Once known for smog, traffic and tacky architecture, Athens is a city reformed thanks to fortunes brought by the 2004 Summer Olympics. Spotless parks and streets, an ultra-modern subway, new freeways, an accessible airport and all signs in perfect English make the city easily negotiable. Meriting more than a stopover en route to the islands, sophisticated Athens sites include many pillars of Western history, from the Acropolis to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, as well as treasures in the National Archaeological Museum.
Restaurants in Athens
4.0 based on 928 reviews
Given that it was dedicated around 130 AD its preservation at what we admire today is remarkable. We saw it on a few occasions including particularly evocatively in the fading evening light when the vistas through it were golden. Made entirely from the famous Pentelic marble brought from over 18 km from the city, it honoured the Emperor who contributed much to the city of Athens.
4.0 based on 4,465 reviews
Visit this amazing site when in Athens...Acropolis + Acropolis Museum then walk to Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, Stadium and Botanical Gardens...
4.0 based on 3 reviews
A fine Neo-Classical building that is today the Offices of the Prime Minister only became so in 1982. It has had an interesting back-story since Dimitrios Maximos completed it in the early 1920s. In its time it has been the US Ambassador’s residence and subsequently a State Guesthouse for visiting heads of state. Because of space limitations in the construct there have been proposals to move the Offices to a more suitable facility.
4.0 based on 17 reviews
We visited in mid October during covid restrictions. Plenty of space to watch the changing of the guard. You can get very close. It's also free, as you can't go in the mansion. Across the road is the national garden.
4.0 based on 20 reviews
Located adjacent to the National Gardens, the baths were discovered during the construction of the proposed Metro Station, subsequently relocated. Viewed from the public footpath there is no fee to view these ruins, which are well worth a visit, located close to Handrian’s Arch and the Temple of the Olympian Zeus.
4.0 based on 21 reviews
A great tribute in marble to one of the most famous Hellenophiles was unveiled in mid-1895, auspiciously before another landmark event that was the 1896 inaugural modern Olympics. A sculpture shows Greece represented by a seated female who is crowning a young Byron with a palm branch. This is a symbol of immortality and expresses Greece’s appreciation and recognition of Byron’s support for the country’s independence from Ottoman rule of nearly four centuries. A youthful Byron is portrayed as half-reclining, a sign of Greece’s oppression. The poet’s assistance to the independence cause took the form of not only writings and poetry but also a contribution of £4,000. A very sizable sum in that era.
ThingsTodoPost © 2018 - 2024 All rights reserved.