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Key Attractions
The highly regarded Ethnikó Archaiologikó Mouseio (National Archaeological Museum), at Patission 44, has been omitted from this list as it will be closed for renovation work throughout 2003.
Akrópoli
The Acropolis (upper city) dominates both the city’s skyline and any tourist’s itinerary. The name refers to the rocky outcrop that formed the site of the original settlement in Athens. Foundations for a temple dedicated to Athena were laid in 490BC, however, work did not begin in earnest until the Golden Age of Pericles (461-429BC). The Acropolis site includes the Acropolis Museum and four sacred buildings, all from the fifth century BC. The steep ascent to the summit leads to the Propylaea, a monumental gateway in the Ionic and Doric styles, which serves as the entrance to the site. The Temple of Athena Nike is to the left of the Propylaea – the original was destroyed by Turkish forces in the 17th century but has been beautifully restored. The Parthenon is the largest building on the Acropolis and an icon of Western civilisation. Built entirely from marble that glows gold at sunset, the Parthenon was intended as a sanctuary for Athena and housed a statue (no longer in existence) of the goddess. Despite the tourists, the perfect harmony of the structure is still awe-inspiring.
Various British individuals, including Lord Elgin, seized many of the Parthenon’s greatest sculptures in the 19th century and sold them to the British Museum. The controversy over whether the Elgin Marbles will return to Greece for the 2004 Olympics is ongoing. Nevertheless, the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis Study Centre contain many sculptures and artefacts originally found within its walls. The Erechtheion Temple is a dual shrine to Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus and was built on the site of the mythical battle between the two deities. The south side features a series of six support columns designed as maidens or caryatids. Due to severe environmental damage, the caryatids have been replaced by models. Many of the treasures from the Acropolis can be found in the Acropolis Museum, in the southeast corner of the complex. Nine rooms house objects from the four buildings, including five original caryatids.
Acropolis Hill, centre of Athens
Tel: 210 321 0219 (Acropolis) or 323 6665 (museum). Fax: 210 321 4172 (Acropolis and museum).
Transport: Acropolis or Monastiráki metro.
Opening hours: Daily 0800-1900 (summer); Mon-Fri 0800-1630, Sat and Sun 0800-1430 (winter).
Admission: €12 (all inclusive).
Agorá
Although the site is now a jumble of monuments and ruins from different periods, in Athens’ heyday, the Agorá (market) was the focus of city life, serving not only as a place of trade but also as the city’s political, administrative and cultural heart. Law courts, temples and public offices were all based in this area, where ordinary Athenians, stall holders and merchants mingled with officials, politicians and philosophers. The site is dominated by the Hephaisteion (Temple of Haephaistos), from the fifth century BC, one of the best-preserved ancient temples in Greece. Its name comes from the god of fire and metalwork – this area of the city was originally the blacksmiths quarter – but it is also known as the Thiseío (Theseion), because its friezes depict images of Theseus from Greek mythology. The Ágioi Apóstoloi (Church of the Holy Apostles) dates from the second century AD and was restored in the 1950s. Interior features include post-Byzantine frescoes and early wall paintings.
Other attractions around the Agorá include the statues of the ten eponymous heroes, Poikile Stoa and the Basileios Stoa. The fascinating Museo tis Agoras (Museum of Agorá) contains an eccentric array of everyday artefacts found in the area. It is housed in the Stoa Attalou (Stoa of Attalos). This two-storey structure from the second century BC was restored by the American School of Archaeology and is thought to have been an early shopping arcade containing 42 separate shops.
Adrianou 24
Tel/fax: 210 321 0185.
Transport: Thissio or Monastiráki metro.
Opening hours: Daily 0800-1900.
Admission: €4 (all inclusive).
Vizantino Mouseio (Byzantine Museum)
Housed in a delightful neo-classical building, this museum traces the course of Byzantine art through the centuries. Besides boasting one of the richest collections of icons in the world, the museum exhibits mosaics, sculptural works and jewellery from the area that is now Greece, as well as from other regions of the former Byzantine Empire. Also of interest are three reconstructions of period churches – early Christian, Byzantine and post-Byzantine.
Vassilissis Sofias 22
Tel: 210 723 1570.
Transport: Evangelismos metro.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0830-1500.
Admission: €4.
Mouseío Ellinikis Laikis Technis (Museum of Greek Folk Art)
Lying on the edge of Pláka, this museum displays a vast and colourful collection of folk art that dates from 1650 onwards. Works are divided into specific sections devoted to costumes, embroidery, weaving, gold and silver jewellery, woodwork, weaponry, Greek shadow theatre and hand-painted ceramics – the highlights are the traditional costumes, set off against suggestive reconstructions of houses relating to their specific regions. Another highlight is the Theofilis Room, the reconstruction of a house on the island of Lesvos, which was frescoed by Theofilis Hadjimichael (1868-1934), a self-taught artist who took his inspiration from both Greek mythology and the socio-political situation of his country at that time.
Kidathineon 17
Tel: 210 321 3018.
Transport: Monastiráki metro.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1400.
Admission: €2.
Mouseío Ellinikón Mousikon Orgánon (Museum of Greek Musical Instruments)
Housed in a renovated 19th-century mansion in the heart of Pláka, the Mouseío Ellinikón Mousikon Orgánon displays a collection accumulated by the musicologist, Fivos Anoyanakis. This museum is great fun – each display case is accompanied by a headset, so that visitors can listen to the sound of the instruments. Films in the entrance feature their construction and performance. Information is provided in English.
Diogenous 1-3
Tel: 210 325 0198.
Transport: Monastiráki metro.
Opening hours: Tues and Thurs-Sun 1000-1400, Wed 1200-1800.
Admission: Free.
Mouseío Kykladikís kai Archaías Ellinikís Téchnis (Museum of Cycladic and Ancient Greek Art)
The museum houses the private collection of Nikolas P Goulandris. Beautiful exhibits from the Cycladic civilisation (3000-2000BC) form the focus of the collection but other artefacts cover the pre-Minoan Bronze Age and the post-Mycenaen age up to 700BC. The museum makes good use of multimedia information and is less daunting than the National Archaeological Museum.
Neofítou Dhouká 4
Tel: 210 722 8321 or 724 9706 (museum shop).
Website: www.cycladic-m.gr
Transport: Bus 234.
Opening hours: Mon and Wed-Fri 1000-1600, Sat 1000-1500.
Admission: €3.50 (concessions available).
Panathinaiko Stádio (Panathenaic Stadium)
The elegant three-sided stone stadium was built in 1896, for the first of the modern-day Olympic Games. The design by Ernst Ziller was based on the plan of a fourth-century BC stadium that originally stood on the site. The Stádio is the finishing point for the Athens marathon in October and should not to be confused with the modern Olympic Stadium that was built in the north of the city in 1982.
Leoforos Ardhittou
Transport: Bus 2, 4, 11 or 12.
Opening hours: Daily dawn-dusk.
Admission: Free.
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General
