Acropolis Area
This dazzling museum at the foot of the Acropolis' southern slope showcases its surviving treasures. The collection covers the Archaic period to the Roman…
Must-see attractions in Athens
Acropolis Area
Designed to be the pre-eminent monument of the Acropolis, the Parthenon epitomises the glory of Ancient Greece. Meaning 'virgin's apartment', it's…
Acropolis Area
The Acropolis is the most important ancient site in the Western world. Crowned by the Parthenon, it stands sentinel over Athens, visible from almost…
Gazi, Keramikos & Metaxourgio
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…
Athens
The Agora was ancient Athens' heart, the lively hub of administrative, commercial, political and social activity. Socrates expounded his philosophy here;…
Athens
This outstanding museum, based in the 1848 Villa Ilissia, offers exhibition halls, most of them underground, crammed with religious art. The exhibits go…
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…
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…
Syntagma & Plaka
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…
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,…
Acropolis Area
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…
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…
Athens
The 1st floor of this exceptional private museum is dedicated to the iconic minimalist marble Cycladic figurines, dating from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. They…
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…
Syntagma & Plaka
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…
Gazi, Keramikos & Metaxourgio
While not particularly large, this museum houses a significant collection of Islamic art. Four floors of a mansion display, in ascending chronological…
Syntagma & Plaka
The former royal gardens, designed by Queen Amalia in 1838, are a pleasantly unkempt park that makes a welcome shady refuge from summer heat and traffic…
Museum of Greek Popular Instruments
Syntagma & Plaka
A single avid ethnomusicologist collected almost 1200 folk instruments; the best are on display in three floors of this house-turned-museum. Headphones…
Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation
Athens
Opened in October 2019, this new museum showcases the collection of modern and contemporary artworks belonging to shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and…
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…
Athens
Whether you want a shot of art, a clever design morsel or a refreshing drink, stop in at TAF, a just-barely updated complex of 1870s brick buildings. The…
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…
Acropolis Area
The small but exquisitely proportioned Temple of Athena Nike sits at the southwest edge of the Acropolis, jutting in front and to the right of the…
Acropolis Area
The tyrant Peisistratos introduced the annual Festival of the Great Dionysia during the 6th century BC, and held it in the world's first theatre, on the…
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…
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…
Athens
The 277m summit of Lykavittos – 'Hill of Wolves', from ancient times, when it was wilder than it is now – gives the finest panoramas of the city and the…
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…
Gazi, Keramikos & Metaxourgio
It's fascinating to follow the walking route that runs through the old gasworks in Gazi, in operation from 1862 until 1984. The preserved complex of…
Acropolis Area
The Propylaia formed the monumental entrance to the Acropolis. Built by Mnesicles between 437 BC and 432 BC, it ranks in architectural brilliance with the…
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…
Syntagma & Plaka
This small museum traces the history of the Jewish community in Greece – starting with the deeply rooted Romaniote community established in the 3rd…
Syntagma & Plaka
Clinging to the north slope of the Acropolis, the tiny Anafiotika district is a beautiful, architecturally distinct subdistrict of Plaka. In the mid-1800s…
Benaki Museum at 138 Pireos St
Gazi, Keramikos & Metaxourgio
While the main Benaki Museum of Greek Culture displays the classical and traditional, this annexe focuses on modern and inventive. Apart from a few…
Syntagma & Plaka
Get a close-up look at the evzones, the traditionally dressed Greek soldiers, standing in front of their main barracks and, further down Irodou Attikou,…
Athens
Under Ottoman rule, Greeks buried their dead at their local church. Only after independence in 1821 was this city cemetery established. It's a peaceful…
Acropolis Area
Although the Parthenon was the most impressive monument of the Acropolis, it was more showpiece than working sanctuary. That role fell to the Erechtheion…
Acropolis Area
This rocky outcrop below the Acropolis has great views over the Ancient Agora. According to mythology, it was here that Ares was tried by the council of…
Athens
Nestled on the lower slope of Mt Hymettos east of the city, this beautiful 11th-century working monastery is maintained as a well-restored archaeological…
National Sculpture & Art Gallery
Athens
While the National Gallery is being rebuilt, a small portion of the collection is on display at the National Sculpture Gallery, in the former royal…
