The city of Athens is indeed a big outdoor museum, as you can meet archaeological ruins in the next corner of your walk in the city. And even for travelers not interested in archaeological sightseeing, there are certain must-see sites everyone should visit.
Acropolis & Parthenon
This is the first picture that it comes to your mind when someone refers to Athens. The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens, on the top of the oldest neighborhood of town, Plaka, and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.
Temple of Zeus
The Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as the Olympieion or Columns of the Olympian Zeus, is a former colossal temple at the center of the Greek capital Athens. It was dedicated to “Olympian” Zeus, a name originating from his position as head of the Olympian gods. You will meet it during your walk around Syntagma Square and Zappeion, so don’t miss out to have a break here for a visit.
Ancient Agora
The ancient Agora of Athens is the best-known example of an ancient Greek agora, located to the northwest of the Acropolis and bounded on the south by the hill of the Areopagus and on the west by the hill known as the Agoraios Kolonos, also called Market Hill. The Agora’s initial use was for a commercial, assembly, or residential gathering place. The best thing you can do to get the most of it and to understand the importance of it, is to attend some official guided tour, otherwise you will get lost at ancient times and you would just wonder around ruins.
Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro)
The Panathenaic Stadium or Kallimarmaro (meaning “beautiful marble”) is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens and the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. This is also where the route of the Authentic Athens Marathon ends up. Even if you don’t run, it is a unique experience to attend once the celebration of the Authentic Greek Marathon.
Monastiraki Flea Market
Monastiraki metro stop will be probably the area that you will spend many hours around. As you go out from metro, turn to Ifestou Street, and here it is: Monastiraki Flea Market. This is the place you can buy souvenirs, local products or international brands, vintages and antiques (especially during the weekend in Avissinias square), tshirts, shoes, jewels… everything you can imagine. Do not forget to spend a night in Psyrri square, next to Monastiraki Flea Market for some tsipouro or ouzo drinks and mezedes (small plates of local delicacies) or find out some terrace of a restaurant or café to enjoy the best Acropolis view.
Temple of Hephaestus
And as you walking between Monastiraki and Thissio, it is sure that you meet the Temple of Hephaestus or Hephaisteion. This is a well-preserved Greek temple dedicated to Hephaestus; it remains standing largely intact today. It is a Doric peripteral temple, and is located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos hill. From the 7th century until 1834, it served as the Greek Orthodox church of Saint George Akamates. The building’s condition has been maintained due to its history of varied use.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
One of the legendary sites that sits beneath the slopes of the Acropolis on the southwest side, is the stunning open-air theatre, Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Widely known by locals as simply “Herodeon”, it was built between 160AD – 174AD by the wealthy benefactor of Athens, Herodes Atticus as an ode to his late wife Rigilla. It was the third Odeon to be built in Athens and was distinctively Roman in contrast to the nearby Theatre of Dionysos. With its Roman arches and three story stage building, it was originally partly covered with a wood and tiled roof. The circular orchestra has now become a semi-circle, paved with black and white marble. With 35 rows, the marble auditorium extends slightly beyond a semi-circle with a diameter of 80 metres and today seats 4680 people.
It is one of the best experiences in Athens to attend a show in this unique theatre. Just wear comfortable shoes and take with you a jacket, even if it’s mid-July. Visit Athens & Epidaurus Festival before your visit to book your ticket in the show you choose.
Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus
The remains of the Theatre of Dionysus dominate the east part of the South Slope of the Acropolis. Here, the most significant plays of the great dramatists, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes and Menander were staged that not only educated the Athenian audience in a multitude of ways playing a key role in the continuous redefinition of the identity of the Athenian citizen as member of the democratic constitution, but have embodied to this day an intellectual legacy for the entire mankind. The circular layout of the Athenian theatre that was built entirely of stone and its construction on sloping terrain have turned it into a prototype in the history of theatre architecture, as it first took shape in Athens in 350 BC and has served since then as a model for all other theatre structures.
The building of the first monumental stone theatre of Athens was made possible around 350 BC, following the improvement of the city’s public finances. It was a colossal technical undertaking that required massive earthworks, processing of huge amounts of stone and high-level technical expertise. The architectural design of the new Athenian theatre, with the semi-circular koilon, the 67 inscribed marble thrones of the Prohedria, the round orchestra and the marble skene and paraskenia, served as a model for the evolution of all theatre structures through the ages. A special feature of the Athenian theatre was the presence of a single, wide diazoma (walkaway) that formed part of the old Peripatos route surrounding the Acropolis. The capacity of the theatre ranged between 17,000 and 19,000 spectators.
Kerameikos Archaeological Site
The archaeological site of the Kerameikos is a small part of the ancient Attic Deme of Kerameon, one of the largest demes of ancient Athens, located on the northwest edge of the city. As suggested by its name, the Kerameikos (from the Greek word for pottery) was a settlement of potters and vase painters, and the main production centre of the famous Attic vases. Those parts of the Kerameikos that were located near the riverbank suffered continuously from the overflowing river, and so the area was converted into a burial ground, which gradually developed into the most important cemetery of ancient Athens. Highly recommend to attend and official guide at this place to get as much as you can from this amazing archaeological site.
Fliopapou Hill
Filopappou Hill, known also as Hill of Muses, along with the hills of the Pnyx and the Nymphs – is a somewhat wild, pine-shaded spot that’s good for a stroll, especially at sunset. The hill is identifiable by the Monument of Filopappos crowning its summit; it was built between AD 114 and 116 in honour of Julius Antiochus Filopappos, a prominent Roman consul and administrator. The marble-paved path, laid out in the 1950s by modernist architect Dimitris Pikionis, starts near the periptero (kiosk) on Dionysiou Areopagitou. After 250m, it passes the excellent Church of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris, which contains fine frescoes. There’s a detour to Socrates’ prison, and the main path leads to the Shrine of the Muses, cut into the rock face just below the top of the hill. Here you will also find National Observatory of Athens, if you are keen on astronomy and watching stars.
Erechtheion
The elegant building known as the Erechtheion, on the north side of the sacred rock of the Acropolis, was erected in 421-406 BC as a replacement of an earlier temple dedicated to Athena Polias, the so-called ”Old temple”. The name ”Erechtheion”, mentioned only by Pausanias (1, 26, 5), derives from Erechtheus, the mythical king of Athens, who was worshipped there. Other texts refer to the building simply as ”temple” or ”old temple”.
The temple was made of Pentelic marble, the frieze of Eleusinian grey stone with white relief figures attached to it and the foundations of Piraeus stone. It burned in the first century BC and was subsequently repaired with minor alterations. In the Early Christian period it was converted into a church dedicated to the Theometor (Mother of God). It became palace under Frankish rule and the residence of the Turkish commander’s harem in the Ottoman period. In the early nineteenth century, Lord Elgin removed one of the Karyatides and a column and during the Greek War of Independence the building was bombarded and severely damaged. Restoration was undertaken immediately after the end of the war and again in 1979-1987, when the Erechtheion became the first monument of the Acropolis to be restored as part of the recent conservation and restoration project. Its restoration received the Europa Nostra award.
Arch of Hadrian & Library of Hadrian
The Arch of Hadrian in Athens is a triumphal arch which lies in proximity to Syntagma Square. On the northwest, this monument faces the Monument of Lycicrates in Plaka. The construction of this temple started in 131 AD when the people wanted to celebrate the arrival of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and thank him for his benefactions to the city. The architect and builders of the arch are unknown to this day. Its location is not random, but rather symbolic. In fact, it was strategically selected to mark the line between the ancient part of Athens and Hadrian’s new city. Made of fine Pentelic marble, this arch is 18 meters high, 12,5 meters wide and 2,3 meters deep. Its architecture is similar to other Roman arches and it is crowned by pilasters of the Corinthian rhythm. Its design is fully symmetrical. The monument has two layers. At the center of the lower layer, there is an arched gate through which people can pass. Also, there were two columns, which do not exist anymore and are connected by architraves between the two layers.
The Library of Hadrian was an impressive monument in ancient Athens. Only a few remains have survived to this day, though. It is located outside the metro station of Monastiraki and on the northern side of the Acropolis. This library was constructed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 132 AD and the building followed a typical Roman Forum architectural style. It had only one entrance, a high surrounding wall at its long sides and an inner courtyard with a central pool and garden surrounded by marble columns. At the eastern end of the collonade, there was a series of rooms that constituted the actual library, where papyrus books were stored. These rooms also served as lecture halls and reading rooms. The library was seriously damaged during the Herulian invasion of 267 AD and was repaired in 407-412 AD. In the Byzantine times, three Christian churches were built at that site, whose remains have partly survived.
Monument of Lysicrates
In Plaka neighborhood, few steps from the Acropolis Museum, there is the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. This monument was erected by the choregos Lysicrates to commemorate the award of the first prize in 335/334 BC to one of the performances that he had sponsored. The word choregos actually means sponsor in Greek. This monument consists of a circular statue and a high, squared podium. This is the first ancient monument of the Corinthian order on the exterior and is made out of marble from Mount Pentelikon. Its frieze depicts scenes from the life of the god Dionysus, in honor of whom the dramatic games were held. The bronze tripod, the prize given to choregi for sponsoring the winning play in the dramatic games, was placed at its top. Nowadays, it is surrounded by a lovely garden in the center of a small square.
Aristotle’s Lyceum (Lykeion)
One of the three famed gymnasia, or philosophy schools, of ancient Athens, Aristotle’s Lyceum was founded in 335 BCE on the grounds of the Gymnasium in the area of Lykeion. While gymnasia originally served as places for young men to engage in physical exercise, they gradually evolved into centers of intellectual and spiritual growth as well—embodying the idea of ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body.’
Plato’s Academy
Plato founded his famed philosophical school on 388 BCE. The grounds were formerly considered sacred woods where one of the ancient city’s three gymnasia—training grounds for athletes—was founded there in the 6th century BCE. This is the first ‘university’ of the Western world where the foundations of Western science and philosophy were laid two-and-a-half millennia ago. Thanks to Plato, we now associate the word ‘academy’ with education. The word actually originates from the mythical hero Academus, to whom the land on which Plato’s Academy was built, was devoted to.
The Temple of Poseidon (Sounio)
The Temple of Poseidon is an ancient Greek temple on Cape Sounion, 77km away from the center of Athens, dedicated to the god Poseidon. There is evidence of the establishment of sanctuaries on the cape from as early as the 11th century BC Sounion’s most prominent temples, the Temple of Athena and the Temple of Poseidon, are however not believed to have been built until about 700 BC, and their kouroi (freestanding Greek statues of young men) date from about one hundred years later.
Though it’s not located near the center of Athens and can be difficult to reach by public transport, many visitors choose to make the trip during the summer. It’s often combined with a visit to the beaches of Sounion, which are among the most beautiful and pristine along the Athens Riviera. And, if you’re fortunate enough to be in Athens during a full moon, this is the ultimate place to be. There’s usually a live concert near the Temple, adding to the experience.