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
5.0 based on 414 reviews
Let’s discover Athens through ancient myths and stories, roam where great Athenian philosophers taught, admire some gems from the Byzantine period of the city and learn about the first years of the modern Greek State. Also, let’s get (happily) lost in the labyrinth of a 19th-century, picturesque neighbourhood of Athens, in the shade of the Acropolis! So, join Nikos and discover the best of Athens!
5.0 based on 143 reviews
Urban tourism can be complex, especially when you do not have a lot of free time. Benefit from the experience of our team of experts! We offer you professional taxi tour services in the Attica Region and nearby Archaeological Sites. Benefit from our thorough knowledge of a)the city of Athens,b)its history,c)all must see places,d)its monuments and museums,e)its nightlife & f)its shops & restaurants
5.0 based on 42 reviews
We offer professional and high-quality services. We specialize in leisure and business trips. A team of responsible taxi drivers corresponds to your needs. Our luxurious cars are equipped with all amenities such as CLIMA, GPS NAVIGATOR and TV. All our drivers are fluent in English, French, and German.
5.0 based on 96 reviews
Thousands visit Athens every day, but few get the chance to experience Athens like a local. Meet our community of locals and follow in their footsteps, discovering hidden treasures and places of interest. What do Athenians do in their spare time? How do they balance their careers and personal lives? When and where do they go out? A community of savvy Athenians will answer all your questions and help you navigate the city. People of diverse backgrounds offer their personal perspective on what makes Athens so irresistible and unique. Choose a themed walk with a local and learn more about each other, as well as getting to know Athens as an insider. Experience the real Athenian lifestyle and explore the places you won’t find in any tourist guides.
5.0 based on 84 reviews
Our aim is to respect your personal relaxation. We respect the special needs of each customer individually. Our therapies are carefully chosen and inspired from the most important traditions of wellness and we only use essential oils for all our therapies.
Amazing massage with relaxing and friendly atmosphere, really professional and highly experienced treatments, especially great for back aches and trigger points. Highly recommend to everyone!
5.0 based on 213 reviews
We provide flexible tailored and exclusively private tours. From the major UNESCO sites to the 'off the beaten track' corners as requested, and with the best standards in service, hotels & experiences. Our focus is on quality as a driving force and combined without mass market approach to ensure our guests remain names we remember & not numbers. Our strength is first hand knowledge and as essential in providing our service we visit personally every hotel, winery, historical site, eatery, unique village, most hidden corner, wondrous landscape & unique beach that we will recommend in our itineraries. In combining this local knowledge with a highly tailored service we are proud to consistently achieve 5-Star reviews from our guests. Along our journey we have been fortunate to have met many skilled, & passionate professionals who have joined our team & who through their experience enable us to bring you the best of the many things Greece has to offer. We hope to welcome you here !
4.5 based on 1,189 reviews
A dynamic cultural institution in the centre of Athens, the Museum of Cycladic Art focuses on promoting the ancient cultures of the Aegean and Cyprus, with particular emphasis on Cycladic art of the third millennium BC. The Museum’s permanent collections include 3000 Cycladic, ancient Greek, and ancient Cypriot artefacts, witnesses to the cultures that flourished in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean from the fourth millennium BC to approximately the sixth century AD. The Museum of Cycladic Art’s temporary exhibitions focus on archaeology and modern and contemporary art with the aim to familiarize the public with important twentieth and twenty-first century artists and to explore the relations between ancient cultures and modern art. Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Thomas Struth, Louise Bourgeois, Sarah Lucas, Ugo Rondinone, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Ai Weiwei, and Cy Twombly are among the artists hosted.
Special exhibit was amazing. Permanent collection also informative and inspiring. I especially liked the Cycladic floor.
4.5 based on 1,501 reviews
The Benaki Museum is among the most extensive and innovative cultural organizations in Europa. Diverse cultures from all historical periods and geographical areas meet contemporary art across a network of venues all over Athens – and beyond. The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture presents the history and art of the Greek world from prehistory to the 20th century, through 6.000 objects arranged over four floors. Antonis Benakis (1873-1954) was a passionate art collector. He belonged to a cosmopolitan circle of connoisseurs and intellectuals in Alexandria, Egypt. Following his return to Athens and the death of his benefactor father Emmanuel, Antonis bequeathed to Greece his collections and parental home, which opened in April 1931 as the Benaki Museum. After a comprehensive refurbishment, the building reopened on 7 June 2000 as the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture while the remaining diverse collections have since been housed in new buildings (see Benaki Museum of Islamic Art).
I have walked by this museum many times on my visits to Athens. It is close to the city center and Syntagma square and the Kolonaki area. I was totally amazed by the collection - it is well displayed and takes you on a historical tour of a collection of artifacts and art - best to start at the main floor and just follow the numbers for each rooms and this gives a great view or the development of the Athens and Greek region from ancient to more modern times. It was most fascinating and would definitely recommend this if you are there - it provides much more about the area then just the Parthenon. You can spend as much or as little time - but I would say a minimum of about 1 - 1.5 hours.
4.5 based on 968 reviews
We visited this museum in July (still catching up on reviews) and thought it excellent. There is a wealth of artefacts to see - we took about 115 photos in just under two hours. Artefacts include icons, mosaics, pottery, glass, jewellery and sacrophagi. The museum is beautifully laid out, with the permanent exhibition arranged around five themes: (1) From the ancient world to Byzantium; (2) The Byzantine world; (3) Intellectual and artistic activity in the 15th century; (4) From Byzantium to the modern era; and (5) Byzantium and modern art. The museum is closed on Tuesdays from November to March. Photography without flash is permitted.
4.5 based on 1,254 reviews
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Greek: Μνημείο του Αγνώστου Στρατιώτη, romanized: Mnimío tou Agnóstou Stratióti) is a war memorial located in Syntagma Square in Athens, in front of the Old Royal Palace. It is a cenotaph dedicated to the Greek soldiers killed during war. It was sculpted between 1930 and 1932 by sculptor Fokion Rok. The decision to build a monument was taken by army general and “constitutional dictator” Theodoros Pangalos. In his capacity as Army Minister, an advertisement was placed in the Espera newspaper, requesting a "submission for a study of the construction of a tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in front of the Old Royal Palace, suitable for this purpose". On 9 October 1926, the Army Ministry approved and granted by majority the study made by architect Emmanuel Lazaridis. The location of the monument at the Old Palace was suggested both by the architect himself and by Pangalos, who wish for the Army Ministry to be housed in the building. However in 1929, after fervent reaction and continuous meetings, Eleftherios Venizelos, setting aside his disagreements with Pangalos, decided that the best location would be the original one in Syntagma Square, reasoning that the Monument ought to be in the city centre, much like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The construction committee had given all responsibility for the construction to Lazaridis. Initially, he had worked with sculptor Thomas Thomopoulos who had proposed as a central sculpture a representation of the Gigantomachy with an angel (representing Greece) lovingly receiving the dead soldier. Despite Lazaridis initially agreeing to this design, Thomopoulos's sculpture was never built due to lack of funds. In 1930, Lazaridis instead assigned Fokion Rok as sculptor with a unanimous decision of the construction committee. The committee then approved a new proposal for the sculpture, a gunner lying on the ground. This design was deemed appropriate owing to its calmness and simplicity. For the construction, a large-scale excavation and levelling of terrain took place. The Tomb was unveiled on 25 March 1932 by then Prime Minister Andreas Michalakopoulos, with the participation of many foreign delegations, followed by a parade of the monument guard. At the same time, a torch was brought from the monastery of Agia Lavra to light the eternal flame in the centre of the cenotaph.
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