My Escapes Greece Greek Week Athens More of Athens, Deeper Top Attractions of Athens

Top Attractions of Athens

After having experienced Athens, I could emphasize on a number of major attractions everyone should experience.
This is pretty much most of what's worth experiencing in Athens.
3 days would suffice for all of these attractions below.

The Parthenon

Greece's top symbol is set atop the Akropolis hill, which dominates the Athens city skyline.
It has recently been restored with new elements replicating some old components added to the original structure.

The Parthenon ancient temple built in ancient Greek classical style was built between 447-432 BC.

Many people confuse the "Parthenon" (the temple) with the "Akropolis" (the hill). Perhaps it's because many books, postcards label the photos as "Akropolis".

Besides the historic attractions, it is also worth climbing up there (very light slopes) for the panoramic views of Athens.

The Temple of Zeus the Olympian

Never miss out on this attraction, even if you have merely a few hours to spend in Athens.

I consider it the most important attraction right after the Parthenon... And it's also in the proximity of the Parthenon, so you can check them both one after another.

Its construction commenced around 520 BC in Corinthian style and the height of the columns measures around 41 m.

It's a colossal structure... limestone is soft and unfortunately Athens is situated in an area where earthquakes are frequent. Hence, only a small part of the temple still stands...

It is amazing to observe the soft marks of ancient man's delicate hands on the colossal construction.

The columns still stand, despite Athens' location in an area where earthquakes frequently occur.

Syntagma Square and the Greek Parliament

Located near the ominous Syntagma Square, the Parliament should be high on your priorities list.

The best times to visit are: before noon or early afternoon.
You will only see it from outside, but the changing of the guards if a lot more appealing than the building itself. This was back in 2009, just before the Greek Economic Crisis worsened.

Hadrian's Gate (The Arch of Adrian)

The ancient Arch of Hadrian is a monumental gate-like structure found in central Athens, not far from the other main attractions, like the Akropolis Hill and the old town.

Hadrian's Gate was built to celebrate Roman Emperor Hadrian's arrival - sometime in 131 or 132 AD.
The arch has a height of 18 m and it is situated near the Vasilissis Amalias Avenue. In the past, the arch had an ancient road runnig under it.

Gazi Technopolis - and Old Gas Factory

A special attraction is constituted by an old gas factory at the edge of the Keramikos neighborhood.

It is an industrial museum, a cultural attraction established in 1999. Music events are held at Gazi Technopolis periodically.

Worth paying a visit when in Athens. Stunning street art embellishes the street walls nearby.

The Akropolis Museum

Media stirred the waves when this new museum was inaugurated but I honestly expected a lot more than a collection of chunks, small pieces of statues...

Don't get me wrong... I saw the most delicate ancient statues in this museum. I just expected more.

Apparently, not many artifacts were left from Ancient Greece...

The museum is not overall huge and the vast majority of artifacts exposed are indeed "chunks". I saw pieces of elbows, feet, arms, torsos and faces...

If you have time, you should visit the museum, but I surely wouldn't put it into the top 5 of Athens' attractions.

The museum can be found at the feet of Mount Akropolis (on which the Parthenon stands)...

Check out the Museum's official website.

The Historic Districts of Plaka, Psirri, Thissio and Monastiraki

I put them all under one title due to their proximity.

They blend together: I've found it difficult to tell whether I was in Psirri or Plaka - the two old districts at the feet of the Akropolis.

Monastiraki is the most scenic old district in the proximity of the Akropolis.

Thissio is a third one, on the western side of the Akropolis.

Don't miss out on the historic districts - stop over at a taverna for a souvlaki, gyros, tzatziki or a greek salad. Or, just a coffee...

Take walks across and discover a few tiny ancient churches (as presented right below).

The Ancient Byzantian Churches

Tiny ancient churches from the Byzantine era, many dating back to the 11th century abound in the old historic districts of Athens.

They are so scattered and so much alike that one can barely distinguish them. Let alone, find them in the labirynth of the old districts...

Mount Lycabettus

Besides the Akropolis, another great place for enjoying Athens' skyline is Mount Lycabettus, a 300 m high rocky hill in the heart of Athens.

Mount Lycabettus (also called Lykavittos) is a limestone hill with two peaks, whose base is covered by pine trees and has a 19th century chapel, a theatre and a restaurant at its top.

A funicular runs from its bottom to the top, so it's relatively easy to reach to the top.

The Temple of Dionysus

Established at the foot of the notorious Akropolis, this is a major ancient theatre dating back to the 6th century before Christ.

It was huge, believed to have had a seating capacity of around 17,000 people.

Honestly, the sight of the remains has shocked me. The structure had been so severaly eroded by time.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Stone theatre constructed in 161 AD. Thus, erected about one and a half centuries later than the Temple of Dionysus.

The theatre had a capacity of around 5,000 people and was built by magnate Herodes Atticus at the memory of his wife.

It lay in ruins, but today we can witness a restored version of it. Too bad, in a way, but at least it is usable.

Kerameikos

Originally it had a Latin name: "Ceramicus" - the Greek "Keramikos" is simply derived from it.

Because this was a potters' area in ancient times, the English word "ceramic" derives from its name.

Today, the neighbourhood is a archaeological site abounding with ruins, walls. You may want to take a stroll, the views towards the distance are nice. But overall, don't expect anything special.

Georgios Averof Armoured Cruiser

The old 1910 warship is a gem - find it anchored on Athens' southern shore (on the shore of the Faliro Gulf), in very good condition.

Built in Livorno (Italy), the Georgios Averof was an armoured cruiser (the only one still existing in the World!), which belonged to the Pisa-class.

The ship has served as the Greek flagship for roughly half a century.

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