Oldest House in Athens

Syntagma & Plaka


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 nice free diversion, but note the limited opening hours.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Syntagma & Plaka attractions

1. Church of Agios Eleftherios

0.08 MILES

This 12th-century church, dedicated to both Agios Eleftherios and Panagia Gorgoepikoos (Virgin Swift to Hear), is Athens' religious history in one tiny…

2. Bath House of the Winds

0.08 MILES

One of the few remnants of Athens' Ottoman period, this 17th-century hammam (Turkish bath) is also the only intact public bath building in the city –…

3. Athens Cathedral

0.09 MILES

This ornate 1862 cathedral is the seat of the archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of Athens. Far more significant, both historically and…

4. Museum of Greek Popular Instruments

0.09 MILES

A single avid ethnomusicologist collected almost 1200 folk instruments; the best are on display in three floors of this house-turned-museum. Headphones…

5. Church of Agioi Anargyroi

0.1 MILES

Tucked away in Plaka, this 17th-century church is worth visiting any time for its peaceful courtyard and beautiful interior decoration. On the evening of…

6. Church of Agios Nikolaos Rangavas

0.12 MILES

This lovely 11th-century church was part of the palace of the Rangavas family, who counted among them Michael I, emperor of Byzantium. The church bell was…

7. Tower of the Winds

0.12 MILES

This Pentelic marble tower within the Roman Agora, likely built in the 2nd century BC, is both beautiful and functional. Devised by Andronicus, a…

8. Anafiotika

0.13 MILES

Clinging to the north slope of the Acropolis, the tiny Anafiotika district is a beautiful, architecturally distinct subdistrict of Plaka. In the mid-1800s…