Be a local for a day in Athens
- Maya del Aire
- Dec 7, 2018
- 10 min read
Updated: Jan 20, 2019
This one day Athens itinerary will help you explore favorite and secret spots of Athens. By reading this itinerary, you will get information about how to make the most of it by being smart spender. You will explore hidden gems of Athens, such as Anafiotika, maybe decide to spend an evening with an open air cinema or watching a performance in the one of the oldest open air theaters in Greece, and much more. The itinerary includes all relevant information that you need to have a smooth vacation, so just get ready and follow my lead.
Map link: <iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1i6ILYlT9ffMXCpNqT8olF6vxZ1BDRYQW" width="640" height="480"></iframe>
Syntagma square and ceremonial change of guards
10:00-10:30
About
Syntagma is very special place as over there you can witness changing of guards which includes best selected soldiers of the Presidential Guard. These soldiers also known as Tsoliades, are there to guard the monument of the Unknown Soldier, which represents the memory of solders that were killed during the war. These soldiers are selected by their high skill, and it represents an honor to be chosen to join them. Every hour, they will change guards, and that is done in a ceremonial nature. For 60 minutes, they have to be absolutely motionless, and on an every hour in slow simultaneous steps, they will perfectly coordinate their moves in pairs.
How to get there
Syntagma square is pretty easy to reach. There is a metro station just in front of it, and it is called "Syntagma" meaning Constitution in Modern Greek. It is located in front of the 19th century Parliament building, and behind the National Garden. This place is a common place for demonstrations in Greece, so if you are there you might be part of making their history. However, I would not recommend you to participate, as sometimes it might become unsafe.
Tips and tricks***
Every Sunday, at 11 am, the change of guards happens with official costumes which consist of white shirt, Greek kilt made of 30 meters of white cloth, and each shoe that weight 3 kg, which represents the 400 years of Ottoman occupation over Greek population.
Opening hours: 24/7
Admission: Free
The Hadrian’s Arch and The temple of Olympian Zeus
10:40-11:00 700 m, 9 min walk from Syntagma square
About
Just 700m away from Syntagma walking down the Amalia’s Avenue, you will be mesmerized by the monument erected in 132 A.D., to the honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, and the benefactor of the Athens city. The Hadrian’s Arch was built to divide the old ancient city of Athens, with the new Hadrian’s city, and his arrival who came to replace the Theseus. This is why the inscription facing Acropolis says "This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus,” while the other side says "This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus.” The monument can be accessed freely, it does not require any entry fee as it stands alone on the avenue.
Just next to it, The temple of Olympian Zeus rises in the clouds, enclosed with metal fence. The temple was made from white marble of Mount Pentelicus, and its construction lasted few centuries. It was completed by Hadrian in 131 A.D., even though it began earlier in 515 B.C. by Peisistratos. The monument was originally built with 104 Corinthian columns; unfortunately, today you may only see 15 of them.
How to explore
The Hadrian’s Arch stands free facing the Amalia’s square it can be accessed easily at any point of time for free. The Temple of Zeus may be seen through the fence, without entering the actual place and paying the fee, which I would recommend.
Hadrian’s Arch Admission: Free
Opening hours: 24/7
Temple of Zeus Admission: €6
Opening hours: Winter daily 08:30-15:00, Summer daily: 08:00-19:30
https://www.introducingathens.com/temple-of-olympian-zeus
Dionissiou Aeropagitou Street, walk through the history
11:00-12:30 1.7 km, 21 m walk from Hadrian’s Arch.
About
This wide promenade that surrounds Acropolis Park, will give you the chance to see Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Parthenon and many more monuments from the outside. The walkway starts with restaurants and cafes filled with Greek flavors and ends with Thission, charming neighborhood with a lot of cultural meeting points. You will basically need only 20 min to walk this path but since there will be more than one landmark to checkout and a coffee to taste, I would recommend that this part of your itinerary takes up to one and half hour.
How to explore
From Hadrian's Arch, cross the street passing next to the Melina Merkouri monument, the famous Greek actress, and turn right into Dionissiou Aeropagitou Street. At the beginning of the street, you will pass myriad of restaurants and you will continue your walk up to the Tourist office, in case you need any more info. A bit further down on your left, you will spot the Akropolis Museum and just a little bit after you pass the entrance for the Acropolis Park on your right, you will see the beautiful Odeon of Herodous Atticus, open air theater built around 161 A.D. Note that during summer, there are lots of festivals that include performances in the same Odeon of Herodous Atticus. The experience of performance in the theater will take you to ancient times, where you will be seated on white steps, surrounded with more than 5000 spectators. This breathtaking and imposing construction stands still with no covered roof. This theater is not open for public unless it hosts performances; this is why I highly recommend you to go for the actual performance that might start with very affordable ticket price starting from €20.
Tips and tricks***
The performances are usually part of the art festivals that happen during summer usually and the theater itself doesn’t have a website. You may search for performances through websites mentioned bellow, and sometimes you might encounter only Greek titles, in that case, you may contact me to help you with booking your ticket.
Walk further while enjoying beautiful nature on your left, and the view of Parthenon on your right, until you reach Thision Open air cinema. Check out the program as this also may be one of the special moments you might experience in Athens. This cinema operates since 1935 and it streams movies on an open air, in the original language with Greek subtitles. You may also enjoy a snack or a beverage with it.
Working hours: Monday –Wednesday €6, Thursday- Sunday €8
Tickets can be purchased at the cashier only.
More about it http://cine-thisio.gr/
#openaircinema #athenscinema #athensentertainment #onedayinathens #travelathens #thisionopenaircinema #athensitinerary
Tips and tricks***
Athens has a lot of open air cinemas, if you don’t like the Thision you can always choose some other location.Check the link bellow for other options
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/greece/captivating-holidays/outdoor-cinemas-in-athens/
Optional
National Observatory, see the Jupiter and its moons for only €5
If you are fan of astronomy, the National Observatory will be the perfect place for you to visit. This elegant historic building has rich history and it gives informational tours in English. The goal of the Center is twofold: to inform the general public on a wide number of Astronomy related topics and at the same time to present the nearly two century long history of Greek Astronomy and NOA (National Observatory of Athens, a history which has been shaped by the major transitional periods in the evolution of the modern Greek state.[i] If you are lucky, you might be able to see Jupiter and its moons for only €5. It is important to contact them prior to your visit, so they can give you the tour timings.
Opening hours: 09:00-02:00
Admission fee: €5
Address: Athens 118 51, Greece
Don’t forget to contact them prior to your visit.
#athenstour #athenstravel #athensnoa #travelgreece #travelathens #traveltipsathens #onedayinathens #athensitinerary
From the cinema, downhill stroll to Thission which is a little neighborhood flourished with cafes and restaurants. Thission’s name was derived from the Temple of Hephaestus which was mistakenly known as Thiseion in reference to Theseus, the mythical king of Athens, which gave rise to the neighborhood being named Thiseio[ii]. Greek people love coffee and this is why over here you would be able to taste many different types and flavors of their coffee, starting with the original Greek frappe. You will also spot many jewelry and souvenir stalls, and also some spontaneous open air concert by local students or different type of street bands.
Roman Agora, walk the path where philosophers discussed life
12:30- 13:00 700 m, 8 min walk from Thissio metro station
About
Roman agora, the Roman market, was the place where public life of Athens was situated in ancient times. This was a place for men of business, the hairdressers, artists and artisans, but also politicians, orators, philosophers, who walked and discussed on all issues of life and questions of the day. It was made out of Pentelic marble, and was constructed in 11 B.C. with the donations of Julius Caesar and Augustus. Today this place has only bits and pieces of what once was the Roman agora, gate of Athena Archegetis, East Propylon, Agoranomion, Fethiye mosque and public latrines. What is preserved today it might not seem as much, but is certainly is a history that you may live just by walking pass next to it. The whole place may be seen through the fence, but also for a small fee, you may enter the market and enjoy the walk through it.
Opening hours: From the 1st September 2018, due to the gradual change of the day’s duration, the opening hours are modified as following: 1st till 15th September 08:00-19:30, 16th till 30th September 08:00-19:00, 1st till 15th October 08:00-18:30, 16th till 31st October 08:00-18:00
Admission fee: €6
Tips and tricks***
You may purchase your ticket online, as a combo with a ticket to Acropolis, which I would suggest, rather than paying a fee just for the site which can be seen from outside as well. The landmark is open to the public for free on certain dates of the year, check out the link bellow for more info.
More info etickets.tap.gr
http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh355.jsp?obj_id=2402
Lunch at Plaka Stairs
13:00-14:00 From Roman agora, via Lisiou street reach the bottom of the Plaka stairs and, rest in Yiasemi
About
Entering the Roman agora, you are entering an area called Plaka, which is open only for pedestrians and it can be identified by beautiful colorful neoclassical mansions and houses with roofs from red tiles. Despite its very elegant look, Plaka has been a neighborhood for a working class, and you may see it in its origin in lots of Greek movies such as “Stella,” with a famous Greek actress Melina Merkouri. Special place in Plaka is the Plaka stairs, with many restaurants on it, which are actually old houses turned into restaurants. My usual choice for a rest, or lunch, recommended by locals is Yiasemi, but you may also choose any other restaurant around, as many of them have 4 Trip adviser stars.
Yiasemi opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 7am till late
More info: https://www.yiasemi.gr/
Sparkle of Cyclades islands in the middle of Athens,
Hidden gem of Athens, Anafiotika
14:00 -15:00
About
Located on the north-eastern side of Acropolis, Anafiotika is the small and quite unique neighborhood of 45 houses. It was built in 19th century, by group of builder from Anafi Island, which is one of those beautiful Cyclades islands, among Mykonos, Naxos, Paros etc. Once you are in Anafiotika, you will be able to enjoy smell of red flowers hanging from blue windows, narrow white paths and Bougainvillea trees which are characteristics of this little neighborhood. Since the area is still inhabited by people from Anafi Island, Anafiotika has remained to be quiet and authentic. Therefore, please be mindful of the locals living there, and respect them.
How to get there
This area is quite small, it might be hard to find, and Google is not as helpful in this situation. If you Google Anafiotika, it might not give you the exact location. Anafiotika consists just of few streets, which are located at the north-eastern rim of Acropolis Park. Therefore, I would advise you to follow my lead and in order to fully enjoy your visit to Anafiotika. If you won’t be able to use your data during the trip, save few landmarks from my guide, on the map that you can use offline.
Directions
Head up to the top of Plaka stairs and turn left into Prytaneiou street, and then into Stratonos street where you will find Ekklissia Agios Georgios Stratonos (Church of Saint George of the Rocks). This church is special because it is made from stones of Acropolis. From here, you will also be able to enjoy magnificent view of Lycabettus hill. You will spot stairs close to the church, and even if it seems like a dead street, this will actually be your route. Wend your way through twisted narrow streets which you can’t find on Google map, and don’t forget to say hello to the locals or lazy cats sunbathing, that you will definitely find on your way.
More about Plaka http://www.athensguide.org/athens-plaka.html
Distillery Brettos, the oldest distillery in the city
15:00-15:30 Distillery Brettos 250m, 4 minutes walk from Church of Saint George of the Rocks
About
Through Thespidos street, you will reach the distillery Brettos for your afternoon cocktail. This place is a must, even if you are not a fan of alcoholic beverages. This place is the oldest distillery in Athens, with its operation that started in 1909. His founder Mr. Michael Brettos, started producing ouzo, brandy and few flavors from the old time classic like cherry and peppermint to the most distinct ones like citrus, masticha, using old family recipes from Izmir, Turkey. This place operates as a small bar which can offer you 35 different flavors of liqueur that you can find only there, and vast variety of traditional Greek spirits, beers and wines. Wine tasting is also available. You may, purchase a whole bottle of their special liqueur if you are interested, for a very affordable price. The bar itself, is pretty attractive, its walls are filled with colorful bottles and on the right side you will see old barrels, which are still in use.
Opening hours: Daily 10:00-03:00
Address: Kidathineon 41, Athina 105 58, Greece
More info: https://brettosplaka.com/
Hand made and original souvenir shopping time
15:30-16:15
Distillery Brettos looks at street Adrianou, which is famous souvenir shopping street. This is a perfect street to get your natural Greek products souvenir, ranging from oil, soap, up to some original handmade artwork. Street is quite long 800 m and it spreads from Brettos until Roman Agora.
Cocktails at the rooftop with a view of Acropolis
16:15-17:30
Finish your evening in a carefree moment at the rooftop bar Couleur Locale. Enjoy you cocktail with a view of Acropolis with some jazz, funky, soul and rock n’ roll beats. The bar is located in Normandou Street, very close to the Monastiraki square, and it has two levels.
Opening hours: 10:00-02:00
Address: Normanou 3, Athina 105 55, Greece
http://www.couleurlocaleathens.com
Not even a local would have described Athens in such a way!