound & Light Show
Pnyka (Pnyx) is a green and hilly area across from the Acropolis. It contains an 18,000-seat amphitheatre that was originally used for the Assembly in the age of Pericles. The amphitheatre is now the evening setting for a sound and light show that tells the history of Greece and the Acropolis.
Pnyx Hill, west of the Acropolis, off Dionissiou Areopagitou road
Phone: (010) 928 2900 (Athens Festival head office)
Website: www.greekfestival.gr
Transport: Bus 230.
Opening hours: Daily (Apr-Oct); closed Good Friday; 2100 English-language programmes; Mon, Wed-Thurs, Sat-Sun 2200 French-language programmes; Tues and Fri 2200 German-language programmes.
Admission: EUR4.50; concessions available.
Mikri Mitropoli (Little Mitropolis)
Although Megali Mitropoli (Great Mitropolis), which serves as Athens' cathedral, dominates the square of the same name, visitors may well prefer Mikri Mitropoli (Little Mitrópolis), an exquisite 12th-century church with a mystical atmosphere and charming name - Panaghia Gorgoepiikoos (the Madonna who swiftly hears).
Plateia Mitropoleos
Phone: (010) 322 1308.
Transport: Monastiraki metro.
Opening hours: Daily 0700-1300.
Admission: Free.
