Europe Travel Guides

Points of interest

Ancient Agora

The Agora (market) was Athens' meeting place in ancient times, the focal point of administrative, commercial, political and social life. All roads led to this bustling and crowded place, where Socrates once expounded his philosophy and, later, where St Paul disputed daily in an attempt to win converts to Christianity.

The site was first developed in the 6th century BC. It was devastated by the Persians in 480 BC, but a new agora was built in its place almost immediately. It was flourishing by Pericles' time and continued to do so until AD 267, when it was destroyed by the Herulians, a Gothic tribe from Scandinavia.

A good place to begin an exploration of the site is in the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos, originally built between 159 and 138BC; its expensive shops were a popular stamping ground for moneyed Athenians. It houses the Agora Museum, where there's a model of the Agora upstairs along with a collection of finds from the site. The Temple of Hephaestus, on the western edge of the Agora, dates from 449BC and is the best-preserved Doric temple in Greece.

To the northeast of the temple are the foundations of the Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios, one of the places where Socrates spoke to the masses.

Near the southern entrance of the market is the Church of the Holy Apostles, which was built in the early 11th century to commemorate St Paul and his teachings. Have a look at the Byzantine frescoes inside.

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Acropolis

The Acropolis is the most important ancient monument in the Western world. Crowned by the Parthenon, it stands sentinel over Athens, visible from around the city. Marble monuments gleam white in the midday sun and take on a honey hue at dusk, while at night they are brilliantly illuminated. A sudden glimpse of this magnificent sight will lift your spirits.

Pericles set about transforming the Acropolis into a city of temples after being informed by the Delphic oracle in 510 BC that it should become a province of the gods. Unsurpassed in grace and harmony, the Parthenon is the largest Doric temple ever completed in Greece, the only one built completely (apart from its wooden roof) of Pentelic marble.

The Parthenon had a dual purpose - to house the giant statue of Athena commissioned by Pericles and to serve as the treasury for the tribute money that had been moved from Delos. It was built on the site of four earlier temples, all dedicated to the worship of Athena.

Beside the Parthenon is the Erechtheion, immediately recognisable for its much-photographed Caryatids, the six maidens who take the place of columns. The Acropolis Museum houses a collection of sculptures and reliefs from the site.

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Theatre of Dionysos

The importance of theatre in the life of the Athenian city-state can be gauged from the dimensions of the enormous Theatre of Dionysos on the southeastern slope of the Acropolis. The first theatre on this site was a timber affair erected in the 6th century BC, where goatskin-clad performers sang and danced during the annual festival in Dionysos' honour.

During the golden age of the 5th century BC, dramas by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Aristophanes were commissioned for the Festival of Great Dionysia.

The theatre was reconstructed in stone and marble by Lycurgus between 342 and 326BC. The auditorium could seat 17,000; of an original 64 tiers of seats, about 20 tiers still survive. The 2nd-century reliefs at the rear of the stage depict the exploits of Dionysos.

The two hefty, hunched-up selini were worshippers of the mythical Selinos - he of the oversized phallus - who charged up mountains in lecherous pursuit of nymphs. He mentored Dionysos with whatever energy he had left over.

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National Archaeological Museum

Despite all the pilfering by foreign archaeologists in the 19th century, this museum still has the world's best collection of Greek antiquities. The museum, which was damaged in the 1999 earthquake, was totally overhauled and reopened in 2004. The collection has been rearranged thematically and is beautifully presented with labels in English and Greek.

Straight ahead from the entrance foyer is the museum's tour de force, the collection of Mycenaean Antiquities, which is filled with gleaming gold. The star attraction is the Mask of Agamemnon.

The Neolithic Collection includes finds from Thessaly, as well as pottery, figurines and jewellery from Troy. The Cycladic Collection includes a lifesize Cycladic figurine from Amorgos (the largest ever found), while other rooms hold archaic, classical, late classical, Hellenistic and Roman period sculpture, bronze and pottery.

Other exquisite objects of antiquity include elaborately decorated mummy cases. Of particular note is the Thira Exhibition, consisting of spectacular Minoan frescoes unearthed at Akrotiri on the island of Santorini.

Other masterpieces include a marble statue from Delos of Aphrodite with Pan and Eros circa 100BC, and a bronze statue believed to be Poseidon or Zeus dated to 460BC. There is also an amusing sculpture of Aphrodite raising her sandal to ward off the frisky Pan.

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Museum of Cycladic & Ancient Greek Art

This exceptional private museum houses the biggest private collection of Cycladic art in the world. The original building was custom-built for the collection, and the finds are beautifully displayed and well labelled. Although the exhibits cover all periods from Cycladic to Roman times, the emphasis is on the Cycladic era from 3000 BC to 2000 BC.

The 230 exhibits include the marble figurines with folded arms that inspired many 20th-century artists with their simplicity and purity of form. The Cycladic collection, on the 1st floor, includes life-size marble statues, tiny figurines and pottery from the civilisation that flourished in the Aegean during the Bronze Age.

The museum was extended and now spreads across the 19th-century mansion next door and an adjacent wing used for temporary exhibitions.

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Wunderbar

Wunderbar is a good place to start if you want to discover this student-bohemian neighbourhood of Athens. This lounge bar and cafe is situated right on busy Exarhia Square. There are plenty of casual, cool and moderately priced bars and eateries nearby if you want to kick on.

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Remeo+

The bouzoukia, commonly called skyladika (doghouses) because of the crooning singers, are a Greek institution. Pricey, smoky and a tad sleazy, they are nonetheless packed out most nights. If you're feeling game, try veteran Remeo+ but be warned - prices can be outrageously inflated if you sit at a table, with bottles of whisky sold at exorbitant prices.

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Bios

More than a cafe-bar, this multifaceted venue promotes urban culture, new media and the visual arts and is popular with the alternative crowd. The cafe hosts DJ sets and screens arts videos while performances, exhibitions, film screenings and other events are held in various parts of this former paint factory.

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Skoufias

This delightful taverna is a little off the beaten track but it's worth seeking out. The menu has Cretan influences and an eclectic selection of regional Greek cuisine, including game and unusual dishes like the hearty and tender pork kotsi (shank). There are extra tables next to the church across the road, and a sister restaurant in Exarhia.

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Taverna Tou Psiri

This is one of the few remaining old-style tavernas in the Psiri neighbourhood, serving a range of tasty mayirefta (casserole or baked dishes), grills and reasonable house wine. It's cheap and cheerful with colourful quirky murals and interesting old pictures. There's courtyard dining in summer and an ambient basement with barrels along the wall.

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Filistron

A great rooftop terrace with stunning views of the Acropolis makes Filistron a special place for dinner on a warm summer's night. The food won't disappoint either. Offerings include a simple, tasty range of traditional mezedes such as grilled cheese, village-style sausage and meatballs in spicy tomato sauce.

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Events

Holidays of significance include Epiphany on 6 January, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Independence Day on 25 March, Labour Day on 1 May, Assumption Day on 15 August (celebrated with family reunions), Ohi Day on 28 October, Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day (26 December).

The Greek carnival season runs the three weeks before the beginning of Lent; festivities in Athens involve eating, drinking and all-around merrymaking. Easter is the most significant festival in the Greek Orthodox calendar. The candlelit procession climbing Lykavittos Hill to the Chapel of Agios Georgos is a truly impressive sight.

Cultural events rapidly roll in come summertime. Greek folk dances are performed from mid-May to September at the Dora Stratou Theatre. But the city's biggest event is the Hellenic Festival, from mid-June to the end of September. An eclectic program of music, dance and theatre including Ancient Greek drama is performed at the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus - a superb setting backed by the floodlit Acropolis. Performances are held at venues around town.

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