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Ancient Agora
The Agora (market) was Athens' meeting place in ancient times, the focal point of administrative, commercial, political and social life. All roads led to this bustling and crowded place, where Socrates once expounded his philosophy and, later, where St Paul disputed daily in an attempt to win converts to Christianity.
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Benaki Museum & Benaki Museum Pireos Annexe
Greeces'finest private museum contains the vast collection of Antonis Benakis, accumulated during 35 years of avid collecting in Europe and Asia. In 1931 he turned the family house into a museum and presented it to the Greek nation. The Benaki Museum Pireos Annexe hosts regular visual arts, cultural and historical exhibitions as well as major international shows.
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Museum of Cycladic & Ancient Greek Art
This exceptional private museum houses the biggest private collection of Cycladic art in the world. The original building was custom-built for the collection, and the finds are beautifully displayed and well labelled. Although the exhibits cover all periods from Cycladic to Roman times, the emphasis is on the Cycladic era from 3000 BC to 2000 BC.
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Museum of Greek Folk Art
An excellent collection of secular and religious folk art, mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries, is housed in the Museum of Greek Folk Art. The 1st floor has embroidery, pottery, weaving and puppets. The 2nd floor has a reconstructed traditional village house with paintings by the primitive artist Theophilos of Lesvos (Mytilini). Greek traditional costumes are displayed on the 3rd and 4th floors.
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National Archaeological Museum
One of the world's great museums, the National Archaeological Museum houses the most important finds from Greece's archaeological sites. The museum's tour de force is the collection of Mycenaean Antiquities, which is filled with gleaming gold. The star attraction is the Mask of Agamemnon.
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National Gardens
The delightfully shady National Gardens, featuring subtropical trees, winding paths and ornamental ponds with waterfowl, are a nice refuge from the heat of the summer months. Besides the exhibits of the Botanical Museum, there's a children's playground, a duck pond and a cafe, which makes a pleasant spot for a break.
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Plaka & Anafiotika
The historic neighbourhood under the Acropolis retains its charm despite being overrun by tourists in summer. Head beyond the tourist drag, however, and you'll find the Anafiotika quarter, one of the most picturesque and quiet pockets of the city. In this village-like labyrinth of quiet, narrow, windy streets, bougainvillea cascade over whitewashed Cycladic-style cube houses while bright pots of colour decorate the balconies and rooftops.
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Temple of Olympian Zeus
The Temple of Olympian Zeus is is the largest in Greece. The temple was begun in the 6th century BC by Peisistratos, but was abandoned for lack of funds. Various other leaders had stabs at completing the temple, but it was left to Hadrian to complete the work in AD 131. It took more than 700 years to build.
Hadrian put a colossal gold and ivory statue of Zeus in the cella and, in typically immodest fashion, placed an equally large one of himself next to it.
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The Acropolis
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 of Pentelic marble gleam white in the midday sun and gradually take on a honey hue as the sun sinks, while at night they hover above the city brilliantly illuminated. The sudden glimpse of this magnificent sight cannot fail to lift your spirits.
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Theatre of Dionysos
The importance of theatre in the Athenian city-state can be gauged from the dimensions of the enormous Theatre of Dionysos on the southeastern slope of the Acropolis.
During the golden age of the 5th century BC, dramas by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Aristophanes were commissioned for the Festival of Great Dionysia.
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