Nearby attractions
The Acropolis 25.0 km/15.5 miles
What would a visit to Athens be without going to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon? The Acropolis is the one historical site you can't miss.The greatest and finest sanctuary of ancient Athens, dedicated primarily to its patron, the goddess Athena, dominates the centre of the modern city from the rocky crag known as the Acropolis. The most celebrated myths of ancient Athens, its greatest religious festivals, earliest cults and several decisive events in the city's history are all connected to this sacred precinct. The monuments of the Acropolis stand in harmony with their natural setting.
Ancient Agora 25.0 km/15.5 miles
The Agora, the marketplace and civic center, was one of the most important parts of an ancient city of Athens. In addition to being a place where people gathered to buy and sell all kinds of commodities, it was also a place where people assembled to discuss all kinds of topics: business, politics, current events, or the nature of the universe and the divine. The Agora of Athens, where ancient Greek democracy first came to life, provides a wonderful opportunity to examine the commercial, political, religious, and cultural life of one of the great cities of the ancient world.
The earliest archaeological excavations in the Athenian Agora were conducted by the Greek Archaeological Society in the 19th century. Since 1931 and continuing to the present day, the excavations have been conducted by the American School of Classical Studies in Athens.
Museum of Cycladic Art 25.0 km/15.5 miles
The Museum of Cycladic Art is devoted to the study and promotion of ancient Greek art. It was founded in 1986 in order to house the collection of Cycladic and Ancient Greek art belonging to Nicholas and Dolly Goulandris. Starting in the early Sixties, and with a permit by the Greek State, the couple collected Greek antiquities, with special interest in the prehistoric art from the Cycladic islands. The Museum of Cycladic Art is devoted to the study and promotion of ancient Greek art. It was founded in 1986 in order to house the collection of Cycladic and Ancient Greek art belonging to Nicholas and Dolly Goulandris. Starting in the early Sixties, and with a permit by the Greek State, the couple collected Greek antiquities, with special interest in the prehistoric art from the Cycladic islands.
Glyfada 10.0 km/6.2 miles
Glyfada is a luxurious and expensive Athenian suburb, situated in the southern parts of the Athens Metropolitan Area. The City, which is home to many of Greece's millionaires, ministers and celebrities, stretches out from the foot of the Hymettus mountain and reaches out to embrace the Saronic Gulf. It is the largest of Athens' southern suburbs. This fashion-conscious suburb is known in Greece for its upmarket cafes, well-known restaurants, boutiques and cosmopolitan summer clubs; Glyfada has also been called "Knightsbridge-on-Sea", or "Hellenic Hamptons".
Vouliagmeni Lake 3.0 km/1.9 miles
Immediately to the south of town and very close to the sea, a rare geophysical formation is to be found that gave the suburb its modern name: Lake Vouliagmeni (Sunken Lake), a small fresh-water lake fed by underground currents seeping through the mass of Mount Hymettus. It was once a large cavern that collapsed following an earthquake, probably during the early Middle Ages. The outline of the collapsed cavern roof can be clearly discerned from a distance. The lake stands at a 40 cm elevation, and its water maintains a constant 24 degrees Celsius temperature year round. It continues deep inside the mountain in an underwater cave never fully explored, as its end seems impossible to trace even by employing sonar detection. Many underwater expeditions have been carried out in order to chart it, and a few amateur divers have drowned trying. Because of its constant and comfortable water temperature, the lake functions as a year-round spa.
Lycabetus Hill 25.0 km/15.5 miles
Lycabettus Hill is approximately 300 metres high and offers a view over the entire city. It is a favourite spot for Athenians and visitors to take a stroll. The summit can be reached via a circular road, pathways or the funicular. On the hill there are two churches: at the foot of the hill, inside a cave, is the small church of Aghios Isidoros, while on the top is the church of Aghios Georgios, dating from 1780.
Piraeus Port 25.0 km/15.5 miles
Piraeus has been the Port of Athens for more than 2500 years, feeding the capital city with ships filled with traders, goods, pilgrims, and now, tourists. f you arrive in Athens via water, your journey will take you through Piraeus. For most visitors, it's a dimly-perceived backdrop after a lovely cruise, or a quick stop while waiting for a hydrofoil or ferry. But Piraeus has charms of its own. The Academy Award-winning Melina Mercouri film "Never on Sunday" was shot in Piraeus. It is the site of the University of Piraeus which features studies in maritime history among other subjects.
The National Garden 25.0 km/15.5 miles
The National Garden (formerly the Royal Garden) (Greek: Εθνικός Κήπος) is a peaceful, green refuge of 15.5 hectares in the center of the Greek capital. It is located directly behind the Greek Parliament building (The Old Palace) and continues to the south to the area where the Zappeion is located, across from the Panathenaiko or Kalimarmaro Olympic Stadium of the 1896 Olympic Games. The Garden also encloses some ancient ruins, tambours and Corinthian capitals of columns, mosaics, and other features. On the south-east there are the busts of Capodistrias,the first governor of Greece and of the great Philhellene, Eynard, and on the south side of the celebrated Greek poets Dionysios Solomos , author of the Greek National Hymn, and Aristotelis Valaoritis.
The Plaka 25.0 km/15.5 miles
Pláka is the picturesque old historical neighbourhood of Athens, just under the Acropolis, incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. It is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists around the year. Museums in Plaka include the new Jewish Museum of Greece, the Greek Folk Art Museum and the Frissiras Museum. Adrianou Street is the oldest street in Athens still in use.
Syntagma & Constitution Square 25.0 km/15.5 miles.
The main square of Athens, located in front of the Greek Parliament Syntagma Square (Πλατεία Συντάγματος) (also called Constitution Square), is located in central Athens, Greece. The square is bordered by Georgiou Avenue to the north, Othonos Street to the south, Syntagma Avenue to the west and Amalias Avenue to the east. The center of the square, a grassy area planted with shade trees and dotted with the tables of one of Athen's many outdoor cafes, is a popular gathering place in the city center. Syntagma Square is also the frequent site of political demonstrations. The Greek Parliament is just across Amalias Avenue to the East, and is surrounded by the extensive National Gardens, which are open to the public.
Megaro Concert Hall 30.0 km/18.6 miles
The Athens Concert Hall is a concert hall located in Athens on Vassilissis Sofias Avenue which first opened in 1991 with two halls. The Hall has optimum facilities for opera performances, and some operas are presented every season.
Cape Sounio & Temple of Poseidon 35.0 km/21.8 miles
Cape Sounio has been recognized since prehistoric times as a special place of worship, and was an important sanctuary during the Greek Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. There are two sanctuaries present on the cape: the sanctuary of Poseidon and the sanctuary of Athena; two gods that were held in high esteem by the ancient Athenians. The ruins as we see them today are the result of the renovations that took place during the 5th century B.C., and replaced a succession of buildings that date back to the archaic period.
The location of cape Sounio at the tip of Attica rendered it as a location of strategic military importance, and thus it was fortified with a mighty wall and guarded constantly by a garrison which ensured that the shipping lanes to Athens remained open. It is also most likely the place that Aegeus plunged to his death after he glimpsed the dark sails of Theseus' ship approaching, thus naming the Aegean Sea after his legend.
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