Top Ten Attractions
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The Acropolis
The most significant historical site in Athens; even jaded Athenians still catch their breath when they lift their eyes to ‘the sacred rock.’ The centrepiece is the Parthenon temple.
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The Agora
The heart of ancient Athens and now an important archaeological site. http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21101a/e211aa03....
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The Plaka
One of the oldest parts of modern Athens – a labyrinth of stone-paved narrow streets and alleyways. This is the best area to shop for souvenirs and traditional Greek jewellery.
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National Archaeological Museum
One of the top ten museums in the world, with an unrivalled collection of Cycladic, Minoan, Mycenaean and Classical Greek art.
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The National Garden
A peaceful, green refuge in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city – once the palace garden of the royal family.
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Changing of The Guard
In front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square.
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Lykavittos Hill
The highest point in Athens, offering a superb view over the entire city. http://www.rollins.edu/Foreign_Lang/Greek/lykav...
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Monastiraki Flea Market
Every Sunday in the area around Monastiraki Square. Get there early! http://www.athensguide.com/monastiraki.html
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Daphni Monastery
First built in the 5th century AD on the site of an ancient temple dedicated to Apollo. The 11th century mosaics are among the best in Greece. http://www.culture.gr/2/21/212/21201a/e212aa03....
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Olympic Stadiums
The Panathenaic stadium hosted the first Olympic Games of the modern era in 1896; the new stadium, at Maroussi, was the venue for much of the 2004 Games.
Eating and Drinking
Greeks spend a lot of time socialising outside their homes and eating together is one of the chief ways of doing it. The balmy summer evenings are ideal for a meal outside in a leafy garden. If you want to dine with the locals, make your reservation for late evening – Greeks hardly ever go out for dinner before 10pm. Recent years have seen a great improvement in all things gastronomic, with Athenians venturing away from the trusted traditional taverna fare. The overall boom in the restaurant industry has brought a multitude of new trends with it, including classic foreign cuisines such as French and Italian as well as more exotic multi-ethnic alternatives. More and more chefs are now going abroad to train and then returning to Greece to put their newly-found creative expertise to good use. Three Athens restaurants, Spondi, Vardis and Varoulko have all been awarded a Michelin star for their high standards. But eating at a traditional taverna or mezedopolion is still a must-do.
Tavernas are friendly, cheap and informal. Many have no written menus and even when they do you’ll find that there’s plenty of discrepancy between what’s on the menu and what’s in the kitchen. Usually the waiter will just reel off what’s cooking today. Mezedopolia serve mezes – lots of small dishes rather than large main courses, meant as much as an accompaniment to wine, ouzo and gossip as sustenance. Both of these establishments serve the deeply flavourful dishes based on the precepts that have governed Greek cooking for centuries: fresh, seasonal ingredients, lots of virgin olive oil, local cheeses and a few fragrant herbs and spices.
One of the most famous and popular Greek foods is souvlaki. It’s usually beef, lamb or pork meat that’s served on pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and French fries. You could say it’s to Greece what the burger is to the US. There are a lot of good souvlaki shops in Athens with a choice of eating-in or taking away. Accompanying the souvlaki will be tzatziki, a yogurt sauce with cucumber and a lot of garlic.
Among the traditional Greek drinks are retsina, a distinctively-flavoured wine treated with pine-tree resin; ouzo, an aniseed-flavoured liqueur, and Metaxa. This is a Greek spirit that has the appearance of brandy but is, we’re reliably informed, ‘produced from Savatiano, Sultanina and Black Corinth, twice distilled, married with aged Muscat wine from Samos and Lemnos, blended with a secret botanical mix and then aged in hand-made oak casks.’ Prepare for a mean hangover.
Shopping
Close to the new Olympic Stadium in the Maroussi suburb is The Mall. Spread over four levels, it has about 200 shops, 25 restaurants and 15 movie theatres. If you want to buy just a few gifts for friends and family or a souvenir for yourself, Plaka and Monastiraki are the places to go. You’ll find a lot of shops that sell the same things and you can compare prices. Don’t forget to bargain. Typical Greek gifts include hand-woven rugs, copper coffee pots, virgin olive oil and honey. The busiest shopping street is the pedestrian-only Ermou, off Syntagma Square, where you can pick up clothing and accessories as well as souvenirs. The most up-scale district is nearby Kolonaki, where designer boutiques rub shoulders with coffee houses and chic restaurants. There’s a long tradition of gold and silver craftsmanship in Athens and jewellery here can be of a particularly high quality. The jewellers are concentrated in the Kolonaki area. A new big department store called Attica opened in 2004 at the beginning of Panepistimiou Street. It sells gifts, perfumes, cosmetics, men’s and women’s fashion, jewellery, travel accessories etc. There’s also a restaurant on the top floor. At the Monastiraki flea market on Sundays (0800-1400), the goods range from carefully restored antique furniture to rather dubious looking bric-a-brac. Kentriki Agora is the central market, housed in a huge 19th century metal structure near Omonia Square. It’s open from early morning to early evening selling fresh fish, meat and other fresh produce. Smaller markets radiate out from the central building.
Greek shops tend to have rather complicated business hours but in general they open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 0830-1700 and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 0830-1400 and 1730-2030.
Night Life
Athens has a lively nightlife scene that takes place in the streets as well as in the hundreds of bars, tavernas and clubs throughout the city. Bars open until around 0400 and nightclubs until 0400 or 0600. The legal drinking age in bars and clubs is 18. Prices vary although you can expect to pay around 6 Euros for a beer or 8 Euros for a whisky. Admission prices vary considerably from place to place, often increasing at the weekend. Greeks tend to dress informally but stylishly for a night out. Winter is the best time to enjoy the full range of after-dark entertainment, as many establishments move to the coast during the summer. For an authentic Athenian evening, find a bar or club offering bouzouki or rembétika music. Alternatively, numerous nightclubs and bars cater for international tastes. These are to be found mainly in the Syntagma, Thissio, Psirri and Kolonáki areas of central Athens. As with shopping, Kolonáki is the place to mix with the Athenian elite. The most ‘happening’ area of town is Psirri, with its once down-at-heel workshops now being renovated to create trendy bars and restaurants. An hour’s drive west of Athens lies Loutraki Casino, a glittering modern establishment that claims to be one of the largest casinos in Europe. You’ll need evening dress and your passport.
Athens is the centre of gay life in Greece and is a magnet for gay and lesbian people from all over the country. Gay bars in Athens tend to be more authentically Greek than those in, say, the Greek islands.
