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. Tucked among the trees are a cafe, a playground, turtle and duck ponds, and a tiny (if slightly dispiriting) zoo. The main entrance is on Leoforos Vasilissis Sofias, south of Parliament; you can also enter from Irodou Attikou to the east, or from the adjacent Zappeion to the south.
© Lazaros Papandreou / Getty Images
National Garden
Top choice in Syntagma & Plaka
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.61 MILES
This dazzling museum at the foot of the Acropolis' southern slope showcases its surviving treasures. The collection covers the Archaic period to the Roman…
0.61 MILES
Designed to be the pre-eminent monument of the Acropolis, the Parthenon epitomises the glory of Ancient Greece. Meaning 'virgin's apartment', it's…
0.6 MILES
The Acropolis is the most important ancient site in the Western world. Crowned by the Parthenon, it stands sentinel over Athens, visible from almost…
1.15 MILES
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…
0.8 MILES
The Agora was ancient Athens' heart, the lively hub of administrative, commercial, political and social activity. Socrates expounded his philosophy here;…
0.41 MILES
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
0.23 MILES
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
1.1 MILES
Housing the world's finest collection of Greek antiquities in an enormous neoclassical building, this museum is one of Athens' top attractions. Treasures…
Nearby Syntagma & Plaka attractions
0.13 MILES
Built between 1836 and 1842 by Bavarian architect Friedrich von Gärtner, Greece's Parliament was originally the royal palace. From its balcony, the…
2. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
0.15 MILES
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…
0.15 MILES
Inaugurated in 1888, the neoclassical Zappeio Hall is named after Evangelis Zappas, the tycoon who funded the first modern Olympics in 1896. Used to host…
4. Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts & Music
0.18 MILES
This arts centre has good exhibitions spread across three levels of gallery space; they change around four or five times a year. For English details on…
0.19 MILES
First built in the 11th century and now the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, this is the only Byzantine church with an octagonal plan. It's quite small but…
0.2 MILES
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,…
0.2 MILES
The southwestern third of the green space at the centre of Athens, adjacent to the National Garden, is a network of wide, tree-shaded walkways around the…
0.21 MILES
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…