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Esraa Mahmoud
Esraa Mahmoud
Whenever someone says the ancient world, we immediately think of Greece; the country is arguably the symbol of antiquity, with a rich history dating back to 3000 years.
Living up to the country’s reputation, Greece’s capital, Athens, flourished during the times of great philosophers such as Pericles, Socrates, and Aristotle. Today, the city offers visitors a unique experience you won’t find anywhere else. The ancient world and the modern one come together in Athens.
In Athens, you will be spoiled with many choices when it comes to activities because the capital of Greece leaves nothing to be desired: a big city feel with the beach right outside, good food and endless shopping opportunities, museums, history, and myths…. What more could we want?
It is no wonder that the city is an excellent magnet for tourists. One sight follows the next in Athens – no sightseeing tour will be dull here! Here are the top things to do and see in Athens from its east to its west.
1-The Acropolis of Athens…. The Landmark!
If you are visiting the Greek metropolis for the first time, the Acropolis of Athens should be your first port of call when sightseeing. Few things can compare to it.
Considered a landmark of Athens, the Acropolis is one of Greece’s most important ancient archaeological sites. It was built between 464 and 406 BC and is named after the Greek word akro, which means “high.”
The Acropolis complex includes essential buildings such as the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike-nope, not that Nike—and the Propylaea. The Parthenon is a huge marble temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.
On the north side of the complex, there is the iconic temple Erechtheion, dedicated to the gods Athena and Poseidon. The Temple of Athena Nike is also devoted to the goddesses Athena and Nike.
As for the Propylaea, this one forms the remarkable gate to the Acropolis. The gate was built between 437 and 432 B.C. The Acropolis of Athens has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.
Over 3 million people visit the complex annually. Today, all the buildings are ruins, but the Acropolis of Athens still towers over the city, reserving its place at the top of the list of best things to see.
We recommend going there in the morning if possible. Otherwise, you will have to push through crowds of people, and it gets boiling at noon.
2-Dionysos Theater
All theatre fans must visit the glorious Dionysus in Athens. Resting on the southern slope of the Acropolis, Dionysos Theater is considered the birthplace of Greek tragedy.
Many regard Dionysos Theater as the most critical theatre in Greece. It is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the beginnings and history of drama.
The theatre was named after Dionysus, the God of wine, ecstasy, joy, and madness. In his honour, a tremendous theatrical festival was held every year. The festival featured performances of plays, song and dance performances, and plenty of other forms of entertainment.
The Dionysus Theater dates back to the 5th century B.C. and was initially a sacred building. Today, you can only see the ruins of the theatre, which include scenes of bloody gladiator fights from earlier times.
Make sure to visit the Dionysus Theater and see where the dramas of the ancient authors Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles were first performed……How amazing is that!
3-Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Another must-visit theatre while in the city is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. The ancient theatre is located at the foot of the Acropolis of Athens and is considered the oldest odeon in the world.
An odeon is a building that was built in ancient times for musical events and other performances. Even today, music events are held regularly in the ancient theatre.
Today, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus is the venue of the annual arts festival Athens Festival, AKA the Athens—Epidaurus Festival. Herodes Atticus donated the Odeon in memory of his wife, Regilla.
Herodes Atticus was a Greek aristocrat and Roman senator who financed several public buildings in Athens. In 161 AD, he had the Odeon built on the southern slope of the Acropolis.
It has 32 rows of seats and can accommodate 5000 people. It is built similarly to Roman theatres, with a semicircular orchestra.
One of the top things to do while in Athens is to attend a music concert or theatre performance at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. It is such a fantastic experience!
4- Ancient Athens in Agora
Not far from the Acropolis of Athens and the Philapappo Hill, respectively, is the Ancient Agora – not to be confused with the Roman Agora, which is very close by. The entire public life of the Athenians in ancient times took place in this 2500-year-old marketplace.
This was the marketplace and the centre of everyday life in ancient Athens. You can view the area from the north wall of the Acropolis or on the streets of Areopagus. The best way to enter the Agora is from the North Gate on Adrianou Street.
Agora is a great place for history lovers, not only because, in ancient times, this was where local groups met to make important decisions about the city but also because the square used to host numerous events such as theatre performances.
Once the Agora housed over 30 structures, two buildings dominate the site today: the excellently preserved Temple of Hephaestus and the reconstructed Stoa of Attalus, which houses the Agora Museum.
The museum displays over two thousand years old exhibits from Athenian citizens’ political and private life.
Also worth seeing is the Holy Apostle Church (Agii Apostoli), the only preserved building from the Middle Ages. Agora is worth the visit; you will feel like you have been transported to another time and can feel the everyday life in ancient Greece.
5-Olympieion
The Temple of Olympian Zeus, also called Olympieion, is only 500 meters from the Acropolis of Athens. It was one of the largest and most important temples of ancient Greece. The excavations and remains reveal what the temple was like in ancient times.
The construction of the Olympieion of Greece began as early as 550 BC but was not completed until the reign of Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century A.D.
The temple was built using Pentelic marble, a historically precious type of marble used in many other ancient buildings in Athens.
The imposing temple complex, made of Pentelic marble, was 110 meters long and 43 meters wide. An earthquake in the Middle Ages is believed to have largely destroyed it.
Of the 104 massive columns, 15 remain today as a reminder of its former glory. It would be a waste to make it to Athens without visiting the Olympieion of Greece; the majestic building will blow you away with its beauty.
6-Byzantine Museum
Greece is a country with a history of great magnitude. The country has gone through many eras; an important one was the age when Greece was part of the Byzantine Empire.
The Christian Orthodox Church had a significant influence during this period, as evident in the various exhibits of the Byzantine Museum.
The exhibition of Byzantine art is located at Villa Ilissia, where a French duchess lived at the time. The permanent exhibition features ancient icons and other impressive exhibits like the magnificent Krategos-Mytilene Treasure.
We recommend planning enough time to visit the museum. There is much to learn here, and about 25,000 exhibits are waiting to be seen.
We also recommend ending your tour at the museum with a meal on the terrace of the museum’s restaurant; it would be one of the most memorable meals of your life.
7-National Archaeological Museum
Museums are always popular attractions on a city break, and the Archaeological Museum in Athens is no exception. The National Archaeological Museum is the largest and most important museum in Greece.
It has an extraordinary collection of artefacts and works of art from the Neolithic to the Roman period. There is a permanent exhibition and special exhibitions throughout the year, for which three rooms in the building are reserved.
The permanent exhibition has 49 rooms, where you can marvel at numerous objects from Greece’s most diverse periods and regions.
The following departments are the most visited in the museum in Athens: Prehistoric Collection, Sculpture, Bronze, Vases and Small Art, Jewelry, Glass Collection, and some other collections of historical pieces.
The National Archaeological Museum has even a tiny section dedicated to Egyptian art. You can spend a lot of time in this beautiful museum and even those who are not familiar with art or ancient Greek times will enjoy their trip
Don’t miss the chance to marvel at the National Archaeological Museum’s five thousand years of history.
8-Syntagma Square
In the heart of the city, one of the most important sights of Athens is Syntagma Square. Syntagma Square (Constitution Square) is the central square of Athens and a popular meeting place for tourists and locals.
It also hosts various events, such as the Athens Christmas Market. The square got its name when King Otto announced his approval of the constitutional monarchy as a result of an uprising.
The current Parliament building, which served as the royal palace until 1910, is located in the square. In front of it is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which the members of the former Royal Guard, the so-called Evzones, permanently guard.
Ermou Street, one of the main shopping streets in Athens, also begins here. Numerous designer and more affordable stores are lined up. Ermou Street is the place to be if you are in a shopping mood.
We recommend ending your tour at the square by heading to Ermou Street for some shopping…… Some sightseeing and shopping, but does it get any better than that?
9-Plaka
If you want to see one of Athens’s most historic and vital parts go to Plaka. In the so-called quarter of the gods, you can stroll through the picturesque alleys, buy something or two at an auction, or just sit in one of the cute cafes and rest your legs.
Plaka is filled with restored townhouses from the 19th century, and the Byzantine chapel of Agios Nikolaos Ragavas is also worth seeing. After checking out Plaka, finish your day in a cosy restaurant with a view of the Acropolis overlooking the district and indulge in Greek delicacies.
In Plaka, there are great souvenir stores where you can buy a souvenir for the ones back home. In the many boutiques, you can stock up on some new clothes. In the evening, it gets crowded in Plaka; locals and tourists come here to enjoy a glass of Greek wine on warm summer evenings.
10-Monastiraki
Monastiraki Square is the central square of Plaka. Everything comes and goes here, as there is a metro station. Monastiraki is part of Plaka and the city’s flea market district.
You can find antiques, leather clothes, and the latest sneakers at low prices in permanent stores here. It seems more like a bazaar.
Monastiraki is one of the most popular shopping districts in Athens. Many narrow streets branch off from the large Monastiraki Square. Every Sunday, a lively flea market takes place in the immediate vicinity.
The square also includes some sites worth visiting, such as the Pantanassa Church, which has beautiful decorations inside, and the Tzistarakis Mosque. The ruins of Hadrian’s Library, built by the Roman emperor Hadrian, are also worth a visit.
Since shopping makes us hungry, we recommend going to one of the cafes and restaurants in the square; there is something for everyone here. Directly on one of the corners of the square is the tavern Bairaktaris, which offers many typical dishes from Greek cuisine since 1879.
Monastiraki always has something new to discover, even quiet winding alleys. The whole district is traffic-calmed, which is, of course, ideal for strolling.
11-Hadrian’s Library: Cultural Center of Emperor Hadrian
Hadrian’s Library was more of a cultural complex than “just” a library. The Roman emperor Hadrian was an outspoken philhellene and donated an extensive library to Athens in the 2nd century A.D.
The building is almost as large as the entire Roman Agora. The inner courtyard covers an area of 100 × 70 meters and is surrounded by a peristyle.
It was not a library as we know it today, but rather a cultural complex with lecture halls, a transcription room, a library hall, and an odeon. The ruins of Hadrian’s Library are located very close to the modern Monastiraki Square.
A large number of Greek tortoises live in the area of Hadrian’s Library (Testudo hermanni). The tortoises seem to have found an ideal habitat here. Tortoises live much longer compared to humans.
However, the destruction of their habitats and their popularity as pets have greatly endangered the tortoise population. It is also threatened in Greece but can be easily observed in the Kerameikos area.
12-Areopagus and Pnyx Hill with Philopappos Monument
Near the Acropolis of Athens is the Areopagus rock, where once stood the courthouse of the ancient city. Legend has it that on the Areopagus, the Apostle Paul preached a sermon to the citizens of Athens.
The hill of Nymphs and Philopappos runs west of the Acropolis rock; here lies the Pnyx, where the ancient popular assemblies were held.
Members that came here were all free citizens of Athens, making the Pnyx the cradle of democracy in ancient times. Since the 4th century B.C., the members met ten times yearly on the Pnyx to listen to speakers, mainly to make political decisions.
Philopappos Hill was named after a monument on the hilltop built in honour of the Roman senator Julius Antiochus Philopappos. Philopappos lived for a long time in Athens, where he was revered as a great patron.
The site offers a beautiful view of the sea and the Acropolis. In spring, the hill is covered in a fragrant sea of flowers and is a popular excursion destination.
On the way to the top of Philopappos Hill, you will pass directly by the delightful church of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris. It is said to have been built in the 16th century, but if you look closely at its walls, you will see that it is undoubtedly several centuries older.
There is a legend about Agios Dimitrios saying that the Turkish commander of Athens ordered in 1645, on the feast day of St. Dimitrios, to bombard the church with cannons. The fire was to be opened from the Acropolis.
At the same time, a storm was approaching, and after a lightning strike in the Propylaea, the stored powder exploded. As a result, the church of St. Dimitrios (almost) miraculously escaped.
Right behind the church is an idyllic and shady garden cafe. It is worth having a coffee or light refreshment here before climbing to the Philopappos Monument and Pnyx Hill.
13-Let’s Eat!
Greek cuisine is diverse, and there is so much delicious food to try in Athens. Try famous dishes, like the popular Pita Gyros, Souvlaki, and Bifteki. And you can’t not try the fish! We recommend Dorade or grilled sardines—so yummy!
A popular appetizer is dolmadakia, which are vine leaves stuffed with rice. Another delicious dish is moussaka, an eggplant and minced meat casserole, and pastitsio, a pasta casserole.
Of course, vegetarians don’t have to go hungry here. There are so many good vegetarian dishes, too, like Gemista (vegetables stuffed with rice, typically tomatoes or peppers) and Briam (oven vegetables served with feta), which are recommended.
Athens is one of those cities that you fall under its spell immediately. Whether you choose to follow in the footsteps of ancient Greece, which can be found on just about every corner, or you are there for the great food and mesmerizing scenery, the Greek capital has many amazing things to do and places to visit.
