10 Experiences in Athens

The limestone plateau that rises 156 metres above Athens has served as a fortress, a sanctuary, and a symbol of democratic ambition for nearly 2,500 years. Pericles commissioned the building programme that produced the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena Nike between 447 and 406 BC, employing architects Ictinus and Callicrates and the sculptor Phidias to create structures whose proportions still inform building design today. The Parthenon alone used an estimated 13,400 blocks of Pentelic marble, each cut with optical refinements — columns that swell slightly at the midpoint, stylobates that curve upward by 6 cm — to counteract visual distortion when viewed from below.

Walk past the monumental Propylaea gateway and pause at the Erechtheion's south porch, where six Caryatid figures (the originals now rest inside the Acropolis Museum) have shouldered the roof since the late 5th century BC. From the south wall, the panorama stretches across Plaka's terracotta roofs to the distant silhouette of Mount Hymettus. Arrive within the first hour of opening to enjoy the marble pathways in relative quiet; by mid-morning in summer, the plateau can hold several thousand visitors simultaneously. A combined ticket (valid 5 days) also covers the Ancient Agora, Kerameikos, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and four other sites — far better value than buying entries individually.

Plaka has been continuously settled since antiquity, and its street plan follows paths that Athenians walked when the Agora was the centre of public life. Neoclassical mansions from the 1830s — built after Greek independence — line Kydathineon and Adrianou streets, their painted shutters and wrought-iron balconies draped in bougainvillea that blooms from May through October. Tucked behind these facades you will find the tiny Byzantine Church of the Holy Apostles of Solakis (11th century), the Museum of Greek Folk Art housed in a former Ottoman bathhouse, and the Lysicrates Monument of 334 BC — the earliest known structure to use Corinthian columns on its exterior.

Venture uphill into Anafiotika, a cluster of whitewashed, cubist houses built in the 1860s by stonemasons from the Cycladic island of Anafi who were hired to construct the Royal Palace. They recreated their island vernacular on the north slope of the Acropolis, producing a pocket of Cycladic architecture unlike anything else on the Greek mainland. Narrow staircases thread between the houses, opening onto sudden views of the Agora and the Stoa of Attalos below. For eating, avoid the first-row tourist tavernas on Adrianou and instead turn into the side streets: Oineas Street and the lanes around Kapnikarea Church hide family-run spots serving slow-cooked lamb kleftiko and handmade trahana pasta at local prices.

Designed by Bernard Tschumi and opened in June 2009, the Acropolis Museum was purpose-built to display the sculptural programme of the Parthenon and the other Acropolis temples in natural light, at the same orientation they occupied on the sacred rock. The top-floor Parthenon Gallery is rotated 23 degrees from the rest of the building so that its 160-metre frieze wraps the hall in the exact compass alignment of the original temple — an architectural decision that makes the relationship between sculpture and building viscerally clear.

Ground-floor glass panels reveal an active excavation of a 5th-century Athenian residential neighbourhood directly beneath the museum's pilotis, visible as you enter. The Archaic Gallery on level one holds rows of painted korai (maiden statues) that retain traces of their original polychrome pigment — reds, blues, and greens that challenge the popular image of austere white marble. Five of the six original Caryatids stand here in a climate-controlled case (the sixth remains in the British Museum). The collection spans from Mycenaean votive offerings to Roman-period portrait busts, totalling over 4,000 objects across 14,000 square metres of exhibition space. Friday evenings the museum stays open until 10:00 PM, and the rooftop restaurant offers Acropolis views over a glass of Assyrtiko wine — one of the most photographed dining spots in the city.

Perched on a headland 65 km southeast of central Athens, the Temple of Poseidon has marked the southernmost point of Attica since 440 BC. Ancient mariners used its white marble columns as a navigation landmark; Lord Byron carved his name into one of the pillars during a visit in 1810 (the graffiti is still faintly visible on the square pier at the temple's south-east corner). Of the original 34 slender Doric columns, 15 remain standing, each 6.1 metres tall and carved with only 16 flutes instead of the standard 20 — a deliberate choice by the architect to reduce weathering from the salt-laden wind.

The coastal drive from Athens follows the Apollo Coast road past beaches, yacht marinas, and the thermal lake at Vouliagmeni, making the journey itself part of the experience. Arrive by late afternoon: as the sun descends toward the island of Kea on the western horizon, the marble columns glow amber and then rose against the darkening Aegean — a spectacle that has drawn painters, poets, and photographers for two centuries. The site includes a small café near the car park, but no food is sold inside the archaeological area, so bring water. Organised sunset tours depart daily from Syntagma Square and cost around €45 including transport, though renting a car gives you the freedom to stop at seaside tavernas in Lavrio on the return for grilled fish straight off the boat.

The Varvakios Agora has occupied the same cross-shaped, cast-iron-and-glass hall on Athinas Street since 1886, and stepping inside feels like entering a 19th-century market painting brought to noisy, aromatic life. The fish wing stretches along the eastern aisle: whole swordfish laid out on crushed ice, trays of pink shrimp from the Saronic Gulf, and octopus hung to dry on hooks above the counters. Cross the central corridor and the atmosphere shifts to the meat hall, where butchers in white aprons break down whole lambs and goats, the copper scales clattering with each transaction.

Outside on the surrounding streets, the market spills into open-air stalls selling Kalamata olives by the kilo, barrels of feta curing in brine, dried oregano from Mount Taygetos, saffron from Kozani, and jars of thyme honey from the Peloponnese. For breakfast, follow the locals to one of the tiny counter-service restaurants tucked between the stalls — patsas (tripe soup), considered the definitive hangover cure, has been served here around the clock since the market's early decades. The surrounding block between Evripidou Street and Sofokleous Street has evolved into Athens' multicultural spice corridor, with shops run by families from South Asia, West Africa, and the Middle East selling ingredients you will not find anywhere else in the city. The market closes early on Saturdays and is shuttered on Sundays.

Work on the Olympieion began under the tyrant Peisistratos in 515 BC, stalled for centuries as democratic Athens considered the project an expression of tyrannical excess, and was finally completed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in AD 131 — a construction span of roughly 640 years. At its peak the temple held 104 Corinthian columns, each standing 17.25 metres tall with a base diameter of 1.7 metres, making it the largest temple in Greece and one of the largest in the ancient Mediterranean world. Today 15 columns remain upright (a 16th collapsed in a storm in 1852 and lies in drum segments beside the foundation, providing a useful scale reference for visitors).

The site sits in a fenced enclosure that also contains the foundations of a Roman bath, several house walls from the 5th-century city, and Hadrian's Arch, the ornamental gateway that marked the boundary between ancient Athens and Hadrian's new Roman quarter. The arch, with its Corinthian pilasters and inscribed architrave reading 'This is the city of Hadrian, not of Theseus', is freely visible from the pavement on Amalias Avenue and makes for a striking photo with the Acropolis looming behind. From inside the enclosure, the columns frame the Parthenon on the hill above — one of the most reproduced photographic compositions in Athens. The site is fully exposed with no shade, so carry water and sun protection during summer visits.

Mount Lycabettus rises 277 metres above sea level — the highest point within the Athens basin — and on a clear day the view from its summit stretches from the Saronic Gulf islands to the mountains of the Peloponnese. According to myth, Athena was carrying a mountain to fortify the Acropolis when a crow brought her bad news; she dropped the rock in surprise, and it became Lycabettus. The hilltop Chapel of Saint George, a whitewashed barrel-vault church built in the 19th century, hosts a candlelit midnight Easter service that draws thousands of Athenians each spring.

Three routes lead to the top. The steepest is the stepped path from Aristippou Street in Kolonaki, a 25-minute climb through Aleppo pine forest that feels remarkably wild for a hill surrounded by apartment blocks. A gentler zigzag path starts from Dexameni Square and takes about 35 minutes. For those preferring no incline at all, the funicular railway departs from the lower station on Ploutarchou Street every 30 minutes (€5 one-way, €7 return), gliding through a tunnel carved into the rock. The summit terrace holds a café-restaurant with outdoor seating; prices are steep (expect €6 for a coffee), but the perspective on the Acropolis directly below — lit amber at night — justifies the markup. Sunset draws the biggest crowds, so arrive 30 minutes early for a bench.

Founded in 1829 and housed in its current neoclassical building on Patission Street since 1889, the National Archaeological Museum holds the world's richest collection of ancient Greek artefacts — over 11,000 objects spanning from the Neolithic period to late Roman antiquity. The star of the Mycenaean gallery is the so-called Mask of Agamemnon, a gold funeral mask from Shaft Grave V at Mycenae (c. 1550 BC), discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876. Whether it actually belonged to the mythical king is debated, but its craftsmanship — beaten gold sheet with incised eyes, brows, and moustache — remains breathtaking.

Other highlights include the Antikythera Mechanism, a corroded bronze device recovered from a shipwreck in 1901 and now recognised as the world's oldest known analogue computer (dated to the 2nd century BC); the towering bronze Artemision Zeus or Poseidon, pulled from the sea off Cape Artemision; and the Minoan-era frescoes from Akrotiri on Thera (Santorini), preserved under volcanic ash. Allow a minimum of two hours, though enthusiasts routinely spend half a day. The ground-floor Egyptian collection, a gift from the Egyptian government in the 1880s, provides a useful comparative context for the Greek Bronze Age galleries. A shaded courtyard café offers coffee and snacks between gallery visits.

Commissioned by Queen Amalia in 1838 and planted with over 500 species imported from around the Mediterranean and beyond, the National Garden occupies 15.5 hectares between the Hellenic Parliament and the Zappeion Hall. What began as a royal garden — with its own small dock for bringing in exotic plants from Genoa, London, and Alexandria — opened to the public after the fall of the monarchy and today serves as the green lung of central Athens. Towering date palms, Canary Island pines, and Washingtonia fan palms create a dense canopy that drops the temperature by several degrees on hot summer days.

Follow the main path south from the Parliament entrance and you pass a series of small attractions: a duck pond ringed by papyrus reeds, the remains of Roman mosaic floors under a protective awning, a tiny botanical museum in a stone cottage, and a children's playground with a small enclosure housing goats, peacocks, and tortoises. The garden's southern exit leads directly to the Zappeion, a crescent-shaped neoclassical hall surrounded by its own formal gardens and open-air café — one of the most pleasant spots in the city for a late-afternoon freddo espresso. Morning joggers circle the garden's perimeter path (roughly 1.5 km), and at weekends families spread picnic blankets on the lawns near the central fountain. There is no entrance fee and no closing gate — the garden is accessible from dawn until after dark, with pathways lit by low lamps.

Named after a small Byzantine monastery (monastiraki means 'little monastery' in Greek) that once stood on its central square, Monastiraki is the commercial district that Athenians have traded in since Ottoman times. The Sunday flea market on Avissinias Square is the main draw: dealers spread brass coffee pots, vintage cameras, mid-century furniture, Ottoman-era coins, and stacks of vinyl records across the cobblestones, and bargaining is expected. During the week the surrounding shops on Ifestou Street sell leather sandals, worry beads, handmade ceramics, and shadow-puppet figures — some genuinely artisanal, others tourist-oriented, so inspect before buying.

The square itself offers one of the most famous urban views in Europe: the 2nd-century Hadrian's Library wall in the foreground, the Acropolis looming behind, and on clear days the roofline of the Parthenon visible above the library's Corinthian colonnade. Just south of the square, the Tzistarakis Mosque (1759) now houses a branch of the Museum of Greek Folk Art displaying ceramics from across the country. For eating, skip the tourist-trap gyros stands on the square's perimeter and walk 200 metres south to Pittaki Street in Psiri, where a dozen small restaurants compete fiercely on quality: smoked aubergine dips, crispy feta parcels, and slow-braised pork cheeks washed down with orange wine from Thessaloniki. Monastiraki metro station, where Lines 1 and 3 intersect, makes the neighbourhood the natural starting point for any walking itinerary.