Roman Agora

Athens

　　This was the city’s market area under Roman rule, and it occupied a much larger area than the current site borders. You can see a lot from outside the fence, but it's worth going in for a closer look at the well-preserved Gate of Athena Archegetis, the propylaeum (entrance gate)...

Koraï 4

Athens

　　When the German military occupied Athens in 1941, it requisitioned the Ethniki Insurance offices and for three years used the two-level basement as holding cells for prisoners, hidden away right in the centre of bustling downtown. The preserved walls of the rooms are scratched and sketched with poignant messages, especially...

Museum of Greek Popular Instruments

Athens

　　A single avid ethnomusicologist collected almost 1200 folk instruments; the best are on display in three floors of this house-turned-museum. Headphones let visitors listen to the gaïda (Greek goatskin bagpipes) and the wood planks that priests on Mt Athos use to call prayer times, among other distinctly Greek sounds. Musical...

National Historical Museum

Athens

　　This grand old collection of swords, ship figureheads and portraits of moustachioed generals is a bit short on signage; it's best for people who already know something about modern Greek history and the many battles of the 19th century that built the nation, piece by piece. This includes the battle...

Hadrian’s Arch

Athens

　　The Roman emperor Hadrian had a great affection for Athens. Although he did his fair share of spiriting its Classical artwork to Rome, he also embellished the city with many temples and infrastructure improvements. As thanks, the people of Athens erected this lofty monument of Pentelic marble in 131 AD....

Onassis Cultural Centre

Athens

　　Housed in an eye-catching piece of architecture that livens up the dull urbanity of Leoforos Syngrou, this visual- and performing-arts centre is well worth a visit. Cloaked in a striped cage of white marble, the building glows at night when it hosts big-name productions, installations and lectures. Check the schedule...

Romantso

Athens

　　Based in the former offices of famous, but now defunct, magazine Romantso, this diamond of a creative hub has multiple facets. It's an all-day cafe-bar, there are DJ dance parties pretty much every weekend and they stage regular exhibitions, live music events and activities such as social yoga and fun...

Oldest House in Athens

Athens

　　Opened after renovations in 2017, the 17th-century Benizelos home is a typical domestic structure from that period, with dirt-floor downstairs rooms with wine and olive presses, and wood-panelled living rooms upstairs. Look for the repurposed classical columns in the gate leading to the backyard, formerly an olive grove. It's a...

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Athens

　　In front of Parliament, the traditionally costumed evzones (presidential guards) stand by the tomb and change every hour on the hour. On Sunday at 11am, a whole platoon marches down Vasilissis Sofias to the tomb, accompanied by a band. The evzones uniform of the fustanella (white skirt) and pom-pom shoes...

Varvakios Agora

Athens

　　A wonderful sight in its own right, this huge old wrought-iron market hall is dedicated to fish and meat, especially row upon row of lamb carcasses, hanging in just-barely EU-compliant glass cases. Tavernas within the market, many open 24/7, are an Athenian institution for hangover-busting patsas (tripe soup). 　　West across...

Museum of Folk Art & Tradition

Athens

　　The 1920s mansion of folklorist Angeliki Hatzimichalis (1895–1965), who wrote more than 100 books and articles about Greek traditions, is a window into the daily life of yore. It's a pretty house and a nice dip into regional costumes, embroidery and more, along with family portraits; note, photography of the...

Victoria Square Project

Athens

　　Established by American artist Rick Lowe, known for his Project Row Houses in Houston, Texas, this storefront is what he calls a 'social sculpture': a place for art, community outreach and whatever else area residents decide to use it for. Given its flexible nature, it's hard to say exactly what...

Tower of the Winds

Athens

　　This Pentelic marble tower within the Roman Agora, likely built in the 2nd century BC, is both beautiful and functional. Devised by Andronicus, a Macedonian (Greek) astronomer, it's an ancient time-and-weather station. Aligned with the four cardinal directions, each of its eight sides is a compass point, each illustrated with...

Exarhia Weekly Market

Athens

　　With rowdy traders working against lovely neoclassical buildings, this is one of Athens' most atmospheric renditions of the laïki agora, the market that takes over a street in each big neighbourhood one day a week. Obviously great for buying fresh produce, but also look for the roving ouzo seller. Camp...

Plateia Syntagmatos

Athens

　　Generally considered the centre of Athens, this square is a transport hub and general hang-out spot, especially on warm summer evenings when young people and families lounge around the central fountain. Parliament, where the syntagma (constitution) was granted in 1843, is directly across the road, so the square is also...

Agora Museum

Athens

　　Within the Ancient Agora, this museum is packed with archaeological finds, but can get uncomfortably crowded if a tour group is cycling through. It is set in the magnificent Stoa of Attalos, a two-storied portico replete with columns it was built by the king of Pergamum in the 2nd century...

Filopappou Hill

Athens

　　Also called the Hill of the Muses, Filopappou Hill – along with the hills of the Pnyx and the Nymphs – is a somewhat wild, pine-shaded spot that's good for a stroll, especially at sunset. The hill also gives some of the best vantage points for photographing the Acropolis, and...

Temple of Hephaistos

Athens

　　On the western edge of the Ancient Agora, the Temple of Hephaistos, god of the forge, was surrounded by foundries and metalwork shops. It was one of the first buildings of Pericles' rebuilding program and is one of the best-preserved Doric temples in Greece. 　　Built in 449 BC by Iktinos,...

Church of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris

Athens

　　At the foot of Filopappou Hill, this 16th-century church may not be the oldest in Athens, but it is certainly one of the loveliest, with a heavy timber roof, marble floors and the permanent scent of incense. 　　A great 1732 fresco of St Dimitrios, astride his horse in a pose...

Panathenaic Stadium

Athens

　　With its serried rows of white Pentelic marble seats built into a ravine next to Ardettos Hill, this ancient-turned-modern stadium is a draw both for lovers of classical architecture and sports fans who can imagine the roar of the crowds from millennia past. A ticket gets you an audio tour,...

Monastiraki Flea Market

Athens

　　Ifestou is signed as the 'Athens flea market', but the street mostly has souvenir shops. The true flea feel is on Plateia Avyssinias and in nearby small streets, where dusty palaiopoleia ('old-stuff sellers') rule. For the best rummaging, come Sunday mornings, when the bric-a-brac explodes out onto the pavements, including...

Parliament

Athens

　　Built between 1836 and 1842 by Bavarian architect Friedrich von Gärtner, Greece's Parliament was originally the royal palace. From its balcony, the syntagma (constitution) was declared on 3 September 1843, and in 1935 the palace became the seat of parliament. For history and politics geeks, the building is open by...

Hill of the Pnyx

Athens

　　North of Filopappou Hill, this hill was the official meeting place of the Democratic Assembly in the 5th century BC – really, the first site of democracy. You can see the speakers' steps, where the great orators Aristides, Demosthenes, Pericles and Themistocles addressed assemblies. (More recently, politicians have used it...

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Athens

　　A can't-miss on two counts: it's a marvellous temple, once the largest in Greece, and it's smack in the centre of Athens. Of the temple's 104 original Corinthian columns (17m high with a base diameter of 1.7m), only 15 remain – the fallen column was blown down in a gale...

Stavros Niarchos Park

Athens

　　Athens is short on green spaces, so this vast seaside park is a blessing. Covering a man-made slope that incorporates the roof of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, this 21-hectare park has been sustainably designed with paths cutting through plantings of lavender, olive trees and other Mediterranean flora. 　　There's...

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Athens

　　This large amphitheatre was built in AD 161 by wealthy Roman Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife Regilla. It was excavated in 1857–58 and completely restored in the 1950s. 　　The Athens & Epidaurus Festival holds drama, music and dance performances here in summer, and occasionally there are blockbuster pop...

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

Athens

　　Sitting beneath a man-made slope above Faliron Bay, and shaded by a 'Magic Carpet' roof covered with solar panels, this stunning Renzo Piano building, completed in 2016, is home to the Greek National Opera and the main branch of the National Library. It's surrounded by a beautiful big park and...

Greek National Opera

Athens

　　Having settled into state-of-the-art digs within the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the Greek National Opera is going from strength to strength. The season runs from November to June. Its main 1400-seat auditorium is a stunning space with superb sight lines throughout. 　　The season includes classic works, quirkier new ones...

National Library of Greece

Athens

　　In 2018, the National Library shifted more than 720,000 items from its collection to this stunning new building that is part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Come to see the free temporary exhibitions scattered across the library's four floors, and to admire the soaring 'book castle' that forms...

National Archaeological Museum

Athens

　　Housing the world's finest collection of Greek antiquities in an enormous neoclassical building, this museum is one of Athens' top attractions. Treasures offering a view of Greek art and history – dating from the Neolithic era to Classical periods, including the Ptolemaic era in Egypt – include exquisite sculptures, pottery,...

Benaki Museum of Greek Culture

Athens

　　In 1930 Antonis Benakis – a politician's son born in Alexandria, Egypt, in the late 19th century – endowed what is perhaps the finest museum in Greece. Its three floors showcase impeccable treasures from the Bronze Age up to WWII. Especially gorgeous are the Byzantine icons and the extensive collection...

Byzantine & Christian Museum

Athens

　　This outstanding museum, based in the 1848 Villa Ilissia, offers exhibition halls, most of them underground, crammed with religious art. The exhibits go chronologically, charting the gradual and fascinating shift from ancient traditions to Christian ones, and the flourishing of a distinctive Byzantine style. Of course there are icons, but...

Ancient Agora

Athens

　　The Agora was ancient Athens' heart, the lively hub of administrative, commercial, political and social activity. Socrates expounded his philosophy here; in AD 49 St Paul came here to win converts to Christianity. The site today is a lush respite, home to the grand Temple of Hephaistos, a good museum...

Kerameikos

Athens

　　This lush, tranquil site is named for the potters who settled it around 3000 BC. It was used as a cemetery through the 6th century AD. The grave markers give a sense of ancient life; numerous marble stelae (grave markers) are carved with vivid portraits and familiar scenes. 　　The site...

Acropolis

Athens

　　The Acropolis is the most important ancient site in the Western world. Crowned by the Parthenon, it stands sentinel over Athens, visible from almost everywhere within the city. Its monuments and sanctuaries of white Pentelic marble gleam in the midday sun and gradually take on a honey hue as the...

Parthenon

Athens

　　Designed to be the pre-eminent monument of the Acropolis, the Parthenon epitomises the glory of Ancient Greece. Meaning 'virgin's apartment', it's dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the goddess embodying the power and prestige of the city. The largest Doric temple ever completed in Greece, the Parthenon took 15 years to build....

Acropolis Museum

Athens

　　This dazzling museum at the foot of the Acropolis' southern slope showcases its surviving treasures. The collection covers the Archaic period to the Roman one, but the emphasis is on the Acropolis of the 5th century BC, considered the apotheosis of Greece's artistic achievement. The museum reveals layers of history...