THE ACROPOLIS “HIGH CITY”
The heart of ancient Athens and the site of the Parthenon, the Propylea, Temple of Athena Nike, and the Erectheion; a true testament to the Golden Age of Greece and to the Greek leader Pericles. This site is truly a marble wonder of the ancient world.
ACROPOLIS MUSEUM
Collection of sculpture and other artifacts from the Acropolis; also located on the Acropolis
ANCIENT AGORA
The commercial and public center of ancient Athens; today it is scattered with Greek and Roman fragments and ruins. Here you can find Greece’s best preserved Doric temple.
ERECTHEION
Beautiful temple to Athena and Poseidon, god of the sea; best known for its Karyatid Porch supported on the heads of six maidens (Karyatids)
HADRIAN’S ARCH
Marble gateway built by the Roman emperor Hadrian
THE HILL OF THE MUSES
A site near the Acropolis where, it is said, Socrates drank the fatal cup of hemlock for allegedly corrupting Athenian youth with his advanced ideas on religion
NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
The most significant museum in Greece and home to the largest collection of Greek art in the world.
THE ODEON OF HERODES ATTICUS
Originally built in A.D. 160, this beautifully restored Greek theater is now home to the summer-long Athens Festival
THE PARTHENON
Architectural masterpiece and main temple of the Acropolis built between 447 B.C. and 438 B.C. by Iktinos and Kalikratis; it was dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom
PANATHINKAIKON STADIUM
In 1896 this stadium was rebuilt to its original glory to capture the spirit of ancient Greece. It was home to the first modern Olympics games and in 2004 it was again used as the finishing point for the marathon.
PLAKA
The restored 19th-century shopping district at the foot of the Acropolis.
PROPYLEA
Ancient gate and secular building leading to the Parthenon; designed by the architect Mnesicles
SYNTAGMA SQUARE -CONSTITUTION SQUARE
The center point of modern Athens, this is an elegant and popular square in front of the Greek Parliament. If you have time, catch the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
TEMPLE OF ATHENA NIKE OR TEMPLE OF WINGLESS VICTORY
Graceful all-marble temple near the Parthenon dedicated to the Goddess of Victory, “Nike”
TEMPLE OF OLYMPIAN ZEUS
Majestic temple begun in the 6th century B.C. and built over a 700-year period to honor Zeus, the supreme god of heaven
THEATER OF DIONYSUS
Seating 17,000 people, this impressive structure is the oldest of the Greek theaters
TOWER OF THE WINDS – “HOROLOGION”
Well-preserved, octagonal tower built in the first half of the 1st-century B.C. by the astronomer Andronicos
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