What To See On A Short Stay In Athens (Other Than The Acropolis)

On your first time in Athens, you will probably want to prioritise seeing the Acropolis and related temples, but then what else should you include on your visit? Well, the list is endless, but here are some suggestions for a first time in Athens:

Check out Syntagma Square, the Greek Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Syntagma Square & Greek Parliament Building

Syntagma Square is a shady tree-lined square with a lovely central fountain which seemed to be at the heart of everything we wanted to see. It is a perfect meeting place, or jumping off spot for sightseeing in several directions, with a metro station for transport links around the city.

Standing on the top side of Syntagma Square is the Greek Parliament building. It was once a Royal Palace until the deposition of King Constantine in 1967 and, after the abolition of the monarchy, became the official residence of the President of Greece. It has been the scene of key political moments in Greece, most notably in recent memory, the anti-austerity protests in 2010.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 

The front wall of the Greek Parliament building houses the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a carved relief depicting a dying Greek warrior. The Greek National Guard, or Evzones, are on continuous patrol in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. You will be able to recognise them due to their striking uniforms comprising of a kilt, stockings, and clogs with ‘pompom’ decorations on the top – all rather hot for 33-degree heat (indeed, the officer in charge was mopping their moustaches with a cloth as it was so hot!).

Changing of the Guard

There is a Changing of the Guard ceremony every day, on the hour, in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and a bigger (more elaborate) ceremony on a Sunday morning at 11.00am. A small crowd gathered to watch the changing of the guard where upon a new set of guards marched into view from the barracks up the road, slowly stepping into place at the guard stations, and relieving the previous guards from duty. The manner of their stepping is very memorable – they lift their legs up to 90 degrees and stomp which is apparently to let the dead know that the Greek nation is still alive and free!

Walk through the National Gardens, Athens

The National Gardens, Athens,  behind the Parliament Building are the perfect place to hide from the sunshine if you are getting hot. You can also walk through the National Gardens from Syntagma Square to the Panathenaic Stadium which is about a 13-minute walk. It is a lovely oasis of calm and tranquillity in the middle of this busy city.

Explore the Monastiraki district

Explore the Monastiraki district by day

It only takes 10 minutes to walk from Syntagma Square to Monastiraki Square, along Ermou Street, the most famous shopping street in Athens. The street is 700 meters long and halfway down you will come across the Byzantine church ‘Panagia Kapnikarea’ (built in 1050), regarded as the most beautiful church in Athens. In fact, it is so special that when they were building the road, they built around the church, so the church now sits right in the middle of the road!

Monastiraki Square is the heart of the Monastiraki district and contains ‘all elements of Greek history in one place’, namely:

• a 10th century church attached to a sunken monastery which gives the area its name
• the Tzistarakis Mosque from the Ottoman Empire period (now a museum)
• signs of the Romans and the remains of Hadrian’s Library
• a very modernist square-block concrete art sculpture
• a view up to the buildings of the ever-present Acropolis of ancient Greece

The Monastiraki district area is lively and there is a flea market every Sunday. It is also next to the remains of the Ancient Roman Agora, although we didn’t get that far on this trip.

Explore the Monastiraki district by night on a Greek Street Food Tour

We booked an evening Street Food Tasting Tour through Get Your Guide which started at Syntagma Square at 6.30pm and wound its way through the nearby streets, stopping at various eateries along the way to learn about and sample a variety of Greek Street Food, including:

• Spanakopita – a savoury pie of filo pastry with a variety of fillings. We tried one with spinach, cheese and egg, and also a feta cheese version
• Peinirli or boat shaped pizza – these small pizzas shaped like a boat date back to 1922 when the Greeks who fled Turkey brought the recipe with them. We tried pizzas with toppings of tomato, cheese and olives, and then mushroom and truffle
• Souvlaki – chicken cooked on skewers, served with salad and fries in a flat bread (yum)
• Loukoumades, or balls made of doughnut mixture – traditionally covered in honey and cinnamon, or with a sauce, such as the delicious green pistachio sauce we tried. The doughnut balls were from Lukumades whose napkins carry the words “The original since 776 BC”. This a reference to the fact that such doughnut balls were given out as prizes at the original Olympic Games before medals were introduced

This was a fun way to explore the neighbourhoods of Psyrri and Monastiraki at night, which were buzzing. We were amazed how alive the centre of Athens felt at night – still hot from the daytime, thronging with people, and filled with endless bars and restaurants pumping with music. Many of the restaurants were attractively decorated with flowers or lanterns, so it all looked very Instagrammable.

Our tour was informative about the history of Athens as well as about Greek Street Food and was a great way to explore this busier area of town. The tour also took us down the alley called Little Kook to the Snow White café which must be seen to be believed. The whole alley and café were decorated with neon signs depicting Snow White characters and references, and the staff were in Snow White related costumes.

Little Kook was also the site of the most amazing Christmas bauble shop I have ever seen, however sadly no photos were allowed in the shop. But ‘Mr and Mrs Greek Santa Claus’ were purchased and brought home safely to decorate our next tree.

Note – when we were on the evening tour in the busy areas around Monastiraki Square, our guide kept telling us to watch our bags and pockets for thefts. Just good to know…

Discover the Romans who came to Athens

Arch of Hadrian and the Temple of Olympian Zeus

Arch of Hadrian

Just a 5-minute walk from the Acropolis Museum takes you to the Arch of Hadrian which was built in 131-132 AD to celebrate the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s arrival in the city and to mark the boundary between the Ancient city and the new Athens of Hadrian.

The Arch of Hadrian itself is photo worthy but also offers a great view through the Arch towards the Acropolis. The Arch of Hadrian is free to visit and stands next to the main road.

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Next to the Arch of Hadrian are the remains of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The Roman Emperor Hadrian dedicated this temple to Zeus Olympios during the Panathenaic festival of 123 CE. The temple was gigantic, the largest in Greece and even bigger than the Parthenon. Each Corinthian column was 17 meters high, although only 15 of the original 104 columns remain today.

Despite being largely under scaffolding when we visited, you can still get an indication of how colossal this temple was. Sad that it took 638 years to build, and less than 100 years to be destroyed when it was ransacked by Hercules. It doesn’t take long to walk around the ruins. You only need to allow about half an hour for the visit and it only costs a few euros to enter.

The Panathenaic (or Olympic) Stadium

Walking 10 minutes further along the road from the Temple of Olympic Zeus leads you to the Panathenaic Stadium. The current stadium sits on the site of the original stadium first constructed for gladiatorial contests during Hadrian’s reign (117-138 AD). It was rebuilt in white marble in 144 CE and hosted the first modern Olympic Games on 5 April 1896.

The stadium is enormous at 204 meters long and 83 meters wide and can hold up to 60,000 people. I recommend getting the 30-minute audio guide when you enter so that you can listen to the history as you explore. There is also a small museum hidden up the tunnel towards the back of the stadium. It was lovely to rest on the marble seats and try to imagine the scenes unfolding on the track. There are good photo opportunities in front of the Olympic Rings at the back of the stadium, and also on the winners podiums at the front of the track.

Note – Check the website before you visit to make sure it is fully open as sometimes the track is closed off for events (the Olympic flame had recently been brought back here from Paris when we visited).

Explore Lycabettus Hill for absolutely spectacular views

Use the funicular or walk up Lycabettus Hill?

Depending on where your hotel is situated, walk through the affluent neighbourhood of Kolokani, or take a taxi to the funicular station (Teleferik) which ascends Lycabettus Hill, the highest point in the centre of Athens (227 meters). The funicular only takes a couple of minutes to ascend inside the hill, as opposed to a hot 45-minute walk up the hill on footpaths which curve around the hill to the top. The funicular runs from 9.00am until the early hours of the morning each day.

Church of Agios Georgios (Church of St George)

When you exit the funicular at the top of Lycabettus Hill, you will find the pretty Church of Agios Georgios (St George) with a small terrace in front of it where locals and tourists alike congregate to watch the sunsetting over Athens. You can see all the way across the sprawl of white buildings to the blue Aegean Sea which is very pretty and will no doubt be twinkling in the sunlight. There is a casual food outlet at the funicular station if you don’t want a formal meal.

Food with a view at Restaurant Orizontes

However, if you want a meal with a view then Restaurant Orizontes is the perfect option – it must have the best view in town! Restaurant Orizontes has an indoor room but weather allowing, you really want to sit on its sun-soaked terrace filled with white-clothed tables and the city of Athens spread out below you. It is very popular, so book as early as possible to secure a table on the terrace. We enjoyed delicious food serenaded by a chorus of cicadas and watched the sun go down which was special.

Enjoy a concert at the Lycabettus Theatre

Check to see if there are any music concerts taking place at the Lycabettus Theatre which is a 5-minute stroll down the hill from Restaurant Orizontes. We saw James, one of our favourite bands from the UK, playing there as part of the summer series concerts and it made for a truly memorable evening – sitting in the amphitheatre (man-made, not stone), under the stars in the warm evening heat but with a cool breeze blowing through every now and again.

After the concert everyone either jumped on their mopeds to whiz back down the hill or slowly walked back down the hill on the footpaths, everyone still humming the tunes as they went. It was all very orderly and chilled out and made for a very special treat on our Wedding Anniversary!

Reflections on our first time in Athens

We both really enjoyed our time in Athens and are keen to come back for more exploration before too long. We found the people to be friendly, prices to be reasonable and we have barely scratched the surface of the ancient history and artefacts on offer here. And those pistachio covered doughballs are calling….

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