The National Archaeological Museum occupies a vast, neoclassical building on Patission Street, identifiable by its imposing columned facade and the lush garden of palms and flowerbeds stretching out in front of it. As the largest museum in…
Best of Athens
This self-guided walk leads you through the essential sights of Athens, spanning ancient ruins, historic neighborhoods, and modern plazas.
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1. National Archaeological Museum
2. Mount Lycabettus
Mount Lycabettus is a massive Cretaceous limestone hill that stands as the highest point in central Athens, rising two hundred seventy-seven meters above sea level. You can pick it out by its steep, rugged profile and the pine trees that…
3. Syntagma Square
Syntagma Square is identifiable by the large, neoclassical Hellenic Parliament building that looms over its eastern side. Formerly the Old Royal Palace, this structure was built between eighteen thirty-six and eighteen forty-three for King…
4. Panathenaic Stadium
The Panathenaic Stadium is the only stadium in the world constructed entirely of white Pentelic marble. You can recognize it by this glowing, pale horseshoe-shaped form, which mirrors the geometry of the ancient stadium first built on this…
5. Temple of Olympian Zeus
The Temple of Olympian Zeus is marked by its fifteen colossal Corinthian columns, which rise from the site as the remaining fragments of what was once the largest temple in ancient Greece. This structure occupies a vast open space, where…
6. Acropolis Museum
The Acropolis Museum is defined by a massive, tiered structure of glass and concrete that sits at the base of the Acropolis hill. Opened in two thousand nine, this modern building serves as a permanent home for thousands of artifacts…
7. Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens is a rocky, flat-topped limestone outcrop rising one hundred and fifty meters above sea level, crowned by the weathered marble remains of ancient temples. While the term describes any high-altitude citadel in…
8. Plaka
Plaka is defined by its maze of narrow, winding streets that climb the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis. Unlike the grid-planned boulevards found elsewhere in Athens, these lanes follow paths that have been in use since the…
9. Monastiraki
Monastiraki centers on a square defined by a striking contrast of historic architecture, where the stone dome of the seventeen fifty-nine Tzistarakis Mosque sits alongside the older, tenth-century Byzantine church of Panagia Pantanassa.…