Athens
Capital Of Greece; Historic Centre Around The Acropolis With The Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Plaka, Monastiraki And Lycabettus Hill · Athens, Attica
Athens is the Greek capital and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, a sprawling modern city of concrete and balconies wrapped around a historic core packed with ancient ruins. The centre that visitors walk is compact: Syntagma Square with the Parliament and its guards, the old lanes of Plaka and the whitewashed Anafiotika under the Acropolis, the flea market and street food of Monastiraki, the bars and tavernas of Psyrri, and a chain of ancient sites - the Ancient Agora with the Temple of Hephaestus, the Roman Agora, Hadrian's Library, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the marble Panathenaic Stadium. Hills give the views: Lycabettus, Filopappou and the Areopagus. People come for the ancient world, for food that is good and still fair value, and as the gateway to the islands. The honest caveats: it is hot and dusty in summer, parts of the centre are gritty and covered in graffiti, pickpockets work the metro, and first impressions away from the old core can be underwhelming.
Historic centre of Athens: Syntagma Square, Plaka, Monastiraki, Psyrri and the streets below the Acropolis, Athens, Attica, Greece
A living city open all year. Streets, squares and hills can be walked at any hour; shops keep roughly 09:00-21:00 on weekdays with some shorter days, and many close on Sundays except in tourist areas. State sites such as the Ancient Agora keep summer hours to about 19:00-20:00 and winter hours to about 15:00-17:00, and close on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25-26 December. From the airport take metro line 3 or the X95 bus. Book the Acropolis slot, summer hotels and island ferries ahead. Confirm current hours.