Top places to visit

The Parthenon is the most important religious shrine on the Acropolis. You will be astounded by the size of this Doric temple, which once housed the giant statue of Athena. Its 46 columns are masterfully designed to negotiate the natural landscape. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to enter the building, both for preservation purposes and to allow restoration projects under way to continue uninterrupted.

National Gardens

This is the most well-known historical site in Athens, and maybe of the Western World. Pericles is the famous Greek responsible for the transformation of the Acropolis into a city of temples during the fifth century BCE. A stop here on your trip to Athens is a must, and the collection of temples and historical sites you will find here will surely not disappoint. As you enter, you will walk through the Propylaea, the grand entrance of the Acropolis. Just south of this magnificent structure is the Temple of Athena Victory, which was built to commemorate the Greek victory against the Persians.

Built around 160 A.D. this is a magnificent theatre. Tourists can get tickets to watch ballet performances, theatrical performances and comedies staged here.

This theatre was built in the fifth century BCE and to accommodate the dramatists of the time. Famous plays such as Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles were performed here, among others by Greece’s most famous poets (including Aeschylus, Aristophanes and Euripides). The audience was seated on two types of seats depending on their rank, with the more privileged citizenry sitting in sections made of Pentelic marble and those of lesser rank in sections made of limestone. The most extravagant and ornate of these was reserved for the Priest of Dionysos. The theater is considered by many to be the most ancient theater in the world.

This is a fantastic museum showcasing intricate jewelry designs through the Cycladic, Byzantine and other eras of Greek history. Over 3000 jewelry pieces are on display and visitors can also place orders to have identical pieces made by the Museum workshop personnel. The most interesting are those jewels in the form of insects.

This is a world famous museum and a storehouse of significant archeological finds from different locations within Greece. A number of collections are worth seeing and give a deep understanding of Greek history. The Mycenaean Antiquities collection is stunning and the most famous piece within it is the supposed mask of Agamemnon and excavated royal tombs along with intricately carved miniatures. The Thira collection consists of beautiful Minoan Frescoes. The Neolithic collection consists of jewelry, pottery and other objects unearthed at Troy. In addition to these the Museum houses much more such as marble and bronze statues of Greek gods such as Zeus, Poseidon, and Aphrodite etc.

This is an extremely interesting museum that will transport the visitors back into time. The highlights are inscriptions in marble stone dating as far back as 480 B.C pertaining to laws regarding worship in the Acropolis, inscriptions regarding homicide and orders instructing Athenians to flee the city and escape invasion by the Persians. One of the most interesting artifacts is a voting box dating back to 100 B.C.

This consists of a private collection of thousands of pieces of art dating back to the Neolithic era. Treasures stored here range from gold goblets to intricate textiles, to bronze statues to entire rooms from Greek mansions in the 1700s. A new section of the Museum is the Benaki collection of Islamic Art.

This too is a private collection consisting of art dating from the Cycladic Era to the Roman times. The emphasis is on the time period of 3000B.C to 2000 B.C. There are over 200 exhibits ranging from marble statues to marble figurines to pottery.

This museum exhibits art pieces from Greece under Byzantine rule. Interesting icons, tapestries, frescoes and mosaics are displayed here. The most unique feature is the remnants of Aristotle's famous institution the Lyceum, on display here.

This mountain provides the most stunning view of Athens. A cable car railway takes tourists to the summit.

The Agora is the most renowned of Athens sites. It dates back to 6 th century B.C. It was the political, administrative, economic and social center of ancient Greece. It is famed as the market place where Socrates asked passers-by philosophical questions and conducted many dialogues penned down by his student Plato. It is also well-known as being the area where Socrates was made to drink hemlock for corrupting the Athenian youth. Hundreds of years later, this was also the spot where St. Paul preached Christianity in hopes of converting the people of Athens.

Built before 130 A.D by the famed Roman emperor when Athens was under Roman rule, this is a splendid architectural site. Of the 100 columns of marble that supported this structure, only eight now remain.

This is a wonderful museum which displays and exhibits Greek dress across the centuries and across various Greek regions, in addition to frescoes, rugs, blankets, embroidered linen, puppets and pottery. Frescoes and murals made by the artist Hatzimichail are also showcased here. These are especially interesting since Greek gods and goddesses and other famous Greek personalities are painted onto these. Much of the pieces on display are from the 18 th and 19 th centuries.

Bathhouses were built throughout Athens under Ottoman rule. This is the only surviving bathhouse that remains. It has been converted to a museum. It is spacious and gleaming with marble floors and basins. Visitors will get the feel of life of Athenians under Ottoman rule.

For 500 years from 100 BC to 400 AD this was the commercial heart of Athens. The market place buzzed with the sale of salt, oil and wheat along with a number of other merchants selling their products. Its most outstanding feature is the Gate of Athena, Archegetis, funded by Julius Caesar and Augustus as the inscription says. The Tower of the Winds located here is well preserved. This tower functioned as a sundial measuring the direction of the winds. The Victory Mosque built in the 1400s to commemorate the conquest of Athens by the Turks is also located here.

This museum is located in two neoclassical mansions. This museum exhibits contemporary European Art. Almost all of the paintings have as their focus, the human body. Over 3000 paintings by Greek and other artists are exhibited here.

This is popularly known as 'The Virgin who answers prayers quickly'. This chapel was built in the 1100s and stored inside is a painting of the Virgin Mary dating to the 12-1300s. The outer walls are etched with animal figures and other mythical characters from the Classical to the Byzantine period. It is an interesting religious site for tourists to visit.

This temple is the largest in Greece and was once referred to as the 'Mother of all temples'. Construction began in the 6 th century B.C. and was completed in 131 A.D, about 700 years later by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Zeus’ statue made of gold and ivory is located here. The temple is about 56 feet high and its columns are made of Pentelic marble.

This was built in 1838 and its original purpose was to stand as the Royal Palace, home to the monarch. The most unique feature of this building is the change in its color throughout the day; from white to gold to mauve. Don't miss the changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which takes place daily.

This museum was home to famed archaeologist Schliemann whose excavation of Troy made him a well known figure around the world. On display are over 50,000 Greek coins made of bronze, silver and gold. These are intricate pieces of art and worth looking at.

This sanctuary is connected with Greek mythology. It was built to commemorate Demeter's daughter Persephone being abducted by the god of the underworld, Hades. The temple of Demeter [Telesterion] is located here along with the temple of Artemis and the triumphal Arches built in honor of the Greek goddesses. Tourists get a good sense of Greek mythology and its protagonists and antagonists.

The temple of Poseidon is also not to be missed. Originally the temple consisted of 34 columns. Today 15 of these original columns are still standing. In ancient times, the temple of Poseidon, the god of the sea, was a relief when viewed by sailors who were now assured that their voyage was about to conclude and that they were soon to arrive on land. The Aegean Sea is beautiful to look out on. It takes its name after Aegeus the King who drowned himself falsely believing his son Theseus had died at Crete.