THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER: Throughout history, many soldiers have died in wars without their remains being identified. In modern times, nations have developed the practice of having a symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that represents the war grave of those unidentified soldiers. It is a monument over which a guard of honor keeps vigil. The Changing of The Guards takes place every hour and the 11 AM changing of guard on Sundays is a picturesque small ceremony.

THE GREEK HOUSE OF PARLIAMENTS (The Old Royal Palace): is a neoclassical building overlooking The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. Formerly used as the residential palace of Greece’s first king, Otto [1832-1862], it houses since 1933 the Greek Parliament. Adjoining the building is the National Garden stretching as far as the Zappeion exhibition and Congress Hall, which stands in its own park.

THE HILL OF LYCABETTOUS: Clad in pinewoods and crowned by the picturesque white chapel of St. George the hill provides a fine panoramic view over the entire city. Access is by the Lycabettus Funicular, a funicular railway which climbs the hill from a lower terminus at Kolonaki, or footpath. Lycabettus appears in various legends. Popular stories suggest it was once the refuge of wolves, possibly the origin of its name (which means "the one (the hill) that is walked by wolves"). Mythologically, Lycabettus is credited to Athena, who created it when she dropped a mountain she had been carrying from Pallene for the construction of the Acropolis after the box holding Erichthonius was opened. At the top of the Hill you can find a restaurant, a pastry shop and a large open-air theater.

SYNTAGMA SQUARE: Below the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier stretches the most central square in Athens lined by a large number of pastry shops, which are usually filled with a lively crowd of Athenians and foreigners. The Square is named after the Constitution King Othon was forced to grant the people after a popular and military uprising, on September 3, 1843. Syntagma Square is located near many of Athens' oldest and most famous neighbourhoods and tourist attractions. The neighborhoods of Plaka, Monastiraki, Psiri and Kolonaki are all within walking distance, and most of the famous sites of ancient Athens are nearby.

THE PLAKA: is the picturesque old historical neighbourhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists around the year, and is under strict zoning and conservation regulations, being the only neighborhood in Athens where all utilities (water, power, cable television, telephone, internet, and sewage) lie underground in fully accessible, custom-made tunnelling. Motor vehicles are not allowed in Plaka, and most streets are too narrow, thus not being able to accommodate them anyway. Excavations have proven that Adrianou Street is the oldest street in Athens still in continuous use with the exact same layout since antiquity. Of special interest is the neighborhood of Anafiotika, the part of Plaka that is built against the northern slope of the Acropolis; built by immigrants from the Aegean island of Anafi in the early 19th century, it features traditional Cycladic architecture.

MONASTIRAKI SQUARE: This is in reality an extension of Plaka. It is a flea market neighborhood in the old town of Athens and is one of the principal shopping districts in Athens. The area is home to clothing boutiques, souvenir shops, and specialty stores, and is a major tourist attraction in Athens for bargain shopping. The area is named after Monastiraki Square, which in turn is named for the Pantánassa church monastery that is located within the square. The main streets of this area are Pandrossou Street and Adrianou Street.

ILIOU MELATHRON: Formerly the home of the celebrated archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, it is one of the most beautiful buildings in Athens and stands at the upper end of Panepistimiou str. On the same street a little further down, are the neoclassical buildings of The Academy, The University and The National Library.

HOME